Techy Tuesday: Steady As She Goes

Let's kick off the Techy Tuesday series with a quick post on data from the Hillbilly Trail Run that I participated in this past Sunday.  Put on by the Running Factory, this was an exciting, and very technical, 5.84k trail run. 

I ran with the Garmin 305 Forerunner, my gps device of choice for running. 

The pre-race goal was to run a consistent effort at very close to what I perceived to be my current running lactate threshold.  I was a bit tired going into the run, having just finished a 90' indoor training ride that was part of the Loaring Group Training Day.  But I started to find my running legs after about 1 mile into the race.

Clicking the graph below will take you to an interactive graph hosted by Training Peaks.  This is the software that I use for myself, and all of the athletes that I coach.  Prior to uploading this data to Training Peaks, I looked at the data using WKO+ software.  I consider WKO+ software to be the gold standard of data analysis for HR, gps, and power data.

The interactive map allows one to re-live the race thanks to a detailed satellite view of the route.  You can zoom in to fairly impressive detail and literally track every few meters of the 5.84k single loop course.  It is not detailed enough to show every little twist and turn, but provides a nice overview map of the spaghetti-like course.

In looking at the data, my HR progressively climbed in the opening mile, and then settled into a very steady HR after 5' into the race.  It pretty much hovered at 170bpm for the final 75% of the run.  The course was quite technical with hundreds of twists and turns along several technical MTB single track--that I only looked down at my watch once during the race.  As I mentioned, the goal was to try and run a consistent effort from start to finish.  I think I achieved that and would estimate my current running "threshold" to be around 170bpm.

Had the footing not been so technical, I might have glanced down at the watch more, but would have only used my HR or avg pace or current pace, as a very rough guide.  I aim to never allow an external device to drive my pacing strategy--but find it helpful at times to provide on-the-fly feedback that can help provide some guidance.  In other words, I left the analysis for after the run, and relied on my gut during.

My k splits were:

1k = 3:23
2k = 4:03
3k = 4:00
4k = 3:34
5k = 4:00
The final 850m was at ~3:30/k pace

In looking at the k splits, that is a large fluctuation in pacing.  However, since the terrain and footing was quite variable, looking solely at k splits will paint a misleading picture.  In a future post, I will discuss more about "normalized pacing".  But for today, what is interesting is how consistent the HR was from 5' until the finish line.  Despite considerable twists and turns, and climbs and descents, my HR pretty much hovered around 170bpm.  Why?  Because I aimed to keep the tempo on the down hills, and not work too hard on the climbs.  During the technical sections, I focused on trying to minimize the slowing of pace--trying to keep the momentum.  Therefore, despite fluctuations in pace due to the undulation of the course, my perceived exertion and HR was quite consistent. 

So this is an example of a solid 20' threshold effort.  I did not go out too hard, nor did I go bananas during the final few hundred meters(when the finish was in sight).  I simply ticked away and relied on my experience to run a consistent effort at a level of perceived exertion that I considered to be around my current running lactate threshold.

So that was my pacing strategy for this fun, low-key grass roots event.  The pacing strategy will very likely be different this coming Saturday when I take part in the Canadian Masters Cross Country Champs here in Guelph.  Tactics will almost certainly come into play.  Or maybe they won't?

Stay tuned for a detailed analysis of the 8k Canadian Master XC Champs next Tuesday.  I plan on comparing gps files between myself and two other athletes who will be competing in the same event (Mike Hay and Rob Tranter).  So it will be interesting to compare 3 athletes in the same race, who possess 3 different lactate thresholds, ages, fitness levels, and pacing strategies.

Until then, keep it nice and steady.