Detailed metrics: taking it to the next level

[MitralMan]

OK, I didn't keel over this past weekend in Vermont. But I know that if I had, my vr.com teammates would have carried me to the handoff, for sure!

So now I'll take it to the next level and start running regularly to increase speed and distance.

Today's data:

Treadmilll (accurate!!)
45 minutes
3.35 miles
avg HR 130
max HR 149

first 10 minutes: easy jog/walk, kept to under 114 bpm
next 30 minutes: interval, typically 2 minutes @ 10 min pace, 1 min @ 15 min pace though toward the end I went 1 and 1 to keep below 152
last 5 minutes: 3 - 3.5 mph, cool down

mile 1 14:23 avg HR 109 (61%) max HR 120 (67%)
mile 2 11:29 avg HR 127 (76%) max HR 151 (84%)
mile 3 11:47 avg HR 140 (82%) max HR 159 (88%)
cool down

Polar Sport Zones
z1 03:04 50-59%
z2 15:10 60-69%
z3 12:08 70-79%
z4 14:19 80-89%
z5 0 90-100%

 

[tommy]

I look forward to following your progress.

 

[MitralMan]

Tommy, I've got to figure out how to set the recovery timer...

Tommy, I've got to figure out how to set the recovery timer...

I look forward to following your progress.

...but in the meantime, this morning's resting heart rate clicked in at 49 bpm, a new post-surgical low!

 

[tommy]

You can get as techical as you like about recovery.. 49 sounds spectacular to me. I hit that for the first time last month.

 

[MitralMan]

I AM a gadget SUPER freak.

I AM a gadget SUPER freak.

You can get as techical as you like about recovery.. 49 sounds spectacular to me. I hit that for the first time last month.

But yes, I agree: it's a great number. Congrats to both of us!

I think it has to do with where I'm spending my time in the various heart zones. From the Polar site (you may already know this -- I still don't really understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic):

zone 1: very light
intensity: 50-60%
Example duration: 20-40 minutes
Physiological benefit/training effect: helps and speeds up recovery after heavier exercises

zone 2: light
intensity: 60-70%
Example duration: 40-80 minutes
Physiological benefit/training effect: increases aerobic endurance; strengthens body to tolerate higher intensity training; increases fat metabolism

zone 3: moderate
intensity: 70-80%
Example duration: 10-40 minutes
Physiological benefit/training effect: enhances aerobic power; improves bloo circulation

zone 4: hard
intensity:80-90%
Example duration: 2-10 minutes
Physiological benefit/training effect: increases anaerobic tolerance; improves high speed endurance

zone 5: very light
intensity: 90-100%
Example duration: 0-2 minutes
Physiological benefit/training effect: tones the neuromuscular system; increases maximum sprint race speed

I'm spending more time in zones 3 and 4 than I had been. Still extremely slow and can only go relatively short distances but I'm determined to improve both!

You may not know this, Tommy, but your posts were instrumental in getting me to even think about running again. Perhaps it's time I said "THANK YOU!"

H

 

[geebee]

I am so very jealous to read about exercising when I am laid up with a broken foot and turning flabby.
I am still doing my upper body workout but I miss the walking and pilates. I try to wheel myself around on the walker thingy I have to keep my right leg in shape but it is tough to do since the walker is not the most stable thing in the world and really doesn't like rough surfaces. I went to the mall last weekend to "walk and roll" but the crowds made it a little difficult.
Keep up the great work MM.

 

[MitralMan]

Gina, oh no! A broken foot?

Gina, oh no! A broken foot?

Which bone/s? Did you have a titanium plate and pins put in? Are you in a cast? How long?

I watched my wife go through the very same thing -- third metatarsal -- and she almost went NUTS from being limited.

What's the STORY???

 

[geebee]

Which bone/s? Did you have a titanium plate and pins put in? Are you in a cast? How long?

I watched my wife go through the very same thing -- third metatarsal -- and she almost went NUTS from being limited.

What's the STORY???

