In summary, if you aim to
excel in your run times you will need to be:
1)
Very fit
(aerobic base/cross-trained).
2)
Very light (run
racing weight).
3)
Very strong
(core).
The first two goals are the
crux of success of the top Tour De France riders (minus the ‘edge’ they gain
from pharmaceutical assistance). The third factor is required to maintain good
form (gait) throughout the race, especially when you want need to ‘dig deep’ or
push through fatigue.
1) Very Fit
Since I suffered an
expensive hairline-fractured toe (metatarsal) last August (confirmed during
Ironman Zurich), I have built my aerobic base – gradually – with low-heart-rate
cycling and running. During my two months of active rehabilitation, I rode
indoors and swam regularly. In spite of ZERO RUNNING (except for two short runs
during race week), I finished in 4:00 Berlin Marathon – one of my worst
finishes, yet it was encouraging for my aerobic base supported my comfortable completion.
RACING SPEED IS BOLSTERED
AND BOOSTED BY A STRONG AEROBIC BASE.
Since August last year, I
have focused on building my aerobic base. Based on Phil Maffetone’s philosophy,
I ensured that my heart rate did not exceed 133-138 (180 minus Age + 5bpm for
no sickness in entire year). It was cruelly slow and I had to walk sometimes
(as my heart rate threatened to climb). However, I was allowed up to two
anaerobic sessions per week. A race constituted an anaerobic session, which
meant racing above my aerobic threshold (138bpm).
My halfway splits in GCAM
2013 for the 21km was 1:34:47, almost equal to my performance at the Sundown
Marathon in late-May. How I managed to achieve this similar timing was probably
due to my dedication to tempo runs on my 10km and 21km sessions. I kept to my
pace of 4:25-4:35 minutes per kilometer. In fact, I extended my pace further
than 21km hoping to sit on a ‘second and third wind’ (fat oxidation stage).
However, I over-arched myself and could not sustain my pace and faded into
4:45-5:15 min/km pace range after the 30km mark. I was tempted to test my
limits (as a 3:08-3:10 finish was within my reach), so I braved an ‘All or
Nothing’ call. I paid for it in the back-end and missed a negative split by a
mile (literally in minutes equivalent).
Analysis: I did not get to do
my long run of 28km at 5:05-5:10 pace due to the haze/smog. So, that bit of
tapering was forgone and forgotten. I continued with my taper of two 21km runs
(within three days) and a few 10km sessions as part of my taper.
My approach to running is
contrarian: LESS IS MORE. Caveat: This may apply only to the older athletes.
Because I train over three disciplines – swim, ride and run – I can afford to
run less as I activate my aerobic fitness constantly. Plus, I believe that the
‘cross-over’ effect of the swimming and riding rolls over into my running
fitness.
I REST ONE OR TWO DAY/S
EVERY WEEK.
Rest is crucial to full
recovery and recuperation. I cannot over-emphasise its importance. My training
schedule, done alone, is:
1-2 sessions of 21km runs
(long runs, at tempo/fartlek pace).
2-3 sessions of 10km
(shorter runs, at tempo/fartlek pace).
*Maximum run of 28-32km
(once a week, 4-6 weeks out from race-day)
No hill-work (okay, one
bridge).
No interval sessions.
All workouts are performed
at tempo (fast/moderate).
Base, aerobic, training is
the slowest (done 6-9 months out).
Caveat: I may be faster IF I
incorporate a systemic run program, with track intervals and hill-work.
Instead, I use Fartlek
(‘Speed-play’) that is an intuitive, variable-paced, approach to running. I observe
that clever racing is a combination of various paces and patience. You can run
intuitively as you can logically. The various interplay of speeds, pauses and
alertness/awareness determine your performance. If you are not aware of your
fatigue levels or monitoring your watch/heart-rate, it can spell disastrous
results.
TRAINING = WORK + REST
My mileage for GCAM was only
40-45km per week. It falls far below the 70-90km serious marathoners usually
do. Most of my sessions are aerobic (lower heart-rate). I include only two
anaerobic sessions per week. I subscribe to the training philosophy of Dr Phil
Maffetone and Ironman legend Mark Allen. My increased use of essential fats was
also attributed to the Maffetone, as I was focused on building a strong aerobic
base for Ironman triathlons (where it ends with a marathon after 3.8km of
swimming, and 180km of cycling). I would recommend a base training of 60-120
minutes per session at aerobic zone (180-AGE = maximum, and avoid exceeding
it). Do this for at least 4-6 months. You will feel you are too slow, but you
will become faster once your HR falls and you increase your pace. I believe
that mileage is not the key, as is training in your aerobic zone/fat-burning
zone.
Too much mileage can lead to
one road: injury. Common maladies of over-distance and intense speed-work are
plantar fasciitis, heel-spurs, archiles strain and possible stress fractures. I
did not want to risk that.
RACES ARE CONSIDERED
ANAEROBIC SESSIONS.
I have discovered over my
last few A-races (Ironman New Zealand 2013) and Sundown Marathon (21km) that my
aerobic base allowed me to operate in new territory of sustained anaerobic pace
(4:30 min/km). My training tempo pace have been about 5:15-4:45 min/km, which
is unusual.
With my recent results,
although the training is specifically geared towards the Ironman World
Championships in Kona-Hawaii in October, I am pleased. I hope to meet my
dream-mark of a sub-4:00 hour marathon during an Ironman race. With a
differential of about 30-40 minutes for a stand-alone and Ironman marathon, I
am well within the hypothetical measure. Fingers crossed.
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