HADD Training Method

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  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Also been on holiday but have kept the training going, albeit without any commuting extras. Have done two parkruns and two long runs (22 and 16 miles) and a couple of hass-like sessions. Today's was a bit tougher than the previous (which have been at MP, 7:50-8:00/mi and 73-75% maxHR).... this was 10.6 miles total with 8 mi @ 7:35/mi (80% maxHR).

    1.3 to canal and back as wu/cd...  8 miles on canal:

    1, 7:32, 142/148 (average/maximum bpm)
    2, 7:29, 144/147
    3, 7:44, 145/150
    4, 7:40, 147/152
    5, 7:22, 147/151
    6, 7:37, 145/150
    7, 7:33, 145/151
    8, 7:43, 147/151

  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    edited August 2017
    I've been on holiday too with the family. Different places, lots of travelling, not much WiFi access. And lot of running...  :o

    But the thread has been a bit quieter, so I assume you've all been doing much the same. 

    For me, two more weeks of over 60 miles, with 2 workouts (85% and 87%) and long run per week. Just last week, I was on schedule for 65 miles, when I remembered about a club trail 5k this week Thursday (tomorrow), so eased off, took a day off and ended up with 57 miles for last week. Continuing a small 'taper' this week, sans workout except for strides and another day off today. Hence more time...  :p

    I'll let you know how the race goes afterwards, but I'm confident to go sub-20 minutes. In training, the closest I've come to the pace is last Friday's workout, which was 1.5 miles @ 87.5% (0.5 mile off), at which I managed an average pace of 6:26, 6:32, 6:31 /m. Other than spikes, I didn't even hit the target HR! Hopefully with a bit of rest, it will come. Fingers crossed. 

    Dr Dan, good to see you attempting a true 80% run. How did that go? You didn't slack off towards the end, neither did the HR rise. Really positive. See if you can extend it next week to 9 miles or 2x30 minutes. 

    In answer to previous questions on the thread, I'm sure that you've read The Hadd Document. Dr Dan linked to it on post 1 of this thread. There are some other threads on Letsrun, on which Hadd posted with some real gems of advice and information, going far beyond what is found in the document. This should help clear up some of the common Hadding questions and confusion. 

    Hands down, the winner is this thread, both in depth, detail and clarity. And length. It's long, but well worth it. "To Hadd (or others with good input)" 
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=42240

    "Racing during base phase" 
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3241230

    "2 types of runners. Which one are you?" This special thread has just two contributors: Hadd and John Cabral. Scroll through, find Hadd's posts and enjoy. 
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2375989

    "Question on fiber types and training". A follow up Q and A from the Cabral and Hadd thread. 
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2666852

    "long run for marathon question" This only really gets underway on page 2
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=66879&page=1

    "Hadd in the hills." What it says on the tin. 
    http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=2668169

    Feel free to discuss anything in those threads or ask about anything not found there. 
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Dr Dan, good to see you attempting a true 80% run. How did that go? You didn't slack off towards the end, neither did the HR rise. Really positive. See if you can extend it next week to 9 miles or 2x30 minutes.

    Sol - you'll see if you read back this thread that I have done PLENTY of 80-83% subLT sessions before. But they were well above my LT. The critical thing (from a hadd perspective) is to stay just below LT, not to stick to a particular %maxHR value based upon a mythical semi-elite runner called Joe. I think this session was useful because I have a HM coming up which will require some harder work than MP ... but it was certainly not a subLT run.
  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    Dan, my thinking was that this (for you) might have been around the traditional, Daniel's-type tempo pace, for which 4 or 5 miles is usually the maximum most people can achieve in a training run. So doing 8 miles are this effort either means a time-trial effort or extremely intense or, as I suspect, might actually be somewhat sub-LT. 
  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    Yay, I did it! Cutting a 3-mile-long story short, I came in with a time of 19:20!

