It's wet, cold and dark outside. November rain can really drain your motivation. It feels like I'm stuck under a heavy blanket when I think about getting out running. But that's not all. I've had a setback in fitness as well. After overstretching myself twice. First I cranked up distance volume way too quickly during summer. Then I participated in a trail marathon way too early considering my fitness level. The result? I got myself back to square one. So what should I do? Cry and give up?
Nope. Well, maybe cry a little bit over the lost fitness - but then it's time to get back on track. After the trail marathon I cut myself some slack. I really needed it to recover. My knees were painful for more than a week afterwards. So I actually couldn't have been training although I did want to. Slowly I got myself together and started cautious jogging only to find out I had lost a lot of fitness. It felt devastating - but what can you do? All that work had been wasted. Or that's what I thought back then.
Now I've logged 30-40 km/week consistently for the last three weeks. Most of the "lost" fitness came back very quickly. The windy, cold, dark November rain is still an issue though. How do I deal with it? I try to plan my running as a way to commute to work. I decide on which days I will run there, and on which days I will run home. Then I set up the logistics so that I have to follow my plan or suffer. If I don't stick with it I'm either without proper shoes at work, or I have to borrow money for the bus home or I have to wear wrinkly shirts, sometimes all at the same day. It gets me over the psychological barrier of demotivation. When I do get out, I actually don't care about the icy rain stabbing my face and the slippery mud sucking at my feet. I actually feel proud of myself for sticking with it. I feel strong for following through even if it costs me some.
When it comes to the bottom line it's all about some basic facts of life. The days pass and never come back. If I want to make my dreams reality I can't afford to waste my time coming up with excuses. But whats even more important is to try to really enjoy the moment and keep an open heart, because destiny can change even the most well thought out plans. That's all I have to say for November. Take care people, of yourselves and of each other.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Race report: Vaarojen Maraton (Marathon of Dangers)
43 kilometers of tough technical trails. 1160 meters of total elevation gain. 500 runners. Seven hours and seven minutes of pain, pleasure and perseverance.
Last weekend I participated in the marathon of dangers. It's a 43 km long trail run through the national park Koli, in Finland. Alltogether some 30:ish kilometers are made up of technical trails. Roots, rocks, slippery cliffs, mud, marsh, steep ascents and steep descents combined with 1160 meters of total elevation gain makes the course a challenge for any runner. This was the scene for my marathon debute. Intended to give me a better understanding of what the Transalpine would demand.
The previous month, September, didn't go well training wise. I overtrained in late August, had some regression in running times, cought a flu once, and cought a flu twice. At least I got to taper a lot! Lying at home battling the flu only a few days before the event wasn't fun though. Getting out of bed straight to the woods felt a bit scary. I was nervous at the start - would I hold together and finish - or would I break and bust out. Time to find out!
Off we go. Jogging slowly into the forest. I'm monitoring my heart rate with some anxiety. It's way above where I think it ought to be. So we are holding back. It's probably mostly adrenaline, but I don't want to risk it at this point. The field passes by during the first kilometers and I'm sure I'll be dead last. After roughly three kilometers we hit a gravel road. Smooth surface for two kilometers. Then we head back into the woods for the next ten kilometers. I take my first sips of sport drink at around 40 minutes. We are passed by more people on the next uphill. I prefer to walk the uphills. But foolishly I run the downhills. Running the downhills will get me into trouble later. But at the moment it feels just great to get up to some speed in between the slow uphills.
The hills are puny compared to the Alps, yet they feel quite high and quite tough. The Jauholanvaara hill is the first longer climb, some 200 meters of altitude gain. Power walking up the hill. I pop the first energy pills. Our tail is growing, so we let some runners pass by. Soon after the 10 km mark the trail starts to slope downwards. After the descent we encounter a mudmarsh. It's wet and it's slippery like hell. We slow down even more, not to face plant in the gray grease. More than two hours has passed when we reach the lake crossing at roughly 16 km. We realise we won't make our unofficial target time of six hours. It doesn't matter much. Time flies by and it's (still) mostly a pleasure to be outside this crisp autumn day, with the nature cloured beutifullty in green, yellow and red.
After the lake crossing we hit the first service point. Loading up my water bladder takes forever. I fill my consumed 0,5l energy drink bottle with water and rehydration pills. Finally we are off again. I eat some pickles and sugar pills. Running feels great. But Gothoni, my running buddy, is getting more and more silent. I ask him how his doing. Mostly well apparently, but he is experiencing a slight low. Anyway he assures me all is good and we keep pounding the trail. Suddenly I realise he has been very quiet for a while now. When I turn around I see a girl trailing me. Gothoni is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he went to take a leak, I think to myself, and keep going. He'll catch up.
By now I'm waiting for the next distance mark. I pass the 20 km mark and am now closing in on the dreaded Ryläys hill. The climb is not very steep, but boy is it long. The mildly ascending terrain offers some spectacular lake views. My hand left hand looks wierd. It's swollen. I have to make a mental reminder to eat and drink. I don't think about much for the next five kilometers. Remember to fuel and where the hell is that 25 km mark. I encounter some really swampy and wet terrain and have to sacrifice my left foot. Now it's all soked and I'm expecting blisters. And it starts to rain.
I pass the 25 km mark knowing I'm now soon going to encounter the highest point of the run at 323 meters on top of Ryläys hill. The elevation gain isn't that bad, but the trail gets even more complicated with big boulders and sloping slippery cliffs. The view is well worth the climb. But I'm more interested in encountering the 30 km mark. I'm passed by the leader of the ultra distance. He looked so much stronger than I feel. I'm also passed by the guy chasing the leader. I cheer them on. Those guys deserve respect, covering the 43 km trail twice in less than ten hours. The descent from Ryläys hill is a nightmare. It kills my quadriceps. I jitter forward and downward on shaky legs. Fearing a fall on those sharp rocks.
Last weekend I participated in the marathon of dangers. It's a 43 km long trail run through the national park Koli, in Finland. Alltogether some 30:ish kilometers are made up of technical trails. Roots, rocks, slippery cliffs, mud, marsh, steep ascents and steep descents combined with 1160 meters of total elevation gain makes the course a challenge for any runner. This was the scene for my marathon debute. Intended to give me a better understanding of what the Transalpine would demand.
 | |
| Waiting for my turn at the starting area. |
The previous month, September, didn't go well training wise. I overtrained in late August, had some regression in running times, cought a flu once, and cought a flu twice. At least I got to taper a lot! Lying at home battling the flu only a few days before the event wasn't fun though. Getting out of bed straight to the woods felt a bit scary. I was nervous at the start - would I hold together and finish - or would I break and bust out. Time to find out!
Off we go. Jogging slowly into the forest. I'm monitoring my heart rate with some anxiety. It's way above where I think it ought to be. So we are holding back. It's probably mostly adrenaline, but I don't want to risk it at this point. The field passes by during the first kilometers and I'm sure I'll be dead last. After roughly three kilometers we hit a gravel road. Smooth surface for two kilometers. Then we head back into the woods for the next ten kilometers. I take my first sips of sport drink at around 40 minutes. We are passed by more people on the next uphill. I prefer to walk the uphills. But foolishly I run the downhills. Running the downhills will get me into trouble later. But at the moment it feels just great to get up to some speed in between the slow uphills.
 |
| Climbing the Jauholanvaara hill, tailed by happy trail runners. |
The hills are puny compared to the Alps, yet they feel quite high and quite tough. The Jauholanvaara hill is the first longer climb, some 200 meters of altitude gain. Power walking up the hill. I pop the first energy pills. Our tail is growing, so we let some runners pass by. Soon after the 10 km mark the trail starts to slope downwards. After the descent we encounter a mudmarsh. It's wet and it's slippery like hell. We slow down even more, not to face plant in the gray grease. More than two hours has passed when we reach the lake crossing at roughly 16 km. We realise we won't make our unofficial target time of six hours. It doesn't matter much. Time flies by and it's (still) mostly a pleasure to be outside this crisp autumn day, with the nature cloured beutifullty in green, yellow and red.
 |
| My running buddy Gothoni enjoying the boat ride in the sun. |
After the lake crossing we hit the first service point. Loading up my water bladder takes forever. I fill my consumed 0,5l energy drink bottle with water and rehydration pills. Finally we are off again. I eat some pickles and sugar pills. Running feels great. But Gothoni, my running buddy, is getting more and more silent. I ask him how his doing. Mostly well apparently, but he is experiencing a slight low. Anyway he assures me all is good and we keep pounding the trail. Suddenly I realise he has been very quiet for a while now. When I turn around I see a girl trailing me. Gothoni is nowhere to be seen. Maybe he went to take a leak, I think to myself, and keep going. He'll catch up.
