I'm starting to plan my next training cycle after taking some time off from running. Of course I try to apply some lessons learned at the start of each new cycle, but there is something to be said for just doing what you do as long as it works. I hope that doesn't sound defeatist. I understand the relationship between intensity and duration of work and the resulting training benefit, but doing too much - or doing something poorly - and getting injured is a bad thing. It may be better to leave some potential performance gains on the table than to push too hard and miss out more running adventures.
So let me tell you about a workout I've added to my routine. CrossFit. I've joined a local 'box' and committed myself for a couple of months. I'm just two weeks into it, and it has been 'interesting'. There are a bunch of new skills to learn. I've considered myself pretty athletic - I'm ok at softball, golf, and tennis, and I swim. But it's been years since I did a chin-up, and I've never done any weight training. And despite being comfortable with running, I lack a lot of flexibility/mobility that CrossFit demands. So I'm trying to ease into it, hoping that working at things that I'm not good at will wind up benefiting me in life (and running).
I've actually been impressed with my CrossFit coaches' emphasis on form and that they share my interest in not getting injured. I hope this turns out to be a good addition to my routine. Articles like this one do scare me though ...
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
looking both ways
2012 was a good running year for me. Looking back at my log, I ran a little over 900 miles in the first half of the year leading up to the Comrades run in South Africa in June. I'm actually surprised to see that I ran another 1,000 miles in the second half of the year because I haven't been running very often since the JFK 50 miler in November. It seems I've been taking December off from running (along with the first couple weeks in January) in recent years. I think that's been a good thing, allowing me to rest up and start dreaming big again.
Looking forward, I've started thinking about doing a 24 hour run. I paced a runner for a couple of loops last year at the 24 Hour Adventure Trail Run at Prince William Forest Park down near Quantico, VA. It's a nice place to run, and the race management and support seemed fantastic (the race's web-site is here). I haven't signed up yet, but now I better do it ...
Run strong in the new year. Keep your feet under you!
Looking forward, I've started thinking about doing a 24 hour run. I paced a runner for a couple of loops last year at the 24 Hour Adventure Trail Run at Prince William Forest Park down near Quantico, VA. It's a nice place to run, and the race management and support seemed fantastic (the race's web-site is here). I haven't signed up yet, but now I better do it ...
Run strong in the new year. Keep your feet under you!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
JFK 50 mile
Yesterday was the 50th running of the JFK 50 mile race. I laced up my shoes and went to the starting line in Boonsboro for the seventh time, going for my fifth finish. It was a great day for the race, and I made it in 11:39. That's slower than I had hoped for, but pretty consistent with my previous attempts. I've been faster and slower over different parts of the course each year, but I guess it all averages out over the day.
I had a minor foot problem early on the course. Right at the top of the switchbacks dropping off the ridge down on to the canal I kicked a rock, hard, with my big left toe. Not too long after that I decided it was going to be fine. Sometime in the next hour though I was thinking there was something wrong with my shoe, that maybe I had a hole in the sole that was keeping my sock wet. Then I noticed that my shoe was getting a little red. I thought that can't be good.
I thought I might have torn my toenail, but since it was feeling ok to run, I didn't see any use in stopping to look. The sock sticking to the bottom of my foot was causing a blister though (I hardly ever get blisters on my feet) but all in all it wasn't really a problem. After the run of course I got to clean it up. Surprisingly, the toenail is ok but it seems I kicked the rock hard enough to cut the the front of my toe.
Trail running gear lesson learned: I thought the Trance II's I've been wearing on the roads would make me 'faster' on the tow path, but my Cascadia trail shoes might have saved my toe.
I had a minor foot problem early on the course. Right at the top of the switchbacks dropping off the ridge down on to the canal I kicked a rock, hard, with my big left toe. Not too long after that I decided it was going to be fine. Sometime in the next hour though I was thinking there was something wrong with my shoe, that maybe I had a hole in the sole that was keeping my sock wet. Then I noticed that my shoe was getting a little red. I thought that can't be good.
 |
| there is not supposed to be any red |
Trail running gear lesson learned: I thought the Trance II's I've been wearing on the roads would make me 'faster' on the tow path, but my Cascadia trail shoes might have saved my toe.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
stuff from other places ...
I occasionally read the "I of the Tiger" blog. The author is definitely NOT politically correct, but he is provocative. I like his latest note about Spelman college giving up on most of its athletic teams, and putting the money into trying to improve every student's fitness (not just the athletes). Here's a quote:
"What Spelman is doing is acknowledging that fitness is not a competition. It is not something you do in order to prepare to compete in sports (and which can safely be ignored by those who aren't competitive athletes). It is not something that you do for a few weeks a year when you want a sexy Spring Break beach body. It is not something that requires fancy personal trainers or fancy fad workouts or fancy equipment. It is not something only for other people. And it is not an optional, unimportant elective.
Fitness is what you do so you can move your body and not have diabetes. Okay?"
Can I get an amen?
His blog can be found at: http://gawker.com/i-of-the-tiger/
"What Spelman is doing is acknowledging that fitness is not a competition. It is not something you do in order to prepare to compete in sports (and which can safely be ignored by those who aren't competitive athletes). It is not something that you do for a few weeks a year when you want a sexy Spring Break beach body. It is not something that requires fancy personal trainers or fancy fad workouts or fancy equipment. It is not something only for other people. And it is not an optional, unimportant elective.
Fitness is what you do so you can move your body and not have diabetes. Okay?"
Can I get an amen?
His blog can be found at: http://gawker.com/i-of-the-tiger/
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Groundhog Fall 50K
My friend and neighbor Jenny and I went up to Punxsutawney PA last weekend to run the Groundhog Fall 50K. We had a great time.
I love this race for some reason. This was the seventh time we've made the trip up. It's a well organized race that holds true to trail-running ideals. The course isn't really that hard, but apparently for someone of my abilities it's a real challenge! Even though I now know my way around the course I'm always humbled by the runners who remember it as a 50 Mile run, and remember horses on the course as well ... so I'm not that old. This year there was some hard rain during the run, and I decided to get rid of my waist pack/water bottle and shirt, and just run aid-station to aid-station and enjoy it. I met a first-time 50K runner named Staci who turned out to be a great running companion for the second half of the race. If you are reading this Staci - hi! - it was good running with you - and hope your feet are good.
Here are some photos Mary took:
Here is Jenny a couple of miles from the finish ...
and me, just at the finish ...
On the long drive (~5 hours) home after the race, we don't need much of an excuse to stop the car and stretch our legs. Jenny treated us all to ice cream at our first stop (and took this picture of me and Mary - I like it).
I love this race for some reason. This was the seventh time we've made the trip up. It's a well organized race that holds true to trail-running ideals. The course isn't really that hard, but apparently for someone of my abilities it's a real challenge! Even though I now know my way around the course I'm always humbled by the runners who remember it as a 50 Mile run, and remember horses on the course as well ... so I'm not that old. This year there was some hard rain during the run, and I decided to get rid of my waist pack/water bottle and shirt, and just run aid-station to aid-station and enjoy it. I met a first-time 50K runner named Staci who turned out to be a great running companion for the second half of the race. If you are reading this Staci - hi! - it was good running with you - and hope your feet are good.
