Sunrise Running

Murph_D wrote: »

Well the 17:01 comes from Jack Daniels, so considering he invented VO2Max, it must be based on something. Much more likely Garmin’s method is unreliable and the number is lower - your 5k time indicates 54 (at the time).

I did a proper VO2Max treadmill test as a research guinea pig. No fun at all!

I did a lab VO2 Max test on a rower.. had to be helped off it.

I'm sure the training load, hr etc algorithm is built on something solid. It's probably a potential. I don't take much notice but VO2 moved from 56 to 58 in Jan, to 59 through Feb. 56-59 is usually me in decent shape. 60 is new territory. The interval paces now are new territory. Hopefully it will lead to new territory as a runner..

Edit: yep based on your edit, I've always tracked HR across sports too. My zones are consistent enough. One other variable is my resting hr has dropped 4-5bpm in 2 months too. Hence why I use HRR instead of HR max

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Last week Garmin gave me VO2max of 63 and a predicted marathon of 2.35......pffffftttt...a few days later and I'm down to 61.

Relatively speaking, that's about the delta between you and I in terms of run fitness/paces too

Murph_D wrote: »

Yep. I only mentioned max because that was referenced in the article. Accurate zones should lead to reasonably accurate estimates - but only if HR is measured accurately. I don’t use the HR strap for every run so that would probably throw off the Garmin, although it’s supposed to be smart about which samples it uses to compute the number. Do you feel it’s reliable? You seem to have faith in the number. I don’t - or else it’s accurate but my running economy is poor and dragging down the potential. Which is definitely possible!

Wear the watch all the time and use the strap for 99% of runs, rows, S&C. I don't bother with yoga or pilates. HRR moves my zones accordingly so I often get notifications about a new lactate threshold. It could be that the HR has moved by 1 sec for same pace or pace has moved 1 sec for same HR. So I have good faith in HR readings in general (ignoring the odd spike/anomaly) but I wouldn't trust the VO2 Max as reliable on its own as a predictor.

Whats good about it is that it considers HRR, Loading, paces etc to change. This can be way off too though. Say you used wrist based HR for a run and it gave mad readings of Z5 avg for a Z2 run. Garmin would likely set your recovery timer as 56hrs+ and suggest to rest or train easy. If you then went and did a tempo next day it would drop your VO2 by 2 points or more!

Using the strap all the time keeps the loading metric quite stable. Like any other metric its rather subjective on its own but combined with other numbers can give context.

New V02 Max (for the little that's worth)
Reduced resting heart rate
Last 5k TT was 84-96% HRR while last 20 min tempo at similar pace was 82-88% HRR
In the same timeframe easy runs are slightly lower HRR for same paces
Interval pace has increased by 5-10 secs but still barely scraping red zone

Pyramid interval session planned for today and 25 minutes work at these new paces, increased from 18 minutes last week, should push me into the red zone.

BP 10K Plan Week 2

Mon 22 Mar
Yoga 23 mins
Pilates 30 mins
16.05k @5:00 | HRR 58-67%

First run in the Adidas SL20. Nice shoe. Not as soft as the Nikes I'm using for easy runs but I think the SL20 will have the variability to do some tempo or strides if needed. Bit of a fail this. Last time I ran to work was pre pandemic. For some reason I thought it was 5k. About 3k along the Childers Road I was still a bit away. Dawned on me that I used miles back then and kms now :cool: Duh Mike :rolleyes: So 10k turned into 10 miles. No harm but more than planned on fatigued quads. Despite the quads the HRR was pretty low for the pace. Feeling good

Tue 23 Mar
10.44k @5:09 | HRR 57-66%
Row 20 mins @2:04.9/500m
S&C: Calisthenics 20 mins

The interval workout was planned but the legs were still a little shot. No workout for Friday so I could push that out a day and run easy. 10k this time, nice and relaxed. Passed Swashbuckler on the Condell trail and at least this time we recognized each other

Later after a rowing warm up I did an easy S&C to ease back onto the mat.
3 Rounds of 20
Forward lunge
Squats
Reverse lunge with knee drive
Calf raises
Single leg glute bridge
Press ups
Sit ups

Wed 24 Mar
18.07k including Pyramid Interval workout | HRR 84-88%
Weight 76.9kg

The intermittent 16:8 fasting is working. I'm not missing anything or restricting proper food. I've stayed away from chocolate the last 5 weeks which helps too. I'm doing the fasting 2-3 times a week and managing my macros. <77kg is something I've not seen in years. The lowest I've been since I took up sport again was 75.6kg for my first Ironman. That was 8 months of 15-20 hour training weeks. I've gone from 81 to 77kg in a month, which proves that nutrition is 70-80% of it. I've also lost 1.5 inches off my waist.

