14week Marathon Training: Week 3, Session 1: MP Run

Seventh session: Week 3 Marathon Pace (MP) Set: 8.1km
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Happy New Year! My sister is currently visiting from Melbourne and her birthday also happens to be on New Years Day, so we all made a trip down to Gardens by the Bay first thing in the morning for a day out in the park. We started our day with a breakfast stop at McDonald's, which also happens to be my children's first time at this "restaurant". Anyways judging from her smile, she enjoyed it; but more the surprise toy from the meal than the food (luckily for me as I'm not a big fan of the food). Next stop was the children's playground that has been cleverly built into the gardens (big tree houses with long slides and connecting bridges). Running up and down and around playground with the little girl was the "warm up" before my Marathon Pace run. They had planned to visit the Flower Dome, so whilst they were inside playing tourist, I would quickly smash out the 8.1km run.

Happy New Year with Happy Meals and Happy Faces

Main Set: 8.1kms in 33:20mins (pace constant at 4:09 min/km)

Yesterday I made a big effort on stretching and foam rolling during the rest day. As the previous session was tough, I was a little worried going into today's run, not sure where the legs were at. I was running alone today so I knew pacing would be a bit of an issue, and that showed in the first km, clocking in at 3:57mins. Over the next few kilometres, I spent the time trying to dial into the goal 4:09min/km pace, which I managed to around the 3km mark. From there it was about concentrating on the breathing, the pacing and enjoying the run in the Marina Bay area. Definitely felt the heat and finished the 250ml water bottle I was holding well before the end of the run. Finished the 8.1km in 33:32mins, just slightly over the required time, but still a win for me.

During the 8.1km run:
Average Heart Rate: 157bpm
Max Heart Rate: 168bpm
Average Cadence: 185

Session Analysis / Review:

This session was pretty much straight forward. Still have some work to do on pacing but it's roughly there. Running on fresh legs compared to the previous session was very nice. For me, at this stage of the plan, I can clearly see a difference in the "hardness" of the three sessions each week. Ranked below from hardest to easiest:
1. Long easy run with the marathon pace kick at the end,
2. Marathon pace run,
3. Yasso 800m with 400m rest.

As I'm training for my first marathon, I'm also using this plan to drill and train my mental toughness. The marathon pace run (this session) is very useful to feel the body, and pace at the start of the marathon when you are fresh. In the early stage of the race, its crucial to stay on the pace and not push any harder as you'll pay for it towards the later part of the race. Whilst the long easy run with the MP kick is much harder mentally and physically (at the moment for me), as it replicates the fatigue and heaviness in the legs you will feel from the half way mark until the end of the race. So far this plan is proving to be simple, but deep in its offering (physically and mentally). Side Note: This plan also states it can be used for any goal marathon finish time e.g 3.5hr, 4hr, 4.5hr marathon finishing time. You will just need to adjust the training pace accordingly. I'm currently using this plan to go under 3hours.

Success Criteria Checkpoints: 7 / 42 sessions completed.
1. Did I hold the pace over the prescribed distance: Yes, but still too quick at the start, and slowed slightly through the middle of the run. However, thinking forward to next week, I still had enough in the tank and legs for another 1 - 2 miles.
2. Did my heart rate stay in Zone 3: No and this is the third straight session that heart rate levels are trending slightly up comparing to the same types of sessions the week before. I still believe it's due to the holiday period (excess eating, drinking and lack of rest and routine), so am keen to compare this against next week's (Week 4) data.
3. How well am I recovering: Definitely stretched and rolled out the tightness from the previous bike and run sessions. Felt very good on the run today with fresh legs. Post run, legs are feeling good as well.

14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 2, Session 3: Easy Run + MP Run

Sixth Session: Week 2 Session 3: Easy Run 1:30hrs + 3.2km @ Marathon Pace (MP)
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Over the past few days I've been trying to squeeze in a few more indoor bike trainer sessions to keep my bike fitness in check. Since the start of this training program I have been resting in between the sessions as prescribed by the training plan. However, I miss the bike training and I still have goals of increasing power output on the bike in 2017, so I hammered two sessions (1 hour plus) mid week prior to today's run.

