Running.
What does that word bring to mind?
Trying to remember what images it conjured up for me when I was a kid, I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of a couple of people racing down a track, lunging their chest forward to some finish tape, then hyperventilating while hunched over with their hands on their knees until they collapsed. A sprint. And the longer the distance, the harder I was sure it was. Then I learned what a marathon was, and I thought, "26.2 miles of THAT??? That's torture!" (I still do think it's torture, but perhaps for different reasons.)
And if I ask most of my non-running friends what running brings to mind, the answer is something like "God, I HATE running." They, too, are imagining the Prefontaine-esque mantra of the "pure guts" running. The longer you can suck it up, the longer you can run. I'm not even going to ask my running friends what they think of running, because I see it in their facebook posts made merely 10 seconds after they finish a workout, via smartphone, as they prepare to drive home.
But two facts remain. One, you can't "suck it up" and go 100% for 26.2 miles. Two, maybe Prefontaine actually could. The point is I know I couldn't. And I remember being pleasantly surprised the first time I ran 6 miles and actually didn't hate it. The key, I learned, was to pace yourself. Sure, if you have energy with the finish line in sight you can sprint it in, but you'd better start running a long distance at or even slower than your average goal pace. I learned this a long time ago, though, when I was 14. But eventually this hasn't been enough for me.
I put my recent mile time into a Runner's World prediction calculator which estimates your potential times for longer distances. Great. But my potential 1/2 marathon time is a good 26 minutes off my PR! And an hour for my full marathon. Why haven't I been able to achieve this "potential"? Grrr. And in restrospect, my Olympic distance tris generally have a decent time, but my longer distance tris have plenty of room for improvement. I haven't been happy with this uncertainty. Then a buzzword I'd heard over and over again came to mind. "Base Training". I'd heard this from coaches Barney and Dave. From a teammate who recommended training at a low heart rate. From my old Capital Crew pal Whitney. What is this magical "base training"?
It's the idea that your training for an event should be for a longer duration, and at a low intensity in the beginning. Mark Allen describes it quite well: http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=4. So this is what I've been up to. Trying to teach myself the discipline of working out within a low, primarily aerobic heart rate. Laying down this base and developing your aerobic engine is crucial to longer distance success. I do believe this to be an important part of my goal of one day completing an Ironman.
While experimenting with this base training, I decided at 8 weeks into the training I had a great opportunity to race at the Folsom Triathlon near Sacramento. It would mean a trip home to spend time with the folks, and a chance to swim in my old Capital Crew home of Lake Natoma. So I jumped at the chance and raced 2 weeks ago. Don't worry, I'll keep this recap brief :)
I woke up around 5:30 am to a homemade oatmeal breakfast after a night's rest in my childhood bed. I couldn't help but think as I drove to Lake Natoma that this brought back many memories of early morning regattas. Simpler times. The swim was somewhat surreal. I once had to swim in Lake Natoma long enough to prove I didn't need a life vest while in a rowing boat and nearly didn't make the 100m! Now I considered myself reasonably strong and enjoyed the course. The bike was fun. My first race with aerobars, and, YEAH, you do go faster with a more aero position.
I was annoyed as my Garmin gave out around mile 20 on the bike (perhaps some water found it's way in the display unit). I was also annoyed that we rode a total of 26 miles (the Olympic distance is 40k or around 24.9mi.) But I was most annoyed that our run course mile markers were significantly off on the way back. At the very least there was a half mile left following the 6 mile marker (10k distance). Meh. I need to know exactly where I am to pace myself! But it was fun. Even though I had no idea what my course time was after the Garmin gave out, I did see the time clock near the end of the run. And I sprinted to break a 3 hour time.
Did the base training help? Maybe? My dad mentioned that I looked a lot better after the race than I had after the Alcatraz triathlon. So maybe my aerobic engine and endurance, if not speed, had been a bit higher? Plenty of work remains, though...
