Rethinking Effort and Intensity for Endurance Athletes with Siren Seiler

“The physiology can be complicated, but the training doesn’t have to be.”In this episode, I am joined by Siren Seiler, a sports physiologist and endurance athlete who brings a unique perspective to the science of performance. Having transitioned from the subjective world of competitive dance to the objective, data-driven realm of endurance running, Siren explores the friction between laboratory theory and real-world application. We discuss the mechanisms of intensity, examining how we move from the three physiological zones defined by lactate thresholds to the more granular five-zone models used by practitioners.We also tackle the practical challenges of monitoring these intensities when moving from the road to the mountains. Siren shares insights into how vertical gain and technical terrain shift the physiological cost of an effort, often rendering traditional pace-based metrics obsolete, and how breathing rate can help fill that gap. We also touch on the apparent conflict between Polarised Training and Double Threshold training and why Norway are so successful in sports.Whether you are interested in the specific mechanics of lactate monitoring or looking for a more robust way to structure your season, this discussion provides the theoretical depth needed to move from simply consuming information to making informed, science-backed training decisions.USEFUL LINKSContextualizing the Norwegian standardized intensity zone framework in an international sample of endurance practitioners: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396131157_Contextualizing_the_Norwegian_standardized_intensity_zone_framework_in_an_international_sample_of_endurance_practitionersRELATED BORN ON THE TRAIL CONTENTHow To Improve Your Performance by 44% in Just 10 Weeks*: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/how-to-improve-your-performance-byAre You a Better Judge of Effort Than Technology?: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/are-you-a-better-judge-of-effort-than-technology-rpeReviewing Breathing Sensors as a Tool for Workload Monitoring: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/p/breathing-sensor-and-heart-rate-for-performance-tracking?r=39kjk2FOLLOW SIREN SEILERLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/siren-amelia-seiler-viken-a07215345Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Siren-Amelia-Seiler-VikenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirenseiler/?hl=enPersonal Website: https://sirenseilercoaching.wordpress.com/FastTalk Labs: https://www.fasttalklabs.com/byline/siren-seiler-viken/WATCH THIS SHOW ON OTHER PLATFORMSYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bornonthetrailSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6o5yHthUidO0No4VA3xdVbApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-on-the-trail-going-longer/id1857231629Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvFOih1rUBA2F_3Bi7Ii-cAqieAQSumU_FOLLOW BORN ON THE TRAIL ON SOCIAL MEDIASubstack: https://bornonthetrail.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bornonthetrail/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bornonthetrailFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bornonthetrail/ Get full access to Born on the Trail at bornonthetrail.substack.com/subscribe