Maybe I feel like I didn't train very hard EVEN THOUGH it's probably the most miles I've ever run (or biked) in a single 30 day period. Although I've tested how it felt to run at different pace intensities, I'm still racking my brain because I haven't run at goal half marathon pace for more than 1-mile at a time. Of course, as I described before, there's a reason for that. I've just been building volume and I never intended to take the Berkeley Half seriously anyways. Being competitive old me, competitive with myself, the thought of not giving it my all, even when I feel so strong now (structurally, at least), I'm pressuring myself to perform and prove that my experimentation with high volume actually works.
But anyways...
Since receiving my Garmin Forerunner 235 (as a wonderful wonderful birthday gift from Marvin), I've bought into the theories of low heart rate training. I won't go into to much detail here because the best starting point for anyone would be this article here: "Want Speed? Slow Down!"
The gist of it is I used a very simple formula to find the heart rate I should rarely, if ever, exceed during my runs.
Maximal Aerobic Function HR = 180 - age
For me, my MAF HR is 154bpm but I've been aiming for about 150bpm most days because my breathing rate feels easier and it's also easier to prevent my heart rate from jumping at that effort. I allow for 154 when going up the unavoidable hills and inclines of San Francisco and Daly City routes.
Dr. Phil Maffetone suggests training at this heart rate exclusively for several months but I've mainly tried to keep it at 80-90% of my training. So I've more or less been following an 80/20 or 90/10 rule (80%-90% easy and 10%-20% at moderate-difficult efforts).
I still also have a long way to go in regards to cleaning up my nutrition and fueling habits. But I feel like I'm getting there. :)
After one month, I've noticed a few subjective side effects:
1) I enjoy running/jogging far more -- It's absurd how many days this month I've gotten out of bed excited to get a jog in or sad that it's rest day. I'm no longer tired after every run. I look forward to each run more than I ever have before. I never thought this was possible, given I'm a bit of a masochist and enjoy the feeling of a hard workout. But this method really makes me want to get out of bed in the morning to get a 10 miler in!!
2) I value the rest day and my structural fitness. Sleep and recovery are a lot more important to me, which in turn helps me bounce back from long run days quickly. If there's one most important I've taught myself over the past months, it's that fitness gains don't happen during the workout. They happen after the workout, and most importantly, while you sleep.
3) Slowing down taught me to honor my body and avoid injury and overtraining. It was easier for me to listen to my body and notice twinges and aches before they became full-blown injuries. This allowed me to foam roll, hydrate, stretch, strength train, or do whatever I needed to do to prevent ITBS or my previous knee/arch issues. My body was able to take prolonged low intensity beatings without tearing apart and I upped my weekly mileage quickly. I also learned when my body needed easy/rest days. For example, after the speed workout I did with NRC, I was noticeably exhausted for 2 days (despite feeling wonderful and fresh the night of the workout). So I did an easy day on the bike and a SUPER easy 5K the second day (~140-144bpm). I also napped during lunch breaks. Because NAPS.
3) My form seemed to improve. By slowing down, I had a lot more time to focus on correct form and cadence. And I felt WAY more efficient as the weeks went by! My average cadence on most training days fell naturally at 176 spm but seems to trend upwards over time on fresh days. (On recovery days, I don't pay attention to cadence as much - mostly because I feel like a slug.) When I tested my race pace intensities, I easily went to 180 spm and, unless fatigued, I don't overstride.
4) Despite the benefits of jogging slow, I was also always worried that my low speeds would make me slower :(... still, I had to proceed FOR SCIENCE! Since there have been no race performances to reflect any improvements, I can't exactly "trust" the process just yet. I do vehemently believe it has made me a more structurally sound runner, though. And more consistent. I just feel guilty that this has not been a pure Maffetone experiment as I could not let myself do away with speedwork and tempo work.
Anyways... the objective side effects:
The MAF test results
10/13/2016 3 Mile MAF test
3mi MAF test, 9:42(149bpm), 9:39(149bpm), 9:40(149bpm) 54F
11/13/2016 3 Mile MAF Test (monthly check-in and pre-race test)
3mi MAF test, 8:50(149bpm), 9:02(149bpm), 9:20(149bpm) 63F
After just one month, at the same heart rate, on the same track, in warmer conditions, I ran my the first mile of the test 52 seconds faster!
I had a very weird 1st MAF test in October where I didn't really fade in pace. Normally, you should fade because of cardiac drift and fatigue. I warmed up for 2 miles before starting the test, so I'm unsure what it was - maybe because it was cold or maybe I warmed up too long? IDK.
Until my next test, I'll just be happy with the improvements I've shown in just one month.
The theoretical MAF race correlations:
MAF 5K 5K HM marathon
min/mi pace time time time
10:00 7:30 23:19 1:50 3:53
9:00 7:00 21:45 1:42 3:37
8:45 6:52 21:22 1:41 3:34
8:45 6:52 21:22 1:41 3:34
8:30 6:45 20:58 1:39 3:30
8:00 6:30 20:12 1:33 3:17
7:30 6:00 18:38 1:26 3:02
7:00 5:30 17:05 1:19 2:47
When I started circa a MAF pace of 9:42-10:00, the 5K time and half marathon times seem to correlate well. My 5K on a flat course was 23:36 (Sep 2016) and my HM (~350ft elevation gain) was 1:49:38 (July 2016).
I'm hoping that my last MAF test was not a fluke because it would be awesome to get a time closer to the MAF prediction. The Berkeley course is tougher with ~550ft of elevation gain but I hope my newfound strength can make up for it.
Another note: my Garmin's race predictor is interesting. According to my Garmin, I have a VO2 max around 49-50 and I'm capable of running a sub-1:40 =_=. Hah. A girl can dream I guess.
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