    Ave pace - ave HR (HR%) - max HR 
    6:14 - 164 (85%) - 181 (steep uphill) 
    6:15 - 176 (91%) - 177
    6:07 - 177 (92%) - 184

    I find those splits incredible, as I've been nowhere near there in training (averaging 6:28 in 3x1.5mi @87% last week). Even 6:15 was a PB for the mile!

    I got nipped just before the finish line by two sprint-finishers, but I couldn't do anything about it - I couldn't put on any more speed! As Hadd says, I felt I could've done another mile or two, but had no boost.. 

    Either way, a big PB, by a whopping 50 seconds, but then again, I don't race much. For where I'm at, ie approaching the end of phase 1, I'm pleased. But of course, with the start of real training, there's a lot of time to come off that. 
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Great result Sol! A 3 mile race is unusual!

    I have the advantage of actually having done a lab-based lactate threshold test - LT was 8:02/mi at 132 bpm (and my marathon shortly afterwards was at 8:02/mi at 141 bpm).



    My most recent (again, done close to the time of the lab test) 10 mile race pace is 6:52/mile at 151 bpm ... this very closely matches my lab-based Lactate Turn Point (6:54/mi). Classic tempo pace would be a little faster than this, but not much.

    So I know for sure that 8 miles at 7:35/mi and 80% maxHR is above my lactate threshold... but below my tempo/lactate turn point. I have managed in the past to get my 80% maxHR pace down to 7:15/mi without drift, via hadd training, although that didn't help my marathon times.

    2 x 5 mile run commutes yesterday at easy pace ... and 2 x 5 mile bike commutes today.


  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    OK, Dan that clarifies it further. 

    It was a 5k race. Three point one quite painful miles actually! 
  • Wed: 10.3 miles with 8@7:33/mi ...  77% maxHR (140 bpm). Spot the drift!
    7:40 134 bpm
    7:28 135
    7:36 135
    7:31 139
    7:27 142
    7:38 143
    7:34 144
    7:31 144

    Sat: 20:34 parkrun/5K (6:37/mi, 86% maxHR).

    Sun: 24 miles at 73% maxHR, 8:06/mi. Pretty solid for 15 miles, then the inevitable drift.
    8:18 123 bpm
    7:58 126
    8:05 126
    7:55 129
    8:15 127
    8:05 126
    8:12 128
    8:14 127
    7:56 129
    8:17 129
    8:11 129
    8:10 127
    8:05 129
    7:56 132
    8:09 129
    7:57 134
    8:09 136
    8:00 137
    8:07 137
    8:11 137
    8:03 138
    8:23 139
    8:07 142
    7:38 145

  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    Fantastic work, Dan! The drift in the 77% run is understandable, as it's above your threshold. In that incredibly long run (remind me what are you training for, to go that long? And how long did that take you?), too, might it be that it wasn't real drift - more like dehydration and heating / cooling issues?  

    By the way, out of interest, you being a fat-adapted athlete, how did you fuel this run? Fasted, fats or carbs? 

    My past week was dismal. In middle of the week I picked up some kind of ache in my left knee, only aching a few miles into a run, especially on the downhills. Took a day off, tried again to no avail, took another day off and tried again yesterday (I knew that the weekly Sunday long run wasn't gonna happen), but it's still there. A total weekly mileage of 23 miles! About 40% of what I've been doing for a couple of months. This 'injury' couldn't have been caused by the 5k race the previous week, as there were a few runs in between unaffected and normal. So, I'm just going to play the waiting game, until it heals. It does suck...! 

    How's everyone else doing? 
  • Bad news Sol :'(  - really hope that clears up quickly as you're going so well. Don't be tempted to keep "testing" it .... give it a proper chance to heal up.