Amazing Singapore skyline on a beautiful morning run

Main Set: Long easy run for 1:30 hours immediately followed by 3.2km at 4:09 min/km

The first half of this plan went quickly; 1:30 hours running 6min/km pace gave us a nice 15km round trip to Marina Barrage back to Tiong Bahru. My legs were definitely heavier than last week, and I felt the fatigue in the thighs (quadriceps) during the long easy run. We agreed to do three laps of a 1km loop for the final 3.2km "kick" at marathon pace. We needed to run the last 3.2km in 13:20mins (4:09 min/km). Although we were on point pace wise, it felt much harder than the same pace on the athletics track last week. In summary, this hurt today. I couldn't imagine running 42.2kms at this pace. I had underestimated the effect of the previous indoor bike training sessions on today's run, and although we completed the session in 13:12mins, another tick in the box, it was hard work.

During the 3.2km run:
Average Heart Rate: 160bpm

Max Heart Rate: 168bpm
Cadence: 182

Session Analysis / Review:

Firstly, for anyone that is going to attempt this training plan, RESPECT the rest/recovery days. Two noticeable differences as a result of the indoor bike sessions prior to this run; my legs were heavier than usual during and after the 1.5hours easy jog and almost 12 hours after today's run session, my legs are still SORE. I'm definitely paying interest on the fatigue from the bike sessions and into today's run. I'm still keen to keep the bike training in parallel to this plan, but as second priority, and schedule it better with the right level of intensity.

Success Criteria Checkpoints: 6 / 42 sessions completed.
1. Did I hold the pace over the prescribed distance: Yes, but it was noticeably harder. However, thinking forward to next week, I still had enough in the tank and legs for another 1 mile.
2. Did my heart rate stay in Zone 3: No and this session's data was not an improvement on the same session last week. Going to put this down to the lack of rest around this festive holiday period (late night events) and the indoor bike training sessions affecting my recovery.
3. How well am I recovering: I'm definitely carrying residual fatigue in my legs and will need to do more foam rolling sessions or a light spin session on the bike as active recovery to freshen the legs ready for the next session on Sunday.

14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 2, Session 2: Yasso 800m

Fifth Session: Week 2 Session 2: Yasso 800m x 3
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Was looking forward to today's run after days of sinful eating and drinking. We decided to use the same warm up route as last week, 9km to the Kallang Athletics track before hitting the Yasso 800m speed set. Warm up pace was 5:45min/km, easy effort with heart rate in Zone 2. Thunderstorms just passed so we enjoyed the cool aftermath, a welcome change from our hot sessions. Note: The 9km warm up is not prescribed in the plan, so it's additional mileage we have added to the plan.

Beautiful Kallang Athletics track in the evening

Main Set: 800m in 3:00mins with active recovery for 400m in 3:00mins  x 3

The 3 x 800m set with 400m recovery was completed without any fuss. The 800m lap times were 2:59, 2:56, 2:57mins respectively, so pacing 3:45min/km was spot on, with pacing credits going to my training buddy. I'm still having issues pacing and that was evident when we decided to do an extra 800m at marathon pace (4:09min/km), where I took out the first 400m at 3:50min/km pace. Still a bit of learning for me to understand and feel our target marathon pace.

During the 3 x 800m set:

Average Heart Rate: 145bpm (includes recovery)

Max Heart Rate: 170bpm
Recovery Heart Rate (1min after finishing 800m): 1: 129bpm  2: 135bpm 3: 138bpm
Cadence: 178

Session Analysis / Review:

So far the Yasso 800m sessions prove to be the easier sessions compared to the marathon pace sessions. This could be due to the 3mins rest after each 800m, and the base fitness built over previous speed sessions at the track (prior to starting this plan). Let's see if that continues as we increase the number of 800m repeats each week to a maximum of 10 repeats in week 9 and 10 before tapering. All heart rate data is higher than last week's session even though the weather was much cooler today. I'm putting this down to the coffee (caffeine is known to elevate heart rate) prior to the session and the alcohol consumption in the last few days. Key note: Speed sets are harder sets, so I'm not looking for my heart rate to drop into Zone 3 (Endurance Zone), but to reduce a few beats per minute during exercise and during recovery.

