Tonight was a struggle. My body did NOT want to run hills. But since there was nothing seriously wrong, I had to fight the little mental complaints: my right hamstring felt tight; I was tired; my legs felt heavy; and blah, blah, blah.
Only one of my fellow marathoners showed up, so we tackled the hill together. 8 repeats, plus a long jog there and back. I was really curious about my max heart rate, so by the 3rd repeat I was focussed on trying to see how high it would actually go. I noticed that with every repeat it became a little bit higher and climbed a little bit quicker.
Hills are a mental game: if I sat there and thought about the 8 repeats, I would have felt defeated from the start. Instead, I focused on breaking it into 2 sets of 4 hills, and I made my goal to reach my max heart rate (or close to) every time. I found that I didn't get close until the second half of the set.
Total Time: 1.23.06min
Total Distance: 13.00km
Average Pace: 6.24min/km
Average HR: 162bpm (83.5%)
Max HR: 191bpm (98.5%)
Pretty close! I hope this doesn't mean I should lower my max heart rate calculations.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Improvements
At last! Improvements I can sink my teeth into!!!
I almost couldn’t believe my watch last night! After stagnating for a couple of weeks at a 5.52min/km pace for the 6k tempo run, I’ve finally surged past that!
Total distance: 5.98km
Total time: 33.30min
Average pace: 5.36min/km
Average HR: 170bpm (88%)
Comparatively, on MAY 1st I ran 7.09km at a 5.28min/km pace and pretty much the whole way through I felt like I was going to die…I struggled almost every step of the way for that one! But now – at only 8 seconds slower per km – I am feeling much more in control. I looked at my average HR and that didn’t change significantly (from 176 to 170bpm), but the BIG difference is how much stronger and easier this run felt. Instead of gasping for breath and feeling like I was going to collapse at any moment, I was feeling strong and felt like I was holding myself back. It makes me wonder what time I would run if I wanted to do a 10k race…PB anyone? Soooo tempting to test myself right now! Feeling pumped and feeling good right now. Nothing like seeing improvements to build my self-confidence.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Poorly Started but Nicely Finished
From the moment I parked in the parking lot I knew I was off to a bad start, because I really had to pee. And of course the Running Room store was closed for another 30 minutes!
Fortunately, I knew of a public place to go 1km down the road. So shortly after we set off as a group, I veered to the public restroom and wished the other runners a farewell. I knew I wouldn't be keeping up with them as I wanted to run much slower than last week, and I didn't want them waiting for me at the cost of their own training!
But alas, the restrooms were locked.
What's a girl to do? That was the only restroom I knew of for the next 15km...and it was locked. Ugh!
I had to go with Plan B, which involved a side-trek into some bushes. Not the best, I know! But what's a girl to do?! Well, if that didn't set my heart rate a-pounding....It took me quite a while to calm it back down and settle into my pace. Because yes: I was in the heart-rate training way of things.
The day was hot, and at around 15km I re-filled my water bottles in that other public restroom that I knew about. I wish I could run with more water, but my back problems make it limiting for me, and I carry only about 800mL of water. Or, more specifically, 500mL of electrolyte drink mixed with 300mL of juice (for calories and carbohydrate).
At around 19km, I could feel my energy starting to fade as my heart-rate began to jump higher, forcing me to slow down. These seems to be my fairly typical "slow down" point on the LSD days.
At 23km I really stopped caring about heart-rate at all: I opted to keep it under 75% (rather than under 70%), and was doing really well with it staying around the 72% mark. I was feeling pretty grim, and the distance was really starting to slog on me. I kept chanting down the mileage as I went, trying to think of how long it might take me.
At 26k I crossed paths with a friend from the Running Room. After quickly giving our run plans, she opted to turn around and join me. The pro: it really lifted my spirits and helped the last 3km fly by! The con: it also lifted my heart-rate, as we compromised on our pace: I ran a bit faster (going from an 8.30 to a 7.45 pace), and she slowed down. It was such a delight to have someone run with me those last few kms and give me the chance to stop focusing on myself. I didn't have the "break down in tears" moment of some other long runs I've done in the past when I finished, but that's okay with me! Nice to end it well when I had such an awkward start.
