[Marion]

Hi!
In October I will hopefully (if Covid-19 allows…) take part in a race, a city trail that includes a serious amount of stairs in it’s uphill part. There are 2 possibilities, a short version with 7km and 200hm elevation gain which consists mainly of these stairs, and the longer version with 15,9k, 590m up, twice the same stairs as in the short race and some steep uphill more. I haven’t decided which one to start yet, but I wouldn’t write here if I wouldn’t want to run the longer one ;-).
Running background are many Half Marathon races some years ago, then until last summer the occassional run ever now and then, without any structure. Meanwhile getting more and more into hiking and easier alpinism. More structured running since Christmas, spring races cancelled, now running 2-3 times/wk on weekdays and hiking (or long runs, depending on weather conditions) on weekends, regular Yoga practice.
So neither length nor elevation gain of the races should be a real problem. If it wasn’t the stairs… ever now and then I run there and get up there. Result: Calves tight and breath and heart rate in outer space. Not the best conditions to run 10k+ afterwards…
With 13 weeks left, what would be the best preparation? Running/hiking up stairs and more stairs? Theoretically I can use the original race course for training, but will have to be prepared for strange training times, as it is an overcrowded public place (thinking of Covid…). Get up steep hills? Other stairs I found in the woods (but too steep to even think of running there…)? Any better, more effective ideas?

Best regards,
Marion

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on July 16, 2020 at 9:13 am #43646

Calves tight

Are you standing on your toes? Make sure your heels touch the ground with each step because…

and breath and heart rate in outer space.

…you’re training too fast. If you slow down, you’ll improve your fitness more effectively and probably not have calf issues.

With 13 weeks left, what would be the best preparation? Running/hiking up stairs and more stairs?

Yes, but slower. Have you tested your thresholds?

Get up steep hills? Other stairs I found in the woods (but too steep to even think of running there…)? Any better, more effective ideas?

Yes, did I mention going slower? 🙂

[Marion]

Marion on July 20, 2020 at 12:04 am #43709

No, I didn’t do the tests so far, just discovered the book (Uphill athlete) and this website a few days befor my first posting.
Do I need to be fully recovered to do the testing or can I do it within normal training cycles?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on July 20, 2020 at 10:04 am #43728

You definitely want to be recovered for the anaerobic test. For the aerobic test, “it depends”. To get the best results, it’s probably best to be recovered for both.

[Marion]

Marion on July 22, 2020 at 1:57 pm #43783

So I did the Heart Rate Drift Test today.
Knowing that I always was well above the MAF formula earlier in life, I still tried to stay with that heart rate (180-41). That turned out to be impossible, my heart/circulation doesn’t seem to have changed a lot during the last years.

Found a steady heart rate in the lower 160ies and what I thought a quite steady pace but had to slow down due to traffic issues in the end. Bc of continuing abnormal traffic enroute (harvesters and tractors all around), I stopped the test at 30mins.
That’s the link: http://tpks.ws/4SQZKJBVUDRQHTI4FEYTRMETSU
Garmin is messed up, set to metric units but still does an autolap after each mile.
Got a Pa:Hr of 5,99%, I guess bc of the speed drops in traffic.

I didn’t expect the first test of this kind to be fully significant, but can I use it as an orientation and do another one in 1-2 weeks or is it completely invalid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on July 24, 2020 at 11:34 am #43818

For a drift test, you’ll want to go at least an hour because the duration is part of the stress.

If you had a 6% drift in 30′, then the drift over the hour would likely be higher. Start the next one at ~150 and see what happens.

To avoid traffic issues a track may be the best bet.

[Marion]

Marion on September 29, 2020 at 11:23 am #45535

I‘m digging this one out, because even though the race was cancelled due to well known reasons, the question/problem stays the same.

Did a lactate test today, with quite some strange (for me) result for the AeT.
According to the treadmill- test, AeT should be at a heart Rate 139/min, which seems low but possible. But at this heart rate, speed should be 13min per km. Yes, kilometer, not mile. Which, transferred to reality would mean, that even a casual Sunday afternoon walk with 11min/km would be above AeT speed- wise, heart rate well below 139, more like 110 measured on wrist.
Easy feeling runs are at around a average heart rate of 148/min, like I did on Sunday.

According to the tester, running style/economy was good, even though I haven’t run on a treadmill since at least February.

So what to do?
Ride an ergometer around that 139 heart rate, not caring about running muscles/bike muscles? No treadmill at home…
Run as it feels easy?
Try to find hills/mountains to hike up at around that certain heart rate? Possible mainly on weekends bc of fading daylight after work. And again, what about the muscular adaption to running? That’s in fact what I have done during spring and summer, but probably guessed a too high heart rate for AeT, as hiking around 150 still feels easy.
Do another test?

Goal: fight ADS at first hand, run a half marathon in spring.