Whew, another Team In Training season, another season as a training captain (more on that in a later entry.) Towards the end of April this season, I'd found myself wanting to try to bring something new to the season. I more or less figured that the eight weeks post-Wildflower training period (yes EIGHT weeks, again, more later) would work as a sort of good "experimental" time. That is, so long as we were also getting a substantial workout in, why not try something new?
It was no problem to think of an experiment I wanted to try. The biggest tool I'd learned last year was how to properly use heart rate training; specifically to target the upper end of the aerobic engine: zone 2, most useful for base training. And also most useful for endurance efforts as you maximize the efficiency of using fat as fuel, a source of which all athletes, even those with 2% body fats, have ample storage. This coupled with my knowledge that coach Marnie had begun using heart rate training effectively with Iron Team made me think that it would be worth a shot to give it a go. But how? And where?
That was also pretty easy to figure out. Where can you work out with a "natural" set of different effort levels? Well of course you can use a track workout and encourage people to monitor their heart rates as they run at different efforts.... but Rancho San Antonio lends itself to a much easier way to encourage different efforts. Hills. The Wildcat loop consists of about a mile of relatively flat trail, about a mile of a steady climb, and then a stretch of a very steep climb at the top. So, basically you've got a course, designed by mother nature, with built in zone 2, zone 3/4, and zone 5 heart rate effort levels. Granted one could sprint the flat parts of the run and reach zone 5, but you get the point.
The first step to putting the experimental heart rate clinic together was to actually test the experiment on myself. So, I strapped on the heart rate monitor (HRM) and began running the Wildcat loop. As I expected, it was easy to stay in zone 2 on the flat part. Then more or less without changing the effort i usually keep when running up the steady climb, I was able to stay in zone 4. And, as expected, zone 5 was reached at the very steep part. I manually took my pulse a few times to compare to my heart rate monitor imagining that a few participants would not have their own monitor. I actually found the manual pulse to be about 10 beats per minute lower, which I explained by the natural drop while resting to take my pulse. I figured after the trial, I was good to go! 100% purely adhering to scientific principles? Methinks not. Good enough to give a new training tool to participants? I believed it was at that level.
And the experiment began. Our trusting victims, er... participants, included Bob, who did not bring a HRM; Lindy, who had never used her HRM but DID bring it; and captain Whitney who had the greatest amount of "serious training", of the four of us, as a former world-class rower. We met at our normal Rancho meeting spot and I gave a quick schpeel on the benefits of targeted heart rate training, specifically staying in zone 2 to maximize usage of fat as fuel, and explained the basic terms. I also handed out some prepared index cards with everyone's target heart rate zones (using Max HR to be 220 - Age, then the Don Fink formulas of zone 2 = 75-85% max, zone 3 = 85-90%, and zone 4 = 90-95%.)
There were two unexpected interjections during my schpeel. 1) Bob asked why we'd even need to eat at ALL during a race if we kept our heart rate in zone 2 and used only fat as fuel, of which we had ample storage? Good question! I believe the best answer is: your body never uses only fat or only glycogen as fuel; it always uses a combination of both. So even in the magic zone 2, you still are using glycogen and you will need carbohydrates as fuel replenishment. 2) I explained the benefit of using heart rate monitoring specifically to measure how close an athlete is to the aerobic zone as opposed to other methods such as training by feel or pace. I also mentioned a blood lactate test would be the most scientifically accurate method of determining when you were in an aerobic training mode, but highly impractical for the average athlete due to expenses. And, to my surprise, Whitney chimed in that in her years rowing, blood lactate testing wasn't even as useful or reliable for her, personally, as heart rate monitoring! I had to promise Bob and Lindy I did not use Whitney as a plant to corroborate the efficacy of heart rate training.
As soon as the participants fully understood the value of heart rate training, er... were sick of listening to Matt, it was time to begin the run. We ran the first half mile of the flat section and stopped for the first pulse taking. Bob took his pulse manually and found it to be 130, which was encouragingly in zone 2. Lindy used her HRM and found her pulse to be about 10-15 bmp higher than her zone 2 upper limit. Whitney manually took her pulse and also found hers to be comfortably in zone 2. After another half mile, we took our pulses again. Whitney and Bob were consistent. Lindy had managed to slow her heart rate a bit. So perhaps, some instantaneous feedback for Lindy. It was then time to begin the steady climb up the Wildcat trail.
Whitney had no problem comfortably transitioning to a higher zone 3 level on the climb. Lindy found that her heart rate jumped up almost too easily to a zone 4 level as soon as she began the climb. Most unique was Bob's manual pulse rating at the top of the hill: 132. Hmm. So, just barely higher than his flat running pulse. Why was that? My best conjecture was that his heart rate had dropped significantly between when he stopped running and he took his pulse. For the steepest section of the hill, Lindy was easily able to achieve zone 5. Bob, again, manually took his pulse and found it to be 135 this time. Hmm. Perhaps a HRM is more or less invaluable in this clinic. Everyone agreed that after the steep climb, they preferred to just run back to the parking lot and not think about their heart rate anymore for the day. Fair enough.
So the afterword? Lindy later mentioned to me that she forced herself to stay in zone 2 for the entire long run our team did at Saturday's workout. She mentioned she felt significantly better and more energized afterwards. Great! Bob was motivated to actually wear his HRM for his next runs instead of relying on manually taking his pulse. He is also now tentatively planning to train with the Iron Team next season, where I am sure he will get even more schpeels about the benefits of zone 2. Whitney was, amused, but of course had already heard/practiced heart rate zone training before. And Matt? I suppose I enjoyed the clinic. And liked the adventure of trying something new. Would the next step be to apply the clinic to a larger audience, perhaps?