Total Distance: 29.5km
Total Time: 4:00:28
Average Pace: 8.09min/km
Average HR: 139bpm (72%)
It's a bit scary, thinking of how exhausted I felt today, when for the marathon I'm planning to go almost 13km farther at a much faster pace! T-(Minus)-8 weeks to go.
Fortunately, I knew of a public place to go 1km down the road. So shortly after we set off as a group, I veered to the public restroom and wished the other runners a farewell. I knew I wouldn't be keeping up with them as I wanted to run much slower than last week, and I didn't want them waiting for me at the cost of their own training!
But alas, the restrooms were locked.
What's a girl to do? That was the only restroom I knew of for the next 15km...and it was locked. Ugh!
I had to go with Plan B, which involved a side-trek into some bushes. Not the best, I know! But what's a girl to do?! Well, if that didn't set my heart rate a-pounding....It took me quite a while to calm it back down and settle into my pace. Because yes: I was in the heart-rate training way of things.
The day was hot, and at around 15km I re-filled my water bottles in that other public restroom that I knew about. I wish I could run with more water, but my back problems make it limiting for me, and I carry only about 800mL of water. Or, more specifically, 500mL of electrolyte drink mixed with 300mL of juice (for calories and carbohydrate).
At around 19km, I could feel my energy starting to fade as my heart-rate began to jump higher, forcing me to slow down. These seems to be my fairly typical "slow down" point on the LSD days.
At 23km I really stopped caring about heart-rate at all: I opted to keep it under 75% (rather than under 70%), and was doing really well with it staying around the 72% mark. I was feeling pretty grim, and the distance was really starting to slog on me. I kept chanting down the mileage as I went, trying to think of how long it might take me.
At 26k I crossed paths with a friend from the Running Room. After quickly giving our run plans, she opted to turn around and join me. The pro: it really lifted my spirits and helped the last 3km fly by! The con: it also lifted my heart-rate, as we compromised on our pace: I ran a bit faster (going from an 8.30 to a 7.45 pace), and she slowed down. It was such a delight to have someone run with me those last few kms and give me the chance to stop focusing on myself. I didn't have the "break down in tears" moment of some other long runs I've done in the past when I finished, but that's okay with me! Nice to end it well when I had such an awkward start.
Total Distance: 29.5km
Total Time: 4:00:28
Average Pace: 8.09min/km
Average HR: 139bpm (72%)
It's a bit scary, thinking of how exhausted I felt today, when for the marathon I'm planning to go almost 13km farther at a much faster pace! T-(Minus)-8 weeks to go.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Chapters in a Book
When I first ventured into the strange world of “running”, I hated the thought of running with other people (“I’m too slow!”). Then I started running with other people, and I hated the thought of running on my own* (“It’s too boring!”). Heart rate training, by consequence, has made me into a selfish runner. (“I’d LOVE to run with you…but only if you go at MY pace.”). I love, love, love it when I find people willing to go at my pace, but I appreciate that in a small group that is an unreasonable expectation. I’m sort of wondering…if this is a new chapter of a runner’s life, what would it be called? And where in the runner’s book would it be? Beginning, middle, or end?
Tuesday night was one of those nights where it happened! I had low expectations due to my disastrous Sunday LSD. But apparently I was recovered enough that – despite the heat – I was able to keep up with some other running pals. Okay, I was able to keep up right up until the last 500m when they surged ahead and I had to slow down due to climbing heart rate. I didn’t even reach the top end of my training zone, which was nice and comfortable. What do I mean by that? Well, because I’m heart-rate training, I’ve been ‘testing’ myself to see if I can notice improvements. To test myself, every run I aim to keep my heart-rate at the highest end of the zone possible without going over (e.g.: when I’m in Zone 4 training, I keep my heart-rate at 4.8-4.9). While some may argue that this may not be the ideal way to heart-rate train, my response is hush! It’s the only way I can measure improvements to keep me motivated.
Total time: 35.33min
Total distance:6.02km
Average Pace: 5.54min/km
Average HR: 166 (86% of max)
*Races excepted, of course! But the energy from a race is vastly different from that of a training run.