    I have 5 weeks to go until the Chester marathon. My marathon PB pace (April '17) is 8:01/mi, so Sunday's 24 miles at 8:06/mi was very satisfying as it came in over 10 bpm lower than my marathon race. Yes, drift over that sort of distance in inevitable as you start to work those muscle fibres that don't usually get used much. My long runs over the past 6 weeks have gone 20, 22, 22, 16, 20, 24. I have also done 3 x 10mi subLTs and then 3 x LT runs. The long Sunday morning runs always follow an all-out 5K (parkrun) on Saturday morning (to empty out my muscle glycogen). In between the 5K and the long run, I eat no carbs ... and I do the long run after just a coffee but no breakfast (and just water on the run itself).

    This Sunday is a half marathon race ... it's flat but the course is very exposed, so if it's windy (as predicted) it might be a tough outing.
  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    Very satisfying indeed, Dan! Hopefully, you're on course for a new marathon PB! 

    And best of luck on Sunday. 

    I tried to heed your advice to 'not keep testing it,' taking 2 days off, just cycling for an hour instead. No difficulties there - it's the impact that affects the knee. Last night I went out for a slow (9:48/m average) run with occasional walk breaks, especially on the downhills. I noticed an improvement: the ache took longer to present itself and was milder than it has been. I iced it afterwards. I'll take today off too and I'll see about tomorrow. 
  • I forgot to report in on the half marathon .... 90:24. Pretty happy with that.

    My PB is 90:06 from early 2011. Perhaps could have beaten that had I paced it better ... looking back I was on 1:28:39 pace at 8 miles which was clearly too fast! Coupled with some severe blisters on the ball of my feet, I couldn't hold the pace. But still came in at my best ever age-graded WAVA %, at any distance, so have to be happy.
  • Great time Dan. Looking good... except for those blisters because they're really going to bite you over the full distance. What are you going to do differently in Chester.
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    edited September 2017
    I have a recurring issue with the balls of my feet ... the impact of mileage builds up hard skin. Then at faster paces, that hard skin gets bashed into my metatarsals and I get blood-blisters a lot of pain. OK for parkrun/10K (20-40ish min) but not for HM where I go above the threshold. MP is not so bad as it's less intense. However, I have modified my insoles to take the pressure of the impact area ... I used to do this on all my trainers but haven't for the last 2 pairs. Also been doing some maintenance of the pressure points (luffa/cream) and they're softening up. Hopefully, the HM experience has given me sufficient warning!

    Did my last 20 miler on Monday ... after a bad night's sleep and a day at work, it didn't go well - but at least I got the miles in! So that's 3x20, 2x22 and 1x24 for the long runs ... 4/6 have been really good and 2/6 have been a slog. Taper time now.
  • Sol2Sol2 ✭✭✭
    Good going, Dan! Superb effort! And very close to your PB and elusive sub-90. Hope those blisters heal quickly and well. Enjoy the taper; the work is done, time to rest!

    I'm almost back to running. Yesterday I only felt very minor twinges toward the end, so that's good news. I'll give it another few days. (I knocked my knee a couple of weeks back, which caused pain upon the impact of running.) 
  • Glad you're back sol.

    Dan... I'm just a bit outside my PB form at the moment.  I didn't seem to respond to Hadd training - not in terms of HR v pace anyway. I was pretty good at maintaining training paces, but not enough miles - so I can't really pass judgement.

    I did a long ultra 2 months ago and although I've done a decent job of converting to faster stuff since then, I'm not really quite ready... and my mileages are OK but not good.  I'll probably head out with the 3.30 pacer and either try to hang on... or if I happen to be feeling great (in my dreams), I might try to push towards my 3.24 pb.   But my honest guess is somewhere around 3.28/3.35.. but never been so uncertain as I am this time.

  • How did you get on on Sunday Dan?  A somewhat disappointing fade for me...  At 3:37, it was 5 minutes slower than I expected (7 minutes slower than I hoped)- all of that time lost in a battle between 21 - 25 miles.
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    edited October 2017
    NE - bad luck on the fade... it's not unfamiliar to me as you'll see below.

