Talkback: ASICS Target 26.2 Team: Emma

Craig - that has made me giggle so much ... thank you!

You are such a blonde! Tee hee!

Ultra Sparkly Bridget wrote (see)

Hi Emma.  You should have a good time next Saturday.  I really enjoy running along the canals although obviously quieter for the boats in the winter.

I did the 5 x 1K on Tuesday but not as fast as you.  I shall use the excuse of it being my first lot of intervals in 3 months.

Nice MP at the end of your run.  Was it very windy today?  I did a short run this morning and several times rounded a corner to be almost stopped in my tracks!

USB I am looking forward to the run - I am hoping that Craig and I will be able to keep each other company - thinking we should both be hitting about 10min miles for that sort of run. Hopefully it'll be flat and not windy like today - blustery in Sussex too. However, I'm a bit too hefty to get blown over. Have you seen the footage on RW TV - my bum on the treddy = not nice!

I hated the 5 x 1000m because it was in a treadmill - I typed in the spped (calcuated it before I went) so had to stick to it. Much prefer track. This week is 10 x 400 - which is a great distance. Pushes you in the final 100 but still short enough to be fun. Think I'll wear my HR monitor - now I know how to do the splits it'll be interesting to see how my body manages.

How did you get on today?

Wow - an Ultra - when and where and how far was that?!

I was thinking about doing a tri as my next challenge but can't see how I'd ever fit in the training or manage the kit expenses!

Emma - well doen on your 14 miles, great times! Your weekend sounds like my usual madness!

USB - will you do any LSr's of more than 20?

I did 13 in 2.30 this morning, really struggled from 9 miles, legs are very sore!

Emma - it was the JW Ultra which goes from Stratford to Birmingham.  It is a 'baby' ultra of 30 miles and a lot is along the canal.  You'll probably go along a bit of the route next weekend as the finish is next to Bourneville station.

MWW - not sure at the moment.  Before I got my PB I did one run very slower that lasted for 4 hours and 20 min (my target time) and did somewhere between 21 and 22 miles.  Will probably do that again - I went up the canal for 2 hours 10 and then turned back but slowed up and didn't make it right back to the start point before time was up.  It was a warm September day though and I had to stop at a pub for some extra fluids.

Nicee settled Saturday here, took my daughter down at 1.30 for her matinee and don't need to collect her till the end of the after-show party at midnight

EDIT: Just had to take her deodorant down to her!

Hey Rachel - nice one!  I think the calculator is reasonable reliable - I've used it a few times to choose which schedule I should be doing and always achieved the time it's aimed at.

I'm really sad ; I truly believe in my dad's favourite saying: 'The wind is your friend - it makes you strong'.  (Besides you get to enjoy the tail wind at some point...)

Maybe the last 3 miles just mean you need to do more endurance work or maybe it's psychological as you feel you should be getting tired.  If you set off slower it would be interesting to see what happens at the end - bizarrely I go through the same wondering process.  I've tried to make a conscious effort to set off at a more steady pace and guess what - the only difference in my race is how much I enjoy it as opposed to feeling like I'm hanging on.  My times have stayed reasonably steady but continual in their improvements.

I'm contemplating trying to sneak a 20 mile event into my marathon prep later in the summer - has anyone got any experience / thoughts on that as a concept? 

Sleepy Bear wrote (see)

I came across a really interesting programme the other day that only gave interval instructions for the fast phases and the recovery was to be as long as it takes until your heart rate drops back to a prescribed level (I think about 65% off the top of my head). 

Sam - any view on this? Defined recovery time vs variability dictated by HR. Is there any evidence of one being more effective than the other? Sounds like a possible MSc thesis! LOL

Hi Sam - I nearly forgot about this...... what do ya reckon - will it make that much difference?

Hi SB, sorry I missed this. It would depend on the purpose of the intervals for me (and therefore the pace).

If it's true speedwork where you're going pretty much flat out over the distance, then I'd agree that the duration of the recovery isn't that important. The important thing is that you ARE fully recovered - so that might take as long as 2-4 times the duration of the effort itself. Eg. 6 x 30 seconds with 2 min recoveries, or as long as you need)

But if it's VO2 max (aerobic capacity) training, then the recovery shoudln't be longer in length than the length of the effort, if not a little shorter. (Eg, 5 x 3 mins with 2.5-3 min recovery.

Does that help?

Emma, great couple of days of training (those 1km reps and the long run). Well done!
About heart rate: without knowing a bit more info, there's no way of saying whether your heart rate was 'good' or 'not good' or whatever during those intervals. I could use the 220-age formula to get an idea, but it's not very accurate. What would be more useful would be the Karvonen Formula which also takes into account your resting heart rate, if you know what that is (if not, you could measure it first thing in morning, while still lying down and before any caffeine or food - use your finger not thumb to find the pulse below thumb on wrist.) Then can work out if you were at, say, 90% of your max or whatever, which at least tells us something.

Rachel, well done on your half marathon time. But you're right, you can't put miles in the bank I'm afraid! It takes a bit of confidence to start out a bit slower but like SB says, it pays off

Just a five miler for me today in the morning sunshine, round the field borders. Lovely!

SB and USB - I have a 20 mile race planned in for week 9 of my spring marathon schedule and plan to do it as a training run with very similar paces to USB - first 10 @ MP+60, next 5 @MP+30, last 5 @MP.  I have done these races for previous marathons but gone far too fast in them and paid for it on the big race day so have learned my lesson - with the Garmin I will certainly do the paces planned and no faster.  Correct pacing in training is the biggest thing I have learned from this experience.  I do plan to do my Half races flat out as super tempo runs, to give a guide to fitness levels and halfs do not risk doing muscle and fatigue damage like a 20 miler can (for me anyway).

SamMurphyRuns wrote (see)

Emma, great couple of days of training (those 1km reps and the long run). Well done!
About heart rate: without knowing a bit more info, there's no way of saying whether your heart rate was 'good' or 'not good' or whatever during those intervals. I could use the 220-age formula to get an idea, but it's not very accurate. What would be more useful would be the Karvonen Formula which also takes into account your resting heart rate, if you know what that is (if not, you could measure it first thing in morning, while still lying down and before any caffeine or food - use your finger not thumb to find the pulse below thumb on wrist.) Then can work out if you were at, say, 90% of your max or whatever, which at least tells us something.

Rachel, well done on your half marathon time. But you're right, you can't put miles in the bank I'm afraid! It takes a bit of confidence to start out a bit slower but like SB says, it pays off

Just a five miler for me today in the morning sunshine, round the field borders. Lovely!

Hi Sam and thankyou - I know I wasn't meant to do my intervals the day before my long run but couldn't seem to juggle it all in otherwise!

I was a bit confused about my runs this weekend - I did the 14 yesterday but I think you had also got a 3 miler down for the other weekend day.

However, I've done 31.4 miles this week (largely because I am a plonker and did 6 instead of 4 on Monday) and I am actually quite tired after yesterday so I haven't done the 3 miler. In fact I didn't realise until I sat down to have lunch so then I wasn't able to go until the evening. Sunday eve is always manic school uniform ironing and marking so haven't forced myself out this evening... hope that is ok.

Re Intervals and HR - My resting heart rate is typically 56-60 (although it has been much lower too which frightened me!). In terms of my pecieved exercison it seemed harder than usual by comparrision with an evening outside track session. Probably because it was hot, in the morning and because I had worked a very long day the day previously.

Hope run was lovely - can you believe how mild it is this weekend?! Fabulous!