Fit Test: Wed 10th Dec 2003

I did my second 'Fit Test' with my HRM, no improvement (yet): -

• OwnINDEX = 36
• HRmax-p = 188

Report: Wed 10th Dec 2003

Easy run this time, I ran for 25 miutes which is around 2.5 miles at my pace. It was bloody freezing so I'll be investing in a beanie for next time.

• Exe.Time = 25:00.0
• HRmax = 164
• HRavg = 146
• KCal = 130

I want one of those!

I'm pretty pleased with my HRM but one of the main things I need to improve this time around is my pacing and the HRM I own has no way of monitoring that. Well, here is one that does - I guess I should have done a bit more research.

I've always run 10 to 11 minutes miles over distance so I guess the only way to improve is to run the same route over and over again?

Cool Running

Another good site with a good training section.

Tut tut tut

I really should have gone for a run last night but I worked quite late and made the mistake of lying down when I got back to the hotel, it would have taken a great deal of money to get me out of the door. I'll have to put more effort in for the rest of the week ....

Runners World Marathoning

The Runners World (US) Marathoning section is fantastic- full of tips, article, expert advice. Its going to take me a loooong time to work my way through this lot.

Apologies if this sounds like a shameless plug but the print version of Runners World is a monthly must-buy. Apart from genuinely interesting articles, race calendar, product reviews etc I find it to be a great source of motivation.

Marathonguide dot com

Pretty good site for useful articles on Marathon related topics (it does what it says on the tin). Particular articles that caught my attention were: -

Heart Monitor Training

Heart monitors are devices that are designed for wear during strenuous exercise, and serve the purpose of measuring and recording your heart rate, while giving you instant feedback about the work level of your heart. The fitness of the heart is the key to one's aerobic endurance - sometimes called 'cardiovascular respiratory endurance'. Both for health and racing reasons, aerobic endurance is a point of focus for almost any runner. Heart monitors are one of the most effective aids for tracking and developing your progress on the path to increased aerobic endurance.

Fuel on Fat For the Long Run

Always nice to know that fat is necessary for runners!

Developing your fat engine will increase the amount of energy you can generate, reduce the amount of carbohydrates you use, and stretch out the glycogen supply during long runs. Added together, you have a more stable and enduring energy supply, better endurance, and faster finish times.

Running and Fitness Calculators

Very useful for working out pacing, nutrition, heart rate etc

Report: Mon 8th Dec 2003

Did another Steady run last night - I think most of my weekday runs will be until I get to the stage were I can run a few miles without feeling like I'm going to collapse!

• Exe.Time = 21:07.45
• HRmax = 166
• HRavg = 152
• KCal = 114

Weekend rest?

Not a lot done over the weekend- hangover to deal with on Saturday then lunch with friends on Sunday which lasted ages so I managed to fit in a weight training session midday Sunday. I'll probably be using a free-weights session as my 'cross-training' sport on days that I don't run but still need to exercise. Still, back to the running tonight!

Official 2004 Paris Marathon Site

... is here.

2004 Paris Marathon Route Map

Below is the map of the route for the 2004 Paris Marathon. Not the best of maps but seeing as I've never been to Paris I guess it doesn't really matter to me anyway .... ?

Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Plan

The 'Novice' version of Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Plans is the one I based my training on last time. His site is a great resource for distance runners of any level. He his one of the most senior authorities on distance running today so I guess he knows what he's talking about!

There is also a good article on his site called Preparing to run 26 miles 385 yards.

"Get You Round" Marathon Training Plan

Over the next few days I'm going to be posting some online Marathon Training Plans. Its unlikely that I'll choose one particular plan and stick to it, I think I'll personalise my own that takes aspect from all of them.

Here is one from Runners World (UK) that is simply to get you to 'finishing' fitness; however, I'm planning to do more than just finish this time so another plan would suit me better.

I could've asked the question myself

My second marathon: overweight and slow is the title of a very good article at Runners World (UK). The title relates exactly to me! (apart from the female aspect...)