    I had a disaster on my last proper run 7 days before the race - my Achilles started giving me sharp shooting pains at 8 miles, so I walked home. It was tender all day and aching the next day. Eased off Tues  a bit and was gone on Wednesday. So I did Thursday's sharpener session (3.3 miles with 4x400m intervals) and it convinced me nothing major was up with the Achilles but it also told me that there was something amiss as it did start playing up again... and 26.2 has a habit of finding things out. I was really in two minds whether to run ... in the end I did but I had switched off from the race during the week and ended up being quite poorly prepared. I had fuelled as I would have anyway but the logistics where poor and rather last minute.

    Set off to Chester from Leeds at 06:50 and parked up in a city centre car park about 8:15 and walked off to the racecourse. For some reason I thought the start was 9:30 but it turned out to be 9:00, so I ended up is a bit of a panic. Still, it saved me from any pre-race nerves (and I got to the start with more time to spare than at Abo last year - very last person in the toilet queue ... that one was very close!).

    I was confident in my fitness, so the plan was 7:45-8:00/mi pace, depending how I felt and what was happening to my HR. So I set off at what I felt was MP ... missed the 1 mile marker but crossed 2 miles in 15:36, so all good. At 3 miles my Achilles started to ache and I thought "here we go"... but it passed. Not much to report after that ... I was relaxed, chatted to a few folk and kept my eye on my pace. About 10-11 miles the ache returned. I thought I should perhaps try to get to 13.1 and then stop... but by 12 miles it had gone again. So I kept running. Crossed 13.1 in 1:40:44 ... 5 min faster than London, so this was going to be good ... or very bad. And then I just kept on running - the ache returned a few times but it wasn't a real sharp pain and I started to realise that it would pass.

    I used my London fuelling strategy - 7 gels, one every 20 minutes, the first at 20 minutes and last at 2:20. Drank water though out. At 23 miles I passed the place where cramp had floored me in 2011. 23-25 involved some climbing and these were the only miles where I slowed below 8/mi ... they were tough but I was OK. At 25 miles I knew I had this in the bag and so I picked it up... passed the family and ran the final 1.2 miles in 7:36.

    Official time was 3:22:56.

    1, 7:48,
    2, 7:48,
    3, 7:31, 139 (av)/146(max) bpm
    4, 7:56, 139/144
    5, 7:40, 139/143
    6, 7:47, 138/144
    7, 7:42, 141/145
    8, 7:45, 141/145
    9, 7:41, 143/147
    10, 7:19 145/149
    11, 7:38 143/148
    12, 7:34 144/148
    13, 7:43 144/148 .... 1:40.44 at half
    14, 7:53 147/151
    15, 7:39 145/149
    16, 7:44 149/142
    17, 7:37 150/155
    18, 7:57 148/151
    19, 7:41 149/153
    20, 7:37 149/153
    21, 7:46 151/153
    22, 7:46 152/155
    23, 7:56 151/155
    24, 8:05 148/151
    25, 8:14 149/153
    26.2 9:07 153/164 .... final 1.2 miles in 7:36/mi ... 2nd half 1:42:13

    Split  Chip         Pace     Leg          Pace     Position
    10K         48:09 07:45   48:09      07:45   637 th
    20K    01:35:46 07:42   47:36      07:39   592 nd
    30K    02:23:42 07:42   47:55      07:42   532 nd
    40K    03:12:49 07:45   49:07      07:54   461 st
    Finish 03:22:56 07:44   10:07      07:24   454 th out of 2,644

    After trying to break 3:30 for so long, suddenly a sub 3:20 GFA doesn't seem quite so impossible. Funny business this marathon running.
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭

    It’s taken me 9 marathons to properly crack the code, so I thought I’d try to reflect on what has helped me to finally become a reasonable marathon runner (although I hope there is still more to come).

    Here’s the story so far...

    Chester 2010 – 4:50:16 ... total nightmare – not well, should not have run.