PS - I can name the Chapter of my Wednesday night run! "Seven Hills...Where Laura Kicks Some Ass!"
Monday, June 18, 2018
Kicking Myself
Sunday "19k" LSD.
I think I'm becoming an anti-social runner! While I love, love, love, running with my fellow runners, today I definitely had the feeling of...
Although unlike the Emperor, I was mostly annoyed with myself. While it started off really lovely, gradually the pace picked up until I was going at last week's race pace! I should have slowed down, but I couldn't bring myself to do so - at first because I didn't know the area, and then out of pride.
At 13k, I knew I was in trouble. So I opted to go out a bit further and make my distance 23k. Partially to add a bit more distance since I've not been up to snuff with the training, and partially to give myself the chance to really slow things down.
But unfortunately shortly after we parted ways, I ran out of water. It was a hot day, and I was dehydrated from a party I went to yesterday evening. Not a great combination, especially with no water fountains in the vicinity! Defeated, I headed home. The last 5k was pure struggle, and I finished with 20.5km under my belt.
I think I'm becoming an anti-social runner! While I love, love, love, running with my fellow runners, today I definitely had the feeling of...
Although unlike the Emperor, I was mostly annoyed with myself. While it started off really lovely, gradually the pace picked up until I was going at last week's race pace! I should have slowed down, but I couldn't bring myself to do so - at first because I didn't know the area, and then out of pride.
At 13k, I knew I was in trouble. So I opted to go out a bit further and make my distance 23k. Partially to add a bit more distance since I've not been up to snuff with the training, and partially to give myself the chance to really slow things down.
But unfortunately shortly after we parted ways, I ran out of water. It was a hot day, and I was dehydrated from a party I went to yesterday evening. Not a great combination, especially with no water fountains in the vicinity! Defeated, I headed home. The last 5k was pure struggle, and I finished with 20.5km under my belt.
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Recap: 6k / 6 Hills
Part 1: 6k
Slowly recovering from my half marathon!
On Tuesday we did a 6k, and I was curious to see how I’d do considering my muscles were still stiff and sore.
Distance: 6.0k
Time: 35.12 min
Pace: 5.52min/km
Heart rate: 169bpm (87%)
Happy to see that I am at the same pace as last week’s run, even with my sore muscles.
A few people have asked me when I would consider that my heart rate training was “working”. It was a good question, so I took some time to think about the answer. Here’s what I’ve decided:
When I can run 6k at a 5.20 pace or better in an 80-90% heart rate zone, I will say it has “worked”.
Part 2: 6 Hills
Due to unexpected overtime at work, I didn’t make it out to hills with the group. Instead, I ran hills locally. In the end, I was grateful for this as my knee felt a bit sore. And interestingly, now that I’m tracking my heart rate I could see I hadn’t fully recovered from the day before!
On Tuesday I kept a “Zone 4” (80-90% max HR) with a 5.52 pace. But Wednesday night when I was doing my warm-up run (to get to the hill), anything faster than a 7.10 pace set my heart rate into Zone 5 (90%+)!**
A mixed blessing: my local hill is very small. While the distance was appropriate, it was much less of a grade and elevation change than it should have been. Still, I cranked out my 6 repeats even though I was very unmotivated to do so.
Motivation has been a strong struggle for me this week. Hopefully I get a motivation boost in time for Sunday’s run!
**I was questioning the accuracy of my heart rate monitor that night, as when I was sprinting uphill and gasping for breath, my heart rate read as being only 83%...
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Now I Know
MEC 21.1km Race.
I picked this race because a) it was cheap, and b) the timing felt about right.
The Goal: sub-2.10.00
The weather: hot & a bit windy
I allowed myself to take Wednesday night hills off as my "taper" for this race. I felt ready, and nervous. Despite all of my fancy, "it's just a training race" talk, I definitely felt my pre-race jitters!
It started off great: I was on-pace (5.47min/km) and doing my 10:1 run:walk. It was an out and back course, so I could monitor the landmarks to know what was coming. At 3k we started down a huge hill. Oh boy! This will be tough to come back up! I may have to give myself an extra couple of minutes!
