Alternating Tempo Run

For us that hate Marathon Paced Runs

A lot of Marathon training schedules call for a certain amount of Marathon Paced runs. These are generally no longer then just over half distance and can be quite tough sessions to complete. Mainly because they are often done in the middle of a Marathon training program on very tired legs. While this type of run will test the runner mentally on tired legs, it is too short to have any benefit on the lactate clearance system. If the Marathon pace is correct your Heart Rate should not be hitting levels that start generating increased Lactate that we would experience in the last 6 miles of a Marathon. We incorporate shorter/faster tempo runs to achieve this. One way I have found to get the Heart Rate up to these levels while running at marathon pace is to run an alternating tempo with 1/3 at 10K pace and then drop back to marathon pace. Repeating this without taking any rest. Normally I do this on a track 400 @ 10K followed by 800 @ Marathon pace. Anything between 10 and 13 reps is a pretty tough workout. Below is one such workout I did 12 weeks out from Seville. Just to give an idea of where my Heart Rate was against pace at the time, I ran a 12 Mile Marathon pace (7:35) the following week with an average HR of 158.

Rep	400	Pace	800	Pace	400 HR	800 HR
1	01:41.6	06:48.8	03:42.9	07:28.4	146	155
2	01:41.6	06:48.8	03:44.5	07:31.6	160	161
3	01:43.9	06:58.0	03:45.4	07:33.4	161	162
4	01:44.9	07:02.0	03:47.2	07:37.1	162	164
5	01:44.5	07:00.4	03:48.5	07:39.7	164	163
6	01:43.6	06:56.8	03:49.4	07:41.5	164	162
7	01:45.0	07:02.5	03:47.5	07:37.7	165	165
8	01:45.3	07:03.7	03:48.0	07:38.7	166	165
9	01:45.9	07:06.1	03:48.5	07:39.7	167	167
10	01:44.0	06:58.4	03:47.5	07:37.7	169	168
11	01:44.8	07:01.6	03:48.0	07:38.7	170	168
12	01:44.8	07:01.6	03:50.3	07:43.3	171	168

From my notes rep’s 8-12 it was very difficult to maintain the Marathon Pace for the first lap after the 10K burst but I was always recovered enough after the second lap to be able to pick it up again for the fast 400. This is quite a tough workout and is not meant to replace Marathon paced runs but rather to enhance them.

Need for Speed

Its a bit short

Nothing to do with the measurement of the course but several comments from runners surprised to see me lining out at the start of a 5K race. After a 2 mile warm-up with some strides thrown in for good measure just to bring the legs up to speed I was lined up pretty much near the start to get a clean get away. Pretty soon we are off, the undulating nature of the course pretty much summed up an over reliance on a watch to pace oneself. I went out too quick realised it on one of the sharp climbs at about the 1K, then eased off too much when Siobhan from Ennis Track breezed past me. As she is in and about 20 Min 5K runner I had to latch on to her coat tails by picking up the pace again. The climb up to 2K say me drop maybe 5-10 seconds of her but on the downhill section I was catching her back. We hit the flat at 3K where my breathing was pretty much in hyperventilation mode as she began opening a gap here, then I could hear the footsteps of another runner catching me fast he passed me at 3.5K, I dug in and latched on and hung on for dear life for the next 1K before he finally dropped me. With only 500M to go and only that hill to negotiate I just kept the head down and pushed through as best I could. Crested the hill with the finish in sight Siobhan had just crossed and I could make out 19 on the clock. I put the hammer down but several seconds later it turned to 20, I kept the hammer down to fall gracefully over the line clock at 20:15 20:23 (see comment). In reflection I don't think I could have gone any faster today. Positives to be taken from this race where the only two runners to pass me after 1K only beat me by less the 15 seconds so I didn't fade too much in the later stages. Chopping 60 seconds off your PB in six months without speed work shows that there is potential for even greater improvements.