14week Marathon Plan: Week 2, Session 1: MP Run

Fourth session: Week 2 Marathon Pace (MP) Set: 6.4km
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Merry Christmas! I've had a rough couple of days prior to Christmas due to my daughter having a high fever. Unfortunately had to cancel on a group bike ride as I was in hospital with the little one trying to manage her fever, but that's life, and a "recovery" day in disguise. The little one is as tough as nails, and still manages to look like a princess for her uncle's wedding today. But having missed a good triathlon bike workout yesterday, I was looking forward to smashing today's set. My training buddy and I agreed to find a time between our Christmas lunches and dinners to get through our training set today. We aren't really doing ourselves any favours by training during the heat of the day, but there's just not enough spare time around the holidays.

Kids getting ready for a wedding

Main Set: 6.4kms in 26:40mins (pace constant at 4:09 min/km)

Based on the learnings from last week (a course that was undulating, and had a few slow corners), we wanted a route that would allow us to "learn" the 4:09 min/km pace. So we decided it doesn't get more consistent than a 400m athletics track. It would be a boring set (16 laps at 1:40mins for each 400m to achieve to our target distance and time), but whilst the distance is still "short" it's good for the body and legs to feel the pace. Since I had issues with pacing last week, my training buddy took the honour out front whilst I sat on his heels, drafting. With a time check every 200m (every 50secs), and at the major checkpoints, (200m, 400m ,1km, 1 mile, 2km, 3km, 2 mile, 4km, 3 mile, 5km, 6km, 4mile), we were hitting our time targets spot on. Yes, 16 laps is boring, so we did multiple time and distance calculations during the run to pass time. We completed the 6.4km in 26:36mins and that means another tick in the box for us.

During the 6.4km run:
Average Heart Rate: 151bpm
Max Heart Rate: 166bpm
Average Cadence: 184

Session Analysis / Review:

A quick look at the heart rate data shows that my average and max heart rate (compared to the same type of session in Week 1) is lower, which is good news. Let's hope this downward trend continues as I progress week by week, and end up working no higher than Zone 3. Both of us did feel that our breathing was a little more laboured today, but we chalked it up to the heat and humidity. The biggest win today was the ability to hold a consistent pace for this set, which definitely helped me to understand the pace (speed), breathing and cadence much better. Could I have done another mile at this pace? Most likely. Will I be able do it next week? Definitely, but there's some partying life to be had (and managed) before the New Year comes around.

Heart Rate? Heart Rate Zones? What's it all mean?

Heart Rate 101 - Keeping it simple and useful

I'm going to try and keep this as simple as possible. There is a lot of information available online, but hopefully this post provides a starting point and my personal perspective on the topic.

What is it? The heart is a muscle that pumps blood to the body. Like all muscles, it can be trained and improved, but it can also be over trained and stressed, which is why it's a good indicator of exercise effort. The heart rate is the number of times the heart beats in a minute and the unit of measure is "beats per minute" or "bpm". For example: 60bpm.

How is it measured? There are variety of ways heart rate can be measured. Heart rate can be taken:

• Manually by counting the number of heart beats in one minute, from a pulse on your body (e.g neck, or wrist),
• a heart rate monitor strap across the chest,
• a heart rate monitor on your wrist watch,
• or an app on your phone (by placing finger on the camera lens).

When is it taken? There are a few times when heart rates can be taken:

• At rest, also known as "Resting Heart Rate".  This is is the number of heart beats in one minute when you are resting, sitting, or lying down. The best time to take this is immediately once you wake up, as you're free from environmental stimulants. Generally, Resting Heart Rate provides an insight into an individuals fitness as it means their heart is more efficient (able to pump the same volume of blood with less pumps per minute). For example, an individual with a Resting Heart Rate of 40bpm could be considered a well trained athlete.

The results of my resting heart rate that I capture each morning on my mobile phone app.

