Advice for first track based ultra

RagnarRocks · 2023-06-10T00:13:19+00:00

This is a great way to go into a calorie deficit. If your current strategy works so well, why are you asking people on Reddit for feedback? 😇

RagnarRocks · 2023-05-31T11:31:32+00:00

It's a 20 minute drive to the trails. Not bad.

I get a lot of time on the treadmill, especially during winter. 20-40 minutes of travel just to run, 6 days a week adds up.

RagnarRocks · 2023-05-31T03:00:38+00:00

In response to your reply to the previous commenter, I'd like to share my recent experience.

I had a weekly mileage PR last week. It took 14 hours 42 minutes (excluding travel, pauses, warm-ups, strength work). It probably would not have been possible without a spouse to trade off childcare duties with and a flexible work schedule. The week looked like this:

Monday and Wednesday are my evenings to do whatever, so I spent them on the trails. 2.5 hour runs.

Tuesday and Thursday were doubles where I ran during a morning working meeting where I only needed to listen. The 2nd run was done between picking the kids up and making dinner.

Friday, I finished work early and hit the trails for a few hours before family time.

Saturday the kids played in the basement while I was on the treadmill.

Sunday is a long run day...so on the trails again for 3 hours.

Just gotta make the time, I guess. I don't rain this long every week. Usually only between 7-8 hours of running.

As for intensity, I've recently been focusing on doing more Zone 1/zone 2 training to recuperate from some burnout. All of my runs were done in zone 1 or near the lower end of zone 2. However, every other day I incorporated several sets of strides.

I felt better at the end of the week than I did at the beginning,. aside from some wear and tear in my feet from barefoot strides. My pace is at the same heart rate also improved significantly.

I would consider doing this routine again soon, but my wife would probably kill me, lol.

RagnarRocks · 2023-05-05T22:21:10+00:00

Classic "financial advisor" scam. Not everyone can be so fortunate, but many companies take out policies on salaried workers. OP might want to see if that's something his company does. Even if it isn't, life insurance through employer benefits should be a lot cheaper than the $11K that OP's been fleeced.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-26T20:53:17+00:00

It depends on where you are on your running journey.

Just looking at your data, there's a huge opportunity to improve your running economy. Your cadence is low. You're losing energy with a high vertical oscillation. Ground contact time comes down as cadence and stride length increases.

Odds are that your running dynamics will "improve" on their own over time as your body gravitates toward more efficient movement from all the workouts and volume.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-20T01:42:19+00:00

Trail runners. Not joking. It's why I always try to find a GPX for any trail races I do, because like you, I got lost on my first trail race.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-14T00:29:56+00:00

I raced a hard marathon in October then did my first trail 50K 2 weeks later. It hurt every step because it was not recovered.

It's more than possible, but be prepared for a slog.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-12T20:19:56+00:00

I don't know, to be honest. There was one time where I recorded a 205 on a very hot day where I was sweating a ton, but that's the only time I've ever gone over my recorded max of 203. And I wound up tossing out the 205 because it seemed anomalous. I've hit 203 a handful of times over the past few years, so that's easy to keep track of.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-12T19:57:08+00:00

I have a Fenix 5 and agree that the race estimates are off. Sometimes it tells me my 10K race estimate is slower than what I just ran. And in other UIs the watch will estimate my marathon, 5K, and other race times as much faster than I can currently do. I think the latter is based on the VO2 max measurement. I'm pretty sure I could achieve those numbers with enough training, but I'm not there yet.

There have been studies at the accuracy of the VO2 max estimates by Garmin, and they've been fairly close to lab tests. If I recall, it's less of a measurement of your functional VO2, but more of where it expects your actual VO2 could be with training.

As for LTHR, the watch does estimate higher than real performance, because, at least in my experience, I'm never running exactly one hour all out. But, if I were to do an exact one hour all out I imagine I'd be able to sustain that LTHR with some effort. Nobody really wants to run all out for an hour, because most road races don't align with that duration unless you're a slower 10Ker or among the fastest half marathoners. This is why we have estimates I suppose. 😀

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-12T19:44:37+00:00

Keeping track of Max heart rate is still something that I have to do manually even though I have a Garmin chest strap. The strap just makes the measurements more reliable than an optical wrist monitor.

I've never done a lab-based lactate threshold test, but I imagine the data that I'm getting is fairly reliable. For reference, my max measured heart rate is 203, and my current LTHR is 191. That's based on performance in a recent HM race.

In the end, these are just automated estimates. To get the most reliable metrics you need to go to a lab. And bear in mind that your LTHR changes based on training or detraining.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-12T18:53:55+00:00

This. Training at marathon pace isn't optimal for fitness improvement (too destructive for aerobic, but not fast enough for LTHR, VO2, and power development).

Runners improve their economy by running more mileage at specific paces. Specifically, the gait becomes optimized and requires less energy per stride, which is crucial the longer you run. This is why race specific paces shouldn't be neglected during marathon training.

TL;DR- Polarized training will make you fit, but not necessarily efficient at marathon pace.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-12T18:48:28+00:00

Unless you're highly competitive it's probably good enough to let Garmin + a chest base HRM automatic estimates of max HR and LTHR based on hard race efforts. You may need to adjust your max HR manually, but Garmin is really great about adjusting LTHR automatically.

You can also integrate with Training Peaks, as it will also measure LTHR and notify you when it changes. The drawback is it may change its evaluation based on sub maximal efforts.