Here are some photos Mary took:
 |
| Mike at the start |
Here is Jenny a couple of miles from the finish ...
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| Jenny - approaching Adrian aid station on the way back |
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| Mike - happy to finish Punxsutawney 50K 2012 |
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| Mary - the best crew chief in ultra-running today |
Monday, August 6, 2012
some times you win?
This weekend the Washington Post had a story on the "racing presidents", the characters who come out during the fourth inning at every National's baseball game and race around part of the outfield. It seems that "Ted" (Roosevelt) has never won a single race, and is in fact approaching his 500th consecutive loss. The writer of the article argued that it might be time for Teddy to become a winner. Of course there are entire web sites devoted to this issue (http://blog.letteddywin.com/presidents-race-standings/). I was at the Nats-Marlins game on Sunday and saw Teddy notch loss number 498.
As trail runners, a lot of us have probably come to accept the fact that there is no realistic chance that we will ever win a race, so on the one hand it's not too hard to accept Teddy's record. On the other hand, it does bother me to see him wondering around out on the course and not even making it a priority to locate and get to the finish line. Focus, Teddy, focus!!!
Even the great ones have their bad days. Check out these two hard losses - there must be a lesson in this for all of us. This first one is the women's finish at the 2007 Chicago Marathon. Oh, oh, indeed ...
An older example is this one with Steve Ovett, a world record holder in the mile, running against John Treacy over 5000 meters in London back in 1980.
Keep your feet under you ...
As trail runners, a lot of us have probably come to accept the fact that there is no realistic chance that we will ever win a race, so on the one hand it's not too hard to accept Teddy's record. On the other hand, it does bother me to see him wondering around out on the course and not even making it a priority to locate and get to the finish line. Focus, Teddy, focus!!!
Even the great ones have their bad days. Check out these two hard losses - there must be a lesson in this for all of us. This first one is the women's finish at the 2007 Chicago Marathon. Oh, oh, indeed ...
Keep your feet under you ...
Thursday, July 26, 2012
easy miles
The easiest way to higher weekly mileage may be to add some two-a-day workouts.
Easiest way to low mileage is zero-mile days ...
Easiest way to low mileage is zero-mile days ...
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Mike on metabolism and running
Everyone agrees that you can't do work without burning some fuel, but people have all sorts of ideas and working theories that explain how their bodies work. Here's how I think about my running energy supply, in a nutshell.
Fuel that provides the energy for your muscles to work can be stored in (and close to) your muscles. New fuel to replace what was used (and waste products from using that fuel) is carried by your respiratory and circulatory systems. This replacement fuel comes from food that you eat (your digestive system) and from metabolizing fat and protein stored in your body. That's pretty much it. Let's look at some examples of using fuel while running.
In a short, high-intensity effort, the muscle's immediate need for fuel is provided by that fuel most available to the muscle cell. It's really the only very near-term possibility for immediate use. The good news is it's readily available for immediate use, the bad news is it gets used up pretty fast. I'm thinking Usain Bolt primarily uses this source of fuel in 200 meters, and when that source is gone, a fuel shortage contributes to his starting to slow down.
In a longer, and necessarily lower intensity effort (like when running longer distances) new fuel can be supplied to the muscle via blood supply, and that fuel can in turn be resupplied by what the runner is eating, or from metabolizing fat and even protein stored in the body.
Since one goal of running is often to change your body's makeup (in terms of fat and muscle) we'd like to burn fat. Fat contains over 3,000 calories of energy per pound, and we can travel a mile on a little over 100 calories. The good news would seem to be that we can go amazing distances considering the amount of fat we're packing! The bad news is that while metabolizing fat can eventually provide us with a lot of energy, it is a fairly slow process - if in fact you burn through (use up) all the stored energy available for immediate use and haven't eaten anything, the energy you get from burning fat is only going to support relatively slow movement. I know I'm making broad statements here ... the optimal endurance runner is lower weight and very efficient, able to move faster and further while using less energy ... but ultimately he's dealing with the same metabolic processes you and I are.
We've all seen charts posted on exercise machines and gym walls showing lower intensity levels of effort as being "fat burning" exercise, and, after working long enough that's going to be true. On the other hand, calorie consumption is all about how hard you work for how long - a shorter high intensity workout will burn as much as a much longer low intensity workout. There are also benefits associated with the kinds of changes in your body (muscle development) that higher intensity efforts bring too.
Running long while trying to create a calorie shortfall (to lose weight) is not going to be pleasant. A constant challenge for me is coming to grips with the fact that running long creates a demand for replacement fuel. At some level of weekly mileage (>50 miles, which is pretty high for me) I do see a slow but steady weekly weight loss. The bad news is that I can only sustain the higher mileage for about 16 weeks, and then I always see some weight gain in the weeks after a 'goal-race'. It's all about finding a balancing point, and that's something I haven't learned to do very well ...
Fuel that provides the energy for your muscles to work can be stored in (and close to) your muscles. New fuel to replace what was used (and waste products from using that fuel) is carried by your respiratory and circulatory systems. This replacement fuel comes from food that you eat (your digestive system) and from metabolizing fat and protein stored in your body. That's pretty much it. Let's look at some examples of using fuel while running.
In a short, high-intensity effort, the muscle's immediate need for fuel is provided by that fuel most available to the muscle cell. It's really the only very near-term possibility for immediate use. The good news is it's readily available for immediate use, the bad news is it gets used up pretty fast. I'm thinking Usain Bolt primarily uses this source of fuel in 200 meters, and when that source is gone, a fuel shortage contributes to his starting to slow down.
In a longer, and necessarily lower intensity effort (like when running longer distances) new fuel can be supplied to the muscle via blood supply, and that fuel can in turn be resupplied by what the runner is eating, or from metabolizing fat and even protein stored in the body.
Since one goal of running is often to change your body's makeup (in terms of fat and muscle) we'd like to burn fat. Fat contains over 3,000 calories of energy per pound, and we can travel a mile on a little over 100 calories. The good news would seem to be that we can go amazing distances considering the amount of fat we're packing! The bad news is that while metabolizing fat can eventually provide us with a lot of energy, it is a fairly slow process - if in fact you burn through (use up) all the stored energy available for immediate use and haven't eaten anything, the energy you get from burning fat is only going to support relatively slow movement. I know I'm making broad statements here ... the optimal endurance runner is lower weight and very efficient, able to move faster and further while using less energy ... but ultimately he's dealing with the same metabolic processes you and I are.
We've all seen charts posted on exercise machines and gym walls showing lower intensity levels of effort as being "fat burning" exercise, and, after working long enough that's going to be true. On the other hand, calorie consumption is all about how hard you work for how long - a shorter high intensity workout will burn as much as a much longer low intensity workout. There are also benefits associated with the kinds of changes in your body (muscle development) that higher intensity efforts bring too.