• At different times during exercise depending on the purpose. For example, "Average Heart Rate" for the exercise duration, "Maximum Heart Rate" during exercise, or even post exercise "Recovery Heart Rate" that gives insight into how quickly the heart can return to its normal rhythm. As with all data, it can helpful or create more confusion and noise (as the old saying goes, paralysis by analysis). Personally, I like to review which zone my heart is operating in during a given set of exercises, and monitor for changes over time against the same set of exercises. 

What are Heart Rate Zones?

This is where it starts to become more confusing. There are a number of different ways to calculate your Heart Rate Zone, and "experts" use different labels to classify each zone. Things to consider:

• I see Heart Rate Zones like a stress gauge for the heart. It provides a graphical representation of the effort made by your heart to supply blood to the body during exercise.
• Heart Rate Zones are unique to an individual. To calculate Heart Rate Zones, your Resting Heart Rate, Maximum Heart Rate or age will be required depending on what the formula requires.
• Karvonen, Age Adjusted, Leger, Friel, Zoladz are all different methods to calculate your Heart Rate Zones. From what I've seen, Karvonen seems to be the most popular, however this a personal preference. The key point is to keep the way you calculate the zones consistent so you can compare your results properly.
• Once you have your Heart Rate Zones calculated, you'll notice that each zone can be labelled differently depending on the source of your information. Most basic is Zone 1 to Zone 5, sometimes even to Zone 7. Some may use terms like; Fat Burning/Cardio zone, or Aerobic/Anaerobic, or Tempo/Threshold zone. Terminology or the labels are not important. As long as you understand the corresponding heart rates for each zone, and what zone you want to operate in for your specific exercise that's the most important part. For example, as part of my 14 week marathon plan, I'm monitoring my heart rate to see how often my heart rate is in Zone 4. Zone 4 is often considered a Hard/Anaerobic/Threshold zone, and not a zone I want to have my heart operating in for the duration of a 3 hour marathon. So I will be monitoring if my heart rate will spend more time in Zone 3 as the training progresses week by week. If not, I'll have to revise my goal pace to be slower.

Final notes about Heart Rate

Although measuring heart rate can be extremely useful, it can also be impacted by external factors. So it's important to note that whilst it is a good indicator, it is NOT a precise one. The following list are some examples that can influence your heart rate (increase beats per minute):

• Heat and humidity,
• altitude,
• being sick
• taking caffeine, or stimulants,
• feeling stressed, angry, anxious, or nervous

There have been some new advances in measuring and reporting Heart Rate measurements and  information. These include the ability to provide Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and VO2 Max calculations. HRV can be useful to understand the condition of the heart; is it over trained and therefore need to rest today, or can I push harder today etc. I'm currently trialling this and will report back once I have enough data to share. Stay tuned.

14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 1, Session 3: Easy Run + MP Run

Third Session: Week 1 Session 3: Easy Run 1:30hrs + 1.6km @ Marathon Pace (MP)
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Today's set is a long set, with a "kick" of speed at the end. The kick at the end requires us to hold our target marathon pace of 4:09 min/km for 1.6km, AFTER 1.5 hours of easy jogging. Given our personal circumstances we were able to free up some time in the mid morning so we headed out for our third session in the 14 week plan. Mid morning in Singapore is already pretty hot, but considering the fact that it's an easy jog to begin with, we thought it was achievable with our hydration belts (500ml capacity each).

Singapore Botantical Gardens

Main Set: Long slow easy run for 1:30 hours immediately followed by 1.6km at 4:09 min/km

