Not bad for a working week – working 7 days a week so fitting in the exercise is important. Trying to get over an hour a day of exercise – really want to lose some weight and get a bit quicker … my runs have been slow since the cold.
This is a goodbye to Garmin Training Log as well as moving on to Movescount the Suunto calendar and community page. Just sold the Garmin 405 to a pal and looking forward to trying out the Suunto T6C which should be waiting for me at home.
Needed sugar – rarely get these craving for coke or any can of sugary crap but completely conked today playing a game of 5-a-side (well actually 4-a-side really) at 4pm when it was still 40 degrees.
completely knackered – it is 10pm now and going to have to crash. Think I may have got slight heat exhaustion … wore a HRM and my max hit 180bpm which is higher than it should be really … must be the heat.
Change over for teams
How good was that?
Total Shock and Awe on a bicycle. Quite possibly the best biking weekend of the year so far – went down Friday after putting the girls to bed. The team were registering so I didnt have to and after one dropout we had to rejig teams so i was put in a team of 3 with two other teams of 4 taking part.
Staying in something called Conifers – a mtb’ing owner so friendly reception.
nick either fired up or needing a poo
My nice teamates made more than a few comments about the big front wheeled 96′er ‘clown bike’ was a bit harsh I thought …. but i was to be vindicated.
After the crappy internet entry and bad updated website the No Fuss organisation for the day was good, top course and perfect enduro setting and then the rain really started.
1st lap - and this was in the dry
It rained – it was muddy – the loops off the regular trail broke up immediately and slithering and OTB was the order of the day for most on the downhill sections – saw an ambulance (or 4) take away the badly injured and that doesnt count those had to get taken to A&E to patch up by their mates. Ramon after getting a bright pink bandage on his first lap – baled again on the second – hit the same spot but this time made a whole right down to under muscle.
Great mortals just let rip across the routes and mud and somehow made it to the bottom (in most cases). The race was cut short by an hour due to deteriorating conditions and after certain sections had been closed – so i had to miss my 3rd lap and instead have a massage and a beer while john was still out on the course. This did not detract from the challenge or the sense of achievement.
Garmin Screen 1
Garmin Screen 2
Nick came in for the team of 4 with only 10seconds left on the clock – they had done 7 laps along with the other team of 4 and we in the team of 3 had only managed 8 laps in the 9 hours.
After my second lap - much muddier
Carver did me pride as the clown bike survived 2 foot drops into mud potholes without flipping me over the bars like all the regular riders. Never bailed once just one clumsy sidefall on mud and a few dabs on the course. Respect though to a singlespeed 29′er and a mad man on a cyclocross bike.
Stayed a night down there but even my bike was a bit damaged as the Rohloff cable was fecked by the mud.
race numbers stopped some of the spray
Mark and sore shoulder - the second most injured in our team
5:15am - sunrise blurry eyes
Flew out of Iraq Thursday on a 11:30am flight – but the day started a bit earlier as there was a 10km race organised that morning. At first I was in two minds as to whether to bother, as I have been hitting the gym well the gym bike for at least an hour a day in preperation for the Kirroughtree 10 hour race. Come 5am and my alarm went off – straight out of bed and bleary eyed across the base to the run site.
more t-shirts I wont bother wearing again
6am came quickly and ‘bang’ we were off. Was planning to take it easy – a long time since I have run 10km quickly … but my pace felt good and finished around 10th in 43m40s
Lap times / split per km
…. temp always seems to add about 3 min to run time – would have been nice to run sub 40 but in 30C+ that is asking a bit too much for my body.
Then went back quickly packed and jumped on a plane …. a good start to a boring travel day.
nice hotel bed to finish the day
There’s a 10km race next week the day I fly out of this dustbowl – 6am start and I think I have to leave for airport at 9am so that should give me enough time to travel, run, shower and eat before I leave. 10km run and haven’t done one for a while so this morning I set my alarm for 6am (after a late night watching the USA-Ghana game)
round the lakes
Not so hot today but was already 30 degrees …. never went quickly just put the miles under my belt. Wasn’t really looking at the Garmin HRM as I ran only afterwards – my lap times pretty consistent (after the first one where I was still waking up) so I guess I was definitely in my cardio zone groove.
consistent split times
Might hit the gym tonight – trying to make sure I do an hour a day on the bike in preperation for my 10hr marathon mtb race relay next week. Should be good fun.
