Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Evaluation run 5k and a new on-line log

So I have been running a bit, though this blog would not stand testimony to it. Sort of 60 to 70 km a week. Until a couple of weeks ago I was trying to put emphasis on speed "renshu" (training), but there are no races or anything coming up, so my motivation has flagged and I am now looking towards the aerobic endurance build up over the next 20 weeks for an autumn marathon. I am thinking that if I can keep injury free and can juggle family and work enough to put in the miles, it would be so nice to try and make a tilt at a 2:50 marathon. After last year's disappointments that seems a bit ambitious...but there is no point namby pambying around. Let's aim for perfection and perhaps we will end up with very good (or however it goes).

So tonight was the monthly 5 km time trial. I decided to run at around my lactic threshold, which is the heart rate that Hadd says you can run a marathon at IF you are fully trained. For me, that's about 165. Intersting results that showed I have a way to go before I could run a marathon at that pace.

I have discovered this really excellent on-line log called RunningAHEAD. I mean really excellent. Has a pedometer tool and other neat ways of displaying your data. About 100 times better than the one I mentioned six weeks ago. See if this link shows you the results of my run, then take it from there if you are interested.

5 comments:

Samurai Running said...

Hey Stephen

I agree on reaching, the old give me glory or give me death mentality, in fact it was only the other day that I left this quote on Toasty's blog as he has a rather lofty goal for the Gold Coast.

"It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it."

Arnold Toynbee

Thanks I'll also check out that link.

Tesso said...

Thanks for the advice re the GC. In fact that was the pace I had sort of decided on, so its very reassuring to have somebody like you suggest it.

By the way if your ears were burning this arvo its because I had a coffee with Carol :-)

TD said...

That's an interesting link to RunningAhead. I have been using the same on-line log for over seven years and it would take a major shift in my personal plate tectonics to move to a new site but I am considering the change.

Stephen Lacey said...

Don,

The guy who owns/maintains the site is pretty responsive and if your data are remotely compatible with his log (assuming your current on-line log can export your data), he will help you get the exported data in shape to upload it to the RunningAHEAD log. We are going through that process now and I hope to see my old data, which came from a Excel log I have been keeping for four years, up any day now. He also provides the means to output your RunningAHEAD data as XML or ascii files for backups or whatever else you may want to do with it.
Steve

Ewen said...

Thanks for the link Steve. I'm using the diary but may consider it - looks good. Put a link in your sidebar :)

Re the test... You're not using the same test (2,400 repeats) that Hadd suggests, so maybe there's a difference there. Also, a 15k solid run two days prior, so not really 'rested as for a race'. You are still doing 3:55 pace at 3k. Perhaps 165 would give you 4:00 drifting out to 4:15 in a marathon?

By the way, I am impressed by the Hadd document although who knows who he is. I've been doing more aerobic running for the past few months and will take your suggestion to do even more. My recent intervals have been longer and at nothing faster than half marathon pace. It seems to be working - 4 mins quicker than Sydney and felt easy. Also, only a 16 and 18k long run, so there's some space there.