My body yesterday decided not to participate in the 50k. I was seriously out of it and in retrospect, it was for the best.
I wasn't really ready to do that distance again and I should focus on my low HR training.
But I did stop by and dropped off the soup cans I promised. I know that it would go to the Maple Valley Food Bank if it wasn't used, but with how the temps were - I'm sure they were used to warm the bellies of those that finished the run.
Other nice things were that I finished the last of my X-Mas shopping and I bought my Brooks Cascadia 3 trail shoes finally. I look forward to using them on the trails.
In the meantime, tomorrow is Day 1 of my official low HR training. I'm going to definately do more duration (most runs to be 1 hour long or longer). Tomorrow's run, I'm going to kick it to a full hour and I'll even suck it up and freeze my butt off tomorrow in the snow.
Stay warm everyone!
Showing posts with label vo2max. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vo2max. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Old College Try: HR Training - Day 0
Yesterday night, I was not in the mood to get outside and attempt to run in the snow & ice. Plus, not having YakTrax or ScrewShoes setup on my shoes, I opted to run on the treadmill at home.
So, since I was going to be inside, I decided to try out Day 1 of the training plan that was setup for me since my VO2Max test that I did on Tuesday. Since Eric said that I can extend the workout time as long as I wanted, I just had to make sure I maintained the pattern of the workout. In this case, the original workout called for:
- 8 minutes of running in my low HR zone (79-138 bpm)
- 3 minutes of rest (NO RUNNING)
- 8 minutes of running in my low HR zone (79-138 bpm)
A total of 19 minutes of actual time. Yeah, I decided to add another 8 more minutes to make it 8-3-8-3-8, 30 minutes total.
And here's how it turned out according to my Suunto Training Manager software:
I have to say, it wasn't bad at all. I was able to keep my HR hovering between 130-135 bpm (some mild spikes, but not too bad) and my speed was between 3.6-3.7 MPH (a 16:12-16:40/mile pace) for each of those 8 minutes. I felt very comfortable and loose. I didn't feel like I was forcing anything else but restraint and I eventually let go of that restraint as well. I have to say that I'm starting to embrace this slow burn.
I doubt that I'll employ the resting as much for tomorrow's run at the Pigtails Flat Ass, but I'm only going out there to enjoy myself as best as I can (yes, even with the chilly weather). Whatever comes, will come.
So, since I was going to be inside, I decided to try out Day 1 of the training plan that was setup for me since my VO2Max test that I did on Tuesday. Since Eric said that I can extend the workout time as long as I wanted, I just had to make sure I maintained the pattern of the workout. In this case, the original workout called for:
- 8 minutes of running in my low HR zone (79-138 bpm)
- 3 minutes of rest (NO RUNNING)
- 8 minutes of running in my low HR zone (79-138 bpm)
A total of 19 minutes of actual time. Yeah, I decided to add another 8 more minutes to make it 8-3-8-3-8, 30 minutes total.
And here's how it turned out according to my Suunto Training Manager software:
I have to say, it wasn't bad at all. I was able to keep my HR hovering between 130-135 bpm (some mild spikes, but not too bad) and my speed was between 3.6-3.7 MPH (a 16:12-16:40/mile pace) for each of those 8 minutes. I felt very comfortable and loose. I didn't feel like I was forcing anything else but restraint and I eventually let go of that restraint as well. I have to say that I'm starting to embrace this slow burn.
I doubt that I'll employ the resting as much for tomorrow's run at the Pigtails Flat Ass, but I'm only going out there to enjoy myself as best as I can (yes, even with the chilly weather). Whatever comes, will come.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Numbers
Here are my results for the VO2Max/Metabolic test from Tuesday:
VO2Max: 36.4 (Fair, Male 30-39 age range)
Aerobic threshold limit: 138 bpm
Anaerobic threshold limit: 161 bpm
Max HR measured: 183 bpm (I think it could have been higher, but I was seriously tired and hungry due to fasting for 12+ hours and no breakfast).
Workout Zones calculated from the test:
Low Zone: 79-138 bpm
Moderate Zone: 138-161 bpm
High Zone: 161-178 bpm
Peak Zone: 178-183 bpm
Here's the interesting thing that I found when calculating my zones based on the Maffetone calculations and Stu Mittleman's MAP (Most Aerobic Pace), MEP (Most Efficient Pace), SAP (Speedy Anaerobic Pace):
MAP Zone: 120-140 bpm
MEP Zone: 140-150 bpm
SAP Zone: 150-170 bpm
The low zone and MAP zone are pretty close to each other. The SAP zone is alot smaller than the high zone, but I think it's simply due to the test being able to lock on at where my body gets into an anaerobic state. The moderate zone and high zone however seem to overlap with the MEP and SAP zones. I'm thinking that the moderate zone could be broken up as "moderate 1" (ranging from 138-150 bpm) and "moderate 2" (ranging from 150-161 bpm). I remember when I heart rate trained before and there was a point where there was a point called the "steady-state pace". The steady-state pace feels like you're not going too slow or too fast and you could hold your pace for a considerable distance. The steady-state pace is where most long distance races are done at when you get past the first 5-10 miles. My guess is that I'll be in the steady-state in moderate 1 and if I have to gently pour on the juice without totally ditching the fat-burning, I can shift to moderate 2 before having to go more balls-out in an event.