What can you expect

You cannot expect results without putting in the work. Since Seville I have ran very little miles @ 5K pace or faster. Actually it has been none existent. Tonight my legs never gave me any cause for concern, its just I could not get enough O₂ into them. In hindsight the aerobic base is there in my legs big time I just need to start putting it to good use. I should break 20 for 5K and possible get a sub 40 for 10K, times that where dreams 2 years ago but there is some work to be done to get there.

Adjusting Focus slightly

While my main ambition since getting my Boston Qualifier is to run 50 Marathons before My 50th Birthday, I now have got the racing bug so I should be able to mix in some shorter/harder races if I am wise with my training. I will leave this off until my return from a long earned break (got none last year with exams and unwell wife) in the Algarve in Mid June.

Tik Tok

Your most accurate Watch ?

Most of us runners possess at least one if not two watches. Well I own two a polar RX3000 which I use for Heart Rate Training/Monitoring and Soleus GPS for measure new training routes and pacing. To my surprise I now own Three, my body/mind.
After finishing Craughwell I had completed 6 Months of Base building long runs with some Lactate Tempo Runs Thrown in here and there, loosely structured around Hadd Training. With Seville approaching before Christmas I switched to the Race Prep section of P&D 55 mile program. I used this program 3 years ago in prep for a crack at 3:30 qualifier for Boston. I never got to the start line as I was not able at the time for this program. This section of the program starts to introduce PMP runs, Planned Marathon Pace runs. I have an issue with Planned Marathon Pace, it most likely is never your true current Marathon Pace. If your Marathon Pace is faster than you are only running at the high end of your Aerobic Threshold and not gaining any real benefit. When you Marathon Pace is slower than PMP then you are doing a long LT training session while it does have a benefit it ends up been a harder session which ultimately may cause an injury or worse still end up overtraining. I tend to do these type of runs at what I feel my actual Marathon Pace is at the time not what I would like it to be. So how do you determine your Marathon pace, that opens up another can of worms altogether, as I have wrote about before this depending on what online calculator/resources you use, it can vary by close to ten minutes or 20 seconds/mile. Having come across this article on Runners World (yes I know not the best source for material) I decided to give it a shot and run it blind. So my first session was 15 Miles with 12 at Marathon Pace. I ran a 5 mile loop which is reasonably flat with the exception of One mile which is undulating. Put on the Polar and Heart Rate monitor and covered over with the sleeve of my body armor. One feature of the polar is you can bring the watch to the chest strap and it will record a lap which I took every 3 miles. Two mile warm up and off I went to try and judge a pace that was not slack but one I felt I could maintain for the duration of a Marathon. The first segments went rather easily and I felt I may have gone a bit too fast from miles 3 to 6. Mile 6 to 9 things where a bit harder but still very manageable. The last Three where tough mentally but the legs where still flying around. On finishing I felt that I may have overcooked miles 3 to 6 which may have made the last three miles that bit tougher and probably slower. Well the results shown below where in stark contrast.

Miles	Time	Average HR	Pace
1-3	0:24:01.1	151	08:00.4
3-6	0:24:06.2	158	08:02.1
6-9	0:23:57.3	157	07:59.1
9-12	0:23:56.9	161	07:59.0

Turns out mile 3-6 felt easy because it was the slowest and the last 3 felt the hardest as they were the fastest. The real surprise is that if I was pacing in a race using my GPS watch and constantly looking at it to make sure I was on target I would have been extremely happy to have hit those splits. The HR readings were about right for my Marathon Pace if not a little on the soft side. My final PMP session is this weekend and I will again run it blind just to see if it was a fluke or not.

Rebuilding Again

Peel back the layers

Was only expecting a rub down on Monday but Leon just could not get Glutes to release, so I got another dose of the needles. This time there was to be no running and a varied single leg bridge was to be done. Went back again on Thursday for a rub down of Glutes and Hamstrings. He also gave the IT a good workout as well. Plan is to gradually increase workout distance and intensity and continue with  the single leg bridge.