I have 3 fractures in the calcaneus (heel) bone as well as "severe hypertrophic tendinopathy involving the peroneus longus and brevis tendons(I think this is in the ankle area) with a possibility of a tendon tear". They also diagnosed mild "subtalar joint degenerative arthropathy" which I understand limits motion.
No surgery yet - hoping to avoid it. I was in a fiberglass cast but it was driving me crazy. They took if off and determined I am allergic to fiberglass so I am back in an inflatable boot cast. I am not allowed to put weight on my foot so I have a roll-about cart thingy instead of crutches - still a pain. The whole thing has my claustrophobia flaring up so I try to get out as much as possible but the mall thing was a mistake.
I may end up with really great upper arm muscles however and I have a temporary handicapped parking permit which is TREMENDOUS. Gotta focus on the good when you can.
Hope your wife's foot is OK now.

 

[MitralMan]

That push cart thingy is hysterical! Saw one at Penn...

That push cart thingy is hysterical! Saw one at Penn...

Be careful that the inflatable cast doesn't throw your back out. My wife had to contend with that, too!

 

[tommy]

Gina, between my broken elbow and your broken foot, we have half a chance! I resemble the remark about getting flabby on the sidelines. Fortunately for me, this time my legs are okay and I haven't gained "much". One of these days I'll be able to control portions.

Mitralman's point about favoring an extremity and hurting you back is well taken. I just had that experience, but caught it in time. I strained my back due the the arm splint and posture change, especially while driving. No damage. It got better in a few days of rest, Tylenol, heat packs and no driving. Watch out for it.

MitralMan, YOUR WELCOME!. Your comments warm the cockles of my heart. It was this forum that planted the marathon seed and helped it to grow. Glad to give something back. In turn you are inspiring me to stick with it. It seems that I get one obstacle after another (some self inflicted), but coming back here helps me considerably.

Aerobic range is where you are exchanging sufficient oxygen to maintain your activity. You can continue forever (from an oxygen perspective) at this pace. In anaerobic exercise, you are breathing hard and cannot exchange sufficient oxygen to maintain the pace. The ranges/zones also coincide with rate of burning carbs vs. fat, comfort, and recovery times.

In the upper zones, not only can't you keep the pace very long, but you burn up your stored carbs faster, don't burn fat, and build up lactic acid. You are more tired, more hungry and more sore afterwards. That's why they suggest spending very little time in that range. About 75% is in the 50%-70% range. Too much time in the upper zones can also lead to injuries.

This was my awakening this spring about staying in the low intensity ranges. Burn more fat. Less hunger. Less stiffness/soreness. Less injury. Fewer demotivators. All equals more fun. So I try to find that pace that I can sustain indefinitely, or at least until the muscles get tired. It's usually about the 60%-65% area. 125-130 BPM.

I use the Karvonen method for computing HR%. I think that Karvonen comes closer to matching my heart rates with my intensity levels.

 

[MarkU]

I started heart rate training just over a year ago and have become a disciple of Joe Friel, well-known cycling and triathlon coach and author of The Triathlete's Training Bible.

Most of the base training I've done over the past six months has been in zone 2 which seems painfully slow at first. You really have to overcome the psychological urge to go faster and get your mind to buy into to the theory that going slower will eventually allow you to go faster. Progress comes gradually, but eventually you build an aerobic base that will allow higher intensity, i.e., speed training with reduced risk of injury and faster recovery times.

There are several formulas out there which will allow you to estimate your maximum heart rate, and from that your different training zones. In my case my triathlon coach actually tested me on my bike using a CompuTrainer, a device that hooks the rider and the bike up to a computer to measure breathing, heart rate, pedal force and power output to determine my actual lactic threshhold heart rate (LTHR). Simply put, lactic threshhold is the point where your body goes from aerobic to anaerobic. In my case my LTHR was determined to be 159 bpm. So I know that if I stay below 159 bpm I'll stay aerobic, any higher and I'm going to be in trouble in a long race.

 

[MitralMan]

I'll check ouf Friel.I'm going to try spending most of my time between 114 and 133...

I'll check ouf Friel.I'm going to try spending most of my time between 114 and 133...

which is my 60-70% range, based on my maximum observed HR thus far (190, up almost 20 bpm compared to pre-surgergy -- I'm 49).

