Milton Keynes/Bucks Runners - Page 332 - Training

Tim of MK

10/07/2009 at 08:40

SVT

Thanks. I must be wrong about my running heart rate, I think.

When my MHR was checked in hospital a while back (a very unpleasant test), it was 179. My RHR is around 53 to 55.

I'll try and borrow a 'gizmo' when I'm next in the gym.

Tim

Tim of MK

10/07/2009 at 17:10

Grabbed a flash Polar heart rate monitor at the gym, which 'talks' directly to the £5k treadmills. All very clever.

Did a 3-miler as follows:-

Mile 1 - 8.07 mins - ranged from 125 to 130 BPM (70% to 72% of MHR)

Mile 2 - 9.02 mins - ranged from 115 to 120 BPM (64% to 67% of MHR)

Mile 3 - 9.39 mins - ranged from 110 to 115 BPM) (61% to 64% of MHR)

I suppose what I need to do really is 3 to 5 miles at a single 'flat line' pace. But this was only a try-out with the monitor.

I'd expect my normal outdoor BPMs to actually be a bit lower than the above figures for two reasons. Firstly, I'm 'under the weather' just now. Secondly, the great outdoors is much better oxygenated than the gym.

I'm guessing that my current 5kms race pace of about 7.15 per mile would be 145BPM (circa 80% of MHR).

Tim of MK

26/07/2009 at 16:58

Two races in just 4 days this week (groan). Here’s what happened:- WEDNESDAY - BEDFORD 5KMS (3.1 miles) - 22.31 mins (Stopwatch Start to Finish) - 22.40 mins (Official Gun to Finish) - 149th of 383 finishers - A very pretty course around Bedford Park in the centre of Bedford. I pushed way too hard in the second kilometre and knotted up pretty badly towards the end. But just had enough for a Personal Best of 22.31 mins. Yeah. Brilliant! Rest day on Thursday, a jog on Friday, and another rest day on Saturday. (KM splits - 4.36 / 4.18 / 4.34 / 4.34 / 4.29)

SUNDAY - NSPCC MILTON KEYNES HALF MARATHON (21.1kms / 13.1 miles) - After feeling grotty through Friday and Saturday, I was still considering dropping out as late as a minute before the start gun sounded. But went ahead in the end. I tried to keep my heart rate very low and my pace very relaxed.

All went relatively OK (although not great) until around the 10 mile point, where I started to feel somewhat drained and my legs started complaining. So, slotted in the odd irregular walk break to keep from getting overtired. I messed up my stopwatch at the end, but I think that I finished somewhere in the region of 1:51 - 1:53.

A far from impressive time, to say the least ! But, on the positive side, I 'tabbed' around safely and earned my medal without killing myself.

I guess that there are perhaps two learning points. The first is not to do a 'flat out' 5kms race just four days before a half marathon. The second is that there is a limit to how many months you can get away with no long training runs (instead just my diet of short indoor efforts) and still run this kind of distance comfortably.

SoVeryTired

27/07/2009 at 08:55

Tim - that's two impressive results. The first because it was a PB (and a good top-half position), the second because you could have a sub-par race and still manage that sort of time. Your bad days now are better than your good days used to be.

I did 12.6 at 8:20 pace on Saturday - pleased with the time, but decided that I won't do any more long runs in my flats after spending half the weekend limping.

Tim of MK

07/08/2009 at 17:48

SVT

I've been away on holiday and reflected long and hard about my running. Have come to the conclusion that, if I want to run halves regularly, I can't any longer get away with just short tempo training sessions. Sure, that regime produces 5km PBs. But it also leads to walking in longer races. So, for a while, my training will be slower and more endurance based. BTW, you're looking in good shape. Sub-4 is on the cards methinks.

Tim

SoVeryTired

07/08/2009 at 19:42

Tim - that's the way of training that I feel works - my best times, even over shorter distances, have come when I've been doing lots of steady plodding in training.

And here's hoping on the sub-4 - I'm off to Scotland for a couple of weeks but will be keeping the training up. My parents have just got a holiday place on Skye so I'll have to work out a 20-miler that takes me via the Talisker distillery...