At 7k (1/3 through the course), I started to feel the fatigue. The run/walks were wonderful. A lot of times I just focussed on keeping my pace until the next walk break. While I was still going strong, I felt a niggling doubt creep into my mind that I could maintain my 5.47 pace to reach my sub-2.10 goal.
At the halfway mark, I was at 1.02.25 - this was perfect! I would need the extra few minutes to help me get up the hill! I had noticed the course was more downhill than up on the way out, so time to dig deep and find it in me to keep going back.
At about 11k, I opted to slow my pace down, just a little. Instead of 5.47 I went for a 5.57 pace. I knew I was slowing down, but I wanted to be realistic. And I could still keep within my goal at a sub-6 pace!
At 16k - with just 5k to go - I was right on target. Booyeah!
And then the hill started.
Slow and gentle at first, it climbed slowly but surely for the next 1.5km, at which point we started into the steep, switchback section of the hill. Halfway up I saw a poor cyclist crash as she was riding down. I'm not sure what happened! One minute she was on her bike the next she was kissing pavement as she slid a bit down the hill. Fortunately, she had a friend with her. I had been prepared to stop, but they waved on the runners and cyclists ahead of me so I had the feeling she was doing okay. Double fortunately, there was a paramedic (courtesy of the race) sitting just at the top of the hill. One of the people in front of me must have sent her down the hill, because she passed me as I continued my trek to the top.
My poor husband - who has never watched me race a half marathon before - made the mistake of coming up to me as soon as I crossed the finish line, only to get a very rude push away. It was a rookie mistake! After about 5 minutes (when I finally caught my breath enough that I knew I wouldn't pass out), I kindly explained to him why breathing was more important to me than hugging immediately after a sprint finish. Awkwardly, I think this might have been caught by the MEC photographer...
But now I know:
1) Barring anything unexpected, I will be able to complete my full marathon despite my knee problems! Evidence - running today's half marathon with zero knee pain!
2) A 4.15 finish time goal is probably unrealistic for me for the full marathon. I will reset my goal to a sub-4.30. Evidence - not being able to sustain a sub 2.10 on today's race!
Because that was the primary goal for this race: it was testing the waters for my marathon so I could ask myself, will I be ready? Can I do this? The answer is yes - so long as I reset my goals to make them realistic for me.
I picked this race because a) it was cheap, and b) the timing felt about right.
The Goal: sub-2.10.00
The weather: hot & a bit windy
 |
| Ready, Set... |
It started off great: I was on-pace (5.47min/km) and doing my 10:1 run:walk. It was an out and back course, so I could monitor the landmarks to know what was coming. At 3k we started down a huge hill. Oh boy! This will be tough to come back up! I may have to give myself an extra couple of minutes!
At 7k (1/3 through the course), I started to feel the fatigue. The run/walks were wonderful. A lot of times I just focussed on keeping my pace until the next walk break. While I was still going strong, I felt a niggling doubt creep into my mind that I could maintain my 5.47 pace to reach my sub-2.10 goal.
At the halfway mark, I was at 1.02.25 - this was perfect! I would need the extra few minutes to help me get up the hill! I had noticed the course was more downhill than up on the way out, so time to dig deep and find it in me to keep going back.
At about 11k, I opted to slow my pace down, just a little. Instead of 5.47 I went for a 5.57 pace. I knew I was slowing down, but I wanted to be realistic. And I could still keep within my goal at a sub-6 pace!
At 16k - with just 5k to go - I was right on target. Booyeah!
 |
| Feeling Strong & Confident 1km into the course! |
And then the hill started.
Slow and gentle at first, it climbed slowly but surely for the next 1.5km, at which point we started into the steep, switchback section of the hill. Halfway up I saw a poor cyclist crash as she was riding down. I'm not sure what happened! One minute she was on her bike the next she was kissing pavement as she slid a bit down the hill. Fortunately, she had a friend with her. I had been prepared to stop, but they waved on the runners and cyclists ahead of me so I had the feeling she was doing okay. Double fortunately, there was a paramedic (courtesy of the race) sitting just at the top of the hill. One of the people in front of me must have sent her down the hill, because she passed me as I continued my trek to the top.