What does that word bring to mind?
Trying to remember what images it conjured up for me when I was a kid, I'm pretty sure it was something along the lines of a couple of people racing down a track, lunging their chest forward to some finish tape, then hyperventilating while hunched over with their hands on their knees until they collapsed. A sprint. And the longer the distance, the harder I was sure it was. Then I learned what a marathon was, and I thought, "26.2 miles of THAT??? That's torture!" (I still do think it's torture, but perhaps for different reasons.)
And if I ask most of my non-running friends what running brings to mind, the answer is something like "God, I HATE running." They, too, are imagining the Prefontaine-esque mantra of the "pure guts" running. The longer you can suck it up, the longer you can run. I'm not even going to ask my running friends what they think of running, because I see it in their facebook posts made merely 10 seconds after they finish a workout, via smartphone, as they prepare to drive home.
But two facts remain. One, you can't "suck it up" and go 100% for 26.2 miles. Two, maybe Prefontaine actually could. The point is I know I couldn't. And I remember being pleasantly surprised the first time I ran 6 miles and actually didn't hate it. The key, I learned, was to pace yourself. Sure, if you have energy with the finish line in sight you can sprint it in, but you'd better start running a long distance at or even slower than your average goal pace. I learned this a long time ago, though, when I was 14. But eventually this hasn't been enough for me.
I put my recent mile time into a Runner's World prediction calculator which estimates your potential times for longer distances. Great. But my potential 1/2 marathon time is a good 26 minutes off my PR! And an hour for my full marathon. Why haven't I been able to achieve this "potential"? Grrr. And in restrospect, my Olympic distance tris generally have a decent time, but my longer distance tris have plenty of room for improvement. I haven't been happy with this uncertainty. Then a buzzword I'd heard over and over again came to mind. "Base Training". I'd heard this from coaches Barney and Dave. From a teammate who recommended training at a low heart rate. From my old Capital Crew pal Whitney. What is this magical "base training"?
It's the idea that your training for an event should be for a longer duration, and at a low intensity in the beginning. Mark Allen describes it quite well: http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=4. So this is what I've been up to. Trying to teach myself the discipline of working out within a low, primarily aerobic heart rate. Laying down this base and developing your aerobic engine is crucial to longer distance success. I do believe this to be an important part of my goal of one day completing an Ironman.
While experimenting with this base training, I decided at 8 weeks into the training I had a great opportunity to race at the Folsom Triathlon near Sacramento. It would mean a trip home to spend time with the folks, and a chance to swim in my old Capital Crew home of Lake Natoma. So I jumped at the chance and raced 2 weeks ago. Don't worry, I'll keep this recap brief :)
I woke up around 5:30 am to a homemade oatmeal breakfast after a night's rest in my childhood bed. I couldn't help but think as I drove to Lake Natoma that this brought back many memories of early morning regattas. Simpler times. The swim was somewhat surreal. I once had to swim in Lake Natoma long enough to prove I didn't need a life vest while in a rowing boat and nearly didn't make the 100m! Now I considered myself reasonably strong and enjoyed the course. The bike was fun. My first race with aerobars, and, YEAH, you do go faster with a more aero position.
I was annoyed as my Garmin gave out around mile 20 on the bike (perhaps some water found it's way in the display unit). I was also annoyed that we rode a total of 26 miles (the Olympic distance is 40k or around 24.9mi.) But I was most annoyed that our run course mile markers were significantly off on the way back. At the very least there was a half mile left following the 6 mile marker (10k distance). Meh. I need to know exactly where I am to pace myself! But it was fun. Even though I had no idea what my course time was after the Garmin gave out, I did see the time clock near the end of the run. And I sprinted to break a 3 hour time.
Did the base training help? Maybe? My dad mentioned that I looked a lot better after the race than I had after the Alcatraz triathlon. So maybe my aerobic engine and endurance, if not speed, had been a bit higher? Plenty of work remains, though...
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