THE FIELD MANUAL

The Guide

Concrete, fact-checked guides on training, running, food, sleep and stress. Written for people in the middle of life, with a job, a family and a body that is no longer 25. No miracles. One sustainable plan at a time.

HYBRID TRAINING

Strength training and running: how to do both after 40

Does cardio kill your gains? The research is more precise than the reputation: it is running that blunts strength, not the other way round. Which session should come first, three ready-made weekly plans, and what to drop first when time runs short.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-11
RUNNING

How to run a half marathon after 40

A full twelve-week plan from 10K. Why the long run should be counted in minutes rather than kilometres, what you need to eat once a run passes an hour, and why the final two weeks of tapering leave you rested rather than fitter.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-10
STRESS & MIND

Stress management after 40: recovery is what decides

Why it is the absence of pauses rather than the load that makes stress harmful, how it shows up in the body, four levers in the order they work for a week you cannot shrink, and the line at which to get help.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-09
RUNNING

Interval training after 40: how to get the intensity right

Almost everything that goes wrong with speed work goes wrong in the first work interval. How to set the intensity by your breathing instead of your watch, what each session type is for, and an eight-week staircase from hill repeats to four times four minutes.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-08
RECOVERY

What is HRV? How to read heart rate variability properly

Why your number cannot be compared to anyone else's or even across two devices, how to build a baseline that means something, and what to actually do on a morning when the number is low.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-07
FOOD & ENERGY

Sugar cravings at night: why they come and what stops them

The four causes behind the nine o'clock craving, why your environment beats your willpower, how much sugar is actually reasonable and a six-step field manual in the right order.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-06
RUNNING

How to run 10K: the step up from 5K

The ten-week plan that gets you all the way, what the research actually says about how fast you can add distance, how long a 10K takes and why the long run is the whole plan.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-03
FOOD & ENERGY

How much protein do you need after 40?

What the reference intake actually means, why the number rises with age, how much you need if you strength train, where protein hides in ordinary food and what protein cannot do for you.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-02
STRENGTH

Strength training at home without equipment

Why strength falls faster than muscle mass, the only thing that decides whether home training works, six movements that cover the whole body and an eight-week schedule you can start today.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
RUNNING

What is zone 2? How to find your easy pace

Why everyone quotes a different number, how to work out your own, why the talk test beats your watch, and when zone 2 means walking.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
RUNNING

How to run 5K: the plan that gets you all the way

A complete eight-week plan from a ten-minute jog to the full distance, why you should count minutes rather than kilometres, how long 5K really takes and the five mistakes that stall most people.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
SLEEP

Why do I wake up at 3am?

What happens in the second half of the night, the most likely reasons behind your wake-up, what to do while you are lying there, and when to see a doctor.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
EVERYDAY LIFE

No time to exercise? Build 150 minutes from the cracks in your week

The guidelines no longer require a long session. How to build the week's minutes out of your commute, micro-bursts and two short bodyweight sessions at home.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
SLEEP

How to sleep better after 40: what changes and what actually helps

What happens to deep sleep after 40, the four levers that give you the most back, the truth about caffeine, alcohol and evening training, plus when to see a doctor.

PUBLISHED 2026-08-01
RUNNING

How to start running after 40 without getting injured

An 8-week walk-jog plan, why your tendons set the limit (not your lungs), and the strength work that protects you.

PUBLISHED 2026-07-31