On the way Up

Thursday I did 4 miles very easy and all went well. Friday I did 5 miles including 3 * 1600 repeats at 7:20 per mile, got some small pinching in the butt when the pace went under 7:00 and towards the end of the third. I had planned 4 but I sided with caution and didn't do the last one.  Saturday I took a rest day which is a pity because it was the only day recently that you could look forward to doing a run. Sunday another 4 mile easy pace.

A damp run

This evening I was going to step it up to a 6 miler with 4 miles @ 8:00 pace. It was an horrible evening for it, wind, rain and hail. As I had left it late it was also dark so I decided to go to the fairgreen which has a little over a half mile circuit. Some of this is a bit uneven but I would be somewhat sheltered from the elements and have some light while not having to contend with traffic. The run went very well and I had managed to time it that I encountered no showers until I was on the way home. With about half a mile to go some stupid plonker of a driver ploughed through a flood and in the space of 1 second I was saturated from head to toe. I was not a happy bunny for the last 5 minutes of this run. I am really looking forward to the next couple of months when the stretch comes back in the evenings and I can get away from these idiots of drivers around the town of Ennis.

Feburary 1st
          5.5 Miles Interval Run 3 * 1600 @ 7:20 pace w 400m Rec (7:16,7:22,7:15) with 1 Mile
          WU/WD

Feburary 4th  
          6.2 Miles 4.2 Miles Tempo  33:44 @ 8:03 pace, HR 153 with 1 Mile WU/WD

Fish a not am I

If you cant run,you bike or row, otherwise you swim like a brick

After my little run in with stupid driver I knew straight away that running was out of the question for the foreseeable. Christmas eve was the first day that I did not notice any tenderness in the Achilles when walking so I decided a trip to the gym too see if it could hold up to some spinning. Five minutes in and it was starting to ache. Switched to the rower ditto. So shortest gym session ever (15 minutes). Left Gym into the pool did 20 lengths pain free. Rest of the holidays where daily trips to the pool where I have eventually got up to 50 to 60 lengths. If you think my run times are slow well swim pace is worse. Overheard some Tri heads talking about a girl who was lapping me with easy saying "She would be brilliant if she could only improve her swim". With my 2:20 100's there is really no chance of me turning to the dark side.

Goal for 2013

There is only one goal and it is the same as it was in 2011 & 2012 a Boston Qualifying time of sub 3:25 for the marathon. I am more confident that this will be got this year on the third attempt. I am smarter then I was in 2011 and know now that the body needs time to recover between sessions, and does not always follow a 7 Day training plan. I am physically in better shape this year off a smaller but smarter mileage in 2012.

Rest does work

By new years eve I felt a whole lot better so I again tried another Gym session. This time got through a 20 minute bike and 20 minute rower session without any aggravation on the Achilles.
New years day decide to chance a easy run on grass, 4 miles no problem. Yesterday went for 6 miles on grass again okay. I will chance 8 miles easy on the road on Tuesday evening and if that goes well I will go back to regular training again.

Puppy Fat

In reverse

Over the last two weeks I noticed that the effort to sustain training paces was on the rise. This I was putting down to the race in Sixmilebridge still been in my legs. Yes there was something in my legs an extra 4 lbs. I stood on the scale at the start of the month only to jump of it in horror and start checking it for damage. It registered 173 lbs. On again with my eyes closed and praying it will be better this time, as we all know it never is. This is not good as trying to maintain ones weight over the festive season is hard enough but having to shed a few pounds is rather daunting.

Racing Weight

A subject I have never really looked at. According to Dr Stillman's guide a long distance male runner of my height averages at 136 lbs. That's a mad figure but his average non active male is 160 lbs really had me baffled. I am a fatty considering the amount of running that I do. Between now and next spring I will aim to get my racing weight down to 156-160 lbs. This should help in getting that Boston Qualification time next year.

Realism

To undertake Marathon training for a 3:20-3:25 marathon it is important to be near that in terms of fitness and speed endurance before starting. Some research suggest that I need to be sub 44 for a 10 Km or sub 1:38 for a half marathon. My aim is Portumna in Mid June so I will run a race in mid January to determine if I am in shape for the training. The upside is that at this point in time I am not that far away. My recent 1:40:47 in Sixmilebridge was in very tough conditions and Friday I ran an 7 Mile Tempo which had a measured 10 Km  in it, which was clocked at 45:45. Times in question are possible but its another matter going out and doing them.