We made our way towards the Singapore Botanical Gardens following the river from Tiong Bahru, to Red Hill then through the beautiful estate of Dempsey. Our slow jog was somewhere between 5:45 to 6:00 min/km pace (based on feel as I had made the rookie mistake of forgetting to charge my GPS watch and decided to save the remaining juice for the 1.6km at the end of the set). Doing a long easy jog is much easier with a friend, as time goes by much faster and you're also able to counter check the pace with a conversation (otherwise you're going to fast to be considered an easy jog). We definitely felt the effect of running in the middle of the day, reaching many times for our bottles, refuelling our bottles at water points multiple times and dripping head to toe with sweat. However, we thought about the positives of being in the heat especially as we race in Half Ironmans (70.3) in the region (Putrajaya, Bintan, Iskandar, Desaru etc). Take for example, Ironman Putrajaya 70.3; start time approx 7:15am for age groupers: 40min swim plus 2:35hr bike takes you to 10:30am before you start the half marathon run. Exactly the same time we started our jog this morning. So after a tour of the botanical gardens and surrounding neighbourhood, and after 1:30hrs of pounding the road, our legs felt "heavy". That's the magic of this set; long slow jog, exhaust the legs, than run at marathon pace to get the body to feel what it'll be like in the middle of the race. We chose to end up at Evans NUS Athletics track so we had a measurable 1.6km (4 loops). After a quick pep talk, we set off for the mile. Immediately the feedback from the track was interesting, we felt like bricks on a trampoline. The athletics track had just been renovated and provided a nice bounce, whilst we were "heavy bricks" from the slow jog. We finished the 4 loops without any issues in a time of 6:41mins, hitting our target finish time. Finished the session with chocolate milk drink and a slab of duck breast each to top up our protein and carbohydrate stores. Happy to report another session completed successfully.

During the 1.6km run:
Average Heart Rate: 147bpm

Max Heart Rate: 158bpm
Cadence: 182

Heart Rate + Cadence metrics for 1.6km MP run

Session Analysis / Review:

Great session to get the body to feel the heaviness in the legs as you spend more time on the road. The easy runs will peak at 2hours in addition to having to hold marathon pace for longer distances at the end of the set (peak at 9.6kms). Looking at my heart rate data for the 1.6km, it shows most of it in Zone 3 or less. That's good news, but ideally I would like to run all my marathon pace (4:09 min/km)work at Zone 3, so there's some more fitness required to get there, but good news is that we're only at week 1 of the 14 week plan. Post session, no limp, or overly sore legs. Just sore enough to know you just had a long session, but not enough to stop me from doing a session on the bike trainer tomorrow. At this early stage in the plan, I'm assessing myself against three key success criterias for each session:
1. Can I hold the pace over the prescribed distance,
2. Can my heart rate stay in Zone 3,
3. How well am I recovering so that there's no residual soreness going into the next session.

14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 1, Session 2: Yasso 800m

Second Session: Week 1 Session 2: Yasso 800m x 2
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Today's set is an "easier" set, as the distance is only 2.4km in total. The set consists of 800m at 3:45 min/km pace (time to complete is 3:00mins) with 400m active recovery/slow jog for another 3:00mins, repeat twice. As I discussed today's workout with my training buddy, we thought it would be best to do an easy slow jog to the Kallang track and then start the quick set. The slow jog was roughly 50mins covering 9km, with a few photo shots along the way.

Singapore City skyline during evening run

Main Set: 800m in 3:00mins with active recovery for 400m in 3:00mins

The 800m in 3:00mins was achievable. And the fact we had to do it twice made it very manageable. To be honest, the 3:45 min/km pace felt easier than the marathon pace (4:09 min/km) we had run around Tiong Bahru. This could be due to the spongy surface of the new Kallang athletics track, or the fact that there's no traffic to avoid or any sharp turns. So we decided to do another set of Yasso 800m but at 4:09 min/km pace, aimimg to complete each 800m in 3:20mins. Like the previous set, during the 800m, the pace this felt easier than the marathon pace we ran at Tiong Bahru in Session 1 this week. I'm including heart rate data as I want to gauge if my fitness is improving, by hopefully seeing my average and max heart rate drop over the coming weeks.

During the 2 x 800m set:

Average Heart Rate: 142bpm (includes recovery)

Max Heart Rate: 162bpm
Recovery Heart Rate (1min after finishing 800m): 1: 125bpm  2: 131bpm
Cadence: 186

Heart Rate and Cadence metrics for 2 x 800m

Session Analysis / Review:

It was good to be able to feel the difference between the pace on the track and road. Hopefully due to the consistent nature of the track sessions, this will provide ample time and opportunity for the body and legs to feel for the pace as we build into the plan. We both walked away from the track without limping and happy for another big green tick in the box, knowing that next week will be just a little bit harder.