 |
| Pictures don't do steep technical trails justice. |
I climb the second hill Kolinvaara, this time I walk the entire bit even though it isn't that steep. I'm starting to feel the first 17 kms in my legs. I take som pictures from the hill top and decide to wait for Gothoni, again being passed by some runners. I wait for what feels like several minutes but he is still nowhere in sight. I should call him, but I can't be bothered to haul out the phone from my pack. I decide to call him at the 30 km mark if he hasn't showed up by then.
 |
| The route offers some beutiful scenery from hill tops. |
By now I'm waiting for the next distance mark. I pass the 20 km mark and am now closing in on the dreaded Ryläys hill. The climb is not very steep, but boy is it long. The mildly ascending terrain offers some spectacular lake views. My hand left hand looks wierd. It's swollen. I have to make a mental reminder to eat and drink. I don't think about much for the next five kilometers. Remember to fuel and where the hell is that 25 km mark. I encounter some really swampy and wet terrain and have to sacrifice my left foot. Now it's all soked and I'm expecting blisters. And it starts to rain.
 |
| At times the pools of muddy water are unavoidable. |
I pass the 25 km mark knowing I'm now soon going to encounter the highest point of the run at 323 meters on top of Ryläys hill. The elevation gain isn't that bad, but the trail gets even more complicated with big boulders and sloping slippery cliffs. The view is well worth the climb. But I'm more interested in encountering the 30 km mark. I'm passed by the leader of the ultra distance. He looked so much stronger than I feel. I'm also passed by the guy chasing the leader. I cheer them on. Those guys deserve respect, covering the 43 km trail twice in less than ten hours. The descent from Ryläys hill is a nightmare. It kills my quadriceps. I jitter forward and downward on shaky legs. Fearing a fall on those sharp rocks.
 |
| I pass a girl on the descent down the Ryläys hill. |
When I finally reach the 30 km mark I feel great, even though I really start to feel the fatigue. I know I have the strength left to finish the last 13 kms. Time to dig out that cell phone from my pack. I call Risberg, who couldn't participate because of illness, and give hime a report. I call Gothoni to ask him where the hell he is. He has DNF:d. His stomach stopped cooperating and just wouldn't get him any energy from what he drank and ate. This gets my mood down a bit, I had believed he would be right behind me and that I could wait for him to cath up at the service point at 31 kms. I call my wife. She cheers me on and starts to tell me about what our puppy did. I can't focus on that right now, so I carry on with the run - I actually run the flats.
 |
| Anticipating that sweet choclate bar in my pack. |
I run past the service point as I have plenty of drink left and they don't serve any snacks anyways. Now follows a good six kilometers on a rather smooth surfaced gravel road. Sweet. My feet already hurt so much it doesn't make a big difference anyway. But I'm grateful I don't have to look down in front of me all the time. The road is boring though and I'm starting to feel pain in my right knee. At this point I would rather stop than carry on, it isn't fun anymore. But it's a part of the deal. You have to take the pain with the pleasure. I have to limp down the downhills. But on the flats I can still run. And I do.
I have to dig deep down within to find the motivation to run. I meet the force deep inside. And there I find the strength of my will. So I use it. I run. I run along the lakeside road. Totatally focused on running. I zone out. Then I look up. I look into those two blue eyes I used to love. My ex girlfriend is there on the shore of lake Pielinen. Following the race. Standing less than two meters from where I pass by. I flinch. She flinches. And the moment has passed. I pass by, shaken out of focus. She is staring down the road in the other direction. Wierd. 500 kilometers from home, and I haven't seen her in six years. Life offers a suprise every now and then. I carry on.
The route turns back into technical terrain. I mistakenly believe this is the last ascent and start to press on hard. I pass a couple of runners on the uphill. WTF? After a good climb of 100 elevation meters the trail starts to bend downhill. And my knee is killing me. I have to ask a runner coming up from behind if this really is the right path, he assures me it is. So I limp down the hill - painfully slowly. Every step couses sharpish pain in my knee. But I know there is less than 5 kms left, so I press on.
 |
| The devilish race director planned this torturous last climb before the real last climb. This guy should be arrested. |
I get down to the harbor and now I can see the starting point of the last ascent. It's a 3 km long uphill, a good 200 meters of elevation gain ending in a really steep 50 meter uphill. I collect myself once again and powerwalk the uphill. I pass by the runners who passed me on the downhill limp. I run a flatter portion of the uphill. On the last steep bit there are some people cheering. Some guys tell me I look strong, yeah right. Salt striped face and no posture left to mention. But I run the last portion of the uphill. And cross the finish line. I've just finished my first marathon. And not the easiest one there is. My time: 7:07. Nothing to brag about. But I learned a few important lessons.
Take it easy on the downhills. Train strength. Train hills. Train technical trails. Postpone the Transalpine with at least one year. Enjoy the ride.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Race report: Helsinki Midnight Run
Yesterday 6000 runners gathered at the senate square in the heart of Helsinki. The race is a 10k in the dark, filled with torch light, musical events and entertainment. Since I have been feeling a bit off since last week I arrived with a very conservative race strategy.
Two weeks ago I finished my second 30k long run. It felt great. Two days later I went for an 8k recovery run, which was one of my fastest MAF-runs so far. The day after I followed up with a 14k MAF-run. That run was a disaster. I felt really crappy and took a day off. Morning heart rate was elevated by 5-10 bpm. The MAF-test showed some regression. In frustration I aborted the MAF-test after 2 miles with a 7 minute mile. By then I knew something was wrong with me. I went to Berlin with some friends last week and taught I would flush out my system with a lot of booze. Hehhe. Not the best strategy. It backfired with flu and stomach symptomes for the entire week. My troath still felt sore at the dawn of race day. In retrospect I probably overtrained with two 30k runs in 8 days.
I chose a heart rate based strategy. Stay under 170 bpm for the first 3 km, under 180 bpm until 6,5 km, under 190 bpm until 8 km, under 196 bpm for 9,5 km and an all out sprint.
Arriving at the scene after a brisk 20 minute warm up walk. The square is filled with people in bright orange shirts, tents and loud music. A lot of anticipation in the air. There are two long queues in front of the university building where the clothes storage facilities are located. I wait in the line for maybe 15 minutes before I stash away my clothes. The queue to the toilets is even longer. I warm up while waiting for some 20 minutes. Emptying the tank just in time for the start,. Seven minutes to spare actually. I line up in the 50-55 minutes grid. The hot group starts five minutes ahead of us. The music is bursting out form the loudspeakers. Runners all around are twicthing and jumping in pre race agitation. Off we go.
A quick glance at the hrm, 150 bpm. We run downhill in the dimly lit streets of downtown Helsinki. I have to conciously keep my speed in check, not wanting to go out too fast. Arriving at the 2 km mark we have passed som uphill sections and already my heart rate has been drifting towards 175 bpm. I slow down on the next uphill, looking at my hrm showing 169 bpm. A lot of runners pass me on the uphill. We arrive at the first water station. I speed into the mid section, grab a cup and take som quick gulps of water. Choking and coughing. I'm not very good at running and drinking simultaneously - hey, I'm a man. At 3 km I have already passed 170 bpm, but still staying below 180. We run through a park over a hill. The pathway is beautifully lit with torches lined up along both sides. Down to the farmers market, where there is a samba procession. The course is lined with people high fiving runners passing by. I'm feeling strong and really enjoying the run.
We pass the half way mark at 5 km. I take look at my watch. 30 minutes has passed. S**t, that's slow. Ok, I'm going for a negative split to finish in less than 60 minutes. I speed up. My heart rate occassionally drifts past 190 bpm well before my pre set benchmark of 6,5 km. F**k it. Just go for it! Running faster feels comfortable and easy enough. I pass by a lot of runners. Some well dressed mid life women watching the race shout out to the girls behind me. "Girls! Catch that man, and you are all winners!" As we approach the second rehydration post I hear some girls on my left anticipating the liquids. A giant running beer bottle ahead of us turns around and tells them, that yes, there is beer there ahead of them. Chuckles.
