Go Hard

Doable on paper. Bit harder in the real world. So far for my AnT runs, I haven't quite reached the mark.   I don't see this as a problem, more as information on my exactly where my fitness is at. I suspected a certain gap after the Coburg Harrier's New Years Resolution 12km, and that's been confirmed with two attempts at the faster intervals. Analysis of my race at Coburg showed I raced at almost exactly the same heart rate from go to woe. That gave me a gradual but consistent slowing over the race. I lacked the ability to push up the intensity and pace in the end. It's like there was some sort of ceiling imposed. The same has happened in the interval sessions since. The good news is that below these speeds (3:53/km and slower) I am excelling. My ability to hold them feels almost comfortable and I can keep going. So what's the problem? Basically it's a simple lack of specific fitness above anaerobic threshold leading to maximal oxygen uptake. Once I hit ...

As an example of why my plans aren't set in stone. No 3.5 hour run due one sick kid and one teething kid. So instead of plenty of kilometers being put into the legs, the day involved no running. Without enough hours blocked together to really get that long run in, I have to make the best of what I have. That meant getting up at 4:30am to fit in 1.5 hours before the wife is off to work, and I look after the kids on my day off work. Obligated to be back inside by 6:30, I really wanted to make up for the lost long run and ensure I am actually prepared for the 50km coming up. The plan, was an anaerobic threshold run plus some hill repeats. A flat 7.6km out & and back loop, that used to be a mainstay in my marathon lead ups took care of the threshold section. Then a handful of 400m repeats up a 7% steady climb. Not exactly a long run, topping out at 15km all up, but a stimulus non-the-less. I had a couple of concerns leading into this run. Firstly I have been getting a bit of pa...

The Threshold Phase of training can be very difficult to get right. The balance between enough stress and adequate, but not too much recovery can be elusive. In describing my approach to this phase I originally stated: "This style of training can really hammer me. Not so much in the form of injury, but more in a fatigue, failure to recover or just get sick way." In my second 8-day cycle, I was up early for the prolonged threshold run (60min main set). It didn't go as planned. The short version is, I felt flat to begin with, tried to run solid, then hit the wall and struggled to run back home. On face value the session was fail. I could just write it off as a bad day, and try harder next time, but there needs to be more insight. Just trying harder won't make next week more likely a success. So why did things go wrong? A large proportion on training for endurance races goes into being able to override the body's defence mechanisms. Pain, fatigue, urge to stop, urge...

Time for the second phase of my marathon preparation. This will be the Threshold Phase . For an overview of the overall plan check out Melbourne Marathon 2011 Outline . Let me begin with the straight details: Time: 4 x 8 day cycles + recovery/test week. Aims: Increase the speed and time I can sustain running at anaerobic threshold Enhance ability to run relatively quick at low effort with better substrate use Aim number 2 really just carries over from the base phase. My long run in each cycle should cover that. My plan is to continue on with the same approach from the base phase. That approach is run for 3 hours at about my aerobic zone (70-82%HRmax). The pace won't be pushed on these sessions, that's what the other key sessions are for. I want the speed of these runs to naturally develop. For a more detailed explanation on the ins and outs of my long read The Marathon Long Run . Now for details on Threshold training : I've defined my Threshold heart rate zone as 155-166b...