First blog of 2011! I'm massively behind, I only wish that i blogged as often as I think about blogging, because if I did then this blog would be EPIC!
I'm not going to do that whole random catching up thing, I'm trying to work more topically and go on fewer whimsical rants this year.
So, today I started experimenting with HR zone training. Santa brought me my very first heart rate monitor (it's a polar RS 300x) and it became quite apparent that while my times mean I am not racing blisteringly fast, my heart sure is. On an average (even a slower than average) run my heart was doing around 165-169 bpm, or even higher! That's around 85% of my maximum heart rate (I haven't had any fancy tests, I'm really just working that back from a few formulas based on age and gender) and 85% is basically, going pretty bloody hard. I don't feel super uncomfortable at that rate, but it puts me squarely in what's called the anaerobic zone, which is a hard effort, and where (depending on who you ask) my body is using stored glycogen or, failing that, lean muscle tissue. I run very early in the morning, so I probably don't have much stored glycogen, and I worked very hard to get my muscle, so I'd rather my body didn't eat it, thank you very much.
So, I want to be working at around 70% of my max, in the aerobic zone, so for me the golden number is 150bpm. I am so far letting myself go five beats either way, so basically am trying to stay within 145-155bpm.
This is slllloooooowwwwwwwwww. Ten minute kilometres slow. Walking to get it down, and super, super gently jogging between walk breaks ( Actually, I need to have a chat about walk breaks, but I'm still in the info gathering stage there, so it's another story). Painfully, crazy slow.
The goal of this type of training is that, eventually, my heart will get bigger and stronger. My body will use fat for fuel at this lower heart range (which is awesome, because this is the year that I'm going to bmi 25, people!) and slowly, gradually, I'll be able to go faster at that same, 145-155bpm rate of effort.
So, go slow now, go fast later.
It all sounds suitably science-y. I will admit to being a little sceptical.
Right now, however, this type of training is perfect for me. Summer is peaking here in Melbourne (currently the humidity is 95% or higher EVERY DAY, having to be super careful with hydration)and it's hot and yucky. I'm having a few persistent niggly pseudo-injuries, and this type of training is an in-built check rein to prevent me going too fast or too hard. I also feel a lot fresher after this type of workout, because I haven't completely flogged myself. I do worry that I'm not working hard enough, but I'm going to just have to get over that.
So, this is the beginning of the experiment, and I'm really looking forward to testing the science behind this theory.
Showing posts with label slow down. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slow down. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, December 13, 2010
Slow down, take it easy
Oooh, I left this off in a bit of a dark place, didn't I! I drifted off into that eerie space where you either pick yourself up and go run, or become someone who 'used to'.
Since my last post, a lot of things have changed....I got a payrise (wahoo), and things have been going very well at home (lots of love) but I have to say that the most wonderful thing is that after almost nine months of running, I've finally gone and become a runner!
I had a few very dark weeks of really poor, disappointing efforts, and of having to drag myself out the door, and yeah, just horrid.
I skipped the middle race of the SIS series, and was kind of looking for ways to slack off and duck out of the third, but I'd paid for it, and well....I decided worst case scenario it'd be a nice walk. My preparation was poor-I stayed up late, though admittedly it was a lovely night, and I did at least manage to eat my traditional pre-race meal (pizzaa!).
I didn't have the nerves I usually do, because I wasn't expecting anything. Plus, I was alone, so I think I felt less pressure. I was early enough to do a nice slow warmup, jogging gentle laps around the grassy area near the start, hopping back in the queue at the start line, then hopping out to run a few more laps when I felt jittery.
My wave left and I decided to maybe just jog slowly...after awhile I fell in behind a couple doing a really slow pace (much slower than what I'd usually do-but cannot sustain). They were trim and neat in matching white 2xu hats, so I dubbed them the 2xu twins.
And behind them I stayed. And stayed. Slowly puttering along behind them. At the 3.5 mark the lady stopped to walk but the man kept jogging (yes, they were going that slow) so I passed them, carefully reining in my stride to avoid burning out. I ran up a hill, growling out loud, refusing to be one of the chubby girls walking up. I ran through fed square and over the bridge. I ran down the line and I finished. My throat went all tight and I thought I'd cry because I'd finally actually RUN a race, instead of running half a race.
It was a slow time, but I don't care. Because I ran all the way. And I haven't stopped since.
I realise that a play by play of a newbie's race is probably incredibly dull, but I have gained so much from this race, when I went in expecting nothing. I learned the most important thing I've learnt since I started running-to slow the hell down! I passed a lot of girls doing what I used to do- running along quickly before flagging to a walk, red faced and exhausted.
Since then I've undertaken a REAL training plan, and I can now run for about 40minutes nonstop, covering almost 6 kilometres. Baby steps to many, but my baby steps are getting bigger all the time.
Since my last post, a lot of things have changed....I got a payrise (wahoo), and things have been going very well at home (lots of love) but I have to say that the most wonderful thing is that after almost nine months of running, I've finally gone and become a runner!
I had a few very dark weeks of really poor, disappointing efforts, and of having to drag myself out the door, and yeah, just horrid.
I skipped the middle race of the SIS series, and was kind of looking for ways to slack off and duck out of the third, but I'd paid for it, and well....I decided worst case scenario it'd be a nice walk. My preparation was poor-I stayed up late, though admittedly it was a lovely night, and I did at least manage to eat my traditional pre-race meal (pizzaa!).
I didn't have the nerves I usually do, because I wasn't expecting anything. Plus, I was alone, so I think I felt less pressure. I was early enough to do a nice slow warmup, jogging gentle laps around the grassy area near the start, hopping back in the queue at the start line, then hopping out to run a few more laps when I felt jittery.
My wave left and I decided to maybe just jog slowly...after awhile I fell in behind a couple doing a really slow pace (much slower than what I'd usually do-but cannot sustain). They were trim and neat in matching white 2xu hats, so I dubbed them the 2xu twins.
And behind them I stayed. And stayed. Slowly puttering along behind them. At the 3.5 mark the lady stopped to walk but the man kept jogging (yes, they were going that slow) so I passed them, carefully reining in my stride to avoid burning out. I ran up a hill, growling out loud, refusing to be one of the chubby girls walking up. I ran through fed square and over the bridge. I ran down the line and I finished. My throat went all tight and I thought I'd cry because I'd finally actually RUN a race, instead of running half a race.
It was a slow time, but I don't care. Because I ran all the way. And I haven't stopped since.
I realise that a play by play of a newbie's race is probably incredibly dull, but I have gained so much from this race, when I went in expecting nothing. I learned the most important thing I've learnt since I started running-to slow the hell down! I passed a lot of girls doing what I used to do- running along quickly before flagging to a walk, red faced and exhausted.
Since then I've undertaken a REAL training plan, and I can now run for about 40minutes nonstop, covering almost 6 kilometres. Baby steps to many, but my baby steps are getting bigger all the time.
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