I’ve been a runner for 10 years, albeit not always a happy one. Sometimes my miles were a slog. Usually, they’re something for me to tick off my to-do list. In the back of my mind, I thought it odd that I didn’t look on running with the same joy that possessed me as a child. I chalked it up to my body changing from wiry childhood to lumpy adulthood. Lately, I’ve wondered if it has more to do with the reasons why I run now versus the reasons I used to run. As a child, I ran to have fun. As an adult, I've run to stay in shape, a reason about as far away from fun as possible.Through the dice toss that is Amazon.com’s “books you might like,” I discovered Born to Run. I read a few reviews that said, “I’ll be surprised if you don’t want to get up and run after reading this book.” Slightly skeptical, because I’ve believed forever that some people are “runners” and the rest of us (including me) aren’t, I started to read.When I finished the book, all I wanted to do was run so I could experience the same pleasure described in the book. So I've ditched the ear phones (amazing how they distract from holding a good running form), added some barefoot running, and discovered that maybe I'm a runner after all.Based on the description of how Chris trained with Eric, I did some checking and discovered this site and his training plans. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest decision, but it feels like a good one to date, I switched my training for the St. George Marathon (October 3) to Eric's 20-week plan. Although my mileage times have dropped a bit (still working on hitting and staying in the right zones), I'm feeling wonderful both during and after my runs.My foot soreness is minimal, leading me to think I was already a mid-foot versus heel striker, particularly when I look at the wear on my shoe treads. Now, I focus on keeping my cadence up, maintaining my posture, and making sure my leg movement stays efficient throughout the whole run. I can't get over how it feels like I'm gliding at times.Instead of semi-dreading my race, I'm really looking forward to seeing what my training will help me accomplish.
Yup, I think this is the case Britt. So give it some time. Even though you are running slow duirng these runs, this efficiency development does transfer across the board to faster speeds...ultimately allowing you to hold your marathon pace longer without fatigue. This is how a marathoner gets faster, by improving speed endurance, not just speed. We all have an "endurance problem" not a "speed problem" - E
It happens most often in Zones 1-3. The common times for fluctuation are when I do a short spike of speed (e.g., crossing an intersection) running in zones 2 & 3, which pushes me into zone 3 or 4, respectively. Then, I'll slow my pace to get back into the correct zone, but when I increase my pace to my effort prior to the spike, it seems like I have a harder time not going over. It can take 3-5 minutes before my heart rate balances out enough that I'm not going out of my zone. It happens less often in zones 4 and 5, but when it does, it seems to align with terrain changes. Based on your description, it sounds like my situation may be related to efficiency.
Hi Brit - If you are refering to zones on the lower end, zone 1-3, this will get better thru time, as it is a function of efficiency. If you are talking about zone 4-5 runs, this could be from terrain fluctuations. Are you running on trails when this happens? Could you give me a detailed example, so I can see how high your heart rate does go - E
Thanks, Eric. I'm curious about fluctuations in the heart zones. It seems like with a minimum change in effort, I spike out of my desired zone. Then, as I'm slowing down to get back in my zone, I drop out of it. Any suggestions to manage these fluctuations better?
WOW- Thanks for sharing this Britt. Keep me posted on your training and if you have any questions. And don't worry, the speed/mileage will come...especially if you keep "gliding" - E
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