Q I’m a 33-year-old female, and after being collected by the ‘slow police’ after 19 miles in last year’s Berlin Marathon, I’m desperate to get my time down in this autumn’s race. I guess I should do speedwork but I don’t know what my targets should be. My other problems: I’m overweight by about a stone and a half; and step aerobics and evening classes take up a lot of my time.

Read the answer.

Report: Thurs 4th Dec 2003

My run last night was supposed to be a Tempo run but it ended up as more of a Slow Easy run! I tried to pick-up the pace a few times but I'm clearly a long way from Marathon fitness ... Still, I'm in 'Week 18' which is a bit under 4 and a half months before the Marathon so I'm hoping to improve a great deal more over the weeks leading up tp Xmas.

I can't remember my fitness level at this stage prior to the 2001 NYC Marathon but I'm pretty sure I was fitter than this, I've given up smoking since so I should make a more rapid improvement this time (if not I might just start smoking again!)

Anyway, here's the stats: -

• Exe.Time = 20:00.0
• HRmax = 167
• HRavg = 151
• Limits1 (Warm-up) = 80, 160
• Limits2 (Interval) = 150, 160
• InZone1 = 00:18.11
• Above1 = 00:02.04
• Below1 = 00:00.00
• InZone2 = 00:10.29
• Above2 = 00:02.04
• Below2 = 00:07.42
• InZone3 = 00:18.11
• Above3 = 00:02.04
• Below3 = 00:00.00
• KCal = 110
• Warm Up HREnd = 146
• Warm Up HRMax = 146
• Warm Up HRAvg = 127
• Interval1 time = 00:18.00
• Interval1 HREnd = 153
• Interval1 HRMax = 167
• Interval1 HRAvg = 153

I think these stats are fairly unreadable posted in this format so I'll work on getting a graph version for the future.

Report: Weds 3rd Dec 2003

I tried my first 'Interval' run last night. The HRM is perfect for this- you can set four phases of the workout at follows:-

1. Warm-up
2. Interval
3. Recovery
4. Cool-down

I set the Warm-up and Cool-down period to 2 mins. The Interval I set to 1m20s with a MRmax of 175 and a HRmin of 120 (c. 90% and 65% of my maximum heart rate). The Recovery phase was set to 1 min and I set the repeat of the Interval/Recovery phases to 8 times. The point is to run each Interval phase at around 90% of HRmax then let your heart rate drop to at least 70% during the recovery phase.

So, the Interval workout is structured like this: -

	HR min	HR max
Warm-up	80	145
Interval 1	120	175
Recovery 1	120	120
Interval 2	120	175
Recovery 2	120	120
Interval N	120	175
Recovery N	120	120
Cool-down	80	160

I got some useful stats from my HRM which shows that I probably need to tweak the high/low values above for my next Interval session next week (I seemed to be too comfortably 'in the zone', or should I tweak them so that I am 'above the zone'? .... hmm ...).

• Exe.Time = 24:45.8


• HRmax = 172


• HRavg = 145


• Limits1 (Warm-up) = 70, 145


• Limits2 (Interval) = 120, 175


• Limits3 (Cool-down) = 80, 160


• InZone1 = 00:11.09


• Above1 = 00:13.36


• Below1 = 00:00.00


• InZone2 = 00:23.29


• Above2 = 00:00.00


• Below2 = 00:01.16


• InZone3 = 00:18.11


• Above3 = 00:06.03


• Below3 = 00:00.31


• KCal = 127

Route was Brentford to north end of Kew Bridge then east along the river for 1 mile, then return. I'll hopefulle be posting route maps later once I get regular routes sorted out. As it was an Interval run the route wasn't so important though ..

Report: Tues 2nd Dec 2003

And so it begins ...

First run last night - what a bloody nightmare! I was intending to do around miles (or try for 30 mins steady pace) but ended up having to walk after 12 minutes. I ran/walked the rest so I probably managed 2 miles of running. I'm not discouraged though as I just need to stick at it to build the mileage up- after all, I've been a lazy fat bastard for nearly two years now (since the 2001 NYC Marathon I've barely even run for a bus).