    Chester 2011 – 3:32:43 ... got cocky at 14, slowed at 20, crashed at 23.

    Abingdon 2013 – 3:38:15 ... got cocky at 23, hit the wall at 24.

    London 2014 – 3:37:35 ... bit too fast in first miles, tried to compensate, slowed at 20, crashed at 23.

    Nottingham 2014 – 3:35:10 ... steady metronomic pace, slowed at 19, crashed at 23.

    Dublin 2014 – 3:39:10 ... deliberately slower pace, tough course/conditions but finished OK.

    Abingdon 2016 – 3:31:02 ... slowed after 23 but didn’t crash.

    London 2017 – 3:30:14 ... even pace, tough final 4 miles but no crash!

    Chester 2017 – 3:22:56 ... even pace, tough race but I was strong at end.

    So, I was 7 minutes faster at Chester 2017 compared with 6 months earlier in London! I was also 10 min faster than at Chester 2011 – a period in time when I set my current 5K, 10K 10M and HM PBs. So I am not any faster now than 6 years ago... but I am much better at marathon running! And I did this on a plan that averaged only 35 miles running per week.

    How? Well I think it’s down to the following:

    1)      I spend most of my time carb-depleted and am weight-stable. I generally avoid starch/sugars and prefer to eat meals based on protein, fibre and fat. This reduces carb-dependence, up-regulates fat-burning metabolic pathways and also makes me feel considerably less hungry – I have been weight-stable for 2 years without worrying about calories.

    2)      Long runs were always done in a carb-depleted state. I don’t mean just skipping breakfast, which just means the liver is glycogen depleted, but also ensuring that muscle glycogen levels are low too. So, I would run parkrun full tilt on a Saturday, to burn off stored muscle glycogen, and then consume no carbs between then and my Sunday morning long run (to avoid refilling the muscle and liver glycogen stores). This really forces the body to run on fat. If you haven’t done this before, and are carb-dependent as I used to be, then you need to go through a few grim weeks of adaptation. But then running on fat becomes easy. This probably wasn’t the key to the latest success, as I’d already sorted this by London ’17 (and partially before Abo ’16) and noticed huge improvements in fuel usage (i.e. no “wall”). But essential to maintain this capacity.

    3)      For Chester, most of these long runs were faster than I’d done before – at about MP + 20-30 seconds. Running slowly is supposed to improve fat-burning ... previously I’ve run at easy pace and perhaps put in a few of miles at MP at the end. But I reckon if you are on low weekly mileage, and if you are carrying no stored carbs, then you can afford to go a bit faster. You’re going to be burning fat anyway and you should have the legs for it. The advantage it that you’ll work some of those muscle fibres that the slower-paced runs never get to (unless you’re on high mileage). I did have a couple of runs where I was not able to do this for various reasons ... but most were comfortable at this faster pace.

    4)      I did 10 miles at marathon pace “MP” every week, always in a carb-depleted state. I’ve done what I called subLT/MP runs before ... the difference this time was that these MP runs were at my genuine “lactate threshold” pace. This is the effort level that is sustainable in a real marathon (not “predicted MP” based on shorter race times via on-line calculators which I used before, and not necessarily 80-83% maxHR) ... so that started out as 8 min/mile (based on my London ’17 pace and a real life lab-based lactate threshold test) but edged faster as the weeks went on. Alongside the faster long runs, I believe that this was KEY in pushing my lactate threshold out and enabling me to eventually run MP at a higher %maxHR (I ran Chester 17 at 80-81% maxHR average).