Goals for 2017

I've decided on the following goals for 2017, following all the training and racing I've done in the past 2 years. Although the concentration will be on running, specifically Marathons, I also want to ensure that I'm improving on other areas like short course (5 and 10km) running speed and my bike strength and fitness. Lastly, I also want to work on my nutrition and have my race weight at 59kgs and training/walk-around weight around 62kgs.

1. Complete my first Marathon, after sticking to a 14 week plan (25 March 2017). Target: under 3 hours 15 minutes.

2. Complete the Melbourne Marathon under 3 hours (15 October 2017).

3. 300 watts FTP or 315 watts in 20mins FTP test.
    Note: Best FTP in 2016 was 241 watts.

4. Run 10km under 37mins.

5. Race weight around 59kg.
   Note: Lowest race weight in 2016 was 62kg.

My first and current road bike - bought in Sept 2014

Note: My first long ride (50km) on my first road bike, purchased in September 2014. Picture captures the excitement I felt that day; being on the road with a group of friends. As I look forward to the next year of training, it's great to look back at the start of the journey and see how far I've come. Everyday is an opportunity to improve, and be faster.

14week Marathon Training Plan: Week 1, Session 1: MP Run

First session: Week 1 Marathon Pace (MP) Set: 4.8km
Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)

Couldn't sleep the night before. Very excited about starting my first structured training plan and with my training buddy. We have been planning this for at least a month now. Spreadsheets and whatsapp group created, flights booked, registration all completed. Now it's just down to putting those shoes on and hitting the training targets (whilst still enjoying the Christmas celebrations). Before the run, I recorded some body measurements to compare any changes I'll be going through as I take on this 14 week marathon training plan:

Sunday 18th December

Weight: 64.3kg

Waist: 79cm

Hip: 90 cm

Right bicep: 33cm (flexed)

Left bicep: 32cm (flexed)

Right thigh: 47cm (midpoint between hip crease and tip of knee: taken at 22.5cm whilst sitting down)

Left thigh: 48cm (midpoint between hip crease and tip of knee: taken at 22cm whilst sitting down)

Chest: 97cm (across nipples)

Photo taken in June 2016 at Half Ironman Race in Desaru, Malaysia

Main Set: 4.8kms in 20mins (pace constant at 4:09 min/km)

We chose a 1.25km loop around our area in Tiong Bahru and did a warm up lap to familiarise ourselves with the loop. It was 3pm, but thankfully overcast weather helped keep the temperature down. Our goal was to maintain 4:09 (min/km) for 4.8kms. Our first km was a little slower at 4:15, so I panicked and picked up the pace. Unfortunately the panic added too much speed to the pace and I recorded 4:03, 4:02, 3:57, 4:04 min/km pace for the second, third, fourth and final 800metres.  Overall the pace was 4:04 for the 4.8km distance, too fast by 5 seconds per km. I was happy to be able to put big green tick in the first session out of 42 sessions (3 sessions a week for 14 weeks). 

During the 4.8km run:
Average Heart Rate: 156bpm
Max Heart Rate: 168bpm
Average Cadence: 185

Heart Rate and Cadence metrics for 4.8km

Session Analysis / Review:

Biggest learnings for today were 1) understanding the pace and maintaining it. Easier than it sounds,  but there is alot of "noise". Emotional and environmental noise. I mentioned the emotional noise of panicking when seeing the first km below target, but in terms of environmental noise, the loop wasn't that helpful considering there are two sharp corners every 1.25km loop which requires us to slow down and accelerate back to marathon race pace. Still need to learn to relax, breathe and settle into the pace without panicking 2) The other biggest shock is that 4:04 seems very fast, and right know I can't imagine running 42.2kms at a slightly slower pace of 4:09. I had more in the tank for a few more laps, although I can feel that I'm not 100% as I'm recovering from a pretty bad cough. Each week will get more difficult as the distance increases 1.6km whilst maintaining 4:09 pace, up to a maximum of 19.2kms. I'm confident in the next few increases, but feeling a little worried once it gets closer to 12kms. We have already agreed to a different running route for the longer sets. Hopefully that will help with smoothing out the pacing.

Recovery:
Six hours post the session, legs are feeling good. No residual fatigue. Next session will be on Tuesday 20 Dec 2016.