Monthly Archives: May 2018

Training

Hard Core 100 Training Plan

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Training for a 100 mile race is intimidating. The Hard Core 100 in the You Yangs, July 2018 will be my first 100 mile race. Here I outline my 10 week Hard Core 100 Training Plan.

 

To go with this post I have created a simple PDF outline of the 10 weeks of training:

Hard Core 100 Training Plan pdf

 

 

Race Goals

 

I don’t have a specific time goal. There are too many unknowns for me. Being my first 100 mile race and 10 weeks out, I’ll let this develop as weeks go by. Maybe I’ll set my sites on something specific, maybe not.

At this stage I have 2 goals:

  1. Finish the race
  2. Race it to the limit of my abilities

Finishing is a clear goal. As long as I complete the distance within in the rules, under the cut off times I have achieved the goal.

 

Racing to the limit of my abilities is more subjective. At the end I will know if I have achieved this.

 

Training Limits

 

Hard Core 100 training should be a part of my life and not take over my life.

 

Therefore I plug in all my other commitments into the calendar. Family, friends, work, sleep and other random parts of life. Around all this I schedule my training. Being a shift worker on a varying shift rotation means I don’t fit into a normal 7 day week. This combined with rest of life means I have to plan ahead while being able to adapt. Everyone has their own limitations. Work with them, not against them.

 

Training Pattern

 

Over an 8-9 day cycles, Hard Core 100 training will follow the rough outline:

  1. Easy
  2. MAF Test
  3. Easy
  4. VO2 Hill Repeats
  5. Recovery
  6. Ultra Long Day
  7. Long Paced
  8. Easy
  9. Threshold

Out of necessity the order will often get swapped around.

 

Run Details

 

Easy

 

These runs are exactly as the name implies. The aim is for them to feel good. I want to stay within a comfortable effort, but look chasing the feeling of light and springy. They are runs where I aim to achieve the feel of running comfortably. Pace will be a by product of achieving this feeling along with good technique.

 

Distance will mainly be dictated by the time I have available to run on the day. Some days this may 30 minutes, other day I could sneak out beyond 90 minutes. Whatever the distance and resultant speed, I should finish feeling good. The load from these runs shouldn’t have me needing to take it easy the following day.

 

MAF Test

 

Phil Maffetone uses the term Maximum Aerobic Function. I may not agree completely with all the details and the terminology used, but I find the majority of the concept useful. The MAF test itself provides a useful and consistent reference point.

 

Basically it provides a heart rate that is a rough estimate of the intensity at which you burn fat at it’s maximal rate during exercise. How accurate is up for debate. As you improve your aerobic conditioning the speed at which you run at this heart rate should improve. This is relevant to ultra marathon training.

 

VO2 Hill Repeats

 

This is the run to kick up the intensity. This run aims for a double benefit.

  1. Working at close to VO2max will improve my aerobic capacity.
  2. Running hard up hill will increase running specific strength and power.

The session is simple. Find a moderate to steep hill that takes 2-4 minutes to run up. Run hard at around VO2max intensity up it. Jog easily back down. Repeat a few times.

 

Ultra Long Day

 

Where would a 100 mile training plan be without a really long run?

 

The format will vary depending on life commitments. The crux of the day is to get extended time on my feet and tune up the elements I will need for race day. Ideally I’d like to get out for 5-8 hours over plenty of hills at a low intensity in a single run. Reality will mean this run may need to be broken up into 2 or 3 runs over the day and night.

 

Long Paced

 

Usually a 40km run with quite a few hills thrown in. The aim is for a steady effort seeing how close I can get up towards my MAF heart rate. Usually this run will fall the day after my Ultra Run Day so will have the added challenge of carry over fatigue in the legs.

 

The run should be faster than 100 mile race pace. It could almost be considered as specific speed work for the 100 miles.

 

Threshold

 

An out and back run covering 10km over a hilly course. All run on feel. No clock or heart rate watching this one. The aim is to hit close to, or just under my anaerobic threshold. When combined with the VO2 Hills, this run should result in an improved speed for my anaerobic threshold. This should allow more space to be comfortable at the much slower aerobic intensity required for a 100 mile race.

 

Hard Core 100 Training Wrapped Up

 

Ambition goes along with this plan. Getting through the training requires being careful with intensity and ensuring recovery is addressed. It is a balancing act. The biggest threat to consistent training will be my other life commitments. No time for procrastination.

 

Don’t forget the pdf outline: Hard Core 100 Training Plan pdf

 

Come join me on the journey and we’ll see what we all learn along the way:

Journey

Wings For Life 2018

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Putting down some big goals for Wings For Life 2018. I hoped to regain the running form from 10 years ago. Back when I had less commitments in life. From where my fitness was back in December last year, it was going to be a very big ask.