At the top of the hill I had just 3km to go. And I could see that if I could run the last 3k at a 6 min pace, I would easily make my goal.
I tried to do this. I really, really tried. But my leg muscles were shaking with exhaustion and I just couldn't find it within me. I settled on putting one foot in front of the other and pushing myself as hard as I could, even if my pace was slowing down.
I passed one lady with less than 1k to go. She didn't come with me. I then passed a gentleman with 400m left. At first I thought I would beat him as I began to out-pace him with less than 200m until the finish line. At first he let me pass him and I surged ahead...but then he must have changed his mind and the race was on.
 |
| Finishing just behind one of my competitors |
Clearly he had more left in his tank than I did, and with 50m to go I conceded defeat and settled for just finishing.
Total time: 2.13.02
Total distance: 21.1km
Average pace: 6.18min/km
Average HR: 161bpm (83% of max)
 |
| That last 400m was at a 4.15 pace! |
 |
| Although I look disappointed, I'm not. Just 100% exhausted! |
But now I know:
1) Barring anything unexpected, I will be able to complete my full marathon despite my knee problems! Evidence - running today's half marathon with zero knee pain!
2) A 4.15 finish time goal is probably unrealistic for me for the full marathon. I will reset my goal to a sub-4.30. Evidence - not being able to sustain a sub 2.10 on today's race!
Because that was the primary goal for this race: it was testing the waters for my marathon so I could ask myself, will I be ready? Can I do this? The answer is yes - so long as I reset my goals to make them realistic for me.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Skeptically Improving
It’s hard to judge improvements in outdoor distance running. There are so many factors to consider! For example, I can’t control the weather (e.g.: rain, heat, cold, wind, etc.), or even the route (e.g.: hills, traffic lights, etc). But as someone who is desperately hoping for improvements from the heart rate training, I will take what I can get!
So on that note, on Tuesday I ran just under 6k.
Total time: 34.22
Total distance: 5.86
Average pace: 5.52min/km
Average HR: 85%
Previously, I had also run about 6k, where my pace was 6.03min/km. This is an improvement of 11 sec/km for keeping within the same heart rate! Again, I feel confident I’m on the right track, but the skeptical part of me is saying, so what? I can run that FASTER. I’ll only count this training as showing “REAL” improvement when I run consistent PBs.
After all, considering my A-goal marathon pace is 5.47min/km (with 10:1 run:walk breaks), and considering that I am only now running 14% of the distance at 5 seconds over that goal pace, I still have a L-O-N-G way to go! I’ll need to have a lot more improvements within the next 10.5 weeks for me to succeed.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Improvements & Non-Improvements
23k! Finally breaching the "over halfway" point of the distance runs! And with just 11 weeks until my first full marathon is completed...that is, unless my knee dictates my training plan (meaning unless I have to bail out because my knee is aggravating me.
I ran the same place as my 19k from last week...an out and back through beautiful Fish Creek park. I'm definitely noticing some improvements (and some not improvements) since I started heart rate training!
Improvement #1: when I hit the 19k this week, I was over 2 minutes faster (~6sec/km faster).
Improvement #2: while last week I noticed a decline in my pace (indicating fatigue) at just over 12km, today I noticed it at the 17km mark!
Non-improvement #1: the last 5k - and particularly the last 3k - were just brutal for me! I had to slow my pace down from between 8.10-8.20 to over 9min, with the last 2km being 9.47 and 9.59 respectively! I just could not get my heart rate to drop, and had to take frequent (short) walk breaks. Gaaa! So frustrating!
Non-improvement #2: because of this, my overall pace stayed the same as last week, meaning my speed hasn't improved.
Total time: 3h16min00sec
Total distance: 23.00km
Average pace: 8.31min/km
Average HR: 134bpm (69% of max)
It was a tough, tough run. I think I have been eating too much junk food this weekend, and I went out to a fancy dinner with my family on Saturday night. Unfortunately for the first 12km of my long run I was feeling very bloated, very gassy, and very uncomfortable. My tummy finally settled down on the way back. Although I was planning to do some nutrition experimentation this run, I couldn't bring myself to down any of the gels I brought because of all my stomach issues. I did try drinking the pop (recommended by our nutritionist as an alternative option), but this did not work for me at all. Even though I'd pre-stirred it before putting it into my fuel belt container, it was still too fizzy for me to handle. Also, the jostling of the container due to my run resulted in excess fizzing, which then resulted in a minor amount of minor pop spillage down my backside. Great.