Running long while trying to create a calorie shortfall (to lose weight) is not going to be pleasant. A constant challenge for me is coming to grips with the fact that running long creates a demand for replacement fuel. At some level of weekly mileage (>50 miles, which is pretty high for me) I do see a slow but steady weekly weight loss. The bad news is that I can only sustain the higher mileage for about 16 weeks, and then I always see some weight gain in the weeks after a 'goal-race'. It's all about finding a balancing point, and that's something I haven't learned to do very well ...
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Pimmit Run, Potomac Heritage Trail, Appalachian Trail runs
We finally got some rain, and the temps are back down in the 90's so it seems like a good time to get back on the trails. On Tuesday, my friend Jim and I set course for the Pimmit Run stream from where it passes my house on its way up to the Chain Bridge. There was some good trail (with the expected tree roots, ankle-scratching brush, and occasional downed tree in the way) for a good part of the trail. At other times, we would have been better off just getting down into the creek bed and splashing on through but we enjoyed making terrible time picking our way toward the bridge. From Chain Bridge, we followed the Potomac Heritage Trail into Rosslyn, then vectored up Wilson Blvd looking for someplace to eat (we wound up at Northside Social - one of my favorites spots).
Today (Thursday) I headed out to the section of the Appalachian Trail just outside of Boonsboro, MD. The tree canopy provides great shade on the trail. Any trees or branches that came down in the storm have been cleared - if anything, dragging stuff off the trail has left it clean swept. A couple of hikers were complaining of gnats (the bugs - the Nats are just fine) but all in all it was a good day to be on the trail.
Today (Thursday) I headed out to the section of the Appalachian Trail just outside of Boonsboro, MD. The tree canopy provides great shade on the trail. Any trees or branches that came down in the storm have been cleared - if anything, dragging stuff off the trail has left it clean swept. A couple of hikers were complaining of gnats (the bugs - the Nats are just fine) but all in all it was a good day to be on the trail.
running hot
We've had a string of days with 100'ish temperatures, making long runs hard. With all the heat warnings, people think I must be nuts to be out running. Here is what I think (remember, I'm just a crazy runner, not a doctor).
First, I always wear a heart rate monitor, which I think is a pretty good indicator for how much stress I'm under when running. I can't run long at my usual pace on a very hot day before I see my heart rate going higher than normal, so on hot days I have to run slower to keep my heart rate in the usual range. Even then, when it's really hot I slow down even further and take the heart rate down another 5 beats per minute. Finally, on hot days I just don't run as long or as far.
Bottom line: Keep the pace slow, keep the heart rate low, cut the runs a little shorter.
First, I always wear a heart rate monitor, which I think is a pretty good indicator for how much stress I'm under when running. I can't run long at my usual pace on a very hot day before I see my heart rate going higher than normal, so on hot days I have to run slower to keep my heart rate in the usual range. Even then, when it's really hot I slow down even further and take the heart rate down another 5 beats per minute. Finally, on hot days I just don't run as long or as far.
Bottom line: Keep the pace slow, keep the heart rate low, cut the runs a little shorter.
shoes again
Looking at statistics showing how people find this blog, I see one of the most common search terms bringing people here is "Brooks Cascadia 7" shoes. Obviously, I need to talk about my favorite shoes more!
The Brooks Cascadia 7's have been working great. When they get really dirty, I just pull the insoles out, drop them in the sink and wash them by hand with dish soap and hot water. A day drying on the deck, and they're ready to go again. I do pay attention to new shoes as they get reviewed, but most of the new shoes coming out aren't for me - I don't like change, and it's hard to find some of them in my size. I've got big feet, and I like some room in the toe box. I buy size 15 running shoes to get the extra room.. It's hard to find shoes in size 14 or 14 1/2 in a wide version. So shopping for size 15 (or 14 W) just doesn't leave me with a lot of choices. The current popularity of 'minimalist' shoes isn't helping matters, but I think for a 200 lb runner the Cascadia may be as minimalist as I want to go anyhow ...
The Brooks Cascadia 7's have been working great. When they get really dirty, I just pull the insoles out, drop them in the sink and wash them by hand with dish soap and hot water. A day drying on the deck, and they're ready to go again. I do pay attention to new shoes as they get reviewed, but most of the new shoes coming out aren't for me - I don't like change, and it's hard to find some of them in my size. I've got big feet, and I like some room in the toe box. I buy size 15 running shoes to get the extra room.. It's hard to find shoes in size 14 or 14 1/2 in a wide version. So shopping for size 15 (or 14 W) just doesn't leave me with a lot of choices. The current popularity of 'minimalist' shoes isn't helping matters, but I think for a 200 lb runner the Cascadia may be as minimalist as I want to go anyhow ...
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
time to get going again
I think I'm really recovered and eager to be running again. The Punxsutawney 50K (Sept 8) and the JFK 50Miler (Nov 17) are the next long runs I'm focusing on. This training cycle I am going to keep the weekly mileage about the same (maybe a little less), and make the easy days easier, the hard days a little harder, and try to eat right. The Punxsy 50K course has always got the best of me, but I think this might be the year I finally get around it in a competent fashion.
I'd like to share some classic YouTube video from a couple of years ago (this is not me though) illustrating some down-hill running technique, The first one is on the Punxsutawney 50K course.
In this one, Karl Meltzer talks about running down-hill, and explains that "crashing is part of the deal."
I'd like to share some classic YouTube video from a couple of years ago (this is not me though) illustrating some down-hill running technique, The first one is on the Punxsutawney 50K course.
In this one, Karl Meltzer talks about running down-hill, and explains that "crashing is part of the deal."
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Comrades Marathon 2012 report
There are a lot of Comrades race reports on-line, and if you read a bunch of them you get a pretty good feel for the course and race day experience. I'm just going to add a little to all the noise with a few of my own recollections of the 2012 Comrades Marathon.
I set my alarm for 12:30 am on race day - that makes for a pretty early start to the day! The hotel (the Southern Sun, on North Beach in Durban) had a lot of runners, and opened their nice breakfast to runners starting at 1:00 am. I had breakfast, and grabbed a few things to eat while waiting at the start. Here is a picture of me just before leaving the hotel in the morning.
At 2:00 am, our bus was rolling on the hour-long ride to the starting line in Pietermaritzburg. It was a little surprising to see a bar/club still open right at the start, with patrons standing outside smoking and watching the runners start to assemble. Walked around a bit, viewing the starting line up front, people watching, and exploring the starting corral setup, eventually picking a spot near my corral and sitting on the curb to wait (and eat a bit more breakfast). It actually grew colder during the wait - I had a sweatshirt and full-length garbage bag on as a windbreaker. I got rid of the garbage bag just before the start, but ran in the sweatshirt for several hours and was glad to have it.
I ran with a water bottle (with double strength Perpetuem) on my waist, and bunch of Clif ShotBloks. The aid stations on the course are plentiful, I think there was one every 2 km. I drank water from the aid stations to effectively dilute the Perpetuem, and mixed up a second batch of Perpetuem about the 5 hour point. There were plenty of salted boiled potatoes at many of the aid stations, and a fairly sugary drink called Energade.