‘The good news is that it’s a lovely day, the bad news is that the temp is already 94F …’ this was at 6:40am and the race was due to start at 7am. Started my watch 100m in so left it running for 15 sec at the end – prob a bit more on distance.
Heart Rate and Speed
Today was hot and I struggled around the normal 5km course (which included a finish running up the hill – OUCH thats got to hurt)
t-shirt time for the first 300
Apart from a loose shoelace and about 10 seconds lost retying it – the race went well. That last hill was bad passed 3 on that bit alone and came in 19th – one of the chaps that I passed was about to ‘chunky chuckle’ – he didn’t look very happy.
Sportypal has a nice 3D view
Sportypal
5am out of bed … why do I do this. Grabbed a small bite to eat and glugged some water then went over to Liberty Base. Today is hot, far hotter than I like. Nearly 7am (the start) and the temp is already mid 30′s C
baghdad army day 7km run
We started and I was leading for all of 500m – very strange for me not to see people in front of me … didn’t last that long and by 2km in I was down to to the 20′s in position. My pace was slowing quick so I started ticking off the things that could be slowing me down …. jetlag … heat …. slight cold hanging on ….. no running for the past 3 weeks …. all bad.
Half way through I took some water at the feed station and threw the rest of the water on my head – that felt a lot better.
Sped up towards the end and passed a few that were burnt out and cramped.
Not the best run but still better than being pistol whipped by the Mujihadeen.
And another t-shirt
‘morning’ he said at 5:45am, ‘I got to bed at 2am’
He’ll be good to run I thought. Drove over to staging and then all assembled ready to race: and then we were off.
19:56
The course was around Z-lake and the temp at 7am was probably just nudging 20 degrees C – nice to break 20min again and roughly similar position 14th out of 500+ runners.
Race Day:
Wasn’t feeling too hot this morning as I woke up wolfed down a Clif Bar then went to staging area.
Race was quite busy and about 400 runners maybe. Started near fron then legged it the first km (for me) to get a bit clearer. Think there were about 15 people ahead of me but gradually started to edge back overtaking 4 or 5 then having 1 overtake me.
Ran past my lodging and on another day I would have been tempted to call it quits there – but today was good – didn’t drink last night and I think I was even in bed by 11pm.
Finished got my T-shirt, and then cheered the other 3 from work as they came in.
Pretty happy as it is my best 5km result (err out of two run – so it was always going to be my best or worst)
I am entering a 5km race which is starting Saturday 10th at 7am ….. not sure that is early enough as already the temperature will be 27 degrees C …. still will be fun to do a short race. Popped in a shop yesterday morning and there was a a running magazine with an article on running your fastest 5k (with a training plan)
But a 4 week training plan so nothing to get excited about as there are only 7 days until the race but a great article. Feeling inspired yesterday a 4pm I went for a run – wow SCORCHIO still over 30 degrees I reckon and I was on an interval session. At the end my hrm had been peaking and my face resembled a slapped baby’s arse (although an ugly one with pulsing veins perhaps)
A 15min cold shower made me feel slightly human again.
Uploaded info from the Garmin 405 and even though the sprints weren’t that quick my HR was high. Need to find a graph showing HRM rates and how affected by temp.
Exported the .gpx file to SportyPal as well to see that website. Different and quite good although the NEW Garmin Training Website has just been improved as well. Here are the two examples … obviously Sportypal doesn’t do heart rate.
GARMIN (I had to split screen)
Sportypal for same run
Following on from my new 75% training slow / 25% training fast regime I did a quick burn around the lakes this morning. Quite hot so suffered a bit ….
HR quite high too – not sure if this was the heat or just a lack of running over the last 2 months.
Knackered after a few days. Verbier has had no snow and today was 15 degrees C so baking. Conditions not great for boarding thinly groomed slopes over sheet ice. Can’t complain as being forced to improve technique and really commit to the rails.
Also tried out the GPSies app for the iPhone as well as the MotionX app.
The GPSies automatically syncs with online site ……
MotionX works differently – afterwards you can email yourself the file which comes as gpx or kml format. The gpx format will go straight into Garmin Calender and KML is the google earth format … very nifty.
Nice single-speed day out with Findlay. He is the proud owner of a steel beast and my Klein needed a run out.
Went exploring for trails and although we never really found any (except a boggy field full of cow shit) it was still nice to stretch the legs for a couple of hours.
Felt me legs burning this morning on cycling the girls to school and nursery.