Downtime

Normally I take the month of December off from running to give the body a break as its my busiest time of the year with work and gigging at night. This year however I will train through but work commitments are going to have an effect on the amount and quality of training I get in.


November 30th
         16.8 Miles Long Run 2:30:47 @ 8:58 pace, HR 145 

December 4th  
       11 Miles 9 Miles 1:11:58 @ 7:59 pace, HR 158 with 1 Mile WU/WD

December 7th
         9 Miles 7 Miles 51:45 @ 7:24 pace, HR 163 with 1 Mile WU/WD

The racing Gods hate me

Will I wont I

That was my dilemma all week. I felt my fitness level have really improved since I have got my mileage back up to 40 mpw region. So I should go for sub 45 on Saturday but the 10K specific runs have been curtailed or pace cut back due to tight Hammer was it worth the risk. Friday put paid to that, Thursday evening Resting HR was 65, early warning sign something was amiss. Friday sore throat when I woke up, after work that evening felt like shit so I do what always works for me. Throw on extra duvets on the bed a large hot whiskey with honey and cloves and stay there for the next 24 hours. Arose Saturday evening feeling a lot better.

What might have been

On Monday I decided to do some sort of a test where I can evaluate my progress over the coming months in the winter. Having read a bit on this over the year I have opted to loosely follow a Hadd type training program. He has a test where the runner runs 2.4K at various heart rates with 90 sec recovery intervals. I adjusted this slightly as it was based on a runner who was capable of 5 min miles. So I reckon that this test requires the runner to at least run 8 minutes at any given effort. This meant I would use a 2K interval instead. For the rest I was going to use another pointer which may be useful, recovery time. So I will record the time it takes for heart rate to return to 120 bpm.
My current stats are as follows. Max Hr is 191 and Resting Hr is 47-54. Based on Hadd my marathon HR/LT Heart rate should be between 170-175 (15-20 bpm below Max HR). Something tells me if I did 26.2 at this effort I would no longer be on this earth. Test will run 2K intervals for 140,150,160,170 & 180 b. After each interval I will record the time it takes for HR to return to 120BPM. Results of my test are below with comments on how the effort felt.

Date	Temp	Weight	140	150	160	170	180
17-Sept-2012	12°	169lbs	8:43 (0:44)	8:10 (1:00)	7:36 (1:30)	6:56 (2:12)	6:40 (N/A)

 This was a bit of a mixed bag.

• I was very happy with my 140 through to 160 paces. Felt like I could hold these quite easily and never felt under any pressure to finish them.
• I have in the past run 10K with 175-180 average but I was very glad to see the end of the 2K @ 170.I do not think I could have held this effort for too much longer. 
• The 180 just did not happen got to the start of the 3rd lap where HR was not above 178 and when I pushed it my running form just fell apart and hammer started to feel tight and I was sucking air in like it was no tomorrow.

Typical plodder that I am can suffer through miles 20 to 26. of a Marathon but ask me to go all out for 2K and I wimp out like a pussy. Looking at the numbers and how I felt I reckon the last 12 months my LT threshold has dropped under 160 so over the winter concentration is on getting this back up to 170 region.

To infinity and beyond

Training going forward will be as follows with 3 Key sessions.

• One long run of 2-2.5 Hours @ 140-150 effort/pace.
• Tempo run of 75 Minutes @ 155 effort 
• LT Run of 60 Minutes @ 160 effort.

Currently I have only got the Tempo and LT runs to 4 miles so over the next 5 cycles I will build them up to the required level. Each session will be separated by 2 easy days of swim/easy running and some aerobic cross training. I may or may not take day 10 as a complete rest day. This has been working well for me so far since end of June and I do need the extra recovery time as I am an old fellow.

Sept 20 
           7 Miles 5 Miles 38:35 7:43 pace , HR 155 with 1 Mile WU/WD