I fly by a lot of runners, one or two speeding by me. It's so much fun passing people. We run along the beach side, people are cheering at the lines. At 7 km I change into higher gear again. My heart rate is well above 190 bpm by now. But the legs are drumming away and it doesn't feel like they are getting too much lactic acid. So I keep going. Speeding up once again at the 8 km mark. I'm giving it pretty much all I have by now. We curve in between the buildings. There are still some uphill bits before the finish. I bite my jaws together and work those legs up the hill. Passing a lot of runners. Those legs are starting to feel heavier for every step. Volounteers are running along the last uphill shouting to the runners to keep it up. "You are almost there! Keep going! Looking strong!" The last uphill is a struggle. I know we are soon done, but the last bend suprises me anyway. Suddenly there is a sharp turn to the left and a steep short downhill before the finish at the left. I really let go and fly down the hill. Passing som runners and racing those ahead. A sharp turn to left and I'm pumping my legs as hard as I can over the finishing mats trough the gate. Feels great! Sweating like a pig and out of breath. I stop my watch at 56:20. A new Personal Record! First I'm feeling disappointed, then I remember the flu symptomes and my weird stomach. Race well done. After all I'm pleased with the negative split. 29:56 and 26:24. The second split only three seconds slower than my previous best 5k.
Today, my troath is still a little bit sore but I'll try to get back to normal training regimen now. Time to polish up that form until a 43km trail run coming up in five weeks.
Two weeks ago I finished my second 30k long run. It felt great. Two days later I went for an 8k recovery run, which was one of my fastest MAF-runs so far. The day after I followed up with a 14k MAF-run. That run was a disaster. I felt really crappy and took a day off. Morning heart rate was elevated by 5-10 bpm. The MAF-test showed some regression. In frustration I aborted the MAF-test after 2 miles with a 7 minute mile. By then I knew something was wrong with me. I went to Berlin with some friends last week and taught I would flush out my system with a lot of booze. Hehhe. Not the best strategy. It backfired with flu and stomach symptomes for the entire week. My troath still felt sore at the dawn of race day. In retrospect I probably overtrained with two 30k runs in 8 days.
I chose a heart rate based strategy. Stay under 170 bpm for the first 3 km, under 180 bpm until 6,5 km, under 190 bpm until 8 km, under 196 bpm for 9,5 km and an all out sprint.
Arriving at the scene after a brisk 20 minute warm up walk. The square is filled with people in bright orange shirts, tents and loud music. A lot of anticipation in the air. There are two long queues in front of the university building where the clothes storage facilities are located. I wait in the line for maybe 15 minutes before I stash away my clothes. The queue to the toilets is even longer. I warm up while waiting for some 20 minutes. Emptying the tank just in time for the start,. Seven minutes to spare actually. I line up in the 50-55 minutes grid. The hot group starts five minutes ahead of us. The music is bursting out form the loudspeakers. Runners all around are twicthing and jumping in pre race agitation. Off we go.
A quick glance at the hrm, 150 bpm. We run downhill in the dimly lit streets of downtown Helsinki. I have to conciously keep my speed in check, not wanting to go out too fast. Arriving at the 2 km mark we have passed som uphill sections and already my heart rate has been drifting towards 175 bpm. I slow down on the next uphill, looking at my hrm showing 169 bpm. A lot of runners pass me on the uphill. We arrive at the first water station. I speed into the mid section, grab a cup and take som quick gulps of water. Choking and coughing. I'm not very good at running and drinking simultaneously - hey, I'm a man. At 3 km I have already passed 170 bpm, but still staying below 180. We run through a park over a hill. The pathway is beautifully lit with torches lined up along both sides. Down to the farmers market, where there is a samba procession. The course is lined with people high fiving runners passing by. I'm feeling strong and really enjoying the run.
We pass the half way mark at 5 km. I take look at my watch. 30 minutes has passed. S**t, that's slow. Ok, I'm going for a negative split to finish in less than 60 minutes. I speed up. My heart rate occassionally drifts past 190 bpm well before my pre set benchmark of 6,5 km. F**k it. Just go for it! Running faster feels comfortable and easy enough. I pass by a lot of runners. Some well dressed mid life women watching the race shout out to the girls behind me. "Girls! Catch that man, and you are all winners!" As we approach the second rehydration post I hear some girls on my left anticipating the liquids. A giant running beer bottle ahead of us turns around and tells them, that yes, there is beer there ahead of them. Chuckles.
I fly by a lot of runners, one or two speeding by me. It's so much fun passing people. We run along the beach side, people are cheering at the lines. At 7 km I change into higher gear again. My heart rate is well above 190 bpm by now. But the legs are drumming away and it doesn't feel like they are getting too much lactic acid. So I keep going. Speeding up once again at the 8 km mark. I'm giving it pretty much all I have by now. We curve in between the buildings. There are still some uphill bits before the finish. I bite my jaws together and work those legs up the hill. Passing a lot of runners. Those legs are starting to feel heavier for every step. Volounteers are running along the last uphill shouting to the runners to keep it up. "You are almost there! Keep going! Looking strong!" The last uphill is a struggle. I know we are soon done, but the last bend suprises me anyway. Suddenly there is a sharp turn to the left and a steep short downhill before the finish at the left. I really let go and fly down the hill. Passing som runners and racing those ahead. A sharp turn to left and I'm pumping my legs as hard as I can over the finishing mats trough the gate. Feels great! Sweating like a pig and out of breath. I stop my watch at 56:20. A new Personal Record! First I'm feeling disappointed, then I remember the flu symptomes and my weird stomach. Race well done. After all I'm pleased with the negative split. 29:56 and 26:24. The second split only three seconds slower than my previous best 5k.
Today, my troath is still a little bit sore but I'll try to get back to normal training regimen now. Time to polish up that form until a 43km trail run coming up in five weeks.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
5 Months assessment
With five and a half months of training behind, it's time to report some results.
First measure. The Polar Ownindex fitness test. My first test result, from the 12th of April, gave me a 41. Thats a low at the "avarege"-rating of my age group. Actually it's the lowest possible average, 40 being the top number for "fair" aerobic fitness.
The most recent test done on the 9th of August gave me a 55. That's towards the top end of "very good" for my age group. I got my highest score so far on the 1st of August when the test scored me a 56. Above 56 is considered "excellent". I read somewhere that Nordic skier and Olympic gold medalist Mika Myllylä scored 95 in his prime. Of course that might be artificially high as he was busted for blood doping. I don't know if he was cheating already during the time of that test. With no further ambitions than my own enjoyment and health I consider my trend pretty satisfactory:
41 - 12.4.2011
45 - 27.4.2011
52 - 11.5.2011
52 - 16.5.2011
51 - 21.5.2011
53 - 9.6.2011
49 - 11.6.2011
53 - 24.6.2011
53 - 13.7.2011
51 - 16.7.2011
54 - 21.7.2011
56 - 1.8.2011
55 - 9.8.2011
Second measure. The MAF-test. I've only done two so far, but it looks promising. First mile done at MAF heart rate has decreased from 12:56 to 11:35. Here are the results from the two test:
8.7.2011 30.7.2011
Mile 1 12:56 11:35
Mile 2 13:08 11:53
Mile 3 12:55 11:59
Mile 4 13:04 12:13
Mile 5 13:10 12:05
Temperature for the first test was 27 degrees Celcius and for the second test it was 20 degrees Celcius, this makes the improvement smaller than at first glance - but a noteworthy imrpovement none the less.
Third measure. Imroved running speed. Of course this would be best assessed by racing the same course with some time in between. Essentially it's pretty much the same as the MAF-test. I'll compare two runs done on the course I call Golf Course 5k.
Runs 5.5.2011 vs. 29.7.2011.
Time 43:00 37:00
Pace 8:36 7:24
Avg hr 142 144
Temp C 17 23
That's some nice improvement. One minute per kilometer faster in a bit less than three months.
Fourth measure. Weight. Initial weight 87 kg, weight today 82 kg. My Polar hrm shows a total of 73.000 calories burned since 12th of April. The real number is larger, as I haven't worn the hrm for every run. I guess that kind of calorie burning should make me a bit leaner, and it has by 5 kg.
Nice improvements all in all. I'm sneaking in a trail marathon in my schedule for this fall. I did my first 30 km training run yesterday. I think to take on the marathon so soon will be a real challenge. There will be some pretty technical trails and a lot of up- and downhill slopes. This race will hopefully provide some real insight to what needs to be done for further development during fall and winter.
First measure. The Polar Ownindex fitness test. My first test result, from the 12th of April, gave me a 41. Thats a low at the "avarege"-rating of my age group. Actually it's the lowest possible average, 40 being the top number for "fair" aerobic fitness.