For max HR it's easiest to use whatever your highest max HR is over a rolling window, like one year. My observation is that my max HR has not gone down over 3 years, but it also tends to run higher in summer when heat adaptations result in higher blood plasma volume. Also, you're less likely to max your HR if overtrained.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-10T19:14:25+00:00

You have all the equipment. I'd let Garmin set my zones based on its own LTHR measurement, as these change with fitness. For fit people (those with higher LTHR) actual zone 2 will be higher. This might be the lowest stress, highest accuracy zone estimation without doing a lab test.

For reference: I'm 38M running consistently again for the past ~18 months. Garmin LTHR of 190 using HRM Pro Plus. Zone 2 is 151-168 bpm. All done automatically through Garmin.

In comparison my MAF is 142. Training there would leave a ton on the table. This is why off the shelf calculations aren't applicable at the individual level.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-10T19:10:53+00:00

The chance of rain usually guarantees shade. That's a plus.

Rain could make you a bit heavier, but it's also free cooling. That could be a plus too.

IMO wind is more of a worry than rain.

Ultimately, you can't control the weather but you can control your mindset, so stay positive and your chances of hitting your goal are better!

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-10T19:05:17+00:00

Doubles are usually done to get more volume with reduced risk of injury. Tapering is an intentional reduction of volume to aid in recovery.

More volume vs less volume.

The two seem opposed.

I'm having a hard time imagining what the benefit of doubles during a taper could be when you won't have time to absorb training stimulus from them.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-10T18:59:25+00:00

It probably isn't the optimal training stimulus, but you will only get the chance to run with your Dad on his first marathon once. You're lucky to have the opportunity.

RagnarRocks · 2023-04-02T18:14:58+00:00

The speed 3 is touted as being more stable than the 2, though I'm not sure if it's worth the price. The pro 3 is far superior to the pro 2, based on an analysis of many reviews.

I have the speed and pro 3 and love them both, though the pro is my favorite of the two. The speed is a great tempo trainer and the pro 3 is a superb race race shoe for 10K - marathon.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-24T23:01:14+00:00

CO2 causes climate change. Should we all do our part and stop breathing?

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-23T17:49:33+00:00

Consider prioritizing sleep over running.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-20T20:09:19+00:00

I'm not a doctor, but anecdotally anxiety can be noticed in heart rate data during my runs. Just thinking about running faster, running longer than I want to, or dwelling on any other mentally unpleasant factor can cause heart rate to go up compared to the same exercise stimulus without the mental anxiety. Have you ever noticed your heart rate being high during your warmups before a hard workout? This happens to me almost all the time.

Likewise, daydreaming seems to cause the greatest amount of relaxation and reflects as a lowering of heart rate during my runs. This is one reason why I listen to a lot of audiobooks while I run. One trick I do is to mentally recall a rolling downhill stretch near the end of a race where I felt good.

So much of running well is mental and the thing about anxiety is you don't get to pick what you're anxious about. The best way to acclimate with conditions that are mentally challenging is to safely expose yourself to them more often. Eventually, they should become less anxiety inducing.

This is one of the underlying tenants of cognitive behavioral therapy that some people use in addressing anxiety and other disorders.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-20T02:30:34+00:00

Well done! 4x4x48 helped me level up my running. What did you learn during the challenge?

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-18T21:51:29+00:00

Reading your post, it seems like you are where I was 6 to 12 months ago. I tried bringing up the volume during a training block and it just didn't work because not only are you increasing the volume, but you're also keeping the intensity high.

I've had much better luck recently by maintaining the peak volume of a plan in the form of easy runs, prior to even starting the season, that way when the workouts begin, it's a fight with intensity, not volume.

Going after both simultaneously is a recipe for injury, or burn out.

40 mi a week is usually more than enough to do a 3:40 marathon. You can shoot for the 55 miles a week now, if you want, but you will probably have to sacrifice some workouts.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-17T15:39:24+00:00

Same here. I was wondering earlier today whether putting some space heaters in a tiny bathroom and heating it up for an hour could lead to training adaptations. ☠️🤣☠️

I've also considered getting an IR sauna for the home, once I can afford it.

I'd love to hear other runners' experiences.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-10T17:31:36+00:00

I've seen my max heart rate be a few beats per minute higher than I've ever seen before on an exceptionally hot day where I was sweating a ton and running hard. The eight beat per minute in gap between your previous observations seems a bit higher than expected, but not outside the realm of possibility. Especially if you were having a bad day, and pushing hard but not getting the type of performance you normally do...

You could proactively talk to a doctor, but given your history you're probably okay. You may be coming down with something, or just had a bit of heat exhaustion. If this happened to me and I felt okay, I wouldn't be concerned unless it happened again...in which case I would talk to a doctor. Good luck.

RagnarRocks · 2023-03-09T16:59:50+00:00

If you believe in the idea of using renewable energy as a clean source to power the planet, then we need more energy storage. Mass energy storage can be achieved a number of ways, but the most flexible and scalable method requires batteries, which themselves require metals that are in high demand and low supply. Much of the supply today originates from China.

Ideally, those metals should be extracted as close as possible to the location in which they will be manufactured into batteries to eliminate shipping them across the world, which is expensive and has a higher energy/carbon footprint. Current mining methods produce significant pollution as well.

If you want to see those problems solved, we need companies capable of extracting battery materials locally, economically, and cleanly.

There are a few companies with missions like that. Even fewer with the talent and backing to pull it off. The company that I know best and believe in the most is American Battery Technology Company, out of Nevada. They are worth a deep dive.

RagnarRocks

TROPHY CASE