The session today was the main one for the week. I wore the Speeds for it. Into a stiff wind for the bulk of the 4k warm up, I knew some of the intervals would be hard as a result. Still dry though here in the South West so the Speeds felt great. The extra easy day made a difference, I was bouncing along! Got stuck straight in and had to pull the first 1 minute interval back in a tailwind. Hit the target split all too easily. The 2 and 3 minute effort met a headwind and blasted the lungs. With the first 3 reps down it was a few secs reduction in pace for the longer reps. I worked for them but was never under pressure. It was harder to press the pace back up a few seconds for the last 3, 2 1 minute intervals.

Overall surprisingly I never hit the red zone. 19 threshold minutes banked but maxed out at 88% HRR. I feel it was the 2 minute recoveries. The plan said to walk them but I jogged. I had been doing intervals off 1 minute before the plan so I guess the extra minute brought my heart rate back to zone 2. There is a flyover hill just before my house and I use it to gauge how trashed my legs feel. Its usually a chore after a speed session but today not a bother Felt great. Garmin decided to lower my LT and move my VO2 Max to 61 this week :rolleyes::D Another new number! Some discussion up the log about it if you haven't already tuned in. Very happy with this workout. Also I haven't missed a target split in the last 3 workouts, unusual control for me.

Pyramid of 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 mins off 2 minutes jog
Target range for 1,2,3 min intervals: 3:31-3:37
Target range for 4 & 5 min intervals: 3:37-3:44
dist|time|pace|in range
0.28k|1:00|3:34|Yes
0.56k|2:00|3:33|Yes
0.84k|3:00|3:33|Yes
1.10k|4:00|3:38|Yes
1.37k|5:00|3:39|Yes
1.08k|4:00|3:41|Yes
0.84k|3:00|3:33|Yes
0.56k|2:00|3:34|Yes
0.28k|1:00|3:35|Yes


2021
671/2,600 miles (1,080/4,200 km)
1,903/10k press ups | 470/2k pull ups
81/83 days active | 76 Run | 8 Row | 21 S&C | 16 Yoga/Pilates

Simple Garmin Explanation of EPOC and Training Load

BP 10K Plan Week 3
This is the 2nd "build" week. It has a couple of workouts that will be challenging at these new paces. I came into it a little fatigued so recovery a real focus to get quality from the workouts. Just need to come out of it unscathed and motivated. Next week is a recovery week.

Mon 29 Mar
12.32k (7+mls) @4:42 (7:34) in 5x15s strides | HRR 61-81%

SL20 for this as it had strides. Lovely evening but horrible run. Dinner repeating on me and quads fatigued.

Tue 30 Mar
15.21k (9+mls) @5:21 (8:34) | HRR 55-66%

Intervals day is Tuesday in the plan but this week I'll push out a day to get an easy run and some foam rolling on the quads. Gorgeous day. Sun on the bones, birds and butterflies It felt pretty laboured. Not aerobically, just legs. Plodding in the Nike Infinity Reacts. A definite knot in the right quad. Had me concerned about the key workout of the week. Kept the run easy around the countryside and found the knot with the foam roller afterwards. Pure pain rolling it out :eek: Meeting the physio next week just to flush the legs out on a recovery week.

Wed 31 Mar
17.36k (10+mls) @4:06 (6:36) inc 4x1mile off 2'R | HRR 83-94%
Weight 76.5kg

Both weight and resting heart rate have dropped significantly this month. Today was a key workout that I will repeat again in 4 week, the week before the 10k TT. I opted to try out the Nike VP Next% for it. Had to stuff my feet into them and the plastic vapourweave upper felt cheap for the most expensive shoe in the stable :cool: First few minutes running and they felt immediately comfortable and lively! Not the usual waking up the legs. I was bouncing along! The right quad felt better too, thanks to some more painful foam rolling this morning.

