Base Phase Is Approaching

I'm slowly easing into the base phase of my marathon training. There's no pressure and I'm keeping it loose in terms of program. I run when I want and I don't beat myself up (nor was there any guilt) when missing any of the runs. I'm taking the chance to sleep more - OK just a wee bit more. Whenever I run, the sessions have been great. Only in November will I start the base phase proper. With the availability of the Garmin, my training approach can now be more precise. I'll be basing my workouts on the McMillan Pace Calculator to ensure that I'm working out effectively.

Another good run just now and here are the KM splits: 6:27 > 6:24 > 6:23 > 6:19 > 6:22 > 5:54 > 5:45 > 5:20 > 5:05 > 0:16 for an average of 5:59 pace. Faster than I intended in the later stage, slower than intended in the starting stage. Oh well, as long as it felt great!

I received quite a few feedback on the Kuantan Race Report done the Google Earth way and thought you might like this map I exported. Yup, this shows the typical KLCC Park route that I do on weekdays. Amazing huh? It's been a long day. Going to bed now. G'nite!

Me, Myself & My Garmin

Part of successful training means employing correct pacing for each of the workouts. In simple terms, run slow when you're supposed to go slow, fast when the session calls for speed. One can't improve training at the same pace (be it consistently/always fast or always slow). There's a time for everything. Even in a distance race (Half Marathon and above), you don't go out at top speed - even an elite will settle back into a steady pace after the initial surge to get a head start.

 

 

I've been largely adept at keeping to the pace but in order to reap the rewards of the workouts I need to know the RIGHT pace in which to run the different workouts. For this, I turn to a running calculator widely acknowledged to be the best available - The McMillan Running Calculator. Developed by Greg McMillan (now also a columnist with Running Times), this tool allows me to use my best recent timings to come up with an optimum pace chart for all your workouts. There's one for Endurance, another for Stamina, one for Speed and one for Sprint. The Stamina section is broken down to Steady State, Tempo, Tempo Intervals and Cruise Intervals. Endurance section differentiates the Long Run pace versus Easy and Recovery paces. This calculator is printable and I've one stuck on my office cubicle wall and another at home. I highly recommend this tool.

 

What's the downside of not running to the correct pace? Injuries for one. Press too hard and you'll end up with overuse injuries. Then there's the plateau. Running at a slow pace (unless you're just running for health and fitness) all the time won't get you to the next level. Finally, there's the burnout, and this can happen mentally and physically when you're unable to recover from previous workouts yet you continue to hammer your next ones. Former elite Ironman, Coach Troy Jacobson has an excellent take on burnout and the often misleading signs of initial improvements. Click here to listen to the MP3 (to download right click and select Save Target As). The Endurance Planet website has loads of great advice and comes highly recommended.

 

Yesterday I put the Garmin's Interval features to work. I set 6 x 1,000m with 1 minute recoveries in between. I also included warmup and warmdown laps. As I've not familiarized myself with setting the target pace for each interval, I just ran according to gut feel. The workout was to be a Tempo Interval with target pace between 5:13 to 5:23. The weather was great, just after a heavy shower. After a 6:56 warmup, I hit the following splits: 5:13 > 5:02 > 4:57 > 5:06 > 4:56 > 4:46. I brisk walked during the 1 minute breaks. Total workout time including the walkbreaks was 53:29 covering 9.16K. The downside was I didn't have time for a cooldown lap. Did some stretching immediately after the last repeat and again on the bed before I slept. I don't have any soreness in my legs this morning and will do a light recovery jog at 6:50 pace and an easy run of 6:10 pace on Friday before heading to Kuantan on Saturday. Looking at the interval splits I hit, I ran a little fast, but I always felt in control - maybe it was due to being the first ever intervals but will try to readjust to slightly slower the next time.

The 205

I was a little late getting to the park this evening. Was supposed to have left at 5:20pm but somehow by the time I was changed, it was close to 6pm. I fired up the 205 anxiously as I walked to the usual starting point next to the mosque. Within a minute, the 205 acquired a total of 8 satellites and I was ready to go. Hold on!

Before that, a last minute check on the settings. I've set the autolapping by every K, adopted the 4 panel display, set the pace alerts. Everything was in order and off I went. It was an easy pace and I greeted Rohaizad just after the bridge. The first lap was spent scrutinizing the display just to check on the functions. Amongst those were the satellite signal strength (which was good), the return to start (amazing directional assistance especially in unfamiliar routes), toggling the 2 pages of display, verifying the lap distance (accurate to 0.02m!) etc... I almost forgot that I was running.