The most recent test done on the 9th of August gave me a 55. That's towards the top end of "very good" for my age group. I got my highest score so far on the 1st of August when the test scored me a 56. Above 56 is considered "excellent". I read somewhere that Nordic skier and Olympic gold medalist Mika Myllylä scored 95 in his prime. Of course that might be artificially high as he was busted for blood doping. I don't know if he was cheating already during the time of that test. With no further ambitions than my own enjoyment and health I consider my trend pretty satisfactory:
41 - 12.4.2011
45 - 27.4.2011
52 - 11.5.2011
52 - 16.5.2011
51 - 21.5.2011
53 - 9.6.2011
49 - 11.6.2011
53 - 24.6.2011
53 - 13.7.2011
51 - 16.7.2011
54 - 21.7.2011
56 - 1.8.2011
55 - 9.8.2011
Second measure. The MAF-test. I've only done two so far, but it looks promising. First mile done at MAF heart rate has decreased from 12:56 to 11:35. Here are the results from the two test:
8.7.2011 30.7.2011
Mile 1 12:56 11:35
Mile 2 13:08 11:53
Mile 3 12:55 11:59
Mile 4 13:04 12:13
Mile 5 13:10 12:05
Temperature for the first test was 27 degrees Celcius and for the second test it was 20 degrees Celcius, this makes the improvement smaller than at first glance - but a noteworthy imrpovement none the less.
Third measure. Imroved running speed. Of course this would be best assessed by racing the same course with some time in between. Essentially it's pretty much the same as the MAF-test. I'll compare two runs done on the course I call Golf Course 5k.
Runs 5.5.2011 vs. 29.7.2011.
Time 43:00 37:00
Pace 8:36 7:24
Avg hr 142 144
Temp C 17 23
That's some nice improvement. One minute per kilometer faster in a bit less than three months.
Fourth measure. Weight. Initial weight 87 kg, weight today 82 kg. My Polar hrm shows a total of 73.000 calories burned since 12th of April. The real number is larger, as I haven't worn the hrm for every run. I guess that kind of calorie burning should make me a bit leaner, and it has by 5 kg.
Nice improvements all in all. I'm sneaking in a trail marathon in my schedule for this fall. I did my first 30 km training run yesterday. I think to take on the marathon so soon will be a real challenge. There will be some pretty technical trails and a lot of up- and downhill slopes. This race will hopefully provide some real insight to what needs to be done for further development during fall and winter.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Back to Base Building
After miserably failing to reach my time goal of sub 2h on the half marathon I'm settling down and going back to base building.
In my previous post 5K Race to Half Marathon Target I compared my 5K pace run time to two different running calculators. According to the projections I got my finish time for the half marathon should have been between 2:01:09 and 2:01:57. With four weeks of additional training I wanted to test if I could finish in under two hours. Reality hit me in the face and my finishing time was 2:19:33. The pace calculators naturally didn't account for he difference in heat. The race was run in a temperature of 31°C or 88 °F, significantly warmer than the 5K or any of my training runs for that matter. The difference in heat made some real difference. I ran further at a faster pace on training run in May than I did in the half marathon race in July, with a whopping 25 bpm difference in average heart rate. Difference in heat? 31 °C, sun, no wind and humid versus 10 °C, rain and windy. But the time estimate shouldn't be that much off anyway, should it? So why did I fail so miserably?
Poor aerobic fitness. With longer distances the importance of the aerobic metabolism grows. Shorter distances can be run with higher oxygen debt than longer. So the conclusion must be I'm lacking the proper aerobic base. Well, hello, of course I am. With only four months of training it should be obvious. Most of those past training runs were done too fast and too anaerobically. My ego had the better part of me fooled for a while there.
So what I'll do next is to build that aerobic base. I'll use the MAF-method, running at or below maximum aerobic function. As pinpointing the accurate MAF requires extensive testing I'll go with the 180-formula developed by Dr. Phil Maffetone. Subtracting my age from 180 and subtracting an additional 5, as my training has been inconsistent over the past two years. I thus arrive at a MAF of 144 bpm (180-31-5=144). I should the do all of my base building at or below this heart rate. I'll create a range of ten beats for my heart rate monitor (134-144) and stay in that range for all of my training, except even slower warm up and cool down.
For how long? I'll asses my MAF by doing monthly MAF tests. The MAF test is done on the track, after 12-15 minutes of warm up, by timing one mile splits on a five mile run at MAF heart rate. As long as the one mile splits improve, MAF will be kept the same. At some point I might delete the 5 beat subtraction and go with 148 bpm (as I probably have turned 32 by then). Time and MAF tests will show when. I don't really need any anaerobic conditioning to run over the
The benefit should be greatly improved aerobic fitness. This kind of low hear rate training supposedly minimizes the productions of free radicals in the biomechanical system and it should enable me to sustain higher training volumes than training at a faster running pace (with a more anaerobic heart rate). And it should be way much healthier.
To educate myself on the philosophy of low heart rate training I ordered The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing by Dr. Phil Maffetone. So, one more book report might be coming up in the future.
Until then here are my initial MAF test results from Friday 8.7.2011. There should be plenty of room for improvement.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Race report: Paavo Nurmi Half Marathon
I had to wait for Risberg all the time. I can’t believe how bad he was! Teaming up with him really destroyed my time. And we are supposed to run over the Alps?
Only joking… I’m the one who were a bit under water at times. Ok, here comes the real story.
I knew the warm weather would be a challenge. I knew my stomach flu less than two weeks ago killed some fitness. I knew I hadn’t trained well for the last three weeks. Spending one week backpacking in Lapland one week sick and one week tapering (like I would have needed that). So these are my excuses for failing my goal of finishing in less than two hours. The clock stopped at 2:19:33. And it was a battle against the heat. Running with a heart rate rocketing to crazy heights. The heart needs to push blood towards the surface of the skin to keep the body cool in warm weather. And it still needs to push blood into the muscles to keep them going. So it has to beat harder and/or faster.
We lined up with the 2:15 rabbit. Why the 2:15 rabbit when my primary goal was to do a sub 2h time? Well, I ran a 2h pace last Wednesday. The run didn’t go well and I realized I wouldn’t be able to keep that kind of pace for more than maybe 1:15. Risberg most graciously decided to run with me. Which I think really helped, especially towards the end.
So we lined up with the 2:15 rabbit. Sweating like pigs only from standing in the sun. It was +31 degrees Celsius in the shadow. Probably one of the hottest days this summer. Off we go.
In the city the heat was intense. No wind and blazing sun rays reflecting from the black asphalt and the surrounding buildings.
At around 7 km I knew I would be in trouble soon. My heart rate climbed over 180 bpm on some uphill bits and it didn’t come back down much. Pretty soon it started to top 190 bpm on the uphill stretches. I ran for fifteen minutes with a heart rate around 190 trying to fool myself I might be ok with it.
”Elite marathoners race with a heart rate of 90-100 % of their maximum. Maybe I too will be able to do it”, I taught.
Hah! A beginner is what I am, far from an elite marathoner. So after the 10 km mark I decided to slow down to get the heart rate down to more sane levels. Speed walking. Jogging. Speed walking. Jogging. Damn it! The 2:15 balloon marking the rabbit disappeared far ahead. From 10 to 17 km was pretty awful. Switching between a slow jog and walking. But it was the only sensible thing to do. After opening too hard. Classic beginner mistake. Guilty as charged.
From 17 km on we increased the pace a bit. I decided to run the last 4 km, no matter what. Oh! A water point! Beautiful. Slowed down to walking drinking and soaking in the water. It felt good. Indeed so good I had to walk a little again. But not for long and we ran the last 2 km.
There was a guy ahead of me, maybe 30 meters from the finish gate. I decided to improve my ranking and nailed him one meter from the gate with a hard spurt. WTF? People were continuing to run after the finish? Risberg floated up beside me and told me we have to carry on for maybe 300 meters more to make a turnabout and finish trough the gate from the other direction. Helvetes helvete! I didn’t have very much left in me after spurting that hard. But somehow I managed to keep up a decent pace, passing by even more people before the real finish.
Yey! I finished my first half marathon race! I maxed out my heart with a maximum heart rate of 201 bpm (probably during the stupid spurt 300 meters from the finish). My average heart rate was 183 bpm.
Now I’m going to get some rest. Before going into low heart rate training mode next week. I have to build endurance for the next upcoming races this autumn.
Under the midnight sun far North
Large flocks of reindeers were roaming the hills. Some braver ones were coming really close to the wanderers. Exhibiting their silky horns and wise eyes. Watching the wanderers pass by their barren lands. Lemmings were scurrying quickly over the paths, lots of them. Again and again, like small furry balls rolling down the hills. White owls were circling in the sky. Carefully scanning the terrain for careless lemmings. Here and there tiny fur stacks littering the path. Silent evidence of love struck lemmings fallen pray to the owls. The poor lemmings raised their voices in their attempts to attract a partner, revealing themselves to their predators.