Onto the workout. 4x 1mile at goal pace off 2'recovery. A key workout as I will repeat it in 4 weeks. Its why I wanted to wear the Next% as I intended to use them for the TT. I had done a couple of strides and the shoes felt super responsive to speed. Slight breeze but otherwise nice cool day. The first mile 2 mile reps (5:49 & 5:49) felt good. Nice clean midfoot strike. The lungs were working but the legs felt great. Just didn't seem to fatigue as much as the Adizero 4 I've used for intervals. For these 2 reps I went off a bit hard and had to reign it back.

The 2 minute recoveries were supposed to be walking but I jogged them. The heart rate came down and I recovered sufficiently. For the 3rd rep (5:50), I started more conservatively. I was working at higher LT zone but still felt good. This rep was more a case of pushing harder after a km to meet the target.

For the final rep, I was breathing heavily early but still had energy. Found myself starting to fall back on my heels and had to concentrate on staying on midfoot. I counted a few strides in this to stay focused. I hit 1km in 3:37, on target but decided to push hard for the last 600m. Really working but finished with 5:39, a mere 4 seconds shy of my mile PB. Again recovered well and ran home steady at 4:20 pace :eek: I was surprised how good the legs felt after a hard workout Aesthetically the Next% look all wrong to me but they work. No magic. They don't add speed. You have to do the work, it was more a case of being able to hold the pace without the same breakdown in form. Hit 19min 5k, 40min 10k and 65min for 10m during this run! New territory, awesome workout

4x1mile - Target range: 3:37-3:44
dist|time|pace|in range
1.61k|5:49|3:37|Yes
1.61k|5:49|3:37|Yes
1.61k|5:50|3:38|Yes
1.61k|5:39|3:31|No


2021
708/2,600 miles (1,133/4,200 km)
2,058/10k press ups | 485/2k pull ups
88/90 days active | 83 Run | 8 Row | 21 S&C | 17 Yoga/Pilates

Swashbuckler wrote: »

Can I ask (to save me going back over the log) - is goal pace for the 10k TT 5.50min/mile?

No. My PB is 38:09. I'm training in kms and my goal pace is 3:37 to 3:44. If I can hold 3:44 pace its sub 38. 5:50 per mile would be around my lifetime 5k PB (18:15) so the faster end of that goal range is closer to 5k pace.

ReeReeG wrote: »

I also gave up the bad snacks for Lent and have lost precisely no weight!!! I'm quite jealous

I started Lent at 81kg, down 10lbs to 76.5. My target was 76.0 so on track with a few more days discipline. I've come off crap for lent before and lost no weight as I just ate bowls of cereal, bread, carbs...

I haven't come off carbs. Just checking macros
50% Carbs, 30% Fat, 20% Protein. The one I focus on hitting daily is the protein. Getting the protein usually brings in the fat too (learned not to be worried about this, sugar is the enemy) and fat goes to 35+%. The reduction is usually in the carbs, reducing it to 45%. No big changes just getting protein on each meal.

Next, portion control. I'd just fill a plate, bowl.. whatever. I got a food scale and started weighing things. Turns out my 60g alpen was actually 100g. My 20g cheese, 40g. My 10g nuts, 30g and so on. Again nothing major changed. I like preparing food anyway. Easy to weigh as you prep and now I know what 20g of this and that is without weighing.

Biggest change for me and it is the game changer, is intermittent fasting. I started 16:8. Eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 hours. I favoured breakfast so I ate at 8 with the kids and last ate at 4. Only water or green tea in the evening. Did it for a day or 2 week 1 and 2-3 days since. Making sure I get protein and fibre ensures I'm not hungry. If my last meal was 5 or 6pm I just pushed breakfast to 9 or 10am. WFH helps that. I was at a small kcal deficit most days. The main thing was not to gorge on breakfast after the fast. Eat my normal breakfast and lunch and include nuts later in the afternoon.

After Sunday when back to chocolate, hot chocolates etc.. I won't have a meal late evening (without a reason) but won't not have a bit of dark chocolate or hot chocolate or bowl of plain yoghurt with fruit and seeds. Kind of keep it to 200 kcals. If you prefer evening meal, 16:8 works skipping breakfast too.