We did spend time after the race touring a bit of South Africa (Cape Town / Cape Point, the wine country, and Kruger) which was very interesting. I went overboard in Kruger park, taking over a 1000 pictures of animals.
All in all, as they say, it was a very lekker trip!
I set my alarm for 12:30 am on race day - that makes for a pretty early start to the day! The hotel (the Southern Sun, on North Beach in Durban) had a lot of runners, and opened their nice breakfast to runners starting at 1:00 am. I had breakfast, and grabbed a few things to eat while waiting at the start. Here is a picture of me just before leaving the hotel in the morning.
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| Race day - morning |
Thanks to the homework I had done, the singing, Chariots of Fire music, the rooster crow, and the cannon seemed like a familiar sequence of events. There is no 'chip time' at Comrades - you start your watch when the gun fires. I had set up my Garmin watch with a 'virtual runner' who took off at the gun running a perfectly paced 12 hour Comrades. My pacing goal was to catch up with him and finish ahead of him.
I ran with a water bottle (with double strength Perpetuem) on my waist, and bunch of Clif ShotBloks. The aid stations on the course are plentiful, I think there was one every 2 km. I drank water from the aid stations to effectively dilute the Perpetuem, and mixed up a second batch of Perpetuem about the 5 hour point. There were plenty of salted boiled potatoes at many of the aid stations, and a fairly sugary drink called Energade.
The hills ... what can I say. Mary and I toured the course in a bus on the day before the race - I'm really glad she got to see it. You do spend a lot of the day going up and down grades, and some of them are long, but less steep then you will find on a trail run. Looking at my pace data, I walked about 9 miles of the course, a lot of that in the second half.
I averaged 12 minute miles for the day, finishing in 11:24 gun-to-finish line. I fell pretty hard after the half way point, scratching myself up a bit, practically tearing the number off my chest and biting my lip, finished with no real problems - a little stiff and sore later though. The tour organizer had arranged a couple of large bins with ice baths by the pool on the roof of our hotel - I credit my time in the ice bath with the pretty rapid post race recovery.
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| Mike 'smiling' for the finish |
We did spend time after the race touring a bit of South Africa (Cape Town / Cape Point, the wine country, and Kruger) which was very interesting. I went overboard in Kruger park, taking over a 1000 pictures of animals.
All in all, as they say, it was a very lekker trip!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
looking back on this training cycle
I'm wrapping up this training cycle, spending the remaining time before Comrades doing some tapering the best I can. I'm happy with what I've done to prepare, but let the second-guessing begin.
These graphs were produced by SportTracks and its Training Load plug-in. This first one just summarizes my weekly mileage from the start of the year. It looks fairly well planned - some four to five week mini-cycles of increasing intensity, then an easier week at the start of the next slightly more intense cycle.
This brown line on this next graph is a sliding 7-day sum of mileage. Because a value is computed every day, it is a lot more 'jagged' than the weekly mileage chart above.
For long runs, I had 31 runs of 10 miles or more, a number of ~15 milers, and one marathon. Maybe I could have/should have done more long runs, although I am so slow that the hours it takes to do a 15 miler really does qualify them as a long run.
You can see the 'training influence' line crosses zero (and goes negative) today, telling me the time for hard training for Comrades is gone. My total mileage so far this year has been 914 miles. January was low mileage, my Comrades training cycle really didn't get going until February. The mileage total is still high though, for me, and I hope it will pay off. The mileage, and Mary's new interest in vegan cooking (it's been great but I'm actually not a very strict vegan) were probably big factors in losing the weight that I did.
I did focus on increasing turnover, and ran several short road races that I think helped get me a little more leg speed. But I could have spent more time with long intervals or tempo runs at the higher heart rates - it's almost like I've created a bit of a heartrate 'ceiling' at about 80% of my max ...
So, am I ready? Here is a link to a paper I found on the web, that the author (Lindsay Weight, a two-time Comrades woman winner in the 1980's) wrote to summarize the results of a survey taken of Comrades finishers in 2005. Runners were asked what they weighed, how many miles they did to prepare, what their qualifying time was, and how they finished (and more). It's nice to be able to compare your own numbers to others who finished. I note that I still am at the high end of the weight scale of those who finished, but other than that, my stats compare pretty well.
I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Wish me luck.
These graphs were produced by SportTracks and its Training Load plug-in. This first one just summarizes my weekly mileage from the start of the year. It looks fairly well planned - some four to five week mini-cycles of increasing intensity, then an easier week at the start of the next slightly more intense cycle.
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| 2012 - Weekly Mileage |
This brown line on this next graph is a sliding 7-day sum of mileage. Because a value is computed every day, it is a lot more 'jagged' than the weekly mileage chart above.
 |
| Daily Training Load |
For long runs, I had 31 runs of 10 miles or more, a number of ~15 milers, and one marathon. Maybe I could have/should have done more long runs, although I am so slow that the hours it takes to do a 15 miler really does qualify them as a long run.
You can see the 'training influence' line crosses zero (and goes negative) today, telling me the time for hard training for Comrades is gone. My total mileage so far this year has been 914 miles. January was low mileage, my Comrades training cycle really didn't get going until February. The mileage total is still high though, for me, and I hope it will pay off. The mileage, and Mary's new interest in vegan cooking (it's been great but I'm actually not a very strict vegan) were probably big factors in losing the weight that I did.
I did focus on increasing turnover, and ran several short road races that I think helped get me a little more leg speed. But I could have spent more time with long intervals or tempo runs at the higher heart rates - it's almost like I've created a bit of a heartrate 'ceiling' at about 80% of my max ...
So, am I ready? Here is a link to a paper I found on the web, that the author (Lindsay Weight, a two-time Comrades woman winner in the 1980's) wrote to summarize the results of a survey taken of Comrades finishers in 2005. Runners were asked what they weighed, how many miles they did to prepare, what their qualifying time was, and how they finished (and more). It's nice to be able to compare your own numbers to others who finished. I note that I still am at the high end of the weight scale of those who finished, but other than that, my stats compare pretty well.
I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Wish me luck.
Friday, May 18, 2012
running and training
When talking to people about training I have a hard time trying
to summarize what I think is the essence of training in a nutshell. Here are some of the things I wish I would
have told them when they asked (though they might have been sorry they asked …).
Basically,
1.
Training (improving your fitness) requires some physical stress. The amount of training effect is a function
of training duration and intensity - how long and how hard you train. Adequate recovery time has to follow training
stress to allow your body to adapt in response to the increased stress and
prepare for the next workout.
2.
There is a definite work-reward relationship in running. As long as you avoid overtraining, the more
work you do, the greater the potential benefit.
 |
| work - reward |
Those two basic principles could inspire
volumes. Here are a few comments in the form of Q and A. I should point out that this may be somewhat
opinionated, so feel free to disagree with any of the following …
Q: How many miles should I run?
Recently I’ve been reading about more studies finding that a few short and
relatively high intensity workouts (on the order of 30 minutes a few times a
week) provide a great deal of benefit.
This really isn’t surprising, and is consistent in fact with the simple
graphic above. As you start to workout,
you can quickly receive benefits. While gifted
runners have performed very well on very little training, you can easily find that
‘real runners’ do a lot more in their training.
