So there it is. The long run to finish off the week. I am hovering around the 5min per kilometre pacing which I’m quite happy with. I was talking to my bud, the friend I am doing the 50km Ultra with, and he said that pace, that speed, was ideal. It wasn’t too hard, it wasn’t too easy, and like the porridge on the bear’s table, it was just right. It was the type of pace that would be sustainable for the entirety of the race (we hope). If we kept around that speed, we’d be looking at finishing the race around the five hour mark. Achievable. And fun. Yeah, I said fun. Sometimes, there is fun in the suffering and overcoming. It feels wrong to think that, but experience tells me differently.
Average heart rate on this run was:
It’s hard to see here, but my average heart rate for the run was 151 bpm. Anything over 154 bpm puts me in the maximum heart rate range. I want to spend most of my time in the threshold range, which is the best range to build my cardio base.
There are five heart rate zones. They are based on your age. You find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. And then each zone under that is 16 beats below. For example, I’m 48. My maximum heart rate zone is 172. 172-16 = 156. My Garmin adjusted mine (fitness level) to 154. Anytime my heart rate exceeds 154, I’m in my maximum heart rate zone. I don’t want to spend my running time there. I’m not sprinting. I’m going for long distance here. I want to spend my time in the threshold zone. The five heart rate zones are as follows:
Zone 1- Warm up. This should be super easy. A walking pace or barely above.
Zone 2- Easy. This should be, well, easy, a fast walk, light jog even, provided it stays within the range for your age.
Zone 3- Aerobic. At this point, you’re jogging lightly. You should be able to hold a conversation with your jogging buddy. Not an easy one, but, you should be able to complete a sentence. There is a debate in the fitness community (as per usual) about this zone. It is believed to be the best zone (for the most part) for fat loss.
Zone 4- Threshold. This is the gravy zone, the one you want to be in to improve your cardio base. This is where I want to hang my hat. You may be able to utter two-word sentences at most.
Zone 5- Maximum. This is the sprinting zone. You shouldn’t be able to speak. You might want to cry, but speaking? Nope. This is not the zone for me on long runs. To increase my VO2 max, I will use this for one of my training days. Mostly I run hill repeats. That way, I get better at running hills while my heart is hammering away.
For 86% of my run, I was in the Threshold zone. That’s awesome sauce for me. Ideally, I want to lower that to be in the high 140’s but hey, baby steps. I’ll get there.
One more tough week ahead before another sweet-sweet recovery week. I find by the time the recovery week comes around, I’m ready for it. It’s a good mental and physical break. I’m digging this plan.
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Here are the resources I use. Check them out.
Resources on YouTube for health and fitness: Will Tennyson, Greg Doucette, Joni Shreve, More Plates More Dates, and Knees over toes guy.
Resources to check out on YouTube for running: Aravaipa Running, Confidence in Chaos, Dr. Mark Cucuzzella (for form), and Billy Yang for inspirational ultra videos.
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