A few weeks ago I posted some thoughts on my continued approach to training. I've decided that I would spend the rest of the season focusing more on quality miles and time, as opposed to simply logging bulk amounts. One main reason is that less time running very long runs means less stress and reduced chance of injury. However to make up for the conditioning loss that would occur, I've been running more often throughout the week. So instead of one big long run that takes days to recover from, now I can do a workout every couple days, and in those extra workouts focus on things like tempo, threshold pace, etc. And since the only event I have this year left is a full marathon and nothing involving cycling, the reasons for doing more centuries on the bike begin to dwindle - especially since they are a huge energy drain that takes days to recovery from, which would impact the run training.
So now with somewhat shortened workouts, I can also return to doing bricks. I'm intrigued by this approach because it allows some continued cycling and the aerobic benefits of that, plus it also places fatigue on my legs for a few hours prior to running, without the impact stress of running. I'm hoping that, in a sense, this will help with conditioning because it might be a simulation of the latter portions of the full marathon. It also allows me to toy with the concept of doing a harder cycling workout as a way to keep in shape for longer rides, as the article in that previous post indicate.
Since it was my first brick in a while, I wanted to be somewhat selective about how I'd approach it and not be too aggressive. I decided to do the 46 mile Wachusett loop for the bike, but kicking the intensity up a notch, and if I felt ok afterwards, I could try the 11 mile Sudbury Reservoir loop for the run.
One of the things I've noticed on my bike rides is that my HR is very hard to pin down. Part of it is due to having to stop at lights, for traffic, etc - but part of it is also that because you can coast and there is momentum, it just seems a lot harder for me to pick and stick to a HR or intensity as easily. So all I could really do, unless I wanted to be constantly looking at my HR monitor instead of the road, was put a tad more effort into everything than I normally would. For the most part, that meant staying in one higher gear during climbs, but making sure to keep a fast cadence. It also meant fewer coasting breaks, and a little bit more pushing on straight and level sections.
I did take a few lower intensity breaks - the first being after about an hour, and I used this break to munch down on some food I brought with me. I knew I had a run coming up, so even though I wasn't hungry, it was more of a situation where I wanted to get some calories down for later on.
Once I got to the far side of the reservoir, I cruised right up a hill that I usually bog down on somewhat. Normally I go in first or second gear, trudging along at 8-9 mph, but this time I kept it in third, kept a high cadence, and kept around 12.5-13 mph. It felt like the perfect amount of effort - measured enough that I was able to maintain it to the top, but not so much that I had got to a point where I had to slow it down.
On the way back, there were a couple instances where I passed other cyclists going in the same direction. That marked the first time I have passed someone else on a bicycle with a helmet and clipless pedals. So that was good (and encouraging!)
At some point during the bike, I decided that the 11 mile loop I intended to do for the run probably wasn't going to work out. First, I wasn't too sure I should be doing that loop where the ability to cut it short and get straight home was limited. Second, I just felt like I was already pushing things enough.
Instead, I opted to do my typical 6 mile loop. I'd still get the benefit of the brick transition. I started out what felt like a nice easy pace, but it still turned out to be the fastest mile of the set. I decided to try and keep my HR around 150 or so (my LSD intensity), but having already done close to 50 miles on the bike, that was easier said than done. I found that anytime I went through a slight incline, my HR would shoot up and would take a while to settle down. So I ended up deciding that 150-155 would be an easier target range, instead of specifically 150, and if I hit 160, I'd stop, if necessary, to bring it down. So there ended up being a few times during miles 4, 5 and 6 where I did stop to walk briefly. It wasn't that I was out of gas, I just wanted to keep the HR under control. Thats the reason for some of the pace drops.
No comments:
Post a Comment