Simple running

I spent the last week geting rid of stuff. First went my heart rate monitor - I got slightly faster and finished with more energy to spare. I think concentrating on some arbitrary heart rate target instead of listening to what my body was trying to tell me was counterproductive. I found myself actually saying to myself things like, 'Why am a suddenly breathing so hard? I am well below my lactate threshold ...' Nonsense - if I am suddenly breathing really hard and feel the need to stop, or if I am getting burning in my muscles, then guess what? I am overdoing it and need to slow down!

Second, I dispensed with my metronome. I got faster again, and finished my first 5km. It seems the arbitrary 180 steps per minute I was aiming for was actually a bit slower than my comfortable rate of turnover. Now I seem to vary between 180 and 200 steps per minute as my run progresses, but I never know exactly at what cadence I am running at any particular time. Who cares?

Now I am thinking of getting rid of my stopwatch - but I admit I can't quite bring myself to do it. I feel I need some measure of how well I am doing. However, I have at least stopped looking at it while running, except at the end. It is quite a liberating experience. Maybe after a few weeks I can get rid if it entirely.

Now my run is spent just concentrating on keeping good form. I reckon distance and speed will come of their own accord as long as I avoid injury from doing Too Much Too Soon.

Even the good form part has got a lot simpler. Now I just concentrate on short steps, midfoot striking and fast turnover (180-200 steps per minute I suppose, but no idea exactly ...), and nothing else. I find if I picture my feet as a little set of wheels revolving (like the Roadrunner!), I seem to use less energy per step and run more lightly. To speed up I keep the rate of turnover about the same and increase the size of the wheel, and to slow down (e.g. when getting tired or running uphill), I just decrease the size of the wheel.

Sometimes I find I have zoned out completely and have run half a mile or so without realising it. Other times I find myself just enjoying the view. I begin to see what all the minimalist and barefoot runners are getting at. Runners get so bogged down in all these things they think they need to think about - HRmax, lactate threshold, cadence, posture, heel striking, which muscles they are using, which shoes to buy etc. etc. etc. Most of the time it all just seems to get in the way.

Eventually I hope the stopwatch will go as well - then I will know I am really on the right track ...

Just Run

Tonight's run was a bit of a puzzler. I forgot to take my heart rate monitor or my metronome when I left the house and couldn't be bothered to go back for them, so I just did my best to stick to 180 steps per minute based on my best guess, and regulated my heart rate by just shortening my stride whenever my breathing got too laboured. I was rewarded with my best time so far for this distance. I wondered if this is because I have been trying too hard to use all the available technology and training advice, when what I should have been doing is to 'just run'.

That got me thinking in a more philosophical way about what I am trying to achieve here. Sure, I want to get fit and lose weight, and also to measure my progress by running the odd race, but is that really what I am doing this for? I think I also want to get in touch with some more primitive way of moving about, which is why I found Born to Run so enthralling, and why I have enjoyed finding out about natural running form, and why I plan to give barefoot running a go at some point. If this is the case, then using heart rate monitors etc. is not really in keeping with this ethos, and if I get better times anyway without using technology, then maybe I shouldn't bother ...

I think an experiment is in order. I will do some runs with both the metronome and HRM, some with just the metronome and some with neither, and see how the results compare.

Weight control

I started thinking about my diet today. After the Easter holidays, I lost about 12 lbs by following a standard low fat diet, but after I took up running I didn't stick to it - I felt that introducing a new exercise plan would be difficult enough without adding the extra problem of dieting as well. Besides, most experts seem to agree that dieting at the same time as following a running training plan is not a good idea.

Anyway, this morning I got round to weighing myself, and was quite pleased to see that I have not put on any weight since I started running, but I was also a little disappointed to see that I haven't lost any either. This means that I am about 31 lbs (14 kg) overweight, based on the BMI measure.

I really want to shift this if possible, not just for general health reasons, but also because it should be easier to run when I am carrying less weight. Imagine running while carrying fourteen 1 kg bags of sugar - well you get the idea.

Now I reckon that as I increase my weekly mileage, some of that weight will naturally come off. My plan has me reaching 18 miles a week by October this year. That is about 2700 kcal per week, which is not far off 1 lb in weight per week (3500 kcal).

So the key thing for me is not to force things by dieting now, but to keep eating sensibly and to let the running take care of the rest. I must not allow my calorie intake to increase to compensate for the extra exercise. I also need to be able to stick to my diet without feeling too hungry or bored. So here is my plan:

Breakfast: Porridge (oatmeal), or other breakfast cereal if I am in a hurry. Wholemeal toast & honey if I am very hungry. Fruit juice and/or tea.

