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HADD training plan
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YES... Today was worth the wait......
Just had to give a very quick update. 7 weeks out from my marathon I went out this morning with low expectations, I have been bothered by a sore knee kast few runs, and I mangaed to cover:
7.27 miles at 9.56 min mile pace and an average heart rate of 142 (71% MHR) compare that to:
6.81 miles at 10.02 min mile pace and aver heart rate of 158 (79%) 9th Jan
6.14 miles at 9.51 min mile pace and average heart rate 151 (76%) 12th Mar
The best thing was that I felt like i was barely moving, I felt i could have ran all day at that effort...
Fingers have been crossed for Laureate33 all weekend!
I am pleased to report that the Rome Marathon is safely 'in the bag' in a workmanlike 4:41. Was I hoping for better? Yes, if I'm honest. Am I disappointed? No, not really. The bottom line is that I have achieved everything that I set out to do late last November: to run my first marathon at the age of 48; without walking any of it (less for drink stations - a useful tip I picked up elsewhere); and to finish in such a state as to be able to say truthfully that I actually rather enjoyed the occasion (which I did!). I say 'occasion' because I would be lying if I said that the whole race was a breeze - 26.2 miles is a bloody long way in anyone's book and I did battle a few demons in the last 3-4 miles as the Roman cobbles got even more uneven! However, not once was I in any real danger of not completing the distance and, less for very tired legs, I actually felt pretty good as I crossed the line.
So, what happened with my pace? Well, I suspect a number of things. Firstly, as I switched on my HRM whilst 'gearing up' for the start, I noticed my resting heart rate was a good 15bpm higher than it would be before a normal run. Occasion? Probably. Temperature? Quite possibly - it was 18DegC. Whatever the reason, it meant that that for my 75% starting pace, I was pushed to better 10m/m. I was always going to miss my target of 4:15-4:20 - the question was, by how much. As it happens, whilst I was able to up my HR to 80 and even 85% in the middle and last stages of the race, it just did not give me any more pace and my average official 5km 'splits' were amazingly consistent (to within 15 seconds a km) from the 5km point (once I had escaped the crowds...) through to the end.
continued below /....
So, what does this say about 'Hadd' as a marathon training programme? Well, in my opinion, it is as valid as any other. Given that my own regime consisted of only two 6-week blocks punctuated by 3 weeks of no running (due to skiing and flu), it certainly got me to the start line as well prepared to run the distance as I could have hoped for. However; it did not give me the capacity to do so at pace. And perhaps I should never have expected it to. We all extol the virtues of HR/time running and not worrying about the pace, and perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised when our results are similarly business like.
Will I do it again? Absolutely - because now I have unfinished business with a sub 4:00 finish! Will I change my approach? Yes. Not because I did anything wrong, but because I know now that I will need to do things differently if I’m going to up my pace. That doesn’t mean that I am going to desert Hadd altogether - far from it. I intend to go right back to Hadd basics and begin with a max HR test just to see whether my ‘educated guess’ in November was right. Thereafter, I shall spend 12-16 weeks building an even firmer Hadd base, before launching into a specific marathon training programme for another go in the Autumn (possibly Florence in November, we’ll see).
My conclusion from my journey so far is that that’s what this programme is all about... it is not an end in itself and because I didn't 'top it off' with anything, I only got half a result. QED
To sum up, I’ll be here for a while yet....
Well done L33
. As you said, 26.2 is one hell of a long way! Sounds like you paced it well since you were able to push the HR up to 80-85% in the later stages and avoid the death march. The fact that that didn't produce an increase in pace just means that you've still go a long way to go with your aerobic development ... which is the same for me ... and, I suspect, many other runners! Building base takes time.
Now, make sure you FULLY recover before comtemplating running anything that resembles either "long" or "fast"!
Well done once again!
Thanks dp - I fear you may well be right
Thanks also Dr Dan - you're bang on too, it's all about aerobic base and 3 months simply is not enough time to build one relatively from scratch. Don't worry about taking it easy during my recovery, now that I can walk down stairs without swearing (lol), I shall start 'reverse tapering' tomorrow with a very slow 4 miler along the seafront in the lunchtime sunshine...it's great to be on the Bay of Naples at this time of year
L33, Congrats on a job well done. Now relax and smell the coffee!
Yes, to build the aerobic engine to it's full potential takes 10 years!
What's the water tip ??
And how did you find the last few miles psychologically ? I know you mention demons but can you be more specific ?
SimonA, thanks, nice to know i'am not on my own. The long run went from 16miles at 11min a mile, straight to 13 min a mile for the last 2 miles, I will do at least 2 more 18 milers and see what results I get, before adding any more miles.
