Back in the saddle–tempo runs

I was feeling a little bit better – the tooth thing really took its toll on motivation. I did not miss a single scheduled workout but I did not go above and beyond either. Normally I would have had a strength training session or two but not this week.

I took all of Tuesday off. I rode the trainer for nearly an hour on Wednesday morning. Lunch would be the real workout. It was cold and windy but I needed a 10 mile tempo run. This tempo run would be ay my projected marathon pace – 6:50 minutes per mile. This is what I need for my 2:59:xx marathon. I have run these 10 mile tempos many times in the past – this is one of my bread and butter distances. I started out fine but the run got hard. I never entered the red zone but the run was more than challenging. I finished the run with an average of 6:51 – I was not beat down or destroyed but I could not help from thinking about having to run an additional 16.2 miles.

 

This marathon goal is going to be tough.  Saturday calls for 15 @ 7:00. 

2011 First Light Half Marathon Race Report–FAIL

“The middle is part of the race” – running legend Jim Coll

As I have mentioned a couple of time, the volume portion of my running plan is over. I have switched to the intensity phase. I had a solid tempo run on Thursday – 6 @ 6:31 pace. That was strong for me. It was a hard effort but not a race effort. My heart rate for this tempo run averaged 174 BPM. For reference, my heart rate at the Steam Whistle 12 (7.45 miles) the prior weekend averaged 176. In addition, at the Ole Man River Half my heart rate also averaged 176 BPM.

So, at the First Light I can only ascertain that I did not want to run fast. My heart rate averaged 170. Not only that but I lost this race in the middle. I had been running hard and losing ground and then just gave it up at about 8. If you look at the chart below I was actually within 9 seconds of my PR race at the Ole Man River at mile 8. However, I felt like I was over extended and fading. This is where I gave up the race.

Chart of running paces at Ole Man River and First Light Halfs.

As you can see, at mile 8 I gave it up.  I though the race was over. 

I just wanted to finish.  I allowed my heart rate to drop. 

I turned this RACE into a training run – FAIL.

 
 

Chart of heart rates at Ole Man River and First Light Halfs.

My heart rate does not indicate that I should have felt like

I was running as hard as I thought I was.  The wind did slow the pace,

however, I was simply not running hard enough – FAIL.

I thought that the PR was out the window and I hurting. I had been running into the wind and this had taken a toll. At this point I was caught by my friend Neil. He had started much slower than I.  He had also maintained his paces. After a few miles I regained my composure but was still not running to my abilities. Miles 8, 9 and 10 each hovered around 7 minute miles.

I was able to pick it up a little bit at the end but the PR streak is over. I will have to tabulate how long it lasted but it was at least a half dozen 5k’s, 2 12k’s, 7 half marathons and various other races.

As a proviso, I think I could have run this race smarter and chipped away at my half PR by a few seconds, maybe. However, I really wanted to knock a big chunk off the PR – I wanted a 1:26:20. Oh well, there will be other races. My eye is still on the prize – sub-3 marathon at Mardi Gras. I will have to have a perfect race and the run calculators are still snubbing their noses at me.

Oh yeah, this race is not chip times.  My offical time was 1:30:00 - my Garmin indicated a bit quicker.  It is funny, that would have been a solid race last year but this year it is 10 seconds per mile slower - that is HUGE.

Intensity phase – HARD tempo–Nailed it!

Starting the intensity phase of the training plan always sends shivers down my spine.  Now, I don’t mind quarter mile repeats (short and sweet) but the half miles are killers.  And the tempos – they are tough - in fact the toughest.  So today when I was walking to the gym I had some self doubts.  I needed to run 6 miles at a 6:30 pace.  That would be 39:00 minutes.

This would be tough for a training run.  I walked out to the trace with Vic.  He would be running his own pace but it is out and back.  He was going to run out for 19 and half minutes and then head back.   The pace was challenging from the beginning.  I wanted to give up at miles 2, 4 and 5.  This was a hard effort.  This was not a comfortably hard effort.  This was not a conversational pace.  This was HARD.  This was tough.  I wanted to stop. 