 

The training went well. Each month I went from strength to strength. It was hard to complain about improvement. I didn’t hit the numbers in training I considered were needed to run beyond a marathon at Wings For Life 2018. I was somewhat close, so I hung on to the hope of pulling it together during the race.

 

No point in being conservative. Might as well put out the effort to reach beyond the marathon. I wasn’t going to fail from lack of effort.

 

Wings For Life Event Hub

 

Keeping to usual form I arrived early.

 

Being early allowed me to have everything sorted and ready. Then time to relax and socialise. This was one of the best parts of the event. The vibe was positive. Many familiar faces. Some new faces. Unfortunately I didn’t get to catch up with everyone I wanted to.

 

Time for business. Stiffness has seeped into my joints. A brief warm up and I was feeling ready. The mass of runners worked their way down to the star line. Near the front with a couple of friends, we talked rubbish waiting for the countdown that seemed to take for ages.

 

A few minutes out an official picked me out and asked if I was going to run beyond 40km. I told him that was the plan. That meant for a shirt swap. The race shirt I was given at registration was orange. Apparently they wanted the runners out front all to be in yellow. So yellow it was. It created an obligation to run well.

 

Event Hub Wings For Life World Run Melbourne 2018

 

World Run Global Start

 

As one we all started around the world.

 

Running for those that can’t.

 

My legs had practiced race pace so they knew what to do. Straight into it. The seeding seemed to work well. There were lots of runners, but plenty of space. Taking over a freeway probably helped with the space.

 

At the 5km mark I hit my target split of 22:05 to the second. I wasn’t feeling great. A headache was crashing in and I just felt tired. It was early days, so I just sucked it up and expected to feel better as the run unfolded. When I’m fit I often find something tends to click about an hour in and running can feel easier. I knew I was that fit.

 

For the next 5km is the majority of ascent on this course. When driving the Monash Freeway you don’t notice the hills. Running is a different story. None of the hills are steep, but they are long and steady and can be risky. The sort of hills that can have you run too hard and come back to bite you later on. My plan was to allow for only a slight increase in effort. Thinking if I crossed the 10km mark at 45:00 then I would be spot on.

 

So close, 45:01 was the 10km time. The clock I was on target. My body was having doubts.

 

Fight It

 

The headache had increased. That was something I could put up with. Worrying me was the fact most of my joints hurt. Feet, ankles, knees, hips, shoulder and elbows just hurt. It didn’t make sense. Certainly wasn’t something I was use to feeling when running.

 

Rationalising it was a bad patch I pushed on. Maybe the uphill was just harder than I gave it credit. Now slightly down hill I could spin the legs and let gravity do some of the work.

 

Gravity worked. The landing of each foot not so much. My joints became stiff. They felt almost like they were swollen. Running became more difficult. I was maintaining my pace, but it was far from my usual efficiency. Something wasn’t right

 

Around the 14km mark and my body decided it wouldn’t play nice. There was only a semblance of strength left in my legs. Despite plenty of mental effort, I just couldn’t make them go any faster. I’d completed plenty of training runs that were faster and longer than where I was now.

 

Fighting back got me to the 15km mark and my 3rd 5km split. 22:35. Those extra 30 seconds were all added after 14km.

 

Acceptance

 

That was it. My running continued to slow step after step. I continued to hang to hope of “coming good” at some point. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a way to make it happen. My head hurt with the mix of emotions churning around inside the headache. Gradually I accepted it wasn’t my day.

 

Now with a bit of mental freedom I was able to find enjoyment back in the run. It was still a struggled, and despite pushing I kept getting slower. I smiled when I realised this race was probably the only way you could enjoy being on the Monash Freeway.

 

The inevitability of the catcher car crept into my thoughts. When hurting a race I often latch onto the concept that if I run faster I can finish sooner. In the Wings For Life World Run running faster would prolong the pain, but also the enjoyment. A tug of war between wishing the car would catch sooner versus wishing to run further rage amongst my grey matter. I wondered what could have been if the race went somewhat close to plan. This had become an event I will be definitely be back for.

 

You feel the buzz of energy approaching as the catcher car comes into range. There is an excitement and celebration. A mixture of enjoyment and relief hit me as the catcher car passed. 24.8km. A long way off trying to go further than 42.195km. I was disappointed with the result, but I still enjoyed the Wings For Life 2018 World Run. Definitely a race to come back to.

 

Race Coverage

 

Check out all the coverage from the event around the world:

 

 

 

Journey

Wings For Life World Run Training: Taper

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There were 5 peak runs I wanted to hit before I began my taper for the Wings For Life World Run.

 

The first of the peak runs went well. The other 4 not quite so well.