L33, job well done. intresting foot note [toping it off] what would you have done, any specific program in mind. I have a marathon end of Oct, and to be honest not sure what to do or what program to follow. My one and only marathon last year ended in me walking the last 3 miles in 53 mins nightmare, finishing in 4hrs 23 mins.
Mace, thanks! My water tip is simple - walk whilst drinking... it doesn't take long (20-30 seconds) and avoids gulping air or splashing it all over your shirt as opposed to down your throat. Equally, it allows you to take care avoiding discarded bottles, cups and (in the latter stations) oranges and bananas! The theory is that at anything over 4 hours target time, you should worry less about dropping back than you do about refuelling safely and efficiently. You'd also be surpised at how refreshing such a short walk can be in terms of setting you up to run the next 5 k's - particularly from 30km onwards! In terms of 'demons' - they weren't actually too oppressive! But as the lactic acid starts to build (and it will...) and as your legs get less inclined to do your bidding (coz they do...) you will need mental toughness to resist the urge to walk alongside the tens of others that have already given in. A mate of mine warned me it would happen but reassured me that all the beastings I have endured over 30 years in the Army would carry me through. He's right!
SimonA. I give my thoughts advisedly, considering that I am both a HADD and marathon 'newbie' (and being a firm subscriber to the maxim that a little knowledge is dangerous!). However, I did a good deal of research in the run-up to my marathon and feel reasonably well enough informed to decide what might be done differently next time. The bottom line up front, however, is that HADD absolutely prepared me to cope with the distance at a given pace without experiencing what happened to you last year. It sounds like you set off at too fast a lick and ended up paying for it over the closing stages by joining what Brian calls the 'death march'! If you want to finish a marathon 'running' and 'enjoy it' at the same time, then perseverance with HADD will pay dividends. However, I reckon that if you have a fast-ish target time in mind (and don't have ten years to spare
), then you need to use HADD to build a sufficient aerobic base (only you can judge what 'sufficiency' is though; I suspect, the attaintment of a 'workable' 70% cardiac-drift-proof pace) before embarking on a more demanding marathon-specific programme to prepare for the 'race' itself. I quite like the look of one that I came across in a back edition of 'Runner's World' in the dentist the other week, which features a maximum long-run distance of 16 miles. It is fairly unconventional in that respect, but the theory is that the weekly programme is cumulatively sufficiently demanding so as ensure that your Sunday LSR mimics the last 16 miles of a marathon, not the first! Being able to run at pace, whilst tired, should address your issue with heavy legs! Anyway, see what you think - there is a review of the programme on 'Running Times Magazine' at <a href='http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4447' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4447</a> . Alternatively, I thought I might try a specific sub 4:00 programme such as RW's very own <a href='http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/rws-garmin-ready-marathon-schedule-sub-400/2765.html' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/rws-garmin-ready-marathon-schedule-sub-400/2765.html</a> . Whatver you decide, it would be interesting to share in your thought process...
Ciao!
Keep in mind that "Hadd's Approach to Distance Running" is a base training approach and not a marathon preparation schedule. It is just "Phase I" ... something you do before starting a specific marathon prep phase.
Once you can maintain 10M at maraHR, and know that you can go further, you are in a position to start more specific work etc ready for the race. The problem is that most of us never really get the base sorted out before the marathon deadlines force us into getting ready for the race.
Of course, if you've done lots of Hadd base training while building LSR mileage, you'll probably already be in better shape for a marathon than by following one of the more "journalistic" marathon schedules that lurk in magazines and running sites.
Got it, Dr Dan, thanks - yours is a more succint version of mine - just taking the opportunity to chew the cud...
Thanks both, I will now chew the cud of constant meditation, whilst Hadding of course.
L33 the going off to fast, at no time in the marathon up to 23 miles did I feel uncomfortable I just got to 23 miles and my legs stopped working. I dont want to make the same mistake.
Well done SimonA, stick at it...
Just been looking at Brighton Marathon website and Ron Hill is running it.
Wrong thread lol
Only ran once in 2 weeks but I am hoping now that my foot is good. Feels ok apart from stiffness in morning.
Here is what a typical week looks like in my training regime now and has done for at least 2 months
Monday- 5mile =138 av HR run
tuesday-7mile=140 av HR run - swim 1250 meters
wednesday-bike 8 mile - 11 mile =140 av HR run
thursday-swim 1 mile (pool swim)
friday-6mile= 135 av HR run
saturday-5mile =140 av HR run-swim 1.5 mile - bike 30 miles
sunday 6.5 mile=138 av HR run- bike 30 mile
Wow! I'm impressed Curt!!!!!!!
You certainly put in the hours.... fully deserved, quality tri debut.