I also trialled my flash new HRM - I am a sucker for 'kit' - though I didn't have a great deal of success. I switched on the heart monitor function but then forgot to then start the stopwatch (muppet) which meant I didn't really get much in the way of stats (I didn't start the stopwatch until the 2nd half of the run). Even so, my average heart rate (HRavg) was 139 and my max (HRmax) was 167.

Working out my baseline personal stats

I bought the Polar s610i Heart Rate Monitor, as I thought that this time round I could use all the help I could get! When training for the NYC Marathon I was completely clueless as to what my body was going through and how to improve performance etc. My only yardstick for improvement was the fact that it was getting longer and longer during a run before I felt like vomiting a lung out onto the pavement. So, this time round I thought I'd track my performance and (hopefully) improve my time.

Its got a feature called the 'Fitness Test' which I tried last night, it involves lying on your back with the chest-strap transmitter on for 3 minutes, it then works out various thing like oxygen intake and maximum heart rate. It also gives you something called an 'OwnIndex'. Mine comes out at 36 which according to my age (34) is 'fair': -

Men
Age	Fitness Level
	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Average	Good	Very Good	Excel- lent
20-24	<32	32-37	38-43	44-50	51-56	57-62	>62
25-29	<31	31-35	36-42	43-48	49-53	54-59	>59
30-34	<29	29-34	35-40	41-45	46-51	52-56	>56
35-39	<28	28-32	33-38	39-43	44-48	49-54	>54
40-44	<26	26-31	32-35	36-41	42-46	47-51	>51
45-49	<25	25-29	30-34	35-39	40-43	44-48	>48
50-54	<24	24-28	29-32	33-36	37-41	42-46	>46
55-59	<22	22-26	27-30	31-34	35-39	40-43	>43
60-65	<21	21-24	25-28	29-32	33-36	37-40	>40

hope to be able to get this up to 'good' or 'very good' come marathon time.

The Fitness Test also worked out my HRmax to be 188 and my VO2max to be 32 (no idea yet if thats good or bad?). I guess the heart rate is slightly encouraging as the rule-of-thumb method for working out HRmax makes it 186 (ie. 220 minus Age)

This in turn has an effect on the intensity of different runs. According to the Polar website an 'Easy' run is 60-75% HRmax, a 'Moderate' run is 75-85% and a 'Hard' run is 85-100%. So here is a table of my workout target HR (this table will be posted after each weekly 'Fitness Test'):-

% HRmax	Target HR
50	94
55	103
60	113
65	122
70	132
75	141
80	150
85	160
90	169
95	179
100	188

My personal goals

I'm obviously running against myself but as an extra challenge I want to beat some friends who have also completed marathons. In the table below my NYC Marathon from 2001 is shown, not the best of times but I was over the moon to have finished sub-5 hours (also I beat Friend 1 who did it in 2000). Friends 2 and 3 both ran in the 2003 London Marathon; I haven't got a hope in hell of beating Friend 2 but I reckon I can beat Friend 3. Friend 4 is the one to beat though - he ran the 2001 London Marathon and I think his time is the biggest challenge for me (plus it would make me a sub-4 hour Marathoner)

	Half		Full
	Time	Pace	Time	Pace
Me	2:15:28	10:20	4:44:18	10:51
Friend 1	2:08:32	9:49	4:47:57	10:59
Friend 2	1:43:30	7:54	3:41:40	8:28
Friend 3	1:58:46	9:04	4:20:07	9:56
Friend 4	?	?	4:00:??	9:10

I have always run at 10-11 minute mile pace so I need to improve my pace to 9 minutes (or less) to reach sub-4 hours. This will, I hope, be acheivable if I vary my running as shown in the previous post.