 

Information and insight is what those runs gave me. How does it all stack up against my goal?

Make the Wings For Life World Run at Melbourne an ultra marathon.

 

Check out the goals and plan:

 

 

Numbers

 

It is a matter of making the mathematics fit. Write it out on paper. Cement the numbers in the brain. Back it up with the Garmin. Add in some effort. Simple.

 

A relaxed warm up and it’s time to really run. Five repeats of 5000m with 1000m in between. Running right on or just above predicted marathon race pace. It should be doable as 25km is a lot less than 42.195km. Even with the slightly easier 1000m it is still only takes the distance up to 29km.

 

Through the first repeat. There was a smoothness that made me happy. It was nice to get the numbers all matching. Coasting through the 1000m brought up to the second 5000m sooner than I realised. The alert buzzed on my wrist and the pace was dialled back up.

 

Second time around the numbers still matched up. One difference. My legs hurt a little. This was unexpected, but nothing to worry about.

 

Keeping the times nice and neat I completed the 3rd 5000m repeat. My mind was good. I was enjoying the run. My energy levels were high. The intensity felt about right. My legs on the other hand didn’t feel right. They were taking a beating. Something a bit short of taking a hammer to them.

 

Now the 4th repeat wasn’t so pleasant. Each step shot pain through my legs. It should feel better than this. I was able to hold onto my pace. Those numbers still looked good. Harder to achieve this time. So I relaxed as much as I could during the 1000m recovery run.

 

My legs still hurt.

 

“Last one.. fast one.. last one.. fast one..”

 

Pushing the mantra through my head. It wasn’t enough to override my body. The muscles in legs began cramping only a short way into the last repeat. My quads kept locking up. My lower legs refused to coordinate. Energy levels were still high. My heart and lungs weren’t screaming for relief. Motivation strong.

 

It wasn’t enough.

 

My legs just wouldn’t do what I demanded of them.

 

Running was reduced to an awkward shuffle. That wasn’t going to benefit me anymore so I called an end to the session. On the slow trip home was time to reflect.

 

What’s good?

 

Distance

 

With a bank of 30km to 40km runs behind me the distance is obtainable. This is reinforced with consistently running over 80km per week, with a string of over 100km for 4 weeks in a row. The base is there.

 

Fuel mix

 

Worried I was burning too much glycogen at the start of peak training. Coming off a good 10km and Half Marathon meant I was comfortable with the speed. I wondered if I’d gone too far in working on that pace. As the peak runs unfolded it was clear the fat versus carbohydrate mix wasn’t my limiter. Energy levels even as my legs fell apart were high. I wasn’t getting those feelings of glycogen depletion. No big suck out of energy. Adding in some carbohydrate loading and fuelling on race day should see this covered.

 

Sense Of Pace

 

It’s funny how no matter how fit I am in any other endeavour, if I don’t feel fit in running, then I just don’t feel fit. Right now I feel run fit. Having worked back a lot of my running fitness from 10 years past. When I am truly run fit I become so much more in tune to my body. I become so much more sensitive to form and pace.

 

Adding to being more sensitive I put in a lot of work at understanding what different paces feel like. This is one of the main aspects I work on during the peak runs. Over the last couple of runs I found I could easily pick my pace to the second. Even allowing for fatigue, gradient and wind.

 

What I’m Worried About

 

One thing only.

 

The ability of my legs to hold the pace for long enough.

 

In the peak runs the limiter has been muscle fatigue. Not just soreness. Pain I can deal with. It is the ability of the muscles to keep working. Similar to cramping. Basically it comes back to conditioning of the muscles themselves.

 

A lot has gone well in training over the last few months. There are still some aspects I have been missing. I’ve deliberating kept away from hard down hill running. Still having to tape my ankle half the high ankle sprain last May means I am wary of what will aggravate it. The reduced down hill training has reduced my fatigue resistance to the impact of running fast over a long time.

 

The Taper

 

The hard work is all done. No more big runs until race day. This puts me into a race taper.

 

I’m really hoping the taper can work some magic. I will need every benefit I can get out of the taper. Maybe it allow for some adaptions in my muscles so I can hold onto the right pace for long enough. It is a big ask.

 

I will need every bit of the 2% improvement a good taper can give. Plus something extra.

 

Race Plan

 

My race plan is built on hope. The numbers from my key runs tell me I’m not quite where I need to be. Science suggests another month would get me there. There is also an art to training and racing. I’m going to lean heavily on the art side.

 

There’s not point in conservative. I’m still going to try and run beyond the 42.195km at the Wings For Life World Run. I may crash and burn before I reach my goal. If that happens I will know it wasn’t through lack of effort.

 

On the other hand. It just might work.