TLog: HR focus, faster tempo runs

The focus for today's long run is on HR. The key is to keep HR below 140 bpm, unlike the last two long runs. It was a hot sunny morning, so I went very very slowly (slow jog, almost the same pace as brisk walk). Managed to keep a hard cap of 140 for the first 9 km. The first 1-km tempo went well, coming in at 5:39 (target was 5:45), and the second 2-km tempo at 11:33 (target of 11:40).



Found it difficult to keep HR below 140 in the second slow run, and had to walk a fair bit. So I used a soft cap, allowing HR to go up to 145. It took a long time 3:20, which was probably the longest time for a 21k (the 2008 AHM was an exception).

Left calf felt crampy during the cool down. Plus the crampy feeling in the right calf yesterday, I attributed to the calf exercises on Monday and the use of the calfs for the tempo runs.

Boy am I glad tomorrow is a rest day!

TLog: 20 km Long Run

Same plan as last week, a 20 km long run with a 1 km tempo at 9th km and a second 2 km tempo run at 18th and 19th km. The one difference is running drills - to start with a slight forward incline (reminiscent of chi running), and stride (forward thrust and knee-high backward kick). So for every km, I practiced this drill from a stationary start - which explains the big dips in HR every km - for about 100m.

Managed to keep HR closer to 140 throughout the run. Interestingly, the first tempo at 6:50 pace turned out easier than last week, and the ave HR for that was only 149. The second tempo run was harder that last week's - I attribute that to the weather. Today was clear sunny and hot, but last week was overcast and windy. I was alarmed that my HR rose so quickly on the first km of the second tempo run, but stabilized in the second km. Managed to come close to the target time of 11:48 -- just one sec over.



Happy to note a slight negative split today: 1:23 for first 10 km and 1:15 for second 10 km. [Slow, but hey, I'm old.] This is a new principle I learnt recently - to train in the lower HR zone (as well as the higher HR zone), hence increasing the effective HR range.

On the stride drills: I have not done the forward lean for some time, so it takes some getting used to. On the tempo runs, I could feel the increased pace. Key: thrust thighs forward, feet grip the ground and kick back.

Tried out the new 2XU compression shorts (what a surprise, I had to go with S size ... the first time ever. Boy do I like 2XU!) and gel bottle (2 packets) as well as the sponge MBH purchased from Guardian. [note: I discovered how useful sponging water over the head, face and shoulders can be during the Phuket race in June. So the plan is to carry a sponge for the long runs and races!] Worked like a charm for me this hot morning. :)

Hal Higdon's Universal Pace Chart

Picked up this book "How to Train: the Best Programs, Workouts and Schedules for Runners of All Ages" by Hal Higdon at the library a few days ago. This book is a follow-on to Hal's previous two books "Run Fast" and "Marathon". In this companion book, Hal provides training programs, charts, schedules, etc to fill in what his other two books couldn't.

Although this book was written more than 10 years ago in 1997, I easily recognize many features and programs that are still being advocated today by more recent books and publications such as the RW magazine. There's something to be said for time-proven strategies and programs.

I was particularly interested in two chapters - George Parrott's Ultramarathon program and Ben Moore's Repeat and Threepeat program. But the very first chapter dealt with a topic that I have been mulling over for some time - PACE.

In Hal's words:

"Actually, training schedules ... are anything but precise. They can't be. Our marathon training class was attended by more than 550 runners. ... Individuals attempting to follow an training schedule aimed at the masses have varying talent and levels of physical fitness."

Hal went on to note that pace is relative. What is medium speed to one person can be very different to another person. Interestingly, he preferred to define training paces with reference to maximum heart rates (MHR). Hal took great care to attribute the development on pace definition to various people such as Roy Benson and Gunnar Berg. But he developed what he calls the universal pace chart:

Base: <50% MHR - very light
Jog: 50 - 65% MHR - fairly light, slow pace
Easy: 65 - 75% MHR - conversational, not a jog
Medium: 75 - 80% - hard, out of comfort zone
Crisp: 80 - 85% - harder, submax effort
Hard: 95 - 90% MHR - very hard, near max effort
Sprint: 90 - 100% MHR - very very hard, full speed

I think this way is a much better way to define pace, rather than attaching a figure value (such as 6 min/km). It is also age and talent/fitness-appropriate. An older runner may not be able to run as fast due to a lower MHR. Likewise, a less fit person may find a 6 min/km pace to be hard effort, while an experienced runner will consider this pace to be a jog.