Workout Types

Below is a list of the kind of runs I'll be undertaking. I'll be posting a fll marathon plan later on as I'm just muddling through at the moment. I will most likely base my plan on Hal Higdon's (a superb source of advice). The following descriptions are from the Polar website: -

Slow-easy run

Jog easily for 30 to 45 minutes at 60-65% HRmax.These are the super critical RECOVERY runs featuring low-effort, fat-consuming runs that allow the carbohydrates you eat to be converted into muscle glycogen instead of being used up during an unnecessarily fast workout. After these runs, stretch your leg muscles. Then run several 10 to 15 second "strides" at a fast, but not sprint, pace to help put some flexibility, strength and coordination back into your legs. After each stride, walk back to recover.

Interval

There is no substitute for old-fashioned interval training, so get thee to a track and prepare for some serious speed work by getting a super good warm-up of jogging, stretching and strides.Then run 10 to 12 repeats of 400 meters at 90-95% HRmax with a 200-meter jog recovery interval between repeats to allow your heart rate to drop to at least 70%HRmax.The experienced runner may find these interval efforts more "user-friendly" than expected. If so, be assured that it is not necessary to go all-out in practice; only races require a 100% effort. If you find that you have an amazing amount of energy left near the end of this workout, reward yourself for staying on the right effort level by accelerating over the last 200 meters of the last two 400s to see how much faster you can run when you really try. Not only will this boost your confidence, it will teach you how to pace yourself and condition you to really kick at the end of your races. Cool-down with 0.5 to 1 mile of easy jogging at 60% HRmax. All Polar S-series models offer an Interval Trainer feature to help and assist you with your interval training.

Tempo

Start out at a warm-up phase for 1 to 1.5 miles, then include 15 to 20 minutes at exactly 85% HRmax.This workout pace is often referred to as a tempo run or a hammer run. Recent research has shown us that this run need not be as hard and long as formerly believed. Any time your heart rate exceeds 85%HRmax, you must back off the pace a little in order to keep the effort constant. Soon after the workout is over, you'll feel pleasantly pumped up, not exhausted and dead-legged like after an interval workout. The next day you'll feel great, too, not sore or tight like after a race or an overly ambitious speed workout.

Long easy run

Jog easily for 30 to 60 minutes at 60-65%HRmax. It's another slow, easy distance run. Keep in mind that you're just trying to maintain your endurance at this point, not build it. To do so, one long run every other week will suffice. (If you raced yesterday, aid your recovery by going only half as far as usual.). Stretch and run your strides after this workout. Discipline yourself to do the little things that make a difference.

In any Marathon training plan there is a day for 'cross-training' mine will be either an extra easy run if I need to make-up some mileage, or an upper-body weights session. There is also a 'fartlek' session, which involves hills, as I am nowhere near any hills I'll be giving this a miss.

About this site

My name is Mark, I am 34 and I live in England. This site is to track the progess of my training for the 2004 Paris Marathon in April, I completed the NYC Marathon in 2001 and pretty much haven't done a stoke of exercise since.

I have realised that (A) I like the feeling of being fit and hate feeling unfit, (B) I need a goal-based fitness routine. The only way I can keep fit is to have a goal which I can train for, and seeing as I loved the NYC Marathon so much I thought I'd give it a shot.

I really don't think I can ever repeat the obverwhelming experience of the NYC Marathon of that year, apart from it being my first Marathon and my first visit to New York it was the first city-wide event in New York City since the September 11th attacks. It was clear from the start line that this Marathon was a hugely important event to New Yorkers, I saw so many people whose race T-Shirts displayed the names of parents, siblings, children, friends or collegues who died in the Twin Towers. As soon as I crossed the Verzanno-Narrows bridge into Brooklyn there was a huge crowd of support which didn't let up all the way through Brooklyn, through Queens, along 1st Avenue, through the Bronx, through Harlem, through Central park all the way to the finish line. I must have high-fived hundreds of kids and was encouraged every step of the way.

Anyway .... though I know the Paris Marathon won't be the same experience the main reason I'm doing this is to discipline myself anf get fit again.