It could be as simple as 220 – your age or the more complicated Karvonnen method (see here)
However, if you are a cyclist, there is a much more effective method. However, I must begin with a warning the following method can be described as a Max HR Test because you work harder and harder until your heart simply can’t beat any faster (or you puke). You actually achieve your heart rate maximum. Because of this, only extremely fit individuals should attempt this and even then it is recommended that you do so with proper medical supervision.
While you can perform this test outdoors, I suggest you use an indoor trainer for safety reasons. Begin by warming up for at least 15 minutes, and preferably for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure you perform some high cadence spin-ups to really elevate your heart rate (but don’t work so hard that you’re too tired to perform the test). Once you have finished warming up, do the following (keep in mind that this test should only take about 5 minutes maximum):
Start spinning in a reasonably comfortable gear at about 90 rpm. Every 60 seconds shift up one gear while maintaining a cadence around 90 rpm until you just can’t go any higher (gearing) or harder (intensity). Frequently check your heart rate monitor readout. During this test, it will rise steadily and then reach a point where it plateaus and doesn’t rise any further even though you are working at absolute maximum intensity. Congratulations, this is your MHR! Spend about 10 minutes cooling down by spinning a very low (easy) gear at 90-95 rpm.
How to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). The easiest way is the 220 – your age
So for me (darn 40) its:
220-40 = 180bpm
But another way is the Kavonen formula:
Heartrate = (Max HR-Resting HR)*%X/100)+Resting HR (where %X=%Max)
(187-44) x .6/100) + 44 = my 60% HR (which is 129.8bpm so 130bpm)
there is a calculator online here that i made earlier (just remember to avoid the dreaded zone 3 – see my post on this here>>)
Zone 1 = 50 to 60% of MHR fatburn
Zone 2 = 60 to 70% of MHR
Zone 3 = 70 to 80% of MHR
Zone 4 – 80 to 90% of MHR
Zone 5 = 90 to 100% of MHR
Each zone serves a specific purpose in your physical development. Zone 1 is referred to as the recovery zone. Workouts in this zone will feel very easy. You can talk in full sentences because breathing is effortless. This is a good intensity for recovering from a hard workout. It’s also a good place to start if you are new to exercise. Zone 2 is famously referred to as the fat-burning zone because workouts at this intensity use about 80% fat as a fuel source. You are working harder than Zone 1, therefore breathing is more labored. However, you can still talk fairly easily. Zone 3 is the aerobic zone where breathing becomes labored and talking becomes somewhat difficult. This is also the zone where you can make great improvements to your aerobic endurance.
Zone 4, known as the threshold zone is where your workouts get hard. You will not be talking in this zone! Competitive endurance athletes like swimmers, runners and cyclists spend a lot of time in this zone because it will increase your lactate threshold, which is the key to improving performance (I’ll describe this in greater detail in a future post). Finally, Zone 5 is all about pain! Known as the anaerobic zone, it is not sustainable for long periods because it utilizes the body’s anaerobic energy systems which only last for a few seconds to a maximum of a few minutes.
I will carry on tomorrow and speak about the 75% rule when it comes to training – although it does require discipline not to overtrain.
Interval training is best described as – short bursts of intense activity interspersed with rest or recovery. It is a means of over loading our bodies for a short period of time to achieve fitness gains.
For example, after a 10 minute warm up:
• 1 minute “hard” pace (high intensity)
• 1 minute “easy” pace (low intensity)
• Repeat hard – easy efforts 10 times
Cool down 10 minutes.
During the early and peak seasons of the training planner (from week 9), interval training is used to develop aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Because it is quite stressful to the body, no more than 2 interval sessions / weeks are done and those new to mountain biking should only do 1 session / week. Interval training is not done any earlier in the programme than this, as a good base level of endurance is required first. Also, because of the high intensity of interval training, too much, too early in the season can cause burn out.
Interval training is the final boost towards peak fitness as it develops burst speed for short sharp hill climbs and the sustainable speed needed for a MTB Marathon Series or endurance event. Our bodies are being trained to better tolerate the accumulation of lactic acid and also become more efficient at clearing it away. This will therefore help to delay the onset of fatigue.
In the training planner, you will see that there are two types of interval training described – long and short intervals.
Long Intervals
Long intervals are excellent for building aerobic endurance and should be performed at a moderately hard but sustainable pace – you shouldn’t be going flat out. These sessions are particularly good for those new to MTBing, but more experienced riders can use both long and short intervals.