On the back portion of the out and back it is easier.  My heart rate did not indicate that it was easier but it felt easier.  I could see Vic a mile ahead of me.  I kept him in my sights.  This pushed me.  I would not stop.  I did not catch him but I did achieve my goal.  I finished in 39:07 with an average pace of 6:31 per mile.  I felt better and stronger than I did in last weekends Steam Whistle 12k. 

I am stoked after this run.  Next weeks tempo (Thursday) is 10 @ 6:50.  I can do this. 

I will prove the running calculators wrong (they say I am not fast enough for a sub-3 marathon).

Mountain bikes, road bikes, tempo runs and record highs!

I left work a little early on Friday. I had brought my mountain bike to work (in the back of the truck) and I was planning on meeting Matt and Raland for some trail riding. However, while at work I was joking around about stuff to take to Australia. My sister has mentioned that cigarettes are $17 a pack in Sydney. So I looked up customs to see how many I could bring into the country. Now, obviously I don’t smoke and neither does my sister or her family but …


Anyway, I could take 250 cigarettes plus one opened pack. I really was just joking around. However, while investigating customs I did notice that I need a visa for my trip next week. I think I remember looking this up months ago but …


I went to the visa site and it said that it could take up to two weeks to be processed – I am leaving this weekend! So I rushed home to apply for a visa – I needed my passport number and stuff. I filled out the form and paid my $20. A screen came up that said in very rare circumstances a visa could not be granted immediately and that I was one of these circumstance – great. My application had been forwarded to the, I don’t know, the Bureau of Visa and Kangaroos or something.


Well, I have learned that you cannot worry about these things. I put it out of my mind and hoped that it would not bother me all weekend. I jumped on my mountain bike and rode to the trails for the ride. Raland and I are very new to mountain bike riding but we have Matt to show us around. Matt rides a single speed, is quite accomplished and designed / created most of our mountain bike trails. Who better to show us around?


We rode all of the trails and had a great time. It was a little over an hour and only 10 miles. This was tough stuff.





When I got back home I checked on the visa – thank goodness it was processed and approved! No worries!


Saturday the group met up at Jackson Station for a morning ride. There was a good turnout of about 12 people. It was a pretty fast looking group. We headed out at a conversational pace. We jumped off of the trace at Clyde Station and made out way south towards Knight Road (part of the Mighty Magnolia Triathlon Course). There are a few hills out that way. I rode towards the front with Ed most of the ride. I was working on my steady state riding. I have been performing more 2 x 20 minutes at FTP on the trainer and wanted to test them out on the open road. I felt pretty solid. The ride was mostly at an easy pace but it was nice to get out in the country side. We ended up with 45 miles in about 2:30.

Sunday I woke up to a fast tempo run. I was not looking forward to this – it was going to be hard. I have a half marathon this coming weekend and I needed to test myself. A week is too short to build any real fitness. This was more for my state of mind. I planned 12 miles with the middle 10 miles at a fast pace. Two weeks ago I did a similar run with 10 miles and 8 miles fast. I wanted to duplicate that effort plus two miles. Once again this was going to be run by heart rate. My steady state hard LT effort heart rate is in the low to mid 70’s. I would keep it glued to the level. I checked the temperature outside and it was unseasonably warm – about 68 degrees and the humidity was … it was dank.  More record highs this week in Mississippi. 

I do realize how soon we forget – here I am complaining of the heat.  At least summer is over but it is supposed to be 92 tomorrow!

I only took a few cursory glances at my pace – my GPS watch was set to only display my heart rate. My legs were very tired from the biking the past few days. After the warm up mile I picked up the pace. My speed was in the good part of the 6’s. That was a good thing. However, I could really feel the temperature and the humidity. The last time I did this run it must have been 15 degrees cooler and much drier. The effort would be close to the same intensity but the speed would differ. And the speed did differ. I was about 20 seconds slower on the 10 fast miles than I was on the 8 fast miles at almost the same average heart rate.