Lapland, I can tell you, is quite a magical place in the early summer. Not only is the wildlife active, so are the plants. Plants have only six months of light, and they need to make the most of it. Almost all the flowers of the North were blooming. Creating beautiful patterns of color, light and texture over the rolling mountains.
Lapland, I can tell you, is quite a magical place in the early summer. Not only is the wildlife active, so are the plants. Plants have only six months of light, and they need to make the most of it. Almost all the flowers of the North were blooming. Creating beautiful patterns of color, light and texture over the rolling mountains.
We met four runners. They were doing the Hetta-Pallas trail of 55 km all in one day. It strikes me this trail would indeed make a great 50k race. The Midnight Sun Run. Experiencing the barren wilderness scenery trough a runners high in the mild yellow light flowing from the midnight sun. That would be serene, magical. I believe it could well attract people worldwide. If I didn’t have my full time job in Helsinki maybe I could arrange something? Finding partners shouldn’t be hard. There were plenty of available rooms in the hotels in Hetta. A concern for the Lapland tourism is how to improve profitability of the summer season. Backpackers camping in the wild don’t bring much dough to the locals.
Maybe some day... Or maybe some one else could make something out of it. In the meanwhile, I’ll consider returning next year for an alpine run training camp. Great trail. Lots of technical stuff. Lots of uphill. Lots of downhill. Some quite steep climbs. Some gentler ascends. Loads of fun.
-Written on the bus to Turku-
I’m going to run the Paavo Nurmi half marathon today. The past two weeks I’ve been out jogging only twice. Due to the stomach flu I caught in Lapland. I had a high fever initially and prolonged imbalance of stomach bacteria. Ouch! And of course I took some time off simply tapering. Plus 32 degree Celsius forecasted with blazing sun! Start time at 13:20, it is going to be a slaughter.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
First Half Marathon & first sub 60min 10k
Last sunday I ran a little longer than a half marathon. By accident. Initially the long run was planned for saturday at 20 km. But. I went out for a beer with a friend on friday. The one beer turned into something like eleven beers and 4 a.m. So it was a lot of fun but I was in no condition to run on saturday. We spent the day at the archipelago cottage and that is where I had planned my route. On sunday we left the cottage because it was windy as hell and raining cats and dogs. Staying at the island just for the long run would have been dumb and unpleasant. So we went to my in-laws. And so I had to re-draw my long run in unknown territory. I tried to measure out a 20 km course on google maps on my mobile phone.
The run felt good, despite the bad weather. Ok, the legs were sore initially. My shins were actually hurting so much at 4km that I considered aborting to avoid injury. I didn't and the pain faded away at approximately 7 km. I knew I hadn't stretched well on friday as I rushed away to the pub in a hurry. So my hunch that the pain would fade turned out correct. I had some really hard head wind on the Naantali road, it was like running uphill. At 9 km the run started to flow and I sped up a bit. I got really soaked because of the wind and the rain. My running clothes must have weighed around 5kg towards the end. Soaking wet and happy. I just ran my first half marathon, without even knowing. I measured the run afterwards. It turned out to be 21.8 km. A bit further than a half marathon. I had just finished my first half marathon without even knowing. Hehhe... Time? Who cares! Ok, it was 2:21:28.
Rest day in between. I used a nail mat on my legs to get the blood flowing and the recovery speeding. My wife tought it was a stupid idea. It sure must have looked stupid. Me having a nail mat in my lap and weights on it while slouching on the couch.
On tuesday I ran home from work. The nail mat therapy might have worked. My legs felt suprisingly strong. After the intital warm up and after waiting at a couple of stoplights I found a good pace. My mind drifted into oblivion. No unresolved issues. No stress. No toughts. No nothing. I was a passenger in my own body. Aware of the surroundings. Aware of the legs drumming away underneath. Totally aware, but at the same time in oblivion. I know now that I'm addicted to running.
Runners high? Funny feeling. Might have something to do with sleep deprivation from the previous couple of nights? Anyway, carried away by that odd feeling and stronger than expected legs I decided to do that tempo run now instead of later in the week. I realized I was going at approximately my half marathon target speed. So I kept going. Even the last two km when the pace started to feel uncomfortable. Ran without the hrm as I forgot it at my in-laws place last weekend. Nice, I did a sub one hour 10k at 58 minutes. Some real progress. I managed to get on a working scale during the weekend and hurray. I've lost 2 kg. Some real progress. I love it!
The run felt good, despite the bad weather. Ok, the legs were sore initially. My shins were actually hurting so much at 4km that I considered aborting to avoid injury. I didn't and the pain faded away at approximately 7 km. I knew I hadn't stretched well on friday as I rushed away to the pub in a hurry. So my hunch that the pain would fade turned out correct. I had some really hard head wind on the Naantali road, it was like running uphill. At 9 km the run started to flow and I sped up a bit. I got really soaked because of the wind and the rain. My running clothes must have weighed around 5kg towards the end. Soaking wet and happy. I just ran my first half marathon, without even knowing. I measured the run afterwards. It turned out to be 21.8 km. A bit further than a half marathon. I had just finished my first half marathon without even knowing. Hehhe... Time? Who cares! Ok, it was 2:21:28.
Rest day in between. I used a nail mat on my legs to get the blood flowing and the recovery speeding. My wife tought it was a stupid idea. It sure must have looked stupid. Me having a nail mat in my lap and weights on it while slouching on the couch.
On tuesday I ran home from work. The nail mat therapy might have worked. My legs felt suprisingly strong. After the intital warm up and after waiting at a couple of stoplights I found a good pace. My mind drifted into oblivion. No unresolved issues. No stress. No toughts. No nothing. I was a passenger in my own body. Aware of the surroundings. Aware of the legs drumming away underneath. Totally aware, but at the same time in oblivion. I know now that I'm addicted to running.
Runners high? Funny feeling. Might have something to do with sleep deprivation from the previous couple of nights? Anyway, carried away by that odd feeling and stronger than expected legs I decided to do that tempo run now instead of later in the week. I realized I was going at approximately my half marathon target speed. So I kept going. Even the last two km when the pace started to feel uncomfortable. Ran without the hrm as I forgot it at my in-laws place last weekend. Nice, I did a sub one hour 10k at 58 minutes. Some real progress. I managed to get on a working scale during the weekend and hurray. I've lost 2 kg. Some real progress. I love it!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Where I come from
Running for the Alps. It feels good to be back on my feet out of the couch. With my heart and my head fully invested.
Three years of more or less sedentary life behind. Occasional swims, occasional cross country skiing, occasional tennis, occasional boxing, occasional golf, occasional gym, occasional biking, occasional snowboarding, occasional hiking, occasional kayaking. And the very rare and very O-C-C-A-S-I-O-N-A-L run. Recently I've been busy laying the foundation for a career as an investment proffessional. So physical fitness training has been very occasional. As it has, as a matter of fact, for the most of my life.
Now I have a goal - and milestones - that really motivates me.
That makes all the difference!
I can't wait to get my shoes on and get out. Feeling the gravel fly under my feet. Feels great!
When I was 16 I wanted to become a proffessional snowboarder. I had nowhere to train. I tried to build a hill in the forest behind our house. It's hard to build a mountain and I gave up after the first meter or so. At 18, after finishing school, I took my board and got me a flight ticket to the Alps. I didn't speak French. I had no money. I had no marketable skills. I just wanted to ride. And I did. And I did realize the talent just wasn't there. It took a LOT of crashlanded flips and spins to turn my head though.
I returned from the Alps without a clue what to do next. As a boy I also wanted to be an elite soldier. So I started to train to become a Finnish paratrooper. Running. Swimming. Lifting weights. Running. I got myself into great shape. But I failed. Because I didn't train properly. I trained loads. But I failed to train the right swimming technique. I aced the other tests but failed miserably at the swimming test.
So I did the next best thing and did my military service (we have a conscript army) as a coast jaeger. Turned out to be far from green berets or navy seals. At times it was tough and fun. Mostly it was just a joke and a caricature of an army. The most demanding part of the training was a 24h 70 km march fully equipped (40 kg of gear). That was tough. And fun.
After the army I entertained an idea to go competitive in triathlon. I couldn't afford the bike so I scrapped the idea. Went sedentary and occasional instead. Many years passed. Partying. Praying. Studying. Working. Living. And many more years passed.
Now I'm running for the Alps. With a plan and a purpose.