Many elite runners regularly run well over 100 miles a week in training.
They are at the extreme right side of the cost benefit curve, doing a lot of
additional work to eke out the last small increase in benefit (and incidentally
incurring a greater risk of over-training and injury).
Noakes (“Lore of Running”)refers to a table showing the number of
training hours required to compete at various levels: ‘beginners’ run <4 hours per week, average
runners <6, good runners <8, top amateur runners <10, with elite or
world class runners training 10 to 14 hours or more per week. To some extent you need to be able to assess
how many hours you are able to train before building or committing to a
specific training plan.
Q: What is good running form?
Running seems as simple as putting one foot in front of the other. But, there are a lot of potentially
contradictory and confusing, schools of thought on the dynamics of good running
form. For some examples (hopefully good!) take a look at the videos I’ve linked
to in earlier blogs. I feel better when
I’m having a hard time trying to resolve apparent disconnects between examples
by remembering Ryan Hall’s comment that we’ll finally see perfect running form
when we get to heaven.
It’s
hard to change your form. First you have
to form a good mental model of what you are trying to do. Second, you need to be able to accurately
assess what you are actually doing. I
know from seeing video of myself that what I think I am doing is sometimes not
what I am really doing. Finally, you
need to change what you are actually doing to match what your ideal form is,
and then continue doing it the new way without reverting to something that you
have in effect practiced wrongly for so long.
Good luck with that.
I
think the good news is that over time, some running form ‘defects’ that hurt running
efficiency are almost naturally eliminated.
Keep your stride rate at 180/minute.
Keep your head up, keep your body aligned. Avoid unnecessary tension. Run straight ahead.
Q: Should I run barefoot?
No. Well maybe a little.
Q: How should I train my child?
In
my opinion (and I am not a parent), parents should strive to give children the
opportunity to experience a lot of activities.
When children demonstrate an aptitude for something, whether it is
sports, music and the arts, academics or whatever, it’s natural for the parent
to encourage and find ways to develop those skills however possible. However
the child may be motivated as much by his need for parent’s approval and
attention as he is by actual enjoyment of the activity. So as with a lot of things, it’s a question
of balance, of taking advantage of developmental opportunities and learning
lifetime skills while being alert to the possibility of overdoing something.
Small children should not be doing endurance training.
Consider the evidence that the best runners in any age group will not be
the best runners in later years – if you peak before leaving high school you
might just be the subject of a Bruce Springsteen song (cue “Glory Days”).
Q: How should an older person train?
In
an older post (June 11, 2011) I talked about six time Hawaiian Ironman winner Mark
Allen’s advice for training older (age 50+) runners. He would rely solely on an endurance base built with
long runs at relatively low heart rates. I adopted this approach – I lost
weight, my running improved, I avoided injury.
How could I complain? Well, I
think age 50 is too early for many runners to concede higher intensity training
phases. The fall-off in running performance seems gradual until into the 70’s. Go for it.
Q: What if I'm not a 'natural' runner?
First
of all, all humans are natural runners.
It’s just that some of us are more proficient. We can become better runners by improving
fitness as well as form.
Some
people are ‘gifted’ runners, in the sense that they have a greater innate capacity
to do work than others. While we can all
improve our fitness levels and body makeups, there may be genetic factors that
place an upper limit on measures like VO2 max.
In
addition to having great physical capacity to do work, great distance runners
are very efficient. They move faster and
farther while doing less work than many slower runners. Running efficiency is a function of good running
form as well as body makeup.
Q: What is the role of a running coach?
Coach
Jack Daniels talks about runners with different levels of ability and
motivation – the best case being a runner with lots of ability and great
motivation. There is actually not much a
coach can do to ‘coach up’ natural, god-given ability. A good coach can and will support and
motivate runners, but if you don’t have any problem staying motivated, what’s
the benefit of having a coach?
There is a big gap between the basic
principles at the start of this posting and determining what an individual
runner should be doing this week to move him closer to his running goal. A coach can help. You can certainly read a good book like “Daniels’
Running Formula” and build your own training plan. But I’ve quoted Amby Burfoot in an earlier
posting (“ … if you want to know the truth, workouts are like peanuts
at a baseball game. Everyone's got them, and they're pretty much the same. Salazar's workouts are no more magical than
those doled out by Terence Mahon, Greg McMillan, the Hanson brothers, the
supposedly high-concept Italians, or the low-concept, high-success coaches in
Kenya and Ethiopia."). A coach can
help a runner distill all the available guidance into best mix of training
activities - the optimal mix of exercise intensity and duration and
recovery.
When
discussing running form, I mentioned the problem with not being able to
accurately ‘see’ what your own running form really is – a coach’s observations
(or good video) can really help.
Perhaps the best reason to find a coach is that there is a learning
curve associated with running. Ultimately,
I am working with a ‘sample population’ of one person, me – a coach will have
had the benefit of working with a lot of runners for years, and will have already
learned lessons and (realized a lot of his mistakes) that I learn and make every
training cycle.
Q: How should I train for _______ (distance
or race)?
Ask
your coach.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
on plan ...
Running is going well, I'm on my plan. The weather has been great.
No real injuries. I had to wash my Cascadia's after a muddy run two weeks ago, and ran in some old 'road' shoes while they dried out. Switching back to the Cascadias, I did a long run and was thinking they had a bit more room in the toe box then I remembered. I realized after the run that I had forgot to put the insoles back in after washing them! Doh! The balls of my feet are still a little tender.
Here is a good running video to take a look at - it gives some insight into Alberto Salazar, an old runner I admire. He's also the only american man to have won Comrades (in 1994) ...
No real injuries. I had to wash my Cascadia's after a muddy run two weeks ago, and ran in some old 'road' shoes while they dried out. Switching back to the Cascadias, I did a long run and was thinking they had a bit more room in the toe box then I remembered. I realized after the run that I had forgot to put the insoles back in after washing them! Doh! The balls of my feet are still a little tender.
Here is a good running video to take a look at - it gives some insight into Alberto Salazar, an old runner I admire. He's also the only american man to have won Comrades (in 1994) ...
Monday, March 19, 2012
training cycle - update
This training cycle is starting well. I'm about five weeks into it, and feeling good. Looking at the training plan I wrote about earlier, I'm pretty much on-plan. My mileage has averaged a little over 50 miles/week - though SportTracks shows a sliding seven-day total that shows some peaks over 60 (and corresponding dips). I've run some local road races on weekends, and I've used those events to get some higher quality running in. I need to be careful not to push too hard because I really can't afford an injury now.
Here is some solid advice from Scott Jurek on "The Long Run: Building the Base". I'm looking forward to including more higher intensity work in the coming weeks - running faster is key to improving running efficiency and economy (and running faster still).
And though this video link isn't especially relevant to base building, I want to share a link to an interesting analysis of a very strong 10K runner's form - Chris Solinsky Stride Analysis - from the Somax Sports website. You should take the critique with a grain of salt (I heard Ryan Hall was asked what perfect form looked like ... he answered saying we'll only see perfect form in heaven), but it helps to remind me to think about form basics every time I go running.