I was pleased with the workout but not pleased with the speed. Running at my LT heart rate in the low / mid 170’s is hard work regardless of the speed. I just hope that for the half marathon on Saturday I can bring the speed. I am betting on a bump in performance from a short two day taper and hoping for a bump in performance with a drop in the temperature.

It won’t happen but I would love to be wearing a trash bag and freezing my butt off at the start of the Jazz Half Marathon!

Trainer rides and tempo runs

I volunteered at the Mighty Magnolia on Saturday. It was tough watching the athletes. I wanted to be out there. The weather was beautiful. I think I could have competed well.

When I got home from the race I was a little bummed out. I decided to jump on the trainer and smash out a workout. I loaded up a difficult session. It would be 3 x 6 minutes at a challenging wattage. The recovery would be relatively short at 3 minutes. If you remember I was first successful with this workout at the beginning of the summer. I have since failed twice.

I killed the workout out. Yes it was tough but I was able to complete it. However, there were a couple of different variables. First, my heart rate monitor was not working. In addition, my Garmin malfunctioned. One of the buttons got stuck. I could not see my heart rate – not on my computer (hooked to the trainer) or on my Garmin. I was riding blind. I also decided to pedal at a lower cadence so that I could start to build some leg strength.

So I do not know how hard I was working but I was able to complete the session. Once again, I would not say that it was easy but it was achievable. I was satisfied with the effort.

On Sunday I had a solid run. I have been trying to add some speed into my workouts. I have a half marathon at the end of the month. I will be using this race to base my training for the next few months. I believe that my running is improved from this time last year and it should allow for me to build on this base.

Instead of running by pace I decided to mix it up and run by my LTHR. I had previously determined this level by my average heart rate at my last 5k (the pump and run). My LT zone was 175 – 185 beats per minute. I started out on my run at my easy pace – about 8 minutes per mile. I then picked up the pace and tried to keep my heart rate in the mid 170’s.

I ran the next 8 miles at this hard level. This level starts out comfortably hard and then slowly increases to hard. I tried to my pace and just concentrate on the heart rate and rate of perceived exertion. I continued along just running hard. My heart rate climbed a little bit as the run went on but I was successful. After the 8 miles at pace I slowed it down for the last mile. I completed the run on 1:10:24 for an average pace of 7:02. I have run 10 miles at 7 minutes per mile pace before – a couple of times. This can be hard but it is achievable – even in training. However, I was pleased with the 8 miles at speed. I completed the 8 miles with an average heart rate of 172 BPM in 53:46 (6:43 minute per mile). Now this was a training run and in a race situation I should be able to push a little bit harder and a little bit further. On the flip side, I only ran 8 miles – about 5.1 miles short of the goal. I have 20 more days to put it all together.

All in all, I am faster than a year ago but I still have my work cut out for me.

This running thing is really just a mental game.

I love it when a plan comes together! - John 'Hannibal' Smith

Are we success junkies? I used to work in management – a long time ago. When I had to fill a position there was always a length interview process and all of that stuff. But most of the time it came down to the person. You can teach most anyone a skill set. It is much harder (near impossible) to try and change someone’s basic philosophy. Are they a ‘go getter’? Do they take pride in their accomplishments? Do they attribute their failures to external factors? I was late again because of the traffic, I did not get the report done because … we it doesn’t matter – the bottom line is you did not complete the task.

Anyway, I digress. I think most of us in this same blog-o-sphere like to succeed. We put ourselves in positions so that we reach our goals. And I am not talking about little easy goals like getting out of bed or holding down a job. We set goals that are out of our reach – goals that would have been impossible weeks, months, or years ago. But we plan them out and we achieve them. We do this because we like to succeed. And, as we know, success breeds more success. You meet you goal for a 5k and the next thing you know you want to go faster. Now you want to go further and faster!

