Let's Build!

Sciatica is in the rear view mirror and I'm ready to get busy building!

First stop on the calendar is an eighteen week build to an April marathon. I'm planning a self-supported event on April 12. Since I've been running in Beckley Creek Park, I'll probably start there and head into Louisville for a 26.2 loop back to the park. I've been playing with some routes but haven't reached a final path. Not to worry. I can make changes until April 11. 

My wife told me that I must enjoy pain. She remembers my griping after the last marathon. It's not the pain so much. It's the challenge to overcome the pain. I love putting something out there that is hard to finish. She's going to think that I'm absolutely nuts when I start building in 2015 for a trail ultra.

I've completed the first week of the marathon build. Legs feel tired today after my long run. What would you expect after a 24 mile / 4.5 hour training week? I think they feel just right. I'm using a Hal Higdon plan but utilizing Maffetone zone for most runs. My Friday runs are marathon pace. So, I push into zone 2/3 with a focus on 930-1000 min/mile pace. 

If I didn't know the benefits of slow training, I'd be ready to pitch it. Good gravy has it been boring this week. Fortunately, I fully understand how important it is to fat adapt. So, twelve weeks of Maffetone followed by six weeks of zone 2/4 workouts are on the calendar. I'm going to stick with it! 

If you follow me on G+ or DailyMile, I appreciate the support. Honestly, I wouldn't be on social media if it weren't for the endurance sports community. Y'all keep me motivated!

Inspired Miles

Greetings from the mountains of Tennessee. We were fortunate to be able to see my family this weekend and enjoy some relaxation time in Pigeon Forge. The mountains are beautiful and the temperatures are perfect. We were able to drive most of the way to the top of Bluff Mountain. It was just a short hike to the top where there's a fire watch tower. Man, you could see forever and I didn't even go to the top. Here's a shot from a lookout along the roadway.

The week of training was capped with a splendid half marathon from Pigeon Forge's Patriot Park to Sevierville. I wanted to run to the top of Bluff Mountain (6+ miles and 2000' of gain to the top) but I needed to save my legs for the hills of Dollywood. It all worked out as it was raining and cloudy on Sunday morning. So I wouldn't have been able to see the sunrise over the Smokies.

I've talked before about adjusting my heart rate training zones. I used Friel's lactate threshold test and his recommended percentages. This dropped my training zones by roughly eight BPM. Of course, that meant running slower... for a while. Today's half marathon distance was done in Zone 2 with three minute surges every twenty minutes to lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR). This is my usual plan for long runs that I learned from Coach Jeff with PRSfit. It's a great way to stay aerobic and still get some fast twitch training.

The great news from today was the excellent improvement in pace. In February and April, I ran the same distance with AHR of 160-162 and an average pace of 9:45-9:47. I've been increasing the total training volume. So my legs certainly weren't well rested. However, I was able to roll in the new Zone 2 with an AHR of 154 and an average pace of 9:25. Twenty seconds faster with 6-8 BPM lower heart rate. That is heart rate training doing its thing!

I titled the post "Inspired Miles" for a couple of reasons. First, it's Memorial Weekend. I think about my time in the Navy. I was fortunate to not have lost any shipmates but I know many have fallen. This is not about supporting a war or policy but it's about remembering those that have volunteered to protect our nation. Second, I was listening to Run Run Live 3.0 podcast while running. This was Chris's post-Boston recording. He was only a few kilometers from the bomb site when he was pulled from the race. The passion and emotion in his voice was strong. I pushed a hard mile eleven as he read his closing statement and I thought about the victims of the bombings.

Keep moving forward. For Chris, do epic stuff.

Slackin' Blogger

What kind of blogger waits six weeks to post a new blog post? Heh. One that spent eight weeks traveling, training, working and being just too darn busy to think about writing. I did sit down a couple of times to write but just couldn't get the fingers moving. Anyhow, travels have slowed and I've been home for a week. Weeee.

I've managed to keep most of my training on track. I did drop a bit in total volume as I was skipping weights and yoga but the mileage was still there. I'm still hitting a half marathon distance each month. My first quarter half for time was 1:57. Considerably slower than my PR from last September of 1:49. However, the stress of work and life definitely had me running a bit slower. No worries. Just keeping the heart rate in training zones and moving forward.