Ive done proper fasted runs (easy runs) no problem but I fuel hard or long sessions. I've enjoyed not feeling bloated and I've enjoyed not craving stuff, yet I'm eating what I usually eat.

BP 10k Plan Week 3
Week 3 continues with another workout, some fatigue creeping in.

Thu 1 Apr
15.23k (9+mls) @4:52 (7:50) | HRR 61-72%

More sunshine and the body feeling surprisingly good. Enjoyed this out around the countryside. Short shorts and singlet I even rolled my socks down only to end up with a heel blister.

Fri 2 Apr
17.5k (10+mls) @4:20 (6:58) inc. 3x 10min Tempo | HRR 82-88%
Weight 75.9kg target achieved :D:D
Plus 2.5 inches off my waist in 6 weeks

What a fabulous day! I decided to run through the Industrial Estate and around the perimeter to bring in a couple of hills and wind. I really didn't need to bring more challenge, the reps were laboured enough :rolleyes: Last fasting day ended this morning and although I had a decent breakfast I probably needed more carbs for this session. I just felt a bit under powered.

The target was 3:47-3:54 and I executed each 10 min rep at 3:49, 3:46, 3:46. I stopped twice during the second rep cursing a long stretch into a fresh breeeze. Stepping on and off footpaths was not helping the rhythm. Got going again straight away but struggled mentally. For the last 10 mins I just gritted it out. Another 25 mins threshold banked on top of 29 mins from Wednesday so 2 meaty workouts. I knew it was going to be a tough "build" week and can't complain about 30 minutes at 38min 10k pace. There were 2 mins recovery between reps that I jogged again instead of walking.

At least thats the main workouts done for this half of the plan. The weekend is mostly easy and next week is a recovery week. I also have an appointment with the physio on Tuesday to flush the legs out

3x 10mins - Target range: 3:47-3:54
dist|time|pace|in range
2.65k|10:00|3:49|Yes
2.65k|10:00|3:46|No
2.65k|10:00|3:46|No


2021
757/2,600 miles (1,218/4,200 km)
2,148/10k press ups | 485/2k pull ups
90/92 days active | 85 Run | 8 Row | 21 S&C | 17 Yoga/Pilates

BP 10K Plan Week 4 - Recovery

Wed 8 Apr
13.24k (8mls) @5:11 (8:20) | HRR 56-65%

Lovely evening. Calm, chilly and for a city perspective, reasonably silent. Running down the last of the daylight, I could hear my own footsteps, the birds chirping and the body creaks! After the physio safe to say the legs were tender. I had no issue to report to him as usual so it was a "systems check". Hip mobility all good, single leg get ups off a new tiny 9inch box good. A small difference in strength between left and right quads and about half a an inch measurement difference. Easy to understand and simple enough to progress with lunges, glute bridges, single leg get ups etc... What I don't do is do movement as slowly and specifically as I do in the physio studio :rolleyes:

Then he got to work on knots. I thought I did a decent job of finding and foam rolling out a knots in my right quad and calves last week, but of course he gave an evil cackle, and went full physioterrorist on them. I weeped :eek:

We chatted about all things life and running. Down to ground contact time and left/right percentages. He was pretty surprised at my stride length (1,2m easy, 1.6m tempo) and its just another reason I like him as a physio. He is genuinely curious about finding root cause and goes into detail. I've become fitter, stronger and faster since last meeting him and he enquired if I had taken on a coach. Got me thinking again. Its something I intend to look into after the 10k TT. Its about time, before time runs out really

On another note, who doesn't love fresh brown soda bread with a cup of tea? A slice of this with avocado and a seasoned poached egg or just plain butter and marmalade... NOM.

Takes 5 minutes to mix in a bowl and 35 minutes at 200C. Wrap it in a slightly damp tea towel out of the even.

Mix the wet
100ml whole milk
250ml buttermilk
1 egg
1Tbsp honey

Mix the dry
100g plain flour
350g wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt

Mix wet & dry
Baking paper in tray, press it in
Score a 0.5cm deep line along the center
Top with chia seeds and a sprinkle of oats
35mins at 200C, easy