[Rachel]

Rachel on January 9, 2021 at 12:10 pm · in reply to: Haute Route Plan – heart rate drift with longer workouts #49060

I’ve heard starting at a lower HR helps (over at a Maffetone training forum). The drift will still happen, but you will still be in Z2 if you start low enough. Also I have started eating 60-90 minutes into my long runs/hikes and it seems to help as well.

Also I get the same drift, I assume it happens to everyone who is working out right below their AeT. I’ve noticed my rate of perceived exertion feels like upper Z2, but my HR is Z3. Last week I had this problem, and it was compounded by the fact that the steepest part of the entire route was the last two miles. Tomorrow I’m going to start at the low point so the second half is all downhill which should help. And I’m going to try to keep my HR a tad lower too.

I’ve never heard about ADS at a certain age being a lifetime sentence, do you have a link to a thread about that?

[Rachel]

Rachel on January 8, 2021 at 2:22 pm · in reply to: Heart Rate Drift – Is This Right? #49025

I was going to suggest going to that track nearby. I recommend double checking the distance your watch records against the number of laps you complete. I did a drift test on a track recently and the distance my watch recorded was a bit inaccurate because I forgot to set it in track mode (on a Coros). And maybe try a higher HR to see what happens!

[Rachel]

Rachel on January 6, 2021 at 10:30 am · in reply to: The female uphill athlete group training #48899

I’m interested too, but maybe a group that starts next fall, if that is a possibility. I tend to take a break in the fall and then start training again in the winter. I’m personally in the middle of the Intro to Ultra plan with some goals in the springtime and then building up to my A event in August.

[Rachel]

Rachel on January 6, 2021 at 7:30 am · in reply to: The need for speed! #48873

I haven’t done much high intensity myself because I still have an aerobic deficiency.

However I have played with fueling. I was doing all fasted workouts but I felt tired, I wasn’t recovering well and I was slower than usual (cutting back on carbs in general didn’t help). So I chose some workouts where I eat breakfast beforehand, or I eat 60-90 minutes into it so that I get some of the benefits of fasted exercise. That seems to be helping a lot and I’m feeling way better overall. I also am trying hard to get enough protein which is always a challenge for me.

When I’m out all day I do have to make myself eat regularly. I am trying to bring foods that appeal to me, especially savory food. My new go-to snack are microwaved baby potatoes and a hunk of cheese. I find real food is way more appetizing than the standard gels and bars.

But sometimes I do down a glass of superstarch before a workout (that would be if I was doing an AnT test or something). It’s not my favorite but it works incredibly well.

[Rachel]

Rachel on January 5, 2021 at 7:45 pm · in reply to: How to find a location to train and accurately meet time goal? #48856

Oops, I just saw you are talking about a time goal, not distance! I would probably guess my average pace in order to plan a route in that case.

[Rachel]

Rachel on January 5, 2021 at 4:25 pm · in reply to: How to find a location to train and accurately meet time goal? #48847

I’ve been using Gaia GPS to map out routes in advance lately. I especially like planning the route on my computer (vs my phone) because I can mouse over the elevation profile while looking at the map. It’s been especially helpful for my “aerobic hill run” days where I have to get a certain amount of vert.

In the past I usually just head out on the trails and keep an eye on my distance so I turn around at the right time (for shorter days it’s no problem, I just choose a trail that is the right distance). The really nice thing about my 12 mile run today (planned out in advance on Gaia GPS) was I knew the route was the correct distance and I didn’t bother looking at my mileage much at all. I only had to pay attention to my HR.

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 23, 2020 at 1:50 pm · in reply to: Mike versus Luke plan #48516

I’m on week 5 of the Intro to Ultras plan. I’m liking it so far. I like swim recovery (despite being a crappy swimmer) but I don’t think it’s that bad if you skip it or substitute something else.

I chose Intro to Ultras over Big Vert because of the suggested weekly mileage pre-req. I was easily doing 25 mile weeks, but nowhere close to the 40 mile weeks that Big Vert says you should be able to manage. I may do that plan in the spring though after finishing Intro to Ultras.

I haven’t done the Functional Runner workout, I watched the video but I already have my own routine that covers all the bases and works on my weaknesses.

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 18, 2020 at 11:52 am · in reply to: Remedy against Posterior Tibial tendonitis symptomes #48354

I’ve been dealing with shin splints on only my right leg (they are on the inside but I think they might be anterior shin splints, I’m not totally sure).

I’m doing this exercise I read about that is helping: Gizmodo’s shin splint exercise

At the same time I know something is off with my biomechanics. I’m working on my running form in general, and also improving my toe/foot strength and improving my hip internal rotation range of motion (I have really poor control of my toes it turns out, and not enough internal hip rotation). That stuff I learned about from the FootFunction Reddit group which I’ve found to be a great source of information.

My shin splints have gotten much better since I started that exercise above so I recommend giving it a go, I don’t think it will hurt!

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 18, 2020 at 7:12 am · in reply to: Unusual AeT Results and HR Zones for a First Time Trainee #48344

What Dada said, you definitely need to do an AnT test. Also, you might have a higher than average max HR

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 12, 2020 at 5:54 pm · in reply to: Winter sport and Achilles tendon #48193

Uphill ski gear & snowshoes usually have climbing risers that give your calves a break. If you could rent gear and try it that might be good. If you mostly do uphill training skimo or snowshoeing is a good choice so you can focus on the vert. But I think cross country is great for improving your aerobic base.

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 5, 2020 at 12:21 pm · in reply to: Bumpy Drift Test #47888

it does look like you had a really big HR range though. Were you limiting pace or HR during the session? When I do an outdoor AeT test I try to keep my HR in a 5 beat range (it does go up or down a bit more than that but probably the range stays within 10 beats). But if you are on a treadmill or keeping a steady pace your HR may vary more.

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 5, 2020 at 12:20 pm · in reply to: Bumpy Drift Test #47887

Can you post a public link to your workout on TrainingPeaks?

[Rachel]

Rachel on December 2, 2020 at 11:23 am · in reply to: Fasted training – Increased heart rate #47731

It will improve for sure, your body will adapt. For the most part I don’t notice a noticeable difference now with fasted vs non-fasted Z1 and Z2 workouts with one big exception: if I cut carbs from my diet I get that HR spike again.

Take this morning. I cut virtually all carbs out starting Monday (I’m doing the Maffettone carb intolerance test, which is almost keto) and did a 6 mile fasted Z2 workout. So I was pretty much completely glycogen deprived. It was painfully slow and my HR spiked easily, I had to stop a ton going uphill, whereas usually I can keep chugging along. I noticed I was breathing harder and my leg muscles would even feel it on occasion which I hadn’t noticed before.

I figure it’s the price to pay to become better at fat burning.

[Rachel]

Rachel on November 28, 2020 at 2:51 pm · in reply to: How to get faster when the trial gets steeper? #47549

Do you have ADS?

[Rachel]

Rachel on November 27, 2020 at 12:09 pm · in reply to: Extremely tight hamstrings #47490

I foam roll my hamstrings. It’s more intense if you roll one side at a time, and put the other leg on top if you need additional pressure. When I started I did not need any extra pressure though! I also use a lacrosse or tennis ball to do targeted myofascial release. You sit on a (hard) chair and put the ball under your hamstring and find the spots that really need it and stay there for a while. I’ve totally stopped stretching my hamstrings, I find the myofascial release does more for me than stretching ever did.