Here is some solid advice from Scott Jurek on "The Long Run: Building the Base". I'm looking forward to including more higher intensity work in the coming weeks - running faster is key to improving running efficiency and economy (and running faster still).
And though this video link isn't especially relevant to base building, I want to share a link to an interesting analysis of a very strong 10K runner's form - Chris Solinsky Stride Analysis - from the Somax Sports website. You should take the critique with a grain of salt (I heard Ryan Hall was asked what perfect form looked like ... he answered saying we'll only see perfect form in heaven), but it helps to remind me to think about form basics every time I go running.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
a little foolish
They say "a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client" ... I'm wondering if the same sentiment could be applied to runners and coaching (as in "a runner who coaches himself has a fool for a client").
I may be a fool ... but I'm going running.
I may be a fool ... but I'm going running.
Friday, February 10, 2012
new shoes, new training cycle
My new shoes are the Brooks Cascadia 7 - I've had them out on the road for a couple of days now, and they are very comfortable. I like them a lot.
We've had great sunny days, really great winter running weather. My mileage has been low, but all of a sudden I'm anxious to get back to some real road work. Some time off from running really can be a good thing - but I have a lot of work to do to meet my goal for the year of running the Comrades ...
So, how am I training? I want to build on what I've done on the past, but pay more attention to running efficiency and speed. Here is a top-level view of my plan and why I think it's reasonable.
I can look back at years worth of running logs, and see that running 45 miles a week is a relatively high workload for me. 45 miles at an easy pace (just over 10 minute miles) is 450 minutes (7.5 hours) of running. Using Daniels' point system, doing these easy runs only would put me at 75 points a week.
The change I am making this training cycle is to introduce more 'quality' into my running. Spending some more time at marathon and threshold pace during the week, and adding some 10K races on weekends will put me over 100 points for the week. I have weekly runs of 15+ miles, and will run one marathon, but nothing longer than that before Comrades.
Reasonableness check: For one thing, based on my own experience, I can't train much harder than this, and I don't want to get injured, so this is what I should do. With my (limited) natural ability, I've previously beat the cutoff in a number of ultraruns - I'm expecting that the added focus on running efficiency and speed is going to help give me my best shot at finishing Comrades.
Mike's pacing by heartrate
 |
| new Brooks Cascadia 7 shoes |
So, how am I training? I want to build on what I've done on the past, but pay more attention to running efficiency and speed. Here is a top-level view of my plan and why I think it's reasonable.
I can look back at years worth of running logs, and see that running 45 miles a week is a relatively high workload for me. 45 miles at an easy pace (just over 10 minute miles) is 450 minutes (7.5 hours) of running. Using Daniels' point system, doing these easy runs only would put me at 75 points a week.
The change I am making this training cycle is to introduce more 'quality' into my running. Spending some more time at marathon and threshold pace during the week, and adding some 10K races on weekends will put me over 100 points for the week. I have weekly runs of 15+ miles, and will run one marathon, but nothing longer than that before Comrades.
Reasonableness check: For one thing, based on my own experience, I can't train much harder than this, and I don't want to get injured, so this is what I should do. With my (limited) natural ability, I've previously beat the cutoff in a number of ultraruns - I'm expecting that the added focus on running efficiency and speed is going to help give me my best shot at finishing Comrades.
Mike's pacing by heartrate
- Easy (~70% HR max, 115 bpm)
- Marathon pace (80% HR max, 130 bpm)
- Threshold (88% HR max, 142 bpm)
- 10K (> 90% HR max, 145 bpm)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Daniels' Running Formula (part 2)
My copy of "Daniels' Running Formula" is dog-eared and marked up with text I've highlighted. I can open the book to a random page and almost immediately find Coach Daniels telling me something that emphasizes or clarifies running lessons I've learned along the way. Paging through the book now, here are some of my key 'take aways' from Coach Daniels' book. The following material is quoted or paraphrased from Coach Daniels' book, from pages indicated.
- No one has all the answers, and one plan will not suit all runners (page x)
- There are four kinds of distance runners 1) high ability and motivation 2) high ability but not motivated 3) lacking ability but highly motivated 4) lacking ability and motivation (pg xv).
- Training Principles (pg 8) Some of them are ...
-- The body reacts to stress of training by adapting to perform better
-- Specificity: You get better at the activity that provided the training stress. Over-training has a negative effect on ability to perform the activity that provided the stress
-- Diminishing Return (and accelerating setbacks). As training increases in duration and intensity, the benefit gained increases more slowly, while the chance of over-training/injury increases
- Your current best performances can be used to determine the training intensity necessary to improve (pg 31)
- The basic goals of training are: (pg32)
-- improve ability to transport blood/oxygen
-- increase ability of muscles to use oxygen
-- shift lactate threshold to higher running speed
-- increase VO2 max
-- improve speed
-- improve running economy
You can see where this is going ... a training plan is a mix of training activities of the right duration and intensity, selected to make progress against the goals. He describes a system of assigning points based on training activity time and intensity. This is interesting because it 'handicaps' ability to the extent that runners with very different abilities can compare their training efforts, and he observes that novice runners might consider a weekly total of 50 points, advanced high-schoolers 100 points,and collegians 150 points. Elite runners might be working 200 points or more a week. (pg 41)
- A season long training cycle might have four phases (pg 68)
-- FI. Foundation and injury prevention - building the base
-- EQ. Early Quality - running mechanics, running economy and speed (primarily reps)
-- TQ. Transition Quality, the toughest phase, focusing on long intervals
-- FQ. Final Quality, threshold running, some reps and intervals, and racing.
Over the long term (many training cycles) Coach Daniels believes that it's better to develop speed (skill) before endurance (aerobic conditioning) (pg 80). Note that on page 81, he points out that older runners running for fitness might want to flip this around ...
- To avoid over-training and injury, slower runners might have to run less total mileage than faster runners. (pg 92)
- Re: Individual limits and weekly mileage (pg 95) There is a wide range of answers to the question of how many miles/week a distance runner should be running ...
- Stride rate. Almost all elite distance runners tend to stride at about the same rate: 180 or more steps per minute. (pg 93) The main change that occurs as runners go faster is in stride length.
- Breathing Rhythms. Most elite distance runners breathe with a 2-2 rhythm (pg 116)
- The ideal intensity is the least stressful intensity that accomplishes what you want (pg 123)
- Losing weight / changes in body composition (pg 150). It's hard to tell how much improved performance is due to leaner frame rather than the fact that quality training can be carried out more effectively with a slimmer body. Some cautions here ... losing body mass for the sake of weighing less can be counterproductive.
- Marathon Training (chapter 20)
-- If you get beyond about 50 miles per week, you should probably consider running twice a day most days of the week
-- I think the guidelines given for runners training to complete a marathon (pg 268) may apply just as well to beginning ultra-runners.
- No one has all the answers, and one plan will not suit all runners (page x)
- There are four kinds of distance runners 1) high ability and motivation 2) high ability but not motivated 3) lacking ability but highly motivated 4) lacking ability and motivation (pg xv).