My friend later suggested it was because I'm not a pop drinker at the best of times, so of course I wouldn't be able to handle it well on a long run! Duh! Makes complete sense to me. So, the pop is out. Next week I'll try with some juice instead, which can be just as sweet and calorie-laden, but which I know I can tolerate much better than pop.
But good news on the knee front: I now am back to full flexibility of my right leg with no knee pain, and I had zero knee pain during the entire run!
So how am I liking the heart rate training? It's tough! I want to go so much faster than I'm allowed, and I find it frustrating...and a bit lonely. But admittedly my long runs are much easier both before (psychologically) and during (physically) because I'm not pushing myself to exhaustion. And I find it encouraging that I'm seeing improvements. I am clinging to that small hope that this is the key to breaking through my plateau, and trying not to get upset with how slow I'm going, and how slow the improvements are coming.
I ran the same place as my 19k from last week...an out and back through beautiful Fish Creek park. I'm definitely noticing some improvements (and some not improvements) since I started heart rate training!
Improvement #1: when I hit the 19k this week, I was over 2 minutes faster (~6sec/km faster).
Improvement #2: while last week I noticed a decline in my pace (indicating fatigue) at just over 12km, today I noticed it at the 17km mark!
Non-improvement #1: the last 5k - and particularly the last 3k - were just brutal for me! I had to slow my pace down from between 8.10-8.20 to over 9min, with the last 2km being 9.47 and 9.59 respectively! I just could not get my heart rate to drop, and had to take frequent (short) walk breaks. Gaaa! So frustrating!
Non-improvement #2: because of this, my overall pace stayed the same as last week, meaning my speed hasn't improved.
Total time: 3h16min00sec
Total distance: 23.00km
Average pace: 8.31min/km
Average HR: 134bpm (69% of max)
It was a tough, tough run. I think I have been eating too much junk food this weekend, and I went out to a fancy dinner with my family on Saturday night. Unfortunately for the first 12km of my long run I was feeling very bloated, very gassy, and very uncomfortable. My tummy finally settled down on the way back. Although I was planning to do some nutrition experimentation this run, I couldn't bring myself to down any of the gels I brought because of all my stomach issues. I did try drinking the pop (recommended by our nutritionist as an alternative option), but this did not work for me at all. Even though I'd pre-stirred it before putting it into my fuel belt container, it was still too fizzy for me to handle. Also, the jostling of the container due to my run resulted in excess fizzing, which then resulted in a minor amount of minor pop spillage down my backside. Great.
My friend later suggested it was because I'm not a pop drinker at the best of times, so of course I wouldn't be able to handle it well on a long run! Duh! Makes complete sense to me. So, the pop is out. Next week I'll try with some juice instead, which can be just as sweet and calorie-laden, but which I know I can tolerate much better than pop.
But good news on the knee front: I now am back to full flexibility of my right leg with no knee pain, and I had zero knee pain during the entire run!
So how am I liking the heart rate training? It's tough! I want to go so much faster than I'm allowed, and I find it frustrating...and a bit lonely. But admittedly my long runs are much easier both before (psychologically) and during (physically) because I'm not pushing myself to exhaustion. And I find it encouraging that I'm seeing improvements. I am clinging to that small hope that this is the key to breaking through my plateau, and trying not to get upset with how slow I'm going, and how slow the improvements are coming.
Group Reconnections
Wednesday was a night to run with the group! We were starting from a different place and I was in unfamiliar territory. But it still managed to work into my heart rate training quite well! The only exception was that we did have walk breaks to make sure nobody got lost and keep the group relatively together. Having been a person that has fallen behind and gotten lost before, I didn't mind one bit!
Because of these walk breaks and pauses, the timing on my watch is a bit off, but here we go:
Total time: 41.16min
Total distance: 6.34km
Pace: 6.31 min/km
Average HR: 153 bpm (79%)
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