Lunch: Sandwich with salad on wholemeal bread. Another sandwich if I am hungry. Water to drink.

Dinner: Normal meal with the family, usually something like pasta bolognaise or curry with rice,  Fruit for dessert. Water to drink.

Snacks: Fruit, occasional crisps or chocolate. Water.

I can't avoid going out for dinner sometimes, with friends or on social occasions, but I think this won't do too much harm as long as I don't overdo it.

Training zones

I need to rethink my approach on using my heart rate monitor. On last night's run, I was trying to stay at around 93-97% of my estimated HRmax for the whole run. This proved to be impossible. My target range was 164-171, but whenever I went above about 165 bpm, my breathing became laboured, and I felt as though I was nearing exhaustion and that I would need to stop running imminently. I then had to drop down below 160 bpm to recover.

So I have read up a bit more about heart rates and decided to try a new approach, based on Lactate Threshold. This is the intensity of exercise at which lactic acid starts to build up in the muscles, and can be estimated as the highest intensity that can be sustained without significant discomfort, according to this article. A method is suggested here for estimating your own lactate threshold, but based on my run from last night, I would say mine is around 165 bpm. Based on this assumption I can define a number of training zones:

Training Zones for Lactate Threshold = 165 bpm
		Range as % of LT		MinHR	MaxHR
Zone 1	Active Recovery		80%		132
Zone 2	Aerobic Threshold	81%	89%	134	147
Zone 3	Tempo	90%	95%	149	157
Zone 4	Sublactate Threshold	96%	99%	158	163
Zone 5a	Lactate Threshold	100%	101%	165	167
Zone 5b	Aerobic Capacity	102%	105%	168	173
Zone 5c	Anaerobic Capacity	106%		175

This seems to make sense - firstly my original estimate for HRmax (177) now looks to be around the limit of anaerobic capacity, which is what I would expect. Secondly, most of my run yesterday was in Zone 3 (Tempo), which seems reasonable as this should be slightly faster than a comfortable pace, or at the point where I am pushing myself slightly.

This gives me some new target zones. For the moment I will try to do all my runs at tempo (Zone 3). Once I move onto Phase 2/3 of my plan, where I am alternating between short and medium runs, I will do the medium runs in Zone 3, and push up to Zone 4 for the short ones.

Once I move onto Phase 4/5 of my plan (see earlier post), where I introduce long runs and build up the total mileage, I will modify my original plan to include runs at different levels of intensity:

Mon	Rest
Tue	Short Run	Zone 4
Wed	Medium Run	Zone 3
Thu	Short Run	Zone 4
Fri	Rest
Sat	Medium Run	Zone 3
Sun	Long Run	Zone 2

This plan means that the rest days come either after a long run or a fast one. I may also experiment with interval training on some runs, i.e. short bursts of Zone 5 running, alternating with periods of recovery at Zone 1. This technique is supposed to build strength.

At some point I will also try to come up with a more accurate figure for Lactate Threshold, and I will measure it regularly so as to update the training zones table, as LT is supposed to increase slightly as fitness increases.

Target heart rates

I used a metronome on my last run, which is suggested by several coaches as a way of monitoring turnover or cadence, that is to say the number of steps taken in a given time. The idea is that for maximum efficiency, we should run at around 180 steps per minute. This enables us to make use of energy stored in the muscles and tendons of the foot and lower leg, which would otherwise be lost. It also discourages overstretching and heavy pounding, both of which can lead to injury. I was surprised to find last night how much slower than 180 I was running without the metronome to keep me in time.

On the other hand, my pace was a bit slower than I expected, and it occurred to me that I did not know whether this was because of altering my cadence, or just because I was putting less effort in. In short, I don't have a good way of judging how hard I am working from one run to the next.

One way of solving this problem is to use a heart rate monitor, and to try to keep the heart rate within some predetermined range. As it happens I do have such a monitor, so I dug it out of a bottom drawer today.

Target HR ranges are normally worked out as some percentage of your maximum heart rate (HRmax). Runners World have some ranges in their training plans for different distances, namely: 93-97% of HRmax for 5km, 90-94% for 10km, 87-91% for half-marathons and 79-84% for marathons. There are several formulas for working out HRmax, usually based on age. The most well-known is:

HRmax = 220 - Age

although this study found that this formula, while simple, is not really very accurate. It suggests that of the formulas most commonly used, the one that is the least objectionable is:

HRmax = 205.8 - (0.685 x Age)

and I also found another study, which came up with a non-linear formula of:

HRmax = 191.5 − (0.007 × Age²)

Based on all these formulas, my own maximum heart rate would be 177, 176 and 178 respectively. Taking the middle of these values and applying the Runners World percentages, I get the following ranges:

5K      164 - 171
10K    159 - 166
20K    153 - 160
40K    139 - 148

My runs at the moment are less than 5K, so I will wear my HR monitor on my next run, and try to stay in the range 164-171. By sticking to this range for all runs, I should be fairly sure I am working at roughly the same level every time. I can then be more certain that any improvements in pace are down to improving fitness, rather than just a higher level of effort. This approach should have the added benefit of ensuring that I always have enough left in me to complete the required distance without collapsing with exhaustion.