On Thursday night I failed. I had planned on running home from work – about 6 miles (funny, I say about six miles but I know exactly how far it is – it is like someone asking you what your PR is for whatever – Oh yeah, my ironman was something like 11:18:14 – something like that – I can tell you the splits - lol). I set myself up for failure. I put this workout at the end of the day when I know I am statistically less likely to be successful. On top of running late in the day, after two prior exercise sessions, this would be a demanding workout – I wanted to run home and I wanted to run fast.

I ended up skipping the workout – failure. I was given an opportunity to get home and I took it.
This affected me Thursday evening. I mean, I was not devastated but I was disappointed in myself. I needed a victory. Instead of Adult Swim this morning I put the run back on the docket. I was going to run into work and I was going to run fast. Oh, wait a minute – this was going to be a hard workout and what if I failed? I need to ensure success but it still had to have some meat to it – it could not be a walk in the park. Well, I did a quick evaluation. Tuesday night (yes night – after work) I had some success. I ran 6 miles and 4 of them were fast – miles 2, 3, 4 (that was the success – 3 consecutively fast miles) and mile 6 (6:30 minute per mile is fast for me right now). This was a hard workout for me. I decided to call up the ole virtual nemesis on the GPS but I was going to be successful – I need 5 consecutive ‘pretty’ fast miles. I plugged in the numbers for 5 miles at – wait for it – 6:45 pace. What? Slowing it down? I think it would have been difficult to my ego to fail on this run. I don’t do this often but sometimes success is more important than breakthrough runs.

Anyway I started out and very little warm up and me and the nemesis were neck and neck. I started to put some distance between us. I was running comfortably hard but I was not overdoing it. I was cruising along. The gap between us widened some and then he started to fall back a little bit. I never looked at my pace but I knew that I was a little faster than 6:45. I was able to keep the pace for the entire 5 miles. This was a solid victory. I was back on track. I had almost guaranteed success. I need a win.

After the run into work I looked at my pace for the 5 miles. Well, they were all faster than 6:45 and many were faster than 6:30 – I ran the 5 miles at an average pace of 6:31. This was huge. This was a very solid run at a very solid pace. Now, I have to ask myself, “What would have been the results if I had needed to run 6:30 for success?”

I needed a W in the win column and I got it!

Sometimes you have to alter the goals – remember it is the big picture that we are after and these are just the day to day steps to get there.  This running thing really is just a mental game.

Are you a success junkie?

Mountain bikes - when it rains it pours!

Check out the Tech-tri blog .  Jason is giving away a cool Canon camera!

I have been looking for about a year to find a good deal on a mountain bike. The last two bikes that I have bought have been off of eBay and they have been incredible deals. I am willing to wait until I find the right bike for the right price. I also bought some cycling gear.

So, as time sometimes happens – everything falls together at once. My helmet fits me great but the padding is starting to break down badly. Also, you should replace your helmet about every 3 years. I am a helmet proponent! I have crashed and hit my head and walked away with just a little bit of road rash. In fact, just last week one of my friends went down at the end of a group ride. He cracked his helmet through on the temple area. He was not any worse for the wear. I wear a helmet and I replace them when they get long in the tooth.

So, last Thursday I ordered a new helmet. On Friday I bought a 1 year old mountain bike on Craig’s list. Everything was looking cool. However, the more I adjusted and tinkered with the mountain bike the more I realized that it was just too big me. It looked big for me and against my better judgment I went ahead and purchased it. I just wanted a mountain bike that bad. Well, I was bummed out some but I knew that I got such a great deal that I could ride the bike for a few months while I looked for a new bike and still get my purchase price out of it (or at least most of it).

Then on Saturday I got an email from Raland. He was at the Treasure Hunt – the local salvage store. This place is a flea market wonderland. They get stuff from store closing and damaged goods. The stock turns over constantly. Anyway, Raland said that they had the goods from a bike store in Nashville – water damage.