It was no problem to think of an experiment I wanted to try. The biggest tool I'd learned last year was how to properly use heart rate training; specifically to target the upper end of the aerobic engine: zone 2, most useful for base training. And also most useful for endurance efforts as you maximize the efficiency of using fat as fuel, a source of which all athletes, even those with 2% body fats, have ample storage. This coupled with my knowledge that coach Marnie had begun using heart rate training effectively with Iron Team made me think that it would be worth a shot to give it a go. But how? And where?
That was also pretty easy to figure out. Where can you work out with a "natural" set of different effort levels? Well of course you can use a track workout and encourage people to monitor their heart rates as they run at different efforts.... but Rancho San Antonio lends itself to a much easier way to encourage different efforts. Hills. The Wildcat loop consists of about a mile of relatively flat trail, about a mile of a steady climb, and then a stretch of a very steep climb at the top. So, basically you've got a course, designed by mother nature, with built in zone 2, zone 3/4, and zone 5 heart rate effort levels. Granted one could sprint the flat parts of the run and reach zone 5, but you get the point.
The first step to putting the experimental heart rate clinic together was to actually test the experiment on myself. So, I strapped on the heart rate monitor (HRM) and began running the Wildcat loop. As I expected, it was easy to stay in zone 2 on the flat part. Then more or less without changing the effort i usually keep when running up the steady climb, I was able to stay in zone 4. And, as expected, zone 5 was reached at the very steep part. I manually took my pulse a few times to compare to my heart rate monitor imagining that a few participants would not have their own monitor. I actually found the manual pulse to be about 10 beats per minute lower, which I explained by the natural drop while resting to take my pulse. I figured after the trial, I was good to go! 100% purely adhering to scientific principles? Methinks not. Good enough to give a new training tool to participants? I believed it was at that level.
And the experiment began. Our trusting victims, er... participants, included Bob, who did not bring a HRM; Lindy, who had never used her HRM but DID bring it; and captain Whitney who had the greatest amount of "serious training", of the four of us, as a former world-class rower. We met at our normal Rancho meeting spot and I gave a quick schpeel on the benefits of targeted heart rate training, specifically staying in zone 2 to maximize usage of fat as fuel, and explained the basic terms. I also handed out some prepared index cards with everyone's target heart rate zones (using Max HR to be 220 - Age, then the Don Fink formulas of zone 2 = 75-85% max, zone 3 = 85-90%, and zone 4 = 90-95%.)
There were two unexpected interjections during my schpeel. 1) Bob asked why we'd even need to eat at ALL during a race if we kept our heart rate in zone 2 and used only fat as fuel, of which we had ample storage? Good question! I believe the best answer is: your body never uses only fat or only glycogen as fuel; it always uses a combination of both. So even in the magic zone 2, you still are using glycogen and you will need carbohydrates as fuel replenishment. 2) I explained the benefit of using heart rate monitoring specifically to measure how close an athlete is to the aerobic zone as opposed to other methods such as training by feel or pace. I also mentioned a blood lactate test would be the most scientifically accurate method of determining when you were in an aerobic training mode, but highly impractical for the average athlete due to expenses. And, to my surprise, Whitney chimed in that in her years rowing, blood lactate testing wasn't even as useful or reliable for her, personally, as heart rate monitoring! I had to promise Bob and Lindy I did not use Whitney as a plant to corroborate the efficacy of heart rate training.
As soon as the participants fully understood the value of heart rate training, er... were sick of listening to Matt, it was time to begin the run. We ran the first half mile of the flat section and stopped for the first pulse taking. Bob took his pulse manually and found it to be 130, which was encouragingly in zone 2. Lindy used her HRM and found her pulse to be about 10-15 bmp higher than her zone 2 upper limit. Whitney manually took her pulse and also found hers to be comfortably in zone 2. After another half mile, we took our pulses again. Whitney and Bob were consistent. Lindy had managed to slow her heart rate a bit. So perhaps, some instantaneous feedback for Lindy. It was then time to begin the steady climb up the Wildcat trail.
Whitney had no problem comfortably transitioning to a higher zone 3 level on the climb. Lindy found that her heart rate jumped up almost too easily to a zone 4 level as soon as she began the climb. Most unique was Bob's manual pulse rating at the top of the hill: 132. Hmm. So, just barely higher than his flat running pulse. Why was that? My best conjecture was that his heart rate had dropped significantly between when he stopped running and he took his pulse. For the steepest section of the hill, Lindy was easily able to achieve zone 5. Bob, again, manually took his pulse and found it to be 135 this time. Hmm. Perhaps a HRM is more or less invaluable in this clinic. Everyone agreed that after the steep climb, they preferred to just run back to the parking lot and not think about their heart rate anymore for the day. Fair enough.
So the afterword? Lindy later mentioned to me that she forced herself to stay in zone 2 for the entire long run our team did at Saturday's workout. She mentioned she felt significantly better and more energized afterwards. Great! Bob was motivated to actually wear his HRM for his next runs instead of relying on manually taking his pulse. He is also now tentatively planning to train with the Iron Team next season, where I am sure he will get even more schpeels about the benefits of zone 2. Whitney was, amused, but of course had already heard/practiced heart rate zone training before. And Matt? I suppose I enjoyed the clinic. And liked the adventure of trying something new. Would the next step be to apply the clinic to a larger audience, perhaps?
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