Breaking out the Duct Tape: HR Training - Day 13, Day 14, and Week 2 result

The light run on Saturday (Day 13) was a "Perfect 3" as Suunto would say. Although I should find a way to warm-up better to control the initial wonky HR. I would have preferred to have it for an hour, but the 33 minutes (15m run-3m rest-15m run) was good enough.



Sunday's run (Day 14) was going to be longer than I had done in some time. I missed being out and just soaking in the world. Despite my current ability to run on a treadmill and not get bored out of my skull, I needed to get outside and get some Planet Earth under me for a change.

The run was originally a Base Builder run, but I figured that trying to run for over 90 minutes doing basically 6 medium/hard runs and 7 easy/recovery runs so soon was out of the question. I'll have to contend with something like that for Day 21 anyway, so why rush things? But I did need more time on my feet. So after I didn't get any word back from Eric on tweaking the day, I decided to blend the Base Builder day with some light running before and after, throwing in an experimental run based solely on my RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)...figured that would make things a bit interesting.

So, this is how the workout went:

1.) 15 minute light running in zone 1 (basically, this is the warm-up)
2.) 3 minute rest
3.) 10 minute running in zone 1
4.) 5 minute running in zone 2
5.) Repeat #3 & #4 three more times
6.) Run at what I think feels comfortable to me for about 5+ minutes and see where the HR lands
7.) Cooldown run/walk for another 7+ minutes.

The beginning part was messed up, but some of that is attributed to the powerlines in the area by my home. I've always had to deal with the insanity of those when I had HR trained in the past. Once the actual workout started, it was fine...until the insta-drop in my HR after 40 minutes into the entire workout. I was approaching an area that is notorious for creating unusual surges in electronic devices, but seeing my HR drop so much was definately pointing at other possibles. I was feeling fine. My exertion levels were good during both parts of the run when I would switch from zone 1 to zone 2 and back. I got back about a mile away from home and then decided to just run based solely off of feel and seeing if I can determine my steady-state/Most Efficient Pace (MEP) for myself. So, for about a half mile, I tend to feel steady at a 11 minutes per mile with an HR of about 150-153 bpm.

I can't say this was a good run, but it could have been worse. I doubt that I screwed anything up, but after doing some more research on the reasons for so many HR drops, I finally found something from Ironman triathlete Mark Allen (one of the huge supporters in this kind of training) and he says that these drops are common and caused by HR belts that are not strapped on very well. This would explain alot, especially since my HR belt does seem to want to slip. I'll have to try and tighten it up a bit more...then again, nothing like a bit of duct tape to fix that thing on for good, eh?


And for the 2nd week's progress so far:

Breakthrough!: HR Training - Day 12

Another base builder workout on the treadmill again like Day 8 and Day 9, except no lunchtime light run since I had too much to do (left work early to return a rental car and to pick up my car at the shop half-repaired).

Compared to the previous days doing the same workout, this was much better. My HR was able to recover better and my speed was around 5.5-5.6 MPH (sub-11 minute miles, hell yeah!) for each of those 5 minute bursts, my HR staying relatively in the high 150's to the limit of 161 bpm, occasionally rolling up a point or two above the limit. The 10 minute recovery runs in the low zone were also at a steady pace as well, between 15-16 minutes a mile.

I have another one of these workouts for Sunday, but I really have the desire to go long (atleast 2 hours or more). I need to ask Eric about how to do the workout if I want to go longer and whether it's smart to just repeat the pattern, but for the longer duration.

The Shell Game: HR Training - Day 11

I should have done this run yesterday, but due to a series of unfortunate events (car going crazy, leaving it at the repair shop, having to get a rental car at the last minute on New Years Eve - just alot of drama), I couldn't get this run in. So with all plans, I had to adjust and basically shift everything over one day (giving up a Saturday "day off").

So, the typical light run of 15m-3m-15m-3m-15m-3m-15m was on the menu again. Another treadmill run with a full stop for the 3 minute rests. Comparing the data to the previous days doing the same workout, I have indeed increased my capacity. The distances that I'm running has increased and on the treadmill itself, I am maintaining mildly faster speeds compared to when I first started this and having less HR increases as I'm going.

The added bonus I would have to say is that when doing these runs, I am often left with feeling like I could go another hour or two (or five!)

A nice birthday run for me. :-)

Falling off the Starbucks Wagon: HR Training - Day 9

A Double Day like yesterday, but will the outcome be better, worse, or about the same? Let's see...



This morning, I caved into my vices and got a Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte. For the coffee-drinking challenged, that's a large 20 ounce cup of coffee that has a decent amount of steamed non-fat milk and sweetened with sugar-free vanilla syrup. I also got another vice, a toasted Chonga bagel with Cream Cheese (yeah, that was REALLY bad). But we all fall off the wagon now and again. But this wagon I believe really messed with me with the workout. I have no doubt that it'll probably mess with me tonight with the second run as well.

As I was running on the treadmill, it seemed that my heart rate was all over the place. Really low at one moment, really high the next that was well outside of the zone that I was supposed to be running in. I tried to feel my way through the run, but my perceived exertion was not jiving either and I would rather err on the side of caution in this case. Towards the end, I was mostly walking. Not a "bad" run, but it wasn't the best either. Moral of the story: Gotta lay off the 'feine.

And the evening run:



Same pattern as yesterday's 10m-5m-10m-5m-10m-5m-10m, going from zone 1 to zone 2 and back. The exertion level that I was feeling felt not too different then yesterday. However, I really should try and run more in the middle or slightly below the limits than running to the limit for each zone...although I really don't want to move any slower than I already am. Damn my stubbornness!

...And it's screaming for Excedrine: HR Training - Day 8

Today's the start of my two-a-day runs. Light runs during my lunch hour (the old 15m-3m-15m pattern), evening runs based on whatever the schedule dictates. As my aerobic capacity increases, I will swap some of the lunch runs with strength training (possibly doing CrossFit workouts, but most likely maintaining the Gym Jones view of blending High-Intensity cross-training while maintaining the necessary workouts in the aerobic realm that are sports specific.

Anyhoo, here's a nice graphic for the first run:



Treadmill run, set at 1% incline. Speed was between 3.5-4.0 MPH, usually sticking around 3.7-3.8 MPH for the majority. I started the run with a mild headache, but as I was going - it stopped. When I finished, it slowly returned. I'm questioning on whether the lack of caffeine (I've been cutting back on Starbucks and Diet Pepsi as best I can to calm my heart down when I'm not working out) is giving me this feeling. It would make the most sense. Regarding the run itself, I could have controlled myself a bit more, but it was a better run than yesterday. Although, I should try and aim for keeping my HR even lower than the 135 bpm that I was trying for (the ceiling being 138 bpm). My hope is that I'll eventually be able to do long/easy runs at a good feelin' pace in the 125-130 bpm range.

And for the second run:



This run is a Base Builder run, consisting of running in zone 1 (79-138 bpm) for 10 minutes, then up to zone 2 (138-161 bpm) for 5, repeating once, then ending in zone 1 for 10 minutes (a total time of 40 minutes) However, I extended this out another 15 minutes, maintaining the pattern as 10m-5m-10m-5m-10m-5m-10m.

This run was kick-ass! I was able to run at a pace I felt like was genuine running! I got my speed up to 5.2 MPH! Funny thing is that I didn't really feel labored at all moving at that speed. I felt under good control, but felt like I was working a bit more. It's going to be awesome when I can run at 5.2 MPH or faster and not be in the zone 2 range.

Tomorrow: It's going to be a repeat of the same workout. Hope it goes even better!