Three years of more or less sedentary life behind. Occasional swims, occasional cross country skiing, occasional tennis, occasional boxing, occasional golf, occasional gym, occasional biking, occasional snowboarding, occasional hiking, occasional kayaking. And the very rare and very O-C-C-A-S-I-O-N-A-L run. Recently I've been busy laying the foundation for a career as an investment proffessional. So physical fitness training has been very occasional. As it has, as a matter of fact, for the most of my life.
Now I have a goal - and milestones - that really motivates me.
That makes all the difference!
I can't wait to get my shoes on and get out. Feeling the gravel fly under my feet. Feels great!
When I was 16 I wanted to become a proffessional snowboarder. I had nowhere to train. I tried to build a hill in the forest behind our house. It's hard to build a mountain and I gave up after the first meter or so. At 18, after finishing school, I took my board and got me a flight ticket to the Alps. I didn't speak French. I had no money. I had no marketable skills. I just wanted to ride. And I did. And I did realize the talent just wasn't there. It took a LOT of crashlanded flips and spins to turn my head though.
I returned from the Alps without a clue what to do next. As a boy I also wanted to be an elite soldier. So I started to train to become a Finnish paratrooper. Running. Swimming. Lifting weights. Running. I got myself into great shape. But I failed. Because I didn't train properly. I trained loads. But I failed to train the right swimming technique. I aced the other tests but failed miserably at the swimming test.
So I did the next best thing and did my military service (we have a conscript army) as a coast jaeger. Turned out to be far from green berets or navy seals. At times it was tough and fun. Mostly it was just a joke and a caricature of an army. The most demanding part of the training was a 24h 70 km march fully equipped (40 kg of gear). That was tough. And fun.
After the army I entertained an idea to go competitive in triathlon. I couldn't afford the bike so I scrapped the idea. Went sedentary and occasional instead. Many years passed. Partying. Praying. Studying. Working. Living. And many more years passed.
Now I'm running for the Alps. With a plan and a purpose.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
5K Race to Half Marathon Target
Today I raced a 5K. Actually it was a hard tempo run. Check out the specs. I wanted to test my running fitness/ability now that I have built a foundation of slow easy runs. I went for 25 minutes but finished in 26:23. So can I jump to some conlusions from this?
According to the McMillan Running Calculator a 5K race time (or any race time for that matter) can provide the runner with target estimates for other distances. You can use the calculator to determine target paces for your training runs as well. This is what it looks like for me:
According to the McMillan Running Calculator a 5K race time (or any race time for that matter) can provide the runner with target estimates for other distances. You can use the calculator to determine target paces for your training runs as well. This is what it looks like for me:
Hmm.. 22:4 for 100 meters. I could do better than that. So it seems the calculator underestimates on the shorter distances and thus might overestimate on the longer ones. A marathon at 4:17:12 in my current state. I don't think so. Runner's World also offers a similar service. Let's have a look at my values:
Wow! I'm in better shape than I taught. Runners World is even more optimistic and believes I could finsh the half marathon at 2:01:09. That's great news for me. As my half marathon is still eight weeks away, I'll have time to shape up and do a sub two hour half marathon at the 2nd of July. Hell. Theese numbers indicate I should beat my partner for the trail marathon. He just finished Helsinki City Run yesterday in 2:05:53. He looked a bit shagged at 15km, and I suspect he has spent more time training than me. So I don't feel that confident about theese numbers. Curiosity wakes up and shakes its head.
What is really neat about the Runers World calculator is that it gives you a training program if you register. So I eagerly registered for the half marathon program. This is what it looks like:
So, if I just slave to that program I'll beat two hours at the half marathon! Sounds simple. How convenient, my last long run was 16km (although way much slower). All right, let's put it to a test. I set my target for the Paavo Nurmi half marathon at a sub 2h finish, or more specifically at 1:56:18.
Stay tuned to see how it plays out.
I can't slave that calendar. I have already ramped up quite a bit and was thinking of next week as a step down week. There are some parties coming up in between as well... I'll make some adjustments and keep the targets though. It'll be fun to see this one through.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Maximum Heart Rate
I picked up another book at the library yesterday. Pulsträna by Jonas Gustrin. Finally I'm starting to really understand some important features of the cardiovascular system and muscular metabolism. I would recommend this book for everyone who wants to get more value out of a heart rate monitor. Sorry, it's in Swedish.
I made a maximum heart rate test on one of my runs. After a a shortish run I ascended a couple of hills at half speed. Then ran on a track inclining slightly upwards, slowly accelerating (for around 5-8 minutes) until I was going at full throttle for the last 200 meters or so. As suspected my mhr was higher than what an age based formula would indicate. Nine beats higher. That makes a real difference in setting heart reate target zones. Improved quality of training this means.
Someone might have noticed that I haven't been following my training schedule. I'm not its slave. I'm its master. I'm trying to get it to understand, and obey. It will succumb to my will! No, seriously, I've simply been paying attention to my body trying not to get hurt and trying not to let the running dictate the rest of my life. I didn't plan to go 16 km, it just felt so damn good to do while I was at it.
The training calendar pictures are so small anyway it's almost impossible to read the planned distance digits. In case somebody, some day, will try to copy this schedule - which I don't recommend and take no responsibilty for - I'll add the the training actually done to the calendar pictures in a bigger and brighter font. It will make it easier to get an idea of what it takes to make it, or maybe what it takes to fail on day five.
There are no guarantees for success. Advice from wiser lurkers has been sparse. Yoda told me I need to change my mind rather than my body - go figure. The more I've studied the subject of running the more impossible it seems to pull off this challenge. Give up? Never. It's too much fun - and I think I've lost some weight already. Might be wishfull thinking. I don't own a scale.
Well, at least I know my real heart rate zones - higher quality training.
I made a maximum heart rate test on one of my runs. After a a shortish run I ascended a couple of hills at half speed. Then ran on a track inclining slightly upwards, slowly accelerating (for around 5-8 minutes) until I was going at full throttle for the last 200 meters or so. As suspected my mhr was higher than what an age based formula would indicate. Nine beats higher. That makes a real difference in setting heart reate target zones. Improved quality of training this means.
Someone might have noticed that I haven't been following my training schedule. I'm not its slave. I'm its master. I'm trying to get it to understand, and obey. It will succumb to my will! No, seriously, I've simply been paying attention to my body trying not to get hurt and trying not to let the running dictate the rest of my life. I didn't plan to go 16 km, it just felt so damn good to do while I was at it.
The training calendar pictures are so small anyway it's almost impossible to read the planned distance digits. In case somebody, some day, will try to copy this schedule - which I don't recommend and take no responsibilty for - I'll add the the training actually done to the calendar pictures in a bigger and brighter font. It will make it easier to get an idea of what it takes to make it, or maybe what it takes to fail on day five.
There are no guarantees for success. Advice from wiser lurkers has been sparse. Yoda told me I need to change my mind rather than my body - go figure. The more I've studied the subject of running the more impossible it seems to pull off this challenge. Give up? Never. It's too much fun - and I think I've lost some weight already. Might be wishfull thinking. I don't own a scale.
Well, at least I know my real heart rate zones - higher quality training.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Reading impact: on my bare two feet..
..there will be shoes (most of the time).
I just finished reading Born to Run. Wow. What a great book. It easily goes into my top ten list of potentially life changing books. This means that I've finished the reading list I set out to munch through in order to power up on the knowledge side of running.
I'll give my five cents about the value of this reading.
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
If you know Finnish and can't imagine spending a lot of time studying the subject - read this book. It will teach you everything you need to know about running and closely related issues. A worthwile read.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
This one focuses on Marathon training. If that's your goal (and you know Finnish) - read this one.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
After the first two books, this one didn't bring any new information. Basic stuff about running, injuries, marathon training, equipment, tapering and nutrition.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
I didn't like this one. The style it was written in put me off. Skimmed through it though. The author seems to be or have been a race director at the London marathon. Some useful information about time management and running for charity - if that's the kind of information you want.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Damn. By far the best book on the list. If you haven't read it. Do yourself a favor and read it. It might open up a wholly new perspective on running for you. Actually this book could change your life - if you are in a transition period and let yourself be carried away. The very least you'll get out of it is a very entertaining reading time.
In addition to theese books I've been skimming the web. There is literally tons of information out there - a lot of it is clutter and garbage but there is some really great stuff as well.
Reading Born to Run naturally sparked an interest in minimalist running. I'm not going to go 100 % barefoot, it would probably kill me and this project. But I couldn't resist to kick of my shoes after my last two runs. I jogged barefoot at the nearby golf course as a cool down. Niiiice. Refreshing. And I have been very conscious of my stride. Lucky me, my stride is mostly midfoot anyway. But why, oh why did I let myself get duped into buying pronation supported shoes. It buggs me. I'm probably going to run those shoes anyway.