E.g. – week 9 – Regular MTBer
Warm up 10 minutes
• 6 minutes moderately hard pace
• 3 minutes steady cycling at low intensity
• Repeat 4-6 times
Cool down 10 minutes
Short Intervals
With short intervals the work time is less but the intensity is greater. You should aim to cycle at flat out pace. It is an excellent way to develop anaerobic capacity as lactic acid clearance improves and you will be able to maintain faster speeds for longer. Short intervals at this highest intensity should be avoided if you are new to MTB.
E.g. week 9 – Regular MTBer
Warm up 10 minutes
• 2 minutes hard pace
• 3 minutes steady cycling at low intensity
• Repeat 4 – 6 times
Cool down 10 minutes.
Progressing your interval training sessions
As you progress through the 4-week cycle, the number of repetitions can be increased to make the session harder.
For example:
Start week – 4 repetitions
Build week – 5 repetitions
Push week – 6 repetitions
Recovery week – no interval training
Other ways to progress the interval session are
• Increase the duration of each repetition
• Reduce the recovery of each repetition
• Repeat the same session but uphill
Interval sessions are excellent for quick after-work burns on the bike, as they are quality workouts that take relatively little time. Treat them with respect though – don’t do too many and avoid a high intensity session the day before your long endurance ride. You will need plenty of recovery time and a good meal after one of these workouts!
A decent HRM with the ability to upload and analyse your workout will let you comprehend the link between knowledge of what has been don and how it effects the body … I use a Suunto t6 and Movesount analysis which also has a great training effect mode …. check out my review on the site by clicking the tag …
The interval programs of today have become highly sophisticated methods of structured training for athletic performance enhancement. Physiologists and trainers have designed interval programs that are specifically suited to individual athletes. These sessions include precisely measured intervals that match the athlete’s sport, event and current level of conditioning. Often the appropriate intensity and duration of the intervals is determined by the results of anaerobic threshold testing (AT) that includes measuring the blood-lactate of an athlete during intense exercise.
Interval training works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. During the high intensity effort, the anaerobic system uses the energy stored in the muscles (glycogen) for short bursts of activity. Anaerobic metabolism works without oxygen. The by-product is lactic acid, which is related to the burning sensation felt in the muscles during high intensity efforts. During the high intensity interval, lactic acid builds and the athlete enters oxygen debt. During the recovery phase the heart and lungs work together to “pay back” this oxygen debt and break down the lactic acid. It is in this phase that the aerobic system is in control, using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy.
This repetitive form of training leads to the adaptation response. The body begins to build new capillaries, and is better able to take in and deliver oxygen to the working muscles. Muscles develop a higher tolerance to the build-up of lactate, and the heart muscle is strengthened. These changes result in improved performance particularly within the cardiovascular system.
Interval training also helps prevent the injuries often associated with repetitive endurance exercise, and they allow you to increase your training intensity without overtraining or burn-out. In this way, adding intervals to your workout routine is a good way to cross train.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, more calories are burned in short, high intensity exercise. If you are counting calories burned, high intensity exercise such as intervals are better than long, slow endurance exercise, but you may pay a price.
You don’t need to be a world-class athlete and have sophisticated blood analysis to take advantage of the benefits of interval training. The standard “speed play” training of fartlek works well for the rest of us. This type of interval work is based upon your subjective needs. Simply pay attention to how you feel and set your intensity and duration accordingly
fancy dress breast cancer run
if you’re thinking about starting to use a GPS to track your runs you’ve probably heard about Garmin’s wrist-watch type GPS units like my 405, Suunto’s T6C and some of the new iPhone applications. Both options are great, but there are some things you should consider before you spend your money.
Ease of use: while running
looking at your wrist is a lot easier than using your iphone esp if you are mainly checking pace and heart rate. iPhone applications need to conserve battery life and also need to make sure that being in a pocket doesn’t cause accidental keystroke input – a sweaty leg works like a finger as well. So most apps dim the display and lock the input. A Garmin GPS won’t dim the display or lock the input. The wristwatch format is much better for use while running.
