Thursday, February 28, 2008

Thursday 20 miles.

am) 12 miles with an average HR of 144, max of 151.

pm) 8 miles in 54:01 with an average HR of 138. This was faster than my test on Tuesday with my HR 7 beats lower. On Tuesday I didn't feel very good and I am going to predict that I will be back to sub 6:00 pace at HR <150 in just a couple of weeks.

8 comments:

GZ said...

Dude - if you run with me in the near future - expect to run sevens when we run easy. You are going to have to carry a brick, hold your breath, and tie your ankles together -just make sure your HR does not drop below 110.

Chuckie V said...

Lucho...it'll happen faster than a couple of weeks. You're fit and one week easy doesn't erase or erode that. Just keep on the mellow side for now and make body care some of your training. Dude, I know you!

beth said...

dude...just kidding...you get dude-d in both the prior comments.
looks like you're easing back into things nicely.

Matt said...

Tim,
your last comment to me (and ChuckieV's comment) nailed it. I understand now and in fact ran about 5 miles today at no more than 140. It felt right; I've been going too fast, HR too high. Thanks for the definitive assessment.

kerrie said...

dude :) -okay, so i'm curious(and i still don't have a HR monitor but i'm pretty sure my heart is still beating, and i'm sure it goes faster when i run harder..) about this MAF test. so if i understand correctly, you run 5 miles(or so) at 180 - your age. you stick to that heart rate for the whole 5 miles, and at the end, the pace you average is the pace you should be doing your long runs at?? or what would i do with this data?

Ward said...

Lucho.. question about two-a-days. Is there a minimum amount of time you would space these runs out? The time's I've been able to get them in are usually in the 11-12 hour range. Would I be doing more harm than good if I crunched that down to say 4 or 5 hours?

Chuckie V said...

Hi Kerrie,
The test is primarily a protocol to see if you are improving at an aerobic level. When you are (in all three disciplines), your race results almost always improve too. But there's so much more to it than tracking just pace improvement, with the balance between health and fitness also somewhat identified by it.

For such a simple test (as it can be on the bike with a power meter), it can tell you a lot. I'll write about it more in detail soon, I promise!

Now, with data in hand you keep training HOWEVER you want, but re-test often and see if how you're training is working, as the test will tell you. As a triathlete, however, it's important to keep in mind that there's a training balance to strike and a run test is typically improved by running more, which in turn affects your cycling and swimming. The inner-sport balance in triathlon is the tricky part, and you should run similar tests in all three sports to know how to adapt and adjust as necessary.

What you might see through this test is that your current style of training may not be working for you, in which case it's time to alter it. This could mean upping the ante or lowering it, though in my experience it almost always means dropping the intensity for a while. I'll go into this in great detail here soon (by "here" I mean on my blog...in a week or so!). The main thing though is to test and re-test and see if you're improving. (Keep a chart and track it for 3-4 weeks, with one test each week.) If you're not improving, adjust your training accordingly. Basic, but effective.

By the way, the power meter makes it especially easy on the bike as watts are not affected by wind like pace is. When doing a run test, try to do it early when the wind is typically minimized.

Go to the track and run 5 miles at 180-your age average HR. Record this total avg HR and your total time, each mile split, your perceived exertion, your max HR, the conditions and the site. Note it all and run the test in a similar fashion again a few days later (maybe a week later). I recommend a track at first and eventually "real world" loops, like around Eagle or the Reservoir.

kerrie said...

thanks guys! now i have to find some $$ and get me a monitor cause i think i am in need of some concrete feedback. Lucho, when are you guys doing the test in Lafayette?