I tried running an 11:30 pace on the treadmill, which is a solid 1:15 faster than my 5K race pace in Burlington -- which in turn was a solid 1:00 faster than I'd run in training leading up to the race. I was quickly at 130, and within 5 minutes was at 150-155. I hit 162 max before slowing down. I went 1.5 miles at this pace, and then walked the last half mile, where my pulse (Tommy, this is for you!) dropped 38 beats in 3 minutes.

I will do a 30 minute run today where I will set my target at 133 bpm. This ought to give me a baseline that I can work from.

(With thanks to Mark Siwik for pushing/coaching/urging me forward).

 

[tommy]

Wow, Mark, 159 sounds like close to 90% level and you're still aerobic?

 

[MitralMan]

Here's the new baseline...

Here's the new baseline...

Objective: 30 minutes between 114 and 134 (60-70% of max HR). Learn what my pace is, and improve from there.

So:

30:00
2.2 miles indoor treadmill, flat
75 degrees
avg HR 132 (69%)
max HR 138 (73%)
average pace: 13:38

zone 1: 0:00
zone 2: 12:10
zone 3: 18:04
zone 4: 0:00
zone 5: 0:00

mile 1: 12:35.9
mile 2: 14:19.2

HR observations, 1 minute intervals:

132
137
138
134
135
133
133
133
133
133
135
132
132
127
130
133
133
134
128
131
133
128
129
134
135
135
128
135
130
133
133

recovery after 3 minutes: only 27, but that was from 134

 

[msiwik]

Pace Effort Chart

Pace Effort Chart

Mitralman:

We can talk offline about this but it is apparent that I was confused a bit by your marathon relay time. I also discount the value of this information a bit because you did it a day after pushing yourself pretty hard for a mile and a half.

Get familiar with the attached chart http://www.coachbenson.com/images/dist.pdf

and let's get you running continuously 3 to 4x times a week for several weeks for 30 minutes keeping your heartrate in the low intensity zone of 60 to 75% max. heart rate. Sounds like that will be in the 13 min. range. Best, Mark

 

[tommy]

Mark, great chart. Thanks. I look forward to getting back into the range that I can use it.

 

[MitralMan]

Tommy, I'm with you!

Tommy, I'm with you!

Mark, great chart. Thanks. I look forward to getting back into the range that I can use it.

I'm definitely going to follow Mark's regimen, but it will be a while before the numbers in Coach Benson's chart will apply to me.

 

[MarkU]

Wow, Mark, 159 sounds like close to 90% level and you're still aerobic?

It was really tough to get to that level and then hold it on the CompuTrainer - it's certainly nothing that I could sustain for an extended period of time.

If I can just duplicate my Zone 2 pacing from my offseason base training, then I'll beat all my actual race performances from last year.

One of the things I took away from hearing Joe Friel speak was that there are no race day miracles in endurance racing - if you haven't done it in training, then you're not going to do it in a race.

As I get nearer to actual races, my coach has me doing workouts that are closer and closer approximations of actual race intensity and duration: yesterday it was a brick consisting of a one hour bike ride followed by a 20 minute run, with the last 10K of the bike done at race pace (17-18 mph) and the run at a 10K pace (13min/mile for me). Highest HR was about 136 bpm, so felt good about that.

I'm getting very curious about how I'm going to perform in races this year. I don't anticipate any truly dramatic improvement, but look for more steady, solid performances. Guess I'll find out during my first race on 6/17.

Mark

 

[tommy]

I'm totally on board with "if you haven't done it in training, then you're not going to do it in a race." That includes endurance, intensity, hydration, and fuel. It also include the clothes that you wear. There are no shortcuts. Cramming doesn't work in endurance sports. Ya gotsta put in the miles.

 

[MitralMan]

OK, steady state 60 -70% 13:00 pace on treadmill:

OK, steady state 60 -70% 13:00 pace on treadmill:

2.29 mi
30:00 min
avg pace: 13:04
avg HR: 120 (63%)
max HR: 165 (87%) [but I think this was a false reading when my strap moved around a bit]

mile 1: 13:06 113/165 (59/87%)
mile 2: 13:02 125/132 (66/69%)
remainder: cool down (32 bpm in 3 minutes)

zone 1: 05:54
zone 2: 20:07
zone 3: 01:15
zone 4: 01:14
zone 5: 00:00

Felt easy. Will run a trifle faster tomorrow.