    5)      Low mileage with cross-training to replace the recovery/easy run mileage you’d usually expect between the sessions/LSR. I ran only 35 miles per week (over 15 weeks, not including the final pre-race taper week). Not all that much running!  Tues was the MP session, Saturday was parkrun, and Sunday was long run. There were some Thursday 2 x 5 mile doubles too but they fizzled out. Long runs topped out at 3 x 20 miles, 2 x 22 miles and 1 x 24 miles. Races were sparse unless you include parkruns as races (I do run them like races) ... I did a 90:24 HM 4 weeks before the marathon and a 5:53 1 mile track race 2 weeks before, so knew I was in good shape. To get the most out of the 3 key run sessions, I needed to be active but reasonable light on the remaining days. I achieved this through cycling to/from work (unless I did a Thursday run double-commute). If you’re younger or more robust than me, then the more traditional easy “filler-runs” may be fine. But for me it reduced my injury risk through avoiding over-training ... and it meant I was fresher for the run sessions ... and I could get to/from work for free! Due to summer holidays etc., it came out as 35 miles per week of cycling over 15 weeks.

    6)      Race fuelling. I do not fuel up on carbs before a training session any more ... unless it’s high intensity, which is quite rare when marathon training. But I DO fuel on carbs the day before all races, and sometimes for parkrun too. Train low, race high! For marathons, I carb load from Thursday afternoon, straight after my last run (which includes 4 x 400 m at “1 mile pace”). I eat a lot of carbs Thurs/Fri, and calm it down a bit on Sat to avoid gut issues. Muscle glycogen should be well topped up on race morning. On race day I have 4 slices of white toast 3 hours before the start, to top up liver glycogen stores which deplete overnight. But then I avoid any further carbs. To start the race on normal blood glucose levels, I start the race unfuelled ... the idea is to avoid triggering insulin release as this potently switches off fat-burning. I want to get the body utilising fat from the off. Once under way, I take 7 gels during the race, one every 20 minutes, the first at 20 minutes..... once the muscles are working away, they can take up glucose in an insulin-independent manner, so fat-burning is not switched off. I know can run 24 miles in training unfuelled at MP+20s but I still assume that I need carbs to maintain MP over 26.2, although I haven’t tested this. While, the carb-depleted training means I now burn a greater percentage of fat when running at MP, I will be likely be using some carbs at marathon intensity (lactate comes from burning carbs ... and I am at/above lactate threshold). The idea of the gels (60g carbs per hour) is to conserve stored muscle glycogen for the later stages when the intensity goes up. The last gel comes 2:20 into the race ... after that stage, it is unlikely the digestive system will absorb any more. This fuelling approach has worked really well in the last 2 marathons, in sharp contrast to earlier ones.


  • Great efforts at Chester guys!
  • Is anyone still hadding at the moment?
    Last time I posted about my training I was at a crossroad with summer annoyingly affecting my pace, all Be it still much better than 12 months before.
    I have mainly kept my easy pace at sub 70%, along with my LSR but gone away from my 80% sub LT and replaced it with a weekly run at a decent pace ( for my standards) of 8:30. 

    The results have really got me to an improving extra extra level up on what I was running at. 

    In September I took part in the tour of MK which is six races in six day ranging from a 6.6 Mile Road Race on the Sunday to a 2.2 Mile cross country Race through Brickhill woods. 
    I was worried I would finish last overall at the end of the week finishing about 77th of 105 gave me great satisfaction. 
    During this week I managed three PB’s over 1k 4:15 and 1mile of 6:53 in the Tuesday 1 Mile Race which was four laps of my clubs running track. 
    Depite it being day 6, I also managed to finish with a 10k 49:46 PB in the 7 Mile Race. 

    My Parkrun times have gone from 24:34 in January to the following 

    23:53 in late September 
    23:37 in October

    taking off a further 57 seconds off my Parkrun time. 

    My Lsr this time last year was 12:20 per mile but twelve months on is down at 11:20 a mile at a lower average heart rate. 
    After hitting 7 miles @8:30 in training I now have the Rockingham 10 Mile coming up on the 5th with 1:30:xx the time to beat which took place in awful conditions with 1:24:xx being the target. 
    With 2 Cross country races and a 5 Mile Road Race still to come, I am really looking forward to a strong end to the year after taking an age to get over May’s MK Marathon!