It's not about the shoes, it's about the stride. Too much support and paddings all the time can't be good. It does make a lot of sense to me. Think about it. Last time I bought a pair of running shoes was in 1998. No pronation support - local shoe sellers didn't know about pronation back then. I ran with those shoes for ten years, on and off that is, but anyway. I believe those shoes could well have gotten more than 1000 km on their soles, as I was actively running in 1998-2000, 2003-2004, 2005 and 2007. I did other sports with those shoes as well. I do believe it's less about the shoes and more about the stride.
So, I'll try to get cheap shoes with a low or moderate heel drop. I will do some recreational barefooting just to get those feet strong and nice. Meanwhile I'll run my new adidas running shoes with pronation support. I believe there will be enough milage for new shoes as well. One more thing. I do want proper trail running shoes as well.
I just finished reading Born to Run. Wow. What a great book. It easily goes into my top ten list of potentially life changing books. This means that I've finished the reading list I set out to munch through in order to power up on the knowledge side of running.
I'll give my five cents about the value of this reading.
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
If you know Finnish and can't imagine spending a lot of time studying the subject - read this book. It will teach you everything you need to know about running and closely related issues. A worthwile read.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
This one focuses on Marathon training. If that's your goal (and you know Finnish) - read this one.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
After the first two books, this one didn't bring any new information. Basic stuff about running, injuries, marathon training, equipment, tapering and nutrition.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
I didn't like this one. The style it was written in put me off. Skimmed through it though. The author seems to be or have been a race director at the London marathon. Some useful information about time management and running for charity - if that's the kind of information you want.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Damn. By far the best book on the list. If you haven't read it. Do yourself a favor and read it. It might open up a wholly new perspective on running for you. Actually this book could change your life - if you are in a transition period and let yourself be carried away. The very least you'll get out of it is a very entertaining reading time.
In addition to theese books I've been skimming the web. There is literally tons of information out there - a lot of it is clutter and garbage but there is some really great stuff as well.
Reading Born to Run naturally sparked an interest in minimalist running. I'm not going to go 100 % barefoot, it would probably kill me and this project. But I couldn't resist to kick of my shoes after my last two runs. I jogged barefoot at the nearby golf course as a cool down. Niiiice. Refreshing. And I have been very conscious of my stride. Lucky me, my stride is mostly midfoot anyway. But why, oh why did I let myself get duped into buying pronation supported shoes. It buggs me. I'm probably going to run those shoes anyway.
It's not about the shoes, it's about the stride. Too much support and paddings all the time can't be good. It does make a lot of sense to me. Think about it. Last time I bought a pair of running shoes was in 1998. No pronation support - local shoe sellers didn't know about pronation back then. I ran with those shoes for ten years, on and off that is, but anyway. I believe those shoes could well have gotten more than 1000 km on their soles, as I was actively running in 1998-2000, 2003-2004, 2005 and 2007. I did other sports with those shoes as well. I do believe it's less about the shoes and more about the stride.
So, I'll try to get cheap shoes with a low or moderate heel drop. I will do some recreational barefooting just to get those feet strong and nice. Meanwhile I'll run my new adidas running shoes with pronation support. I believe there will be enough milage for new shoes as well. One more thing. I do want proper trail running shoes as well.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Training Calendar
Here we go. More than 500 hours on my feet running. Just do it.
4360 km, roughly the distance between Los Angeles and New York. Should get me from couch potato status. Will need four more pairs of running shoes.
I've intentionally left slow/fast intervall/fartlek and hill sessions unmarked. All distances are in km. Many sessions will later get re-scheduled and some will be substituted with cross training. Don't expect me to follow the schedule religiously - do expect me to follow it dynamically.
This is my training calendar.
(Update May 2011: In small black font the planned training sessions, in larger red font the executed ones.)
What do you think? Will I break my legs with this? Will I give up trying? Will I get super fit and fly through the Alps?
4360 km, roughly the distance between Los Angeles and New York. Should get me from couch potato status. Will need four more pairs of running shoes.
I've intentionally left slow/fast intervall/fartlek and hill sessions unmarked. All distances are in km. Many sessions will later get re-scheduled and some will be substituted with cross training. Don't expect me to follow the schedule religiously - do expect me to follow it dynamically.
This is my training calendar.
(Update May 2011: In small black font the planned training sessions, in larger red font the executed ones.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Stairway to Heaven
Mens sana in corpore sano
I took on this challenge to increase my fitness. Why? I mean, it's a lot of hard work.
The increased paycheck makes us happy - until we find out that the cousin earns more. The new ineterior decoration at home makes us happy - until we see our neighbor's super nice spa-area. The happiness from material things don't last for very long. Blame evolution for that. The brain functions which control aspiration operate partly independent of those that control satisfaction. Part of the brain feels pleasure, the other part wants more. Paradoxal. We are hardwired to push on and tackle new challenges. Pushing for a frontier rings true deep down the soul. Evolutionwise it enhances our fitness for survival. Happiness is the imaginary goal that gives our strivings direction and purpose.
Taking on new challenges that develop yourself is climbing that Stairway to Heaven.
Running of course has the added benefits of dopamine, endorphine and anandamide - not to mention prolonged life (statistically 7-12 years). Legal cool healthy drugs and more life. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. I think it justifies the hours spent in labor.
So here is my stairway!
June 14th 2011
Six day trek in Lapland - 70 km hike.
July 2nd 2011
Paavo Nurmi Marathon - Half mara.
September 3rd 2011
Helsinki Midnight Run - 10k.
February 2012
Marathon del Meridiano - Trail marathon.
Spring/early summer 2012?
Suggestions? 2-4 day 80-150k running event in hilly/alpine terrain wanted. Considering the Pony Express, but it's quite flat.
September 2012
Goretex Trans Alpine Run - Eight days of running in alpine terrain. The Alpine Run Challenge.
Milestones program is subject to change, due to unforseen realities.
I took on this challenge to increase my fitness. Why? I mean, it's a lot of hard work.
The increased paycheck makes us happy - until we find out that the cousin earns more. The new ineterior decoration at home makes us happy - until we see our neighbor's super nice spa-area. The happiness from material things don't last for very long. Blame evolution for that. The brain functions which control aspiration operate partly independent of those that control satisfaction. Part of the brain feels pleasure, the other part wants more. Paradoxal. We are hardwired to push on and tackle new challenges. Pushing for a frontier rings true deep down the soul. Evolutionwise it enhances our fitness for survival. Happiness is the imaginary goal that gives our strivings direction and purpose.
Taking on new challenges that develop yourself is climbing that Stairway to Heaven.
Running of course has the added benefits of dopamine, endorphine and anandamide - not to mention prolonged life (statistically 7-12 years). Legal cool healthy drugs and more life. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. I think it justifies the hours spent in labor.
So here is my stairway!
June 14th 2011
Six day trek in Lapland - 70 km hike.
July 2nd 2011
Paavo Nurmi Marathon - Half mara.
September 3rd 2011
Helsinki Midnight Run - 10k.
February 2012
Marathon del Meridiano - Trail marathon.
Spring/early summer 2012?
Suggestions? 2-4 day 80-150k running event in hilly/alpine terrain wanted. Considering the Pony Express, but it's quite flat.
September 2012
Goretex Trans Alpine Run - Eight days of running in alpine terrain. The Alpine Run Challenge.
Milestones program is subject to change, due to unforseen realities.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Three weeks in
I've been building up aerobic fitness trough easy training. Getting my legs used to working. You can check out the specifics on my workouts at RunningAHEAD.
Milage:
- 91 km running/walking
- 67 km cycling
It's a start. Easy start. Long way to go.
The most common mistake beginners make is starting out too hard. My broken arm is effectively preventing me from doing that. I probably would otherwise. As I'm rediculously excited about this project.. Six workouts on the third week might count as overdoing. On the other hand I feel the Saturday walk was too slow to be seriously accounted for.
Injuries suffered:
- Three broken bones in my left arm
- Occasional pain in shins, calves and right knee
- Chafing on right inner thigh
I believe some pain is inevitable. Some part of the body will always react to hard work. Obviously chafing is avoidable. Grease or tape those chafe sensitive places. Bodytight clothing might also work.
30 % trough with the reading list. Today is a resting day. Better rest that sore knee. I uploaded all my training info today. Will do some reading.
Milestones program coming up next!
Milage:
- 91 km running/walking
- 67 km cycling
It's a start. Easy start. Long way to go.