Training plan

That hydration tip worked really well - last night's run was my fastest so far. However, I don't think I left it long enough after drinking as I could feel water sloshing about while I was running - quite uncomfortable.

I have been giving some thought recently to my training plan. Up to now, I have just been concentrating on running and on increasing my mileage, but more experienced runners have told me that it helps with to have a goal in mind and a plan on how to get there.

There are lots of standard training plans in books and on the web, but I find them all rather complicated and I fear this would make them hard to stick to. I decided therefore to create my own very simple plan, and here it is:

Phase 1 - run every other day, increasing mileage by 0.25 miles every three runs, until I can run 3 mi (5 km). This should be about three weeks from now.

Phase 2 - run every other day, on a pattern of Short Run/ Rest/ Medium Run/ Rest/ (repeat). The short run will stay at 3 mi, and the long run will progressively increase by 0.25 miles each run until I reach 6 mi (10 km). This should take until the middle of September.

There is a local 10K race coming up at the end of September - the Mortimer 10K. I haven't registered yet as I decided to wait until I can run 3 miles before doing so.

Phase 3 - investigating using minimalist shoes and a barefoot running style. For this I will stick with the same schedule as for Phase 2, and gradually increase the distance run in the minimal shoes until I am doing all my runs in them, or until I decide that they are not going to work for me. This should take until the end of 2011.

Phase 4 - switch to a more traditional weekly schedule: Mon - rest/ Tue - short run/ Wed - medium run/ Thu - short run/ Fri - rest/ Sat - medium run/ Sun - long run.

The long run will be twice the length of the medium run, which in turn will be twice the length of the short run. Gradually build up the long run until it is around 10-12 miles (25-30 mi per week). Should take until March.

At this point I hope to do the Reading half-marathon. Again, I haven't booked this yet, as I wanted to get to the point where I can run 10K first.

Phase 5 - gradually increase my weekly mileage as far as I can, adding a mile onto the long run each week, half a mile onto the medium runs, and a quarter mile onto the short runs. Overtraining will mean dropping back a week, and injuries will mean taking a break and dropping back a number of weeks equal to the break.

I prefer the idea of building up my base like this, rather than doing one of the standard training programmes, as I don't want races to be the main focus of my training, which is more about getting in shape than achieving fast times.

We have a local trail marathon/half-marathon in May - the Neolithic. I will try to do whichever one of these seems most appropriate, based on my weekly mileage at the time.

Effect of dehydration

I noticed on my last three runs that my pace has not been improving, but has slowed in fact by almost 2% over the past week, over the same distance. This is a bit disappointing, as until this week my pace has generally been improving on every run. At first I wondered if I could be overtraining. Even though my total weekly mileage is currently pretty minimal, it has been growing by about 12-13% per week, which is quite a quick rate of increase, and above the 10% that most coaches recommend. I am reluctant to change my training plan though, as I do have a 10K race to prepare for, and I need to get up to running 10K fairly comfortably before the end of September.

Another possibility I thought of was that I might be slightly dehydrated. According to this article, a reduction of only 1% in the body's water content below the optimum level may lead to a slowing in running pace of around 2%, due to factors like decreasing muscle endurance, decreased cardiac output and decreased skin cooling. If so, this alone could explain the recent drop in performance.

The article goes on to explain that the average daily amount of water consumed by someone of my weight is around 3 litres. I reckon my own consumption is quite a bit below this, even if I include other fluids like tea and coffee. So from today I am going to try to always drink this amount every day.

Apparently, I should drink additional water before and during exercise, at a rate of about 100ml for every 10 minutes of exercise. So for my typical 20 minutes or so of running, I should drink around 200ml of water. It hardly seems worth carrying a bottle with me for such a short run, so I think I will try the 'water loading' approach, which is to load up on about 500ml of water approximately 30 minutes before running, so that it has left the stomach and begun to enter the bloodstream before the run starts. I will try this tonight and see if my pace starts to improve again.

Once my runs get longer than about 50 minutes, I will start carrying a water bottle as well, so as to be able to continue the 100ml per 10 minutes rule once the water load has been used up.