  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Good going Martyn - some progress in the right direction! But why are your LSRs so slow? I don't think there's any advantage to running them quite so slowly. Based on your 5K pace, they should be 10:30/mi at the slowest... probably a bit faster.

    For me, the sub-LT sessions are the key "hadd" sessions.

    I haven't done much running in the past 3 weeks since Chester... a parkrun, a 6 mile MP run and a 10K race. 100+ miles on the bike and some resistance training though, so ticking over. I'll continue this week with the relaxed approach as I have another 10K on Sunday.

    Then I will need a proper plan!
  • Hi Dan
    The Lsr has been averaging between 66 and 69% in the last two months, between 10 and 15 miles. 
    Should I up it to 75%? 
    I am aware of others than have gone away from Hadd in search of speedier sessions so know I could be risking more chance of injury.

    Thats good going after a Marathon! How have you’re times fared? After Marathon training the rule of thumb is that you can nick a PB or two off the back of that training but I’ve never managed it. 
  • I find the my easy 70% runs between 3 and 6 miles average between 10:20 and 11:00 now though.
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Even Hadd said don't run slower than your "5K pace + 3 min". There's a point at which slow running becomes inefficient, both in terms of aerobic adaptation and running form. If your 5K times are 23:xx, I would think about running your LSRs at 10 min/mi and not worry too much about HR.

    I am always rubbish after a marathon... I am only racing these two 10Ks because they're club competition races and I need the points!
  • Interesting points, so after Rockingham I may make my easy and Lsr a 10:35 run taking into account my 5k PB is @7:36 pace.
    I may as well give this a whirl and improve once more. 
    Makes sense, and I am sure you will be very close to top of your age category, if not top!
    Sol, how’s the knee?
  • Dr.DanDr.Dan ✭✭✭
    Alas we don't have age categories but I have a good chance of coming 3rd in the Premier division with 2 races to go ... no chance of any better as the top 2 are way faster. Some speedier folk have been injured or have not done enough races. I could get caught by a V60 who runs similar times to me but I should be OK on current form. We have a division 1 and 2 as well ... good news is that when you join you're automatically in division 2, so there are some very fast guys who haven't been here long enough to get promoted and take over the premier yet.
  • Keep any core exercises and foam rolling up and you’re body will do you proud. 
  • It’s gone very quiet on here of late?
    I’ve been really struggling to fit in any significant LSR in, but due to a change of job my core has massively improved and my weight is still nudging down.
    My easy pace has been around 10:30 as Dan advised (Parkrun pace plus 3 mins). My Hr normally comes out between 72 and 75% average HR so I am not far away. 

    A few few weeks ago I took park in my first men’s cross country race in the Chiltern League event 2. 
    This was one by Mohamed Mohamed, who was gliding over the mud when he lapped me. 
    Although only 460th of 509 the quality was very impressive and I was happy completing this 9.5k course in 50:28 in typical muddy winter conditions. 
    This would of been a 10k Road time I would of loved just a year ago, so I was satisfied with this. 
    Due to my lack of LSR I swerved a 10 mile and Half Marathon this month but did take part in a 5 mile race today. I finished in 40:27 12 months ago in the same race so was delighted to complete the same course bang on 2 mins quicker in 38:27. (168th of 255).

    Next up, probably my last race of the year, event 3 of the Chiltern cross country league next Saturday in Luton. 

    Good luck to anyone racing in the coming weeks!
  • Just dropping by to say thanks and belated congrats to Dr Dan on your Chester '17 performance. 

    I read your race report and thoughts with great interest. Having trained with a HRM for a number of years it's great to see some real world numbers. 

    I am base building for Manchester in April and am using my HRM to keep my training intensity down, however, having re-read my printed copy of Hadd's paper and your thoughts I am going to start doing some dedicated sessions at the higher intensity. 


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