The 42 day schedule is something that is less than desired for running junkies. Here's the first week alone:
Day 1: Run 8 minutes in low zone, 3 minutes below low zone (which means I might have to just stand still), run 8 minutes in low zone. That's it.
Day 2: Run 15 minutes in low zone, 3 minutes below low zone (more standing still), run 15 minutes in low zone.
Day 3: Rest (yeah, rest after doing that itty-bitty work from day 1 and day 2)
Day 4: Repeat Day 2.
Day 5: Repeat Day 3. (Yep, another rest day!)
Day 6 & 7: Repeat Day 2.
But the following weeks do start to look a bit better. More mixing of zones, meaning moving a bit faster for some of the time. 10 minutes low, 5 minutes moderate, repeat. This is where everything looks more promising.
I'm so glad that I've already semi-started with the low-HR training and have gotten alot of the frustrations out of the way. Added bonus is that I can add more duration of the workouts provided I maintain the pattern of the workout. And my research does show that the more time you put in, the faster the adaption will occur.
I'm looking forward to the next 42 days after the Pigtails Flat Ass. Bring it!
VO2Max: 36.4 (Fair, Male 30-39 age range)
Aerobic threshold limit: 138 bpm
Anaerobic threshold limit: 161 bpm
Max HR measured: 183 bpm (I think it could have been higher, but I was seriously tired and hungry due to fasting for 12+ hours and no breakfast).
Workout Zones calculated from the test:
Low Zone: 79-138 bpm
Moderate Zone: 138-161 bpm
High Zone: 161-178 bpm
Peak Zone: 178-183 bpm
Here's the interesting thing that I found when calculating my zones based on the Maffetone calculations and Stu Mittleman's MAP (Most Aerobic Pace), MEP (Most Efficient Pace), SAP (Speedy Anaerobic Pace):
MAP Zone: 120-140 bpm
MEP Zone: 140-150 bpm
SAP Zone: 150-170 bpm
The low zone and MAP zone are pretty close to each other. The SAP zone is alot smaller than the high zone, but I think it's simply due to the test being able to lock on at where my body gets into an anaerobic state. The moderate zone and high zone however seem to overlap with the MEP and SAP zones. I'm thinking that the moderate zone could be broken up as "moderate 1" (ranging from 138-150 bpm) and "moderate 2" (ranging from 150-161 bpm). I remember when I heart rate trained before and there was a point where there was a point called the "steady-state pace". The steady-state pace feels like you're not going too slow or too fast and you could hold your pace for a considerable distance. The steady-state pace is where most long distance races are done at when you get past the first 5-10 miles. My guess is that I'll be in the steady-state in moderate 1 and if I have to gently pour on the juice without totally ditching the fat-burning, I can shift to moderate 2 before having to go more balls-out in an event.
The 42 day schedule is something that is less than desired for running junkies. Here's the first week alone:
Day 1: Run 8 minutes in low zone, 3 minutes below low zone (which means I might have to just stand still), run 8 minutes in low zone. That's it.
Day 2: Run 15 minutes in low zone, 3 minutes below low zone (more standing still), run 15 minutes in low zone.
Day 3: Rest (yeah, rest after doing that itty-bitty work from day 1 and day 2)
Day 4: Repeat Day 2.
Day 5: Repeat Day 3. (Yep, another rest day!)
Day 6 & 7: Repeat Day 2.
But the following weeks do start to look a bit better. More mixing of zones, meaning moving a bit faster for some of the time. 10 minutes low, 5 minutes moderate, repeat. This is where everything looks more promising.
I'm so glad that I've already semi-started with the low-HR training and have gotten alot of the frustrations out of the way. Added bonus is that I can add more duration of the workouts provided I maintain the pattern of the workout. And my research does show that the more time you put in, the faster the adaption will occur.
I'm looking forward to the next 42 days after the Pigtails Flat Ass. Bring it!
VO2...Uh oh...
Okay, I'm mildly exaggerating, but it's not a good thing either.
I fall in the "Fair" category for folks that are men, 30-39 years old for my VO2Max test I did yesterday. It was a bit stressful and awkward putting that mask on and sounding like Darth Vader while running on the treadmill. But I got my numbers and my results (I'll post those up later).
My new training plan requires me to train below a 138 bpm heart rate for a majority of my training for the next 42 days after the Pigtails Flat Ass (yes, I've decided that Pigtails will be my very last race for the year until I see how I do after the 42 days of training.)
I will be running solo for the entire time, no group runs.
I will be also trying to add as much base time as possible (mileage will not be the thing to focus on, but time in an HR zone and putting in ALOT of time as I can).
I'll put more up later on this. Wish me luck!
I fall in the "Fair" category for folks that are men, 30-39 years old for my VO2Max test I did yesterday. It was a bit stressful and awkward putting that mask on and sounding like Darth Vader while running on the treadmill. But I got my numbers and my results (I'll post those up later).
My new training plan requires me to train below a 138 bpm heart rate for a majority of my training for the next 42 days after the Pigtails Flat Ass (yes, I've decided that Pigtails will be my very last race for the year until I see how I do after the 42 days of training.)
I will be running solo for the entire time, no group runs.
I will be also trying to add as much base time as possible (mileage will not be the thing to focus on, but time in an HR zone and putting in ALOT of time as I can).
I'll put more up later on this. Wish me luck!
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