Training Plans / Measuring distances / Measuring Pace

stmochtas

Hi,

I am now moving on the next phase of training after completing the 10 miler, where I want to start improving my times. I am looking at programs at the moment and realise that in the quality and running sessions I will need some measured distances and for recovery runs I will need specific paces.
How do folks handle this? for example I would need 200M, 400M and 800M measured out distances. I mainly train on the phoniex park on grass so if there is some where this already measured out that some one is aware off then thats great.
Also too maintain specific paces for example 8:45 min/mile can be hard to judge. Does a GPS watch solve these issues?
Obviously a threadmill session might be the answer in some cases but I like the outdoors.
I suppose join a club with a track is another obvious answer but I dont think that will be an option right now for me,

Thanks in advance.

busyrunning

you should have a look at mapmyrun.com you will probably be able to find a route on that its fairly accurate as far as i can tell. im not sure though if it will give you the distance in metres but you can google the conversion and that might help.

cfitz

stmochtas wrote: »

Hi,

I am now moving on the next phase of training after completing the 10 miler, where I want to start improving my times. I am looking at programs at the moment and realise that in the quality and running sessions I will need some measured distances and for recovery runs I will need specific paces.
How do folks handle this? for example I would need 200M, 400M and 800M measured out distances. I mainly train on the phoniex park on grass so if there is some where this already measured out that some one is aware off then thats great.
Also too maintain specific paces for example 8:45 min/mile can be hard to judge. Does a GPS watch solve these issues?
Obviously a threadmill session might be the answer in some cases but I like the outdoors.
I suppose join a club with a track is another obvious answer but I dont think that will be an option right now for me,

Thanks in advance.

You could use a track without joining a club? (doesn't necessarily have to be tartan)

I don't know if you need to worry too much about maintaining exact pace - you're not a robot (are you?). Just measure the distance of your loop and time yourself.

I don't know much about these GPS devices, I'd say they're quite accurate, but how heavy/bulky are they?

cfitz

After I replied to the original post I started thinking about how I answered one of those questions...

If the goal pace for your run is based on a lactate threshold test or estimate, how important is it that you do this run at a steady pace? And how steady does it need to be (+/- 5 sec per km)? I almost always run progressively, usually I run much faster at the end of a run than at the beginning. For tempo stuff I don't usually have a guide pace, I run to feel.

Anyone got any good info on this?

(Hope I'm not hijacking the thread too much.)

Racing Flat

stmochtas wrote: »

Hi,

I would need 200M, 400M and 800M measured out distances.

For 200, 400 etc. you'd want it to be fairly precise, so GPS won't be accurate enough, you'd need a track. But you could just as well find a field, stretch of road and run this as your interval, check your time and then go by that regardless of the exact distance, do 10 x 1minute or 8 x 2minutes or something like that. It's the effort that counts, more than the exact distance.

GPS is perfect for easy runs, tempo runs, long runs, but I wouldn't want to use it for 400m repeats, as you'd be looking down at the watch the whole time to know when to stop. I'll use it on the track alright, but it usually reads 410-420m rather than 400, either due to inaccuracies or maybe becasue I am not running the shortest route in my lane.

ZiggyStardust

stmochtas wrote: »

Hi,

I am now moving on the next phase of training after completing the 10 miler, where I want to start improving my times. I am looking at programs at the moment and realise that in the quality and running sessions I will need some measured distances and for recovery runs I will need specific paces.
How do folks handle this? for example I would need 200M, 400M and 800M measured out distances. I mainly train on the phoniex park on grass so if there is some where this already measured out that some one is aware off then thats great.
Also too maintain specific paces for example 8:45 min/mile can be hard to judge. Does a GPS watch solve these issues?
Obviously a threadmill session might be the answer in some cases but I like the outdoors.
I suppose join a club with a track is another obvious answer but I dont think that will be an option right now for me,

Thanks in advance.

Hey,
As cfitz has said a track would be ideal for what you are looking for. In saying that, you say you train in the Phoenix Park. Do you know the Polo grounds? It is just shy of 1000m around. If you can imagine it a track and if you start as if you were starting a 100m on a normal track (first pole) there is a 400m mark and an 800m mark. The 800m will bring you right around to the club house.
Donore and I think Liffey Valley use this for speed sessions... As do I.

With regard your other question regarding pace. I have a polar RS800sd and it tells me the exact pace I'm going, exact distance etc. I swear by it. Have never tried a Garmin so can't compare.
Hope this helps.

shels4ever

Well i am in the same boat,

for my speed sessions i've mapped this out on mapmyrun and used the satelite view of the park that i uses for my sessions, alsos talked to a guy training there and he had measured it with a wheel and was the same as I though.

One thing i've found over the past while is don't be shy, if you see people running just ask them. I've met a few good runners out training and got some good advise from them.

In regards to the pace, i dont use anything myself but reading up on this, at the moment i usually know my pace within 15 sec per mile but have been way off the odd time.

Have a read of the inner GPS article on McMillan this is fairly good

http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=7203&PageNum=&CategoryID=

stmochtas

ZiggyStardust wrote: »

Hey,
As cfitz has said a track would be ideal for what you are looking for. In saying that, you say you train in the Phoenix Park. Do you know the Polo grounds? It is just shy of 1000m around. If you can imagine it a track and if you start as if you were starting a 100m on a normal track (first pole) there is a 400m mark and an 800m mark. The 800m will bring you right around to the club house.
Donore and I think Liffey Valley use this for speed sessions... As do I.

With regard your other question regarding pace. I have a polar RS800sd and it tells me the exact pace I'm going, exact distance etc. I swear by it. Have never tried a Garmin so can't compare.
Hope this helps.

I know the polo grounds well actually and have used it a bit but only for the full lap which a guy training there told me was 960M (Is that correct?). I have not seen these markers (400/800) which would be very useful. I know the three poles you are talking about I think, are they on the chesterfield ave side in the middle of the straight or is there on at the top of the straight?

How are the markers distinguished?

ZiggyStardust

Hi,
The markers are distinguished by burnt grass. Yeah the start is on the chesterfiled avenue side down the bottom. Hope this helps/