I find it very useful - i generally go off heart rate so work rate remains the same - ie, if you’re tired/run down and running at a recovery pace of xx will send your heart rate higher and it wont be a recovery session. As you get fitter, running at xx speed will drop your heart rate too low for it to be much benefit
eg - 4 yrs ago running at 12km/hr would have a heart rate of 140 or more
Last year i could run 12km/hr over 15-20min at a average heart rate of 104 in winter cooler months - around 115 in summer months
I really don’t use Hr now - i can pretty much tell from experience roughly where it’s at.
Training for the last month has been mostly - Jump up plyro - squat throws - short hills, towing over 50m, mediball throws and general circuits. Basic tempo circuits (probably too easy tempo …)
Mind you, in a gps based game (Ingress) i knocked out 52km last week - which is basically short bursts of tempo from land mark to land mark.
No max speed or even close to it for the last 2 weeks.
2 weeks ago today, ran some hills - various distances - and as cars rounded the corner, used the cars as a Pace setter.
Needless to say - my left hammie and glute is still suffering (about to do some more therapy on them soon)
Otherwise, plenty of low intensity runs - mediballs and some Jump Up only plyros
The more i’m able to loosen the hips up, over time, the more open the running mechanics become. The mechanics are now opening up to brand new angles I’ve never achieved before (i’m age 38) And as a result, at speed, these new angles are causing Greef and require more therapy to reset the new load placed upon them.
Will be envisioning a few months of back and forth between New flexibility - new high speed angles - more therapy.
1st proper race for Masters is not till November this year, looking forward till then.
As i learn to develop and use the new angles, things will fall more and more into place.
Eg - At Bendigo in Jan, i was running at a Maximium speed of 35km/hr, and 36km/hr two weeks beforehand. (the 400m smashed me for the 200m, so was expected)
6 weeks ago at the end of Comp cycle, got max speed up to 39.1km/hr.
In GPP now - and it’s deff going better this time around than last time around.
Still keep twisting out of shape - left piriformis and right hip flexor (i believe sprinting up the hill 3 x weeks ago caused a slight tear at or near the piriformis - it’s nearly better) I remove the tension but hours later it spasms up again…
Needless to say, no high speed work yet.
Trying to get in some decent tempo (around 70% of max speed)
a fair amount of easy tempo (closer to 50% of max speed)
Basic mediball work and bodyweight exercises
Once per week epsom salt baths - contemplating twice a week???
New joggers, the foam had seen it’s last days in the old shoes - gave sore feet just walking around in them.
Nearly ontop of the hip issue - It’s now only really very deep muscle issue - hard to reach by myself, hard to find anybody worth their weight to get in that deep…
Naturally no speed training till this is resolved.
Keeping up the plyro - 6 weeks of Jump up only, followed by the last 2 weeks of Rebound Jumps - typically now rebounding up and forwards instead of just up, then step back to platform and repeat for sets of 10. Getting some serious bouncing compared to when i 1st started in Jan.
It’s winter here - so might make the most of what’s left and get some more conditioning in.
Have started working on two strength issues i’ve found, 1 = hip flexors are not keeping up in strength compared to the Glutes - the glutes have perhaps doubled in strength v’s the Hip flexors have done nothing - (perhaps the cause of the hips issue pain I’ve been having??) So been working on their strength every 2nd day for 1 x week, and also tibular anterior on the right leg is smaller and weaker than then left leg - possibly also a contributing factor to hip issue. Should respond fairly quick to the imbalance issue considering the lack of speed work right now.
Strength imbalance has improved a lot, with it, less and less issues.
The last 2 x week has been hard with uni resuming (and work & 3 kids…)
Conditioning has taken off.
Mostly it has been easy jogs (and I mean easy!)
Tempo when done has been hard (normally only 1 X week)
Each week has seen 1 X 1.22 km road time trail for the last few weeks. This week I’ve done 2.
A solid check of conditioning. There also is a 3km fun run coming up (prize money also )
Last yr I won 500 bucks and the yr before 750.
The last three 1.22 km runs have been loop p.b.s
I’ve backed off the plyro the last couple of weeks, 1 due to uni and 2, due to wanting the strength imbalance in the lower leg and hip flexor to settle down.