My wife and I decided to enter a 5K race. If you know me, you know that I'm not big on spending money for races with the for-profit race companies. However, we wanted to support the local spring festival and got registered. We'll be running the streets (well, she'll be walking quickly) of Mount Washington KY on May 11. I'm actually looking forward to laying down some speedy miles. I'm pressing for three 7's. Hoping the energy of other runners will scoot me to a sub 22 finish.

Training will keep steady with another peak mileage for a June 15 half marathon. My running buddy and I will at least start together. His PR is 1:58. I'm going for sub 1:50 this time. We're still working on an exact course. Probably start from the front of Southeast Christian Church and wind through the streets of Plainview and Douglas Hills.

Keep moving forward!

Tweaking the Zones

Man, it's been a busy two weeks since I last updated. Two trips to Cleveland with an excursion to Toledo and BFE West Virginia (also known as West Union). I've kept most of  my training schedule intact. With my job and the weather, I do move things a bit but I am able to get it done.

After I wrote my last update, I decided to do some heart rate testing and recalculate my training zones using a methodology explained by Sock Doc. I've read that it's a good thing to do with regularity as our bodies are always changing. It had been more than two years since I had established my heart rate zones.

Using my existing HR zones as my guide, I ran a 6+ mile course with a twenty minute warm up in zone 2, twenty minutes in zone 3, fifteen minutes in zone 4, and five minutes as hard as possible. The zones 3 and 4 portion gave a solid simulated race pace effort that is pretty consistent. As fatigue takes hold, the push into zone 4 is pretty consistent with my earlier effort in zone 3. The final unlimited push lets me see my maximum heart rate. I also monitored my resting heart rate over the next few mornings.

As I expected, new zones were to be established. My maximum heart rate is still there. Oddly, my resting heart rate has come up a bit. Regardless, new training zones have been set. Everything moved down a few bpm utilizing the Sock Doc method (backbone of the method is established by Joe Friel). Sock Doc just makes it simple stupid for the masses.

Zone     Old BPM Range     New BPM Range
1           145-153                 137-147
2           154-162                 147-154
3           163-172                 154-163
4           172-181                 163-173
5           181-186                 173-186

What do the zones mean? Hey, that's another blog post. :-)

Keep moving forward!

Listening to Your Body

Bit of a step back week for me. Two runs, a spin and a weight session. I needed it after last week's travel schedule, half marathon and long bike ride. It's all good. I'm getting better at listening to my body.

Most of that listening is done by utilizing a heart rate monitor. I always exercise with one. Running. Riding. Lifting. It doesn't matter. My heart rate monitor is recording the exercise. I knew a couple days ahead of time before I was getting sick with the flu. I also know when I've recovered and can push things. Love training by HR monitor.

I was introduced to HR training by Coach Jeff with PRS FIT (he also got me into a zero drop shoe and corrected my running form... that's another blog post). Talk about an ego crushing first few weeks. Man, I was a whiner. 11:30-12:00 minute training miles while keeping my heart rate at 145 bpm. I'd been pushing ten minute and faster miles on most training runs. I knew nothing about slowing the pace and letting my body recovery.

However, I persevered. I listened to Jeff and kept withing the zones he gave me. Eventually, he put me through a max heart rate test and set my training zones. I've been using these zones for two years now. I've seen the zone 2 run pace drop to 9:00-9:30 range. Just depends on the day and distance.

I can honestly say that I'm more healthy because of the training. Okay, I'll give some credit to changing my diet. Guess who recommended Paleo Diet for Athletes..... Yep. Coach Jeff. However, I give just as much of the credit of staying healthy to HR training. I keep myself from being over trained which keeps my body from being stressed.

Dr. Steve Gangemi has some great articles on his site regarding heart rate training and healthy living. I credit Jeff with showing me the way, but I give The Sock Doc credit for helping me understand the science behind the training and diet. I highly recommend you visit The Sock Doc's site. He has a second site that I find just as useful. If you want an endurance coach to help you with your training, Coach Jeff is the man.

Keep moving forward!