I took a drive down there and I ran into a practical who’s who in the cycling / triathlon Hattiesburg scene. I talked the talked and walked the walked and picked over the stock. I ended up getting a new road helmet (Giro Atmos), a mountain bike helmet, a couple of new race ties, some tube patch kits, some bar tape and another mountain bike. I bought 2 mountain bikes this week!  You don't know me - don't judge!  I am finding homes for two of my bikes - that should help keep the stable to an acceptable number.  There is an old joke - What is the optimum number of bikes.  The answer:  Current + 1.

For exercise this weekend I did a 40+ group road ride, two mountain bike rides and a fast 5 mile tempo run. I will be out of town all this week in Boston for work. I hope to find a few people to run along the emerald necklace.

These trails are a quarter mile from my house!  Time to learn some real bike handling skills!

Trading Volume for Intensity

It is that time of year where I have traded volume for intensity. There are not many LSD (Long Slow Distance) rides or runs. The weekend of intensity started early with the first time trial of the season. Sure, I was a few seconds off of my best time but it was a solid effort. In fact it was easily my best ride of the year. I gave a good hard effort for the entire ride (30:43). I analyzed my ride and I should have pushed harder for the last mile or so – that is what I did last year and that would have allowed me to post a PR. Still, I was pleased with the effort.

I followed up the cycling TT with a longer swimming TT at lunch. Although my swimming has quickened in the last few months this is where my endurance is suffering. Last year, while training for Ironman Louisville my shortest swim would be 3000 yards with several in the 4000 yard range. This year I have been calling it quits at about 1500 yards with my longest year to date being 2500 yards. I still stuck to the intensity over volume for this time trial and just did a hard effort 1500 yard effort. Swimming is not my strong suit and I did not push this TT as hard as I could. It seems like in the swim the difference between an all out effort and an easy swim is just a couple of seconds. I finished up the 1500 yard time trial in 23:30 – not fast by many standards but pretty quick for me. I will take a 1:34 100 yard average for that distance. When doing 100 yard repeats my average times have dropped to 1:30 give or take a second. These are good swim times for me.

Friday I knew that I had a work commitment for lunch so I needed to get a good workout in before work. I planned ahead so that I could run into work. This is a 6 mile run along the trace right to campus. It was warm and humid and I had an aggressive game plan. I wanted to run the 6 miles in 39 minutes – a 6:30 pace. This would be challenging but not too far out of reach. But I blew it. I started out a little fast and then picked up the pace. I was feeling strong but it was not sustainable. I ran the first 3 miles in just under 19 minutes (6:23, 6:11, 6:22). It was that second mile that blew me up. The next 3 miles were just trying to recover. They all clocked in at just over 7 minutes per mile. I finished the 6 mile run in 40:42 – way off of my goal pace. I need to work on my pacing.

Saturday morning I met the group for a long ride just south of town. This would include a few hills that you just do not get while riding on the trace. There were a few solid hills that I tried to attack and some good long breakaways. It was an eventful ride. We had a broken spoke, a flat and later a crash. I was able to break away from the group in the later miles. It was a good effort but JD wanted to make sure that I mentioned that I was chased down by him (the Diesel) and Butch. It was a hot fast ride. I had a blast. Unfortunately Jason had a tip over about 10 feet from the end of the ride. I saw him walking his bike and he had a shiner near his right eye. I gave him a towel and noticed that his helmet was cracked. Wow. That is why you wear helmets!

Sunday I wanted to redeem myself for the botched run on Friday. I was going to attempt the 6 miles in 39 minutes. This run did not work out either. Although I hit the trace in the morning the heat and humidity was unbearable. The conditions zapped any speed that I might have had. On top of the heat my legs were feeling the ride the previous day. Six miles fast turned into 2 miles fast with a struggle just to get home. I 86’d the run. I finished with 4 miles in 29 minutes instead of 6 miles in 39 minutes. When I got home I submerged myself in a cold bath to release some of the heat.

Not every workout was successful but the weekend as a whole was solid.

Confidence boosting tempos

The start of the taper is tough on me. I feel like I am not doing enough. I have said before that I use exercise not just for the physiological aspect but for the psychological as well. On top of all of this I am trying to maintain my weight and the reduced activity does not help.