- Training Principles (pg 8) Some of them are ...
-- The body reacts to stress of training by adapting to perform better
-- Specificity: You get better at the activity that provided the training stress. Over-training has a negative effect on ability to perform the activity that provided the stress
-- Diminishing Return (and accelerating setbacks). As training increases in duration and intensity, the benefit gained increases more slowly, while the chance of over-training/injury increases
- Your current best performances can be used to determine the training intensity necessary to improve (pg 31)
- The basic goals of training are: (pg32)
-- improve ability to transport blood/oxygen
-- increase ability of muscles to use oxygen
-- shift lactate threshold to higher running speed
-- increase VO2 max
-- improve speed
-- improve running economy
You can see where this is going ... a training plan is a mix of training activities of the right duration and intensity, selected to make progress against the goals. He describes a system of assigning points based on training activity time and intensity. This is interesting because it 'handicaps' ability to the extent that runners with very different abilities can compare their training efforts, and he observes that novice runners might consider a weekly total of 50 points, advanced high-schoolers 100 points,and collegians 150 points. Elite runners might be working 200 points or more a week. (pg 41)
- A season long training cycle might have four phases (pg 68)
-- FI. Foundation and injury prevention - building the base
-- EQ. Early Quality - running mechanics, running economy and speed (primarily reps)
-- TQ. Transition Quality, the toughest phase, focusing on long intervals
-- FQ. Final Quality, threshold running, some reps and intervals, and racing.
Over the long term (many training cycles) Coach Daniels believes that it's better to develop speed (skill) before endurance (aerobic conditioning) (pg 80). Note that on page 81, he points out that older runners running for fitness might want to flip this around ...
- To avoid over-training and injury, slower runners might have to run less total mileage than faster runners. (pg 92)
- Re: Individual limits and weekly mileage (pg 95) There is a wide range of answers to the question of how many miles/week a distance runner should be running ...
- Stride rate. Almost all elite distance runners tend to stride at about the same rate: 180 or more steps per minute. (pg 93) The main change that occurs as runners go faster is in stride length.
- Breathing Rhythms. Most elite distance runners breathe with a 2-2 rhythm (pg 116)
- The ideal intensity is the least stressful intensity that accomplishes what you want (pg 123)
- Losing weight / changes in body composition (pg 150). It's hard to tell how much improved performance is due to leaner frame rather than the fact that quality training can be carried out more effectively with a slimmer body. Some cautions here ... losing body mass for the sake of weighing less can be counterproductive.
- Marathon Training (chapter 20)
-- If you get beyond about 50 miles per week, you should probably consider running twice a day most days of the week
-- I think the guidelines given for runners training to complete a marathon (pg 268) may apply just as well to beginning ultra-runners.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Daniels' Running Formula (part 1)
I've been reading "Daniels' Running Formula" (the second edition), by Jack T. Daniels, Ph.D. This book has been out for years and really doesn't need a critical review at this point - you should just accept it as a classic guide to effective training for runners. I would like to share some thoughts and observations I made when I rediscovered this book over the recent holidays.
Coach Daniels has gotten plenty of accolades as a coach. As an athlete himself (a pentathlete at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games) and with a long history of coaching and helping a lot of runners perform their best, it's great that he managed to capture that experience and training philosophy so well in this book. I get special pleasure from the fact that that he coached at State University of NY Cortland for years - my wife's family lived in McGraw, NY just on the other side of the highway, and our visits to the area always included visits to Cortland.
As a sports physiologist, Coach Daniels uses VDOT as a real-world metric of an individuals ability to perform. Over the years I've been tempted to visit a sports lab and discover my own VO2 max level, knowing it correlates with the best possible performance I can expect to achieve in my own running. Coach Daniels' VDOT number incorporates VO2 max and also includes the runners pace (velocity) at VO2 max to come up with a more useful indication of a runner's ability. VDOT takes the scientific purity of a laboratory VO2 max measurement, and adds all the other variables in - especially how efficient a runner is, and the terrain, weather, ability to manage physical resources during an event, emotional state-of-mind, willingness to suffer discomfort, and others.
You can determine your own current VDOT number based on recent best performance (no sports lab visit needed!) using tables in Coach Daniels' book, and then use your VDOT number to determine your most effective training pace and level of effort for optimum improvement. The core of this book is about using VDOT - actually planning training efforts measured as time spent at some percentage of your VDOT - as the basis of developing training plans for distances up to the marathon.
The last few years my own training has been centered on recording mileage. This book has reminded me that I might be able to train a lot smarter than just continuing the quest for higher weekly mileage totals. I'll continue in my next blog with some 'bullet' points sampling some of Coach Daniels' insights, and possibly my efforts to translate it all into an effective training plan.
Coach Daniels has gotten plenty of accolades as a coach. As an athlete himself (a pentathlete at the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games) and with a long history of coaching and helping a lot of runners perform their best, it's great that he managed to capture that experience and training philosophy so well in this book. I get special pleasure from the fact that that he coached at State University of NY Cortland for years - my wife's family lived in McGraw, NY just on the other side of the highway, and our visits to the area always included visits to Cortland.
As a sports physiologist, Coach Daniels uses VDOT as a real-world metric of an individuals ability to perform. Over the years I've been tempted to visit a sports lab and discover my own VO2 max level, knowing it correlates with the best possible performance I can expect to achieve in my own running. Coach Daniels' VDOT number incorporates VO2 max and also includes the runners pace (velocity) at VO2 max to come up with a more useful indication of a runner's ability. VDOT takes the scientific purity of a laboratory VO2 max measurement, and adds all the other variables in - especially how efficient a runner is, and the terrain, weather, ability to manage physical resources during an event, emotional state-of-mind, willingness to suffer discomfort, and others.
You can determine your own current VDOT number based on recent best performance (no sports lab visit needed!) using tables in Coach Daniels' book, and then use your VDOT number to determine your most effective training pace and level of effort for optimum improvement. The core of this book is about using VDOT - actually planning training efforts measured as time spent at some percentage of your VDOT - as the basis of developing training plans for distances up to the marathon.
The last few years my own training has been centered on recording mileage. This book has reminded me that I might be able to train a lot smarter than just continuing the quest for higher weekly mileage totals. I'll continue in my next blog with some 'bullet' points sampling some of Coach Daniels' insights, and possibly my efforts to translate it all into an effective training plan.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Running watches I have known
I've tried a number of running watches over the years in pursuit of the perfect watch. My watches over the past 10 years or so, in the order I adopted them:
- Nike Triax C6
- Nike Triax CV10
- Suunto T6C
- Garmin FR60 (my current watch)
I still haven't found the perfect running watch - here is what I think of the ones I've run with so far.
I liked the style of my first Nike Triax - the angled design of the watch face was nice. I used it to capture splits and total run time, including using countdown timers for managing interval workouts. I could see my heart rate data in real-time. For a running log, I entered summary data by hand into a spreadsheet. It was a nice running watch, with all the timing capability I needed.