The most common mistake beginners make is starting out too hard. My broken arm is effectively preventing me from doing that. I probably would otherwise. As I'm rediculously excited about this project.. Six workouts on the third week might count as overdoing. On the other hand I feel the Saturday walk was too slow to be seriously accounted for.
Injuries suffered:
- Three broken bones in my left arm
- Occasional pain in shins, calves and right knee
- Chafing on right inner thigh
I believe some pain is inevitable. Some part of the body will always react to hard work. Obviously chafing is avoidable. Grease or tape those chafe sensitive places. Bodytight clothing might also work.
30 % trough with the reading list. Today is a resting day. Better rest that sore knee. I uploaded all my training info today. Will do some reading.
Milestones program coming up next!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Brainbuilding
I went to the library yesterday and picked up some books about running. If a project this ambitious is going to be a success I better put some effort into research and planning. I got some new gear at the same time :) More about gear later.
First of all. As a beginner I need to learn as much as possible about training. To know how to train well. To know how fitness improvement can be maximized. To know how to stay motivated. To know how to stay healthy and avoid (further) injury. And a bunch of other things known by experienced runners and avidly shared through litterature.
Here is my reading list (I wasn't very picky - pretty much took everything they had on the shelf):
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Hehhe.. the academic approach. Can't help myself. I like to be thorough, and theese books will teach me tons. After I've read enough the next step will be to tailor a plan. That is a training schedule for 19 months. A schedule that should increase my fitness level and running experience enough to be able to finnish the Apline Run Challenge. Sounds ambitious? I hope so. There will be at least one full Trail Marathon in mountain terrain in that schedule. And a lot more..
Oh, and i did go out today. 70 minutes of fast paced walking at 68% average of mhr. The program I follow until I get my own made is simply one my F11 spat out. I asked it for maximized fitness after the built in test told me my fitness is moderate for my age. So that's where I start from, broken arm and moderate fitness :)
Back to reading.
First of all. As a beginner I need to learn as much as possible about training. To know how to train well. To know how fitness improvement can be maximized. To know how to stay motivated. To know how to stay healthy and avoid (further) injury. And a bunch of other things known by experienced runners and avidly shared through litterature.
Here is my reading list (I wasn't very picky - pretty much took everything they had on the shelf):
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Hehhe.. the academic approach. Can't help myself. I like to be thorough, and theese books will teach me tons. After I've read enough the next step will be to tailor a plan. That is a training schedule for 19 months. A schedule that should increase my fitness level and running experience enough to be able to finnish the Apline Run Challenge. Sounds ambitious? I hope so. There will be at least one full Trail Marathon in mountain terrain in that schedule. And a lot more..
Oh, and i did go out today. 70 minutes of fast paced walking at 68% average of mhr. The program I follow until I get my own made is simply one my F11 spat out. I asked it for maximized fitness after the built in test told me my fitness is moderate for my age. So that's where I start from, broken arm and moderate fitness :)
Back to reading.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Challenged to run!
First, a summary of events until today:
26th of March. I was challenged by a friend to participate in a crazy Alpine Run covering 270 km of distance and 15 km of altitude. Hmm.. in 2012? Sounds impossible. What a moron..
28th of March. I decided to take on the challenge. Why not? Life is for living. I went for my first run in a veeeery long time. Last summer my right ankle got badly sprained, which gave me a good excuse to be lazy for months on months. It felt good to ecxercise, no trouble from the old injury. I jogged 6,2 km in 42 minutes.
30th of March. Upping the antes. Went for a 8 km run and finished in 53 minutes. Game on :)
2nd of April. I bought a bicycle, last years Merida CC3, to get some cardio and cross training from commuting to work. Went for a 17 km test ride with the bike. Smooth and nice, but the saddle is a pain in the ass. Mental note: got to get a pair of those padded cycling pants.
3rd of April. Went for a 7 km run early in the morning. I just couldn't wait to get out training! After a couple of kilometers my shins were killing me. Real pain. I decided to slow down not to risk injury. Fast walked my way back home. Got a total of 4,5 km. I had a burning sensation in my shins for a while afterwards, good thing I didn't try to force trough.
4th of April. 18 km bike ride, commuting to work 2 x 9 km. Rainy with a temperature of +5 c. Felt really good. Energetic at work.
5th of April. 18 km bike ride. Went for a 8 km run immediately afterwards. Not a good idea according to my calves. They were complaining pretty much right away from the start, so I decided to shorten the run. Got 6,5 km of jogging, and really sore claves.
7th of April. 18 km bike ride. Or that's what I had planned. On my way home from work something happened. While traversing the street and looking out for traffic my front wheel jammed in the streetcar rails. Whee.. *crash*. Shock. PAIN. Cursing. I couldn't believe I had faceplanted with my new bike. Well, I did. My left arm wouldn't co-opearate and I had no battery in my cell so I walked the remaining 4 km. Later the doctor told me the radial head in my arm is broken. Splendid. What about my plans? Time to give up? Never. I still have my legs to work with.
10th of April. Went for an 8 km walk with my arm in a sling. The fracture is very painful and I have almost no motion in the arm. Walking is a great way to get distracted from the pain. I get some low range cardio and some endorphines for the pain. Also it fatigues the body and makes me sleep better. Sleeping is very difficult because of the pain.
11th of April. 13 km walk.
12th of April. Had a second opinion about the arm from an orthopedic surgeon. Turns out it is fractured in three different places, all around the elbow. The doctor prohibited me from working before 2nd of May. Because of sleep deprivation and side effects (dizziness and nausea) from painkillers affecting the nervous system. Obviously I'm very slow with the computer also, only having one functioning arm.
In the afternoon I went for an 8 km walk equipped with my new Polar F11 heart rate monitor. Kept an average pace of 68 % of maximum heart rate.
13th of April. 8 km speedwalk at 76 % of mhr.
26th of March. I was challenged by a friend to participate in a crazy Alpine Run covering 270 km of distance and 15 km of altitude. Hmm.. in 2012? Sounds impossible. What a moron..
28th of March. I decided to take on the challenge. Why not? Life is for living. I went for my first run in a veeeery long time. Last summer my right ankle got badly sprained, which gave me a good excuse to be lazy for months on months. It felt good to ecxercise, no trouble from the old injury. I jogged 6,2 km in 42 minutes.
30th of March. Upping the antes. Went for a 8 km run and finished in 53 minutes. Game on :)
2nd of April. I bought a bicycle, last years Merida CC3, to get some cardio and cross training from commuting to work. Went for a 17 km test ride with the bike. Smooth and nice, but the saddle is a pain in the ass. Mental note: got to get a pair of those padded cycling pants.
3rd of April. Went for a 7 km run early in the morning. I just couldn't wait to get out training! After a couple of kilometers my shins were killing me. Real pain. I decided to slow down not to risk injury. Fast walked my way back home. Got a total of 4,5 km. I had a burning sensation in my shins for a while afterwards, good thing I didn't try to force trough.
4th of April. 18 km bike ride, commuting to work 2 x 9 km. Rainy with a temperature of +5 c. Felt really good. Energetic at work.
5th of April. 18 km bike ride. Went for a 8 km run immediately afterwards. Not a good idea according to my calves. They were complaining pretty much right away from the start, so I decided to shorten the run. Got 6,5 km of jogging, and really sore claves.
7th of April. 18 km bike ride. Or that's what I had planned. On my way home from work something happened. While traversing the street and looking out for traffic my front wheel jammed in the streetcar rails. Whee.. *crash*. Shock. PAIN. Cursing. I couldn't believe I had faceplanted with my new bike. Well, I did. My left arm wouldn't co-opearate and I had no battery in my cell so I walked the remaining 4 km. Later the doctor told me the radial head in my arm is broken. Splendid. What about my plans? Time to give up? Never. I still have my legs to work with.
10th of April. Went for an 8 km walk with my arm in a sling. The fracture is very painful and I have almost no motion in the arm. Walking is a great way to get distracted from the pain. I get some low range cardio and some endorphines for the pain. Also it fatigues the body and makes me sleep better. Sleeping is very difficult because of the pain.
11th of April. 13 km walk.
12th of April. Had a second opinion about the arm from an orthopedic surgeon. Turns out it is fractured in three different places, all around the elbow. The doctor prohibited me from working before 2nd of May. Because of sleep deprivation and side effects (dizziness and nausea) from painkillers affecting the nervous system. Obviously I'm very slow with the computer also, only having one functioning arm.
In the afternoon I went for an 8 km walk equipped with my new Polar F11 heart rate monitor. Kept an average pace of 68 % of maximum heart rate.
13th of April. 8 km speedwalk at 76 % of mhr.
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