I did a swim on Tuesday morning and then some treadmill intervals that evening. The intervals were not too hard – but I did cut them short. I was on the treadmill and I planned on doing 10 x ¼ miles at faster than 6 minute miles. I started the intervals with the treadmill set at 10.5 miles per hour (5:43 minutes per mile). I did five intervals and they were not a problem. However, my evening hard running gastrointestinal pain returned. Having a belly full of food (from eating throughout the day) really starts to jostle around. The discomfort was not unbearable but that was all that it took to call it a day. If someone would have been playing racquetball or another game I doubt I would have given up.

On Wednesday I only got a morning swim in – but it was a great swim. Not because it was terribly long or that it was astonishingly quick. It was just a solid swim that I enjoyed. It was a good pace and a good distance. I did a ladder up and down. It was not as structured as I have done in the past. The paces were about the same for all of the legs so I did not get the full benefit. I did 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 and then down back to 100. A total of 2500 yards – the longest since ironman. I was not over extended. Once again it felt solid.

That was it for the day. I had hoped to get some time on the bike trainer but it just did not happen.

Thursday morning brought a tempo run. It has turned cold here in Mississippi and I headed to the gym. Funny how a little bit of rest and the legs are no longer tired. I do not have the crazy legs that I sometimes get – my legs were just just there. Not roaring to go – not fatigued – just legs. That is a funny feeling.

Although I know that the treadmills are all over the place when I t comes to pace I have to believe that they are fairly close. I remember when I used to run with my Polar footpod that the treadmills were close. I do not remember the pluses and minuses but it was close. There is also no wind on the treadmill. I do however, always set the incline to 1 (whatever that means) to simulate the outside.

I did an easy warm up for a mile and then I decided to run the tempo. I was not sure of the pace I wanted to go. I did not want a super hard work out where I might blow up – I did not want the frustration. At the same time I wanted a challenging workout. I turned the treadmill to a 6:40 minute per mile pace. This is the pace that I ran the Steam Whistle 12K at the beginning of the year. That was a hard 7.45 miles. That was the ‘hardest’ race that I had run up to that point. I was pleased with the results. My heart rate averaged 181 beats per minute. I remember pushing hard for most of the race.

So this should be a solid workout – pushing hard. I did the warm up nice and easy and just set the treadmill and motored though. The workout felt easy for the first few miles. Well, not easy but definitely not hard. I was able to click off 6 miles at the 6:40 minute per mile pace without ever having to push to redline. This was a real boost to my confidence (which had deteriorated the last couple of days). I also cooled down for a mile and finished the 8 mile run in just under an hour. The average pace for the working set was 6 miles in 39:48 @ 6:38 pace with an average heart rate of 168 beats per minute. I have really increased my LT level these past 2 months!

Summary 0:59:33 @ 156 beats per minute

- - - - Time- - HR Ave
01 - 0:09:49 115
02  - 0:06:40 154
03  - 0:06:38 165
04  - 0:06:37 168
05 - 0:06:37 172
06 - 0:06:37 174
07 - 0:06:39 175
08 - 0:09:52 149

Short, fast, hard – FAIL

It has been a little while since I failed at one of my exercise sessions. It is frustrating but that is part of the game. I went outside this morning and wanted to put together a 5 mile run at a 6:30 minute per mile pace. McMillan says I should now be able to run it at a 6:22 pace (in a race and all of that) – in addition my 5k times are in the low 19’s (sure it has been a year but I am sticking to it). I set up the GPS ‘virtual nemesis’ guy for said distance and pacing. He did not start out as slow as he usually does but at a manageable pace. I thought, “Not too bad”. My legs were still sore from the speed work on Tuesday night but I have seen sore legs before. At the start of almost all of these races over the last 6 weeks my legs have been sore at the starting line. I have had my doubts at each of these starting lines but the legs have not let me down. And today it was a little warmer - the temperatures in Southern Mississippi have returned to normal – 65 degrees and 100% humidity.