Moving on to the Nike Triax CV10 let me add a shoe pod to the heart rate monitor (HRM) to measure speed and distance. If you've seen some of my older blogs, you know I'm a fan of the statement "you can't manage what you don't measure." Running by 'feel' is OK, but at some point it is good to have actual data that shows what heart rate and running pace actually corresponds with perceived level of effort. After running a lot of miles with a HRM on, I've definitely changed my idea of how hard it should feel like I'm working on my long runs.
A running buddy then adopted a Suunto T3, and the concept of training effect (TE) was interesting. In my typical need-to-know-it-all fashion, I downloaded all the Suunto training materials and read and re-read everything. I eventually wound up buying a Suunto T6C for myself, with the Suunto HRM and shoe pod. I also adopted a running software package called Firstbeat Athlete to log my watch data and monitor my progress.
At this point in running watch evolution, it's clear to me that a big part of the total functionality of a watch now lies in the software you use with it and ability of that software to load and use data from the watch. This software is typically PC (or Mac) or web based. The Suunto T6C and Firstbeat software gave me new insight into the effect of workouts of different durations and intensities.
I moved away from the Suunto T6C/Firstbeat Athlete combination for a couple of reasons. Part of the appeal of capturing heart rate data at the R-R level was the promise that you could get feedback when you are over-training. I never really thought I benefited from this capability. The Suunto watches capture the data needed for heart rate variability analysis, but rely on external software (and a person) to do the analysis. And this software is typically owned and used only by professional trainers. The fee to have some data looked at on a one-off basis is prohibitive to do on a regular basis. Note that some Polar watches, and some iPhone apps will now do this sort of analysis.
Firstbeat Athlete is showing it's age a bit. It has some long standing issues with not always syncing a users profile (things like height and weight) with the data stored in the watch. And as a running log, it had a long standing bug with not adding up your weekly mileage correctly. A recent update to Firstbeat Athlete actually added the ability to import data from a Garmin 610 using the wireless USB stick but not much else changed. I think the Firstbeat folks are first class exercise physiologists, but I'm not sure what their plan is for future PC and web based software.
Finally, I become frustrated with the finicky-ness of the Suunto T6C computer data connection, a small clip that uses a set of dimpled electrical contacts on the back of the watch to connect the watch to a USB port. The future of data connections is of course wireless. Both Suunto and Garmin seem to be using very similar technology for wireless data connections on their newest watches.
The new Suunto Quest seems like it might have been a good follow-on to my T6C, but my search for my next watch and software combination led me to the Garmin FR60 and SportTracks 3 software (from Zone 5). I've basically traded training effect for TRIMP (a numerical method of summarizing duration and intensity), and gained a very reliable and convenient way of transferring watch data to my PC. A new data-point the Garmin FR60 provides is running cadence, which I've been watching pretty closely lately. I've previously blogged about SportTracks 3 and some of the plug-ins I use
- Nike Triax C6
- Nike Triax CV10
- Suunto T6C
- Garmin FR60 (my current watch)
I still haven't found the perfect running watch - here is what I think of the ones I've run with so far.
I liked the style of my first Nike Triax - the angled design of the watch face was nice. I used it to capture splits and total run time, including using countdown timers for managing interval workouts. I could see my heart rate data in real-time. For a running log, I entered summary data by hand into a spreadsheet. It was a nice running watch, with all the timing capability I needed.
Moving on to the Nike Triax CV10 let me add a shoe pod to the heart rate monitor (HRM) to measure speed and distance. If you've seen some of my older blogs, you know I'm a fan of the statement "you can't manage what you don't measure." Running by 'feel' is OK, but at some point it is good to have actual data that shows what heart rate and running pace actually corresponds with perceived level of effort. After running a lot of miles with a HRM on, I've definitely changed my idea of how hard it should feel like I'm working on my long runs.
A running buddy then adopted a Suunto T3, and the concept of training effect (TE) was interesting. In my typical need-to-know-it-all fashion, I downloaded all the Suunto training materials and read and re-read everything. I eventually wound up buying a Suunto T6C for myself, with the Suunto HRM and shoe pod. I also adopted a running software package called Firstbeat Athlete to log my watch data and monitor my progress.
At this point in running watch evolution, it's clear to me that a big part of the total functionality of a watch now lies in the software you use with it and ability of that software to load and use data from the watch. This software is typically PC (or Mac) or web based. The Suunto T6C and Firstbeat software gave me new insight into the effect of workouts of different durations and intensities.
I moved away from the Suunto T6C/Firstbeat Athlete combination for a couple of reasons. Part of the appeal of capturing heart rate data at the R-R level was the promise that you could get feedback when you are over-training. I never really thought I benefited from this capability. The Suunto watches capture the data needed for heart rate variability analysis, but rely on external software (and a person) to do the analysis. And this software is typically owned and used only by professional trainers. The fee to have some data looked at on a one-off basis is prohibitive to do on a regular basis. Note that some Polar watches, and some iPhone apps will now do this sort of analysis.
Firstbeat Athlete is showing it's age a bit. It has some long standing issues with not always syncing a users profile (things like height and weight) with the data stored in the watch. And as a running log, it had a long standing bug with not adding up your weekly mileage correctly. A recent update to Firstbeat Athlete actually added the ability to import data from a Garmin 610 using the wireless USB stick but not much else changed. I think the Firstbeat folks are first class exercise physiologists, but I'm not sure what their plan is for future PC and web based software.
Finally, I become frustrated with the finicky-ness of the Suunto T6C computer data connection, a small clip that uses a set of dimpled electrical contacts on the back of the watch to connect the watch to a USB port. The future of data connections is of course wireless. Both Suunto and Garmin seem to be using very similar technology for wireless data connections on their newest watches.
The new Suunto Quest seems like it might have been a good follow-on to my T6C, but my search for my next watch and software combination led me to the Garmin FR60 and SportTracks 3 software (from Zone 5). I've basically traded training effect for TRIMP (a numerical method of summarizing duration and intensity), and gained a very reliable and convenient way of transferring watch data to my PC. A new data-point the Garmin FR60 provides is running cadence, which I've been watching pretty closely lately. I've previously blogged about SportTracks 3 and some of the plug-ins I use
Thoughts on GPS - I do study maps (and take maps with me) on new trails the first time out. I might benefit from a capability to enter a planned run into the watch, but frankly it wouldn't help - I do a lot of backtracking out there. Besides, most of the time I'm on a trail where I know where I'm going, and where all the wrong turns would take me. Finally, the power requirements (read: short battery life, and need for constant charging), and the physical size of the watches almost rule out using a GPS watch as an everyday watch. The Garmin 610 looks pretty good though if you're willing to do the trade-off.
Finally, I tend to wear my running watch as my everyday watch to work and when travelling. I always use the alternate time zone and depend on alarms working when I'm on the road. I found each of these watches are suitable for all but 'dress up' occasions (they all make a statement that I'm a runner, but I'm almost always willing to talk about that).
Finally, I tend to wear my running watch as my everyday watch to work and when travelling. I always use the alternate time zone and depend on alarms working when I'm on the road. I found each of these watches are suitable for all but 'dress up' occasions (they all make a statement that I'm a runner, but I'm almost always willing to talk about that).
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