Then I just got back to focusing on enjoying my run for the 2nd lap. The autolapping function was excellent without me having to press the lap button. All in all, it was a great run although it was cut short by a sudden thunderstorm. Rohaizad and I sought shelter and chatted a bit. I could've gone 10K today if not for the weather. Hopefully it'll be better tomorrow. Below is the map overlay of my run at the KLCC Park.

Below is the SportsTracks screen cap. I think SportsTracks is one of the best GPS logger out there.

Kick In The Butt Run & Garmin Forerunner

Penang in June
Another weekend and another trip back to the island of Penang. The journey was very cool literally, thanks to the rain and showers that accompanied the clan nearly 3/4 of the way. Penang too has seen a great deal of rain lately - it comes down at any time of the day. When it's not raining, it's not too hot - almost ideal for racing. This morning, as I'm typing this, is overcast and very cool. It reminds me of the rainy season during my schooldays here. Somehow it's gives a slightly melancholy feeling. Is British weather the same?

Botanicals & The Forerunner 305
I had my one chance at testing out Chin's 305 and yesterday evening was it. I parked some distance away from the Botanical Gardens entrance as I didn't want to pay for the parking. I'd told my wife that I'd be picking her up in an hour's time at the Gurney Plaza, so this should be a quick run for me. After the satellites were acquired by the 305 (it took about 5 mins to acquire 6 satellites), I set out immediately on a steady pace. I'd programmed the 305 to autolog down my splits by KM instead of Location. I thought that that is one very neat feature. No more twiddling with the buttons! The first K's pace was 5:49 and it fluctuated between 5:29 to 5:43 in the middle. The Botanicals were just a tad crowded with the evening crowd but not too bad as to impede running. A few joggers were in their souvenir Penang Bridge Run T-Shirts, testament that these folks were putting in some final runs. There wasn't anyone running at my pace with the exception of one chap who was huffing quite loudly at certain stretches of the smaller loop. I used to run very regularly at this park and I loved the experience of being there hammering the laps again. The 305 looked a little bulky but to me it didn't restrict movement nor incur too much weight on the wrist. As I started my final lap, I saw 2 younger runners prepping for their runs and these 2 certainly look the faster group among the others. But this is not the time to race...yet. I concluded my lap and headed out of the park and back to my car. At this juncture I hit the afterburners to stretch out the legs a little - at nearly 10K race pace. A quick check on the watch showed that I was near to the 6K mark, so I thought it'd be nice to finish on the dot. Incidentally 6K was just about where I started. Completed the workout in slightly over 32 minutes for an average pace of 5:20.

Later at about 9:30pm I met Chin at a nearby Starbucks to pass him the 305 and I was a little sad to part with it. To me it's a very good training partner even though some route distances are established. My reasoning is like this. Even if you know the distance for your running route, the 205/305 allows you to get continuous feedback on your pace and effort. Not only that, the Virtual Partner is a boon to people who often had to train alone, and therefore is a great motivator. The ability to upload and track your workouts too are great incentives to head outdoors. It allows you to essentially run anywhere knowing for sure that you've got a certain number of miles in without the need to second guess. The trackback feature gets you back to the start if you venture offroad. This feature is so impressive that it flashed out the bend in the road and provides a distance countdown to the start point. At RM750 the 205 is a great training partner, and now I'm torn between this one or the soon to be launched Nike Speed+, the Nike watch that tracks distance and pace without the need of an iPod. While the Speed+ is cheaper at about RM400 (expected price), I'm very unimpressed with the build quality and usability. If I had it, I wouldn't hesitate to wear the 205/305 next Sunday as my race goals call for constant feedback on my pace. It'll be great to have the watch track my pace in case I start too fast and should I lag behind (there are 4 types of alerts that can beep if my pace drops or exceeds a certain customized threshold). It's like having a coach next to you!

Also on the subject of timepiece, a small piece of bad news. My Timex Sleek 50's strap broke yet again after I superglued it. Luckily I had the presence of mind to try it out the last few days to see if it wil cause me any strap problems. Looks like I now have to revert to the heavier Nike. I just hope it holds up. In case you don't know Cheong's Nike has totally spoilt.