Goal: First Marathon (Sundown Singapore 25 March 2017)
Yesterday I went on another "easy 65km Kranji Loop" group ride, averaging 137watts or the equivalent of a power zone 2 ride. My cycling buddy is training for the Tour de Bintan bike race, so he sat at the front the whole time working hard to set a quick tempo (average 34km/hr for 65kms), whilst I enjoyed a nice draft (sitting directly behind his rear wheel) and took it easy all the way. He didn't have his power meter for this ride, but would have been an interesting comparison, as some experts say you save up to 30% of your energy (power) by drafting.
I had a busy day planned, so I wanted to smash this run out first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, to save time on travelling, I had to use the same "slow" route what I used for Week 1, Session 1 as it's close to home. Although I wanted to run another negative split strategy based on the success of the previous session, that didn't happen. I always run out too hard at the start on this course (old habits die hard) and that resulted in my pace slowing slightly towards the end of the run. I was still able to hit the target 11.3kms in 46:20mins, but it was a tough run. Running this loop nine times is not only boring, but having to slow down and then accelerate out of the corners isn't helpful to maintaining goal marathon pace. Added to that were two noticeable spikes in my heart rate for this session.
Heart rate spike No.1: 180bpm at the 6.8km mark, I had a near collision with another jogger coming from the opposite direction as he ran in front of me at the last moment whilst trying to text on not one, but two phones. Maybe he needed to activate his Garmin, Training Peaks, Strava, Instragram, and Facebook all at the same time. And the narrow pedestrian footpaths along this running route weren't helpful either.
Heart rate spike No.2 to 176bpm. Along this 1.3km loop, there is a car park entrance, but is rarely frequented during my runs along this loop. As my luck would have it this morning, a large bus pulled out of the car park blocking the pedestrian footpath at the 7.4km mark, so I had to quickly find an alternative route through the grassy patch and behind the bus. This was not a near accident, but I guess the stress of having to find another route quickly without upsetting the marathon pace caused my heart rate to spike.
During the 11.3km run:
Average Heart Rate: 159bpm
Max Heart Rate: 181bpm
Average Cadence: 189
Success Criteria Checkpoints: 13 / 42 sessions completed (31%)
1. Did I hold the pace over the prescribed distance: Yes, but the pace was quite erratic. Could have done another mile, but would not have been pleasant.
2. Did my heart rate stay in Zone 3: No, but the average HR was the same as last week's session, only difference was the max heart rate as explained above.
3. How well am I recovering: Legs feel good. The easy bike rides are helping recovery for the legs, so may even try and sneak in a session on the bike later tonight.
Heart rate spike No.1: 180bpm at the 6.8km mark, I had a near collision with another jogger coming from the opposite direction as he ran in front of me at the last moment whilst trying to text on not one, but two phones. Maybe he needed to activate his Garmin, Training Peaks, Strava, Instragram, and Facebook all at the same time. And the narrow pedestrian footpaths along this running route weren't helpful either.
During the 11.3km run:
Average Heart Rate: 159bpm
Max Heart Rate: 181bpm
Average Cadence: 189
Session Analysis / Review:
Definitely not a preferred running route as it doesn't allow me to focus on my goal marathon pace, breathing and running form. I did make a conscious effort to work on my cadence, and that resulted in a higher average for this session at 189 (previous MP session cadence was at 182). Also the choice of running route and the positive split (first half of the run faster than the second half), made the run feel harder than last week's MP run. But, when I compare this session to the first MP session (on 18th Dec 2016) where I used the same route, I can definitely feel the difference in my running strength and fitness, as I now have the confidence and the ability to hold the pace over more than double the initial distance. Also no issues with the hamstrings this session, so that's a bonus. Hydration wise, I used one 250ml hand held bottle and that was just enough for this run (luckily it was first thing in the morning before it really starts to heat up).Success Criteria Checkpoints: 13 / 42 sessions completed (31%)
1. Did I hold the pace over the prescribed distance: Yes, but the pace was quite erratic. Could have done another mile, but would not have been pleasant.
2. Did my heart rate stay in Zone 3: No, but the average HR was the same as last week's session, only difference was the max heart rate as explained above.
3. How well am I recovering: Legs feel good. The easy bike rides are helping recovery for the legs, so may even try and sneak in a session on the bike later tonight.
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