I was just not on game today – not physically or more importantly mentally. At the mile and a half mark I was holding steady but then I let me slip away. I pulled up – I let the digital nemesis go – he had been holding my shoulder and waiting for a break - he passed with authority and never looked back. I turned around at headed back to base camp. I was a dejected. During the much slow run I was able to pick myself up by my boot straps. FAILING is part of the process. Every night I push that trophy just a little further away. I remember when I thought it was too far out of reach in the past. I look at those lines in the sand. Some of them took years to cross (breaking the 20 minute barrier in the 5k) – but I step over them regularly. They are easy now. Some of the milestones are now easy training days. I remember the fear and trepidation of swimming 10 laps in a row in the pool much less the panic of my first 1/3 mile swim in a triathlon. I failed in the pool way back when. I failed at my first open water swims. Those are nothing now – I mean not even a warm up!

We like to succeed. We like to succeed all of the time. It feels good to accomplish things. However, these days it seems like so many accomplishments now are so easily achievable. They require no real work and therefore they have no real value. The successes are only worth the effort involved! If I don’t push the trophy a little further away each day then what value does a trophy have if you only have to walk across the run to get it?

I failed today – I pushed the limit and came up short. I like to say – “I’m never down. I’m either up or in the process of getting back up!” Today I am getting back up.

I hate tempo runs!

I was not able to get a trainer ride in on Wednesday morning and I even skipped the STADIUMS at lunch. I was planning for a ‘BREAKTHROUGH’ running session. I was not sure if this would be mile repeats or a hard tempo run pushing my anaerobic threshold. Either of these are hard runs.


I decided on the tempo run on the treadmill. The treadmills are getting a little bit old at the gym. I always use the same one but it was occupied. It took me a total of three attempts to get a treadmill that would 1. Turn on and 2. Let me set the incline (I always set the incline to 1).

I was all set to go and I thought that I could do a 4 mile tempo run at the pace that I last did mile repeats. I ran 3 x 1 mile @ 6:30 with a quarter mile recovery in between on Saturday. I remember this being challenging but achievable. Last spring I PR’d in the 5K with a 19:09 which equates to a 6:09 pace. That was really fast for me – obviously it was fast for me - it was a PR. But it was fast for me because I was pacing off of someone that I knew and I used them to get that PR. This just does not happen in training. In addition, I feel a bit slower than last year after training so much for ironman. Anyway, I thought that 4 miles at a 6:30 pace would be hard but achievable. I was wrong! I was wrong on a couple of levels. I was not willing to get into the RED zone – the deep RED zone anyway. I wanted to stay at or just barely above my anaerobic threshold. I know that I can average in the low 170’s while running hard for 30 minutes and averaging my heart rate for the last 20 minutes. In the last half marathon I ran (2 weeks ago) with an average heart rate of 168 (with a max at the end of the race at 186). This means that much of that run was in the mid 160’s and the level of exertion was picked up at the end (at mile 11 to be exact). A heart rate in the 160’s is a comfortably hard level for me.

For this tempo run I tried to keep my heart rate between 172 – 175. This is obviously just a little too high for me right now – I can hold it there for a while in a race but not on a treadmill in the middle of the day. I think that I need to back off of the speed in the tempo run and bring it up slowly (last Friday morning after warm up I ran 4 miles at an average pace of 6:52 with an average heart rate of 178 – and a MAX at 185). As much as I hate to say it - This week’s run was just a little too much too soon.

A little frustrated having only run 2 miles at the pace that I wanted I decided to ride the trainer after work. I geared up and set the trainer up for a steady zone 2 ride for 45 minutes. The DVD was on and I was ready. I made it about 5 minutes and then I aborted. My legs were burning at what should have been a pretty easy steady state ride. I gave myself a break and would let the legs have a rest.

I got up this morning and tried the same trainer workout again with much better success. While it was not SUPER easy - all cylinders were firing as they should be. I clocked off the 45 minutes. A good night’s rest makes a huge difference.