Battery life
Using the GPS feature and display on an iPhone uses the battery very quickly. Most of the iPhone GPS applications claim to get 3-4 hours of battery life (see comment below – states up to 7 for some) but this entails switching off 3gs and wifi. By the time you get home the battery is nearly dead. My Garmin ForeRunner 405 records data for more than 4 hours on an mtb ultra-marathon. If you “go long” you’ll want battery life that goes as long as you do. Garmin wins again. *since this I have an Edge 305HRM dedicated for bike use*
Accessories
Garmin fitness GPS devices can be used with accessories including a heart rate monitor, a bicycle cadence monitor, and a footpod for indoor use. I haven’t seen any fitness accessories for the iPhone yet. The HR ones always seem to be using the mic on the iPhone so no ease of us there. The new one I previewed earlier HERE might be great (when it comes out)
Features
The iPhone applications are getting more sophisticated, and are not far behind Garmin (except for HR). I set up the display screens on my Garmin 405 like this:
Main 1:
Time (running)
Distance
Average Pace
Main 2:
HR graph
HR
HR%
Screen 3:
Time again
Last lap pace
GPS accuracy
Defined workouts
I haven’t seen any iPhone apps that allow you to create pre-defined workouts to guide your runs. I generally don’t use mine on the 405 but you can ….
Training log Software
The iPhone apps work with web-based training log applications. Map my Run has some nice features and their iPhone application works very well. Garmin GPS devices come with Garmin Training Center and also work with motionbased, garmin connect, and many of the web-based applications.
Price
If you already own an iPhone 3G/3Gs you’re in luck. MapMyRun.com and their iMapMyRun iPhone app are both free (for the basic service). You can get started using a GPS to track your runs by downloading the iPhone app and signing up for the service. Trails / walkjogrun / MotionX are all good – I’ll go through them all another time. Motion X, Runkeeper and Runmonster are the best app I have used on the iPhone
If you don’t own an iPhone 3G/3Gs and are serious about logging your training (runs) get a Garmin. (or Suunto / Polar)
The bottom line
I’m a big fan of the iPhone and am in most cases a strong proponent of web-based software. I’m also serious about my training and want to take advantage of of the full capabilities of the GPS technology. For me, there’s no question, Garmin is much better than the iPhone for GPS Running. The iPhone advantage in price (if you already own one) is an important consideration. If it was only HR training/cycling without the need to export tracks then I would get a Polar HRM but that’s a whole new post …….. (not anymore)
NEW * A review of some other running apps for the iPhone
RUNKEEPER HERE
RUNMONSTER HERE
SPORTYPAL HERE
NOTE – I have since got into more robust HRM analysis and sold the 405 to a pal and bought a Suunto T6C …. the best of both worlds. Compatible with mac, good HRM software like Polar and a gps like the Garmin ….
U=I have reviewed the Suunto T6C here now at http://tinyurl.com/25ao6ae
BUT TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK??????
Actually some of apps for iPhone claim to run up to 7 hours like iSportsTracker ( http://isportstracker.com ) or a bit less RunKeeper ( http://runkeeper.com ). You can also define your own workouts in both of them.
Great thing with iPhone is that you can automatically publish your training data to online running logs different from Gramin or Polar ones. This is really pushing you forward because you see all your buddies achievements.
online data http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24047581
at mapmyrun.com http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/gb/glasgow/832126571988684012
At 3am last night or was that this morning it was decided to have a little 10km run today.
Findlay is not the quickest but was keen so 11am and we’re off running around my new area the east end of Glasgow. Must admit yet to find a scenic lovely river run on par with botanics and Kelvingrove in the West End ….. ended up coming back via The Forge – quite the minkiest dirtiest scummiest part of the run.
Not inspired and we ended up running 14km which wasn’t planned either …. Findlay struggled as he had had no breakfast – and was running on fumes. (whisky Fumes at that – which had seemed like a good idea between 1am and 3am)
Aah well better than nothing I guess.
in pre-production for a shoot and small things like locations dropping out and with the wife being poorly I have been doing the kids and work balance, which I am not so fluent on. Normally it is better but been working at night so a bit tired and had no exercise for a week so this morning went to our Baths (old victorian Baths) and the creche wasn’t open – had been so looking foward to an hour and a half in the gym followed by a quick steam before taking the girls swimming …. so swimming only not the end of the world …. but by the time I got home I was gagging to get out for some exercise on my own.
Went for a run around the neighbourhood – gps took a while to lock on – my fault for being impatient as it needed some time as the last use was in Iraq. Ran around the necropolis much hillier than I expected it to be – now it could be a good hill training route.
Suffered a bit High heart rate for such a slow run – but I think it was the stress coming out as my pace was dead slow in my multilayered running get up.
desertroadie
barroommountaineer
manofthemoors
Jacob is discussing. 
I have done similar tests, but find that if I wear a HR monitor during a race, I somehow always get it higher by about 5 beats. I never realized this until I used a Garmin 705 and watched my HR for the final sprint, especially if it is a hill climb finish.