Tag Archives: Endomondo

Short ride out to give the new gear a whirl

October 18, 2011 01:26 ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

Quick ride out to test the new saddle, helmet, Edge 500 and changes to bike setup….

First 5 miles as I was warming up were pretty harsh in full on heavy headwinds and crosswinds. Bike felt great though. Will reserve judgement on the saddle until I do some longer rides and get used to it, but initial impressions are positive (though before I went out I made some adjustments to the bike that could have had just as big an impact if not more – flipped the stem up, saddle height up 5mm and saddle back 10mm).

Nice touch that the Edge 500 comes with an extra mount, now positioned on the R800 I’m prepping as the winter steed…

Heres the route I took today. Spent most of the second hard down on the drops, pushing pretty hard:


As you can see the Edge 500 worked well, and it was great not having to keep looking at my wrist for HR data.

I’ll write more about these new bits and bobs when I’m back from holiday and can put some miles in with them.

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40 miles later, horrible cramp, and I’m learning more about my body

October 18, 2011 01:00 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Saturday 16th October 2011

After Fridays bonk, I took yesterday off as a rest day.I usually rest on Sundays, but flipped the schedule this week.

I woke up late, and the sun was shining, the sky perfectly clear, and the temperature around 15c – just the kind of weather that inspires you to want to go for a long ride.

So, I had my usual pre-ride meal (if you can call it that) of a whey protein shake with some organic oats and a banana, waited an hour or so and set off.

I deliberately didn’t push hard. I didn’t want to bonk again (though this time I did take extra fuel with me, and also bought some energy gels from a LBS around 17 miles into the ride).
And throughout the ride my energy levels felt good. No real problem there.
However, after around 24 miles, I did start to feel my legs tighten a bit, get a bit heavier, less willing to push on. Tell tale early signs of the potential onset of cramp. This is now becoming a common feeling for me.
The energy gels I’d bought had a very small quantity of electrolytes in them so at around 28 miles I had one, and it seemed to help a little bit but the feelings were still there, and getting worse, albeit perhaps a little more slowly.

I’d intended to take a slightly longer route home but given how I was feeling thought that was probably not the best idea so headed on a more direct route, constantly managing this pre-cramping feeling.

At 32 miles, on a long straight heading back toward my village I happened upon another rider in the distance.
I’m not sure why but I decided to push a little harder to try to catch up.
I did catch up, and as I got closer, noticed it was a casual rider on an old MTB with slicks. Still he was setting a reasonable pace considering his bike. I acknowledged him as I overtook, and carried on, really feeling my legs getting tighter and tighter.

Around a minute later, maybe even less, I heard a clunk of gears from behind me, and was shocked to see the same guy rocket past me. I couldn’t reign him in – he pulled out ahead of me.

I rested in the saddle for a couple of minutes, had a few stretches out of the saddle (during which my right leg nearly locked up!) and prepared for another push, by which time he was maybe 80m to 90m ahead of me and still setting a reasonably quick pace.

I set off hard and, clawed back the distance. As I caught him I pulled along side and commented he was going pretty quick considering his bike.
He said he was on the way to the gym and he rides the 6 or so mile route every day. I didn’t feel so bad then!
We bid each other farewell as I pushed on harder for the last couple of miles home. He was either hurting, or likely just wanted to conserve some energy for the gym, as he didn’t follow.

When I got home it was a struggle just getting off the bike. Legs were very stiff.

I’m getting round to the conclusion that having sufficient energy is not my biggest problem. Far more problematic is my cramping. What I’m learning is that…

a) I’m likely not not sufficiently fueled before these long rides. Unfortunately since I’m still trying to lose weight (maybe 15lb to go) I’m avoiding the type of foods that are proven and typically recommended the night before (big pasta dishes, Chinese etc). I usually only have a small portion of oats, a banana and some whey protein in a shake around 60-90 mins before I set off. Any suggestions here given my weight loss goals?

b) I’m just not conditioned to longer distances yet. I need more, regular time in the saddle on long distance rides.

c) I’m probably not adequately hydrated BEFORE the ride. I drink nowhere near the level of water thats recommended daily for the average person

d) I definitely need to force myself to drink more fluids DURING the ride (today I returned from the 40 miler with one of my two 750ml bottles still completely full). Think I’ll try using time or distance alerts on the Garmin to remind me.

e) AFTER the ride, I’m still not drinking enough. Even now sitting here writing this I’m feeling a bit dehydrated. As soon as its posted I best go down a couple of litres.

f) Since I sweat a lot, replenishing electrolytes is key. When I make my magic powder mix (see: http://www.rideforthe96.co.uk/?p=22) I’m deliberately upping the electrolyte quantity beyond whats found in typical sport drinks.

g) There may be a secret weapon in the form of pickle juice. Have a look at this very interesting socialtrailriders.org forum thread: http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/racing-training/7700-worked-pickle-juice-stopped-my-leg-cramps-merged-2.html

Anyway, on the plus side, the route I took today was really nice, not too many busy roads, and Southwold turns out to be much nicer than I expected:

Also, when I saw this road sign to a place called ‘Wangford’, I had to stop, chuckle, then take a pic:

Until next time…..

Subsy

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Ooooo errrrr Missus, I bonked hard!

October 18, 2011 00:43 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Friday 15th October 2011

After Mondays 8.24 mile run, and Wednesdays 9.5 mile run, the knobbly knees were aching so I thought I should rest them a little.

I’d intended to do some intervals on the indoor trainer, but the weather was nice here today so I decided to go out on a real ride. I used mapmyride.com to plan out an 18 mile loop, fueled with a whey protein / 40g organic oats / half pint skimmed milk shake around an hour before the ride, and half a banana about 10 minutes before. I packed a small banana into my jersey pocket for some mid ride fuel.

After a little slow paced warmup I felt really good and so lifted the pace to average between 17 and 18 mph. In another navigation mishap (really want a Garmin Edge 500 for the bike), I missed a planned turning and got lost again.

Not one for ever backtracking, I just figured I’d find a new route. (A reminder – I’ve just moved to the area so have never been down these roads before, and to me, not having the appropriate Suffolk/Norfolk background, one pig farm looks (and smells) just like the next!).

To cut a long story short, the planned 18 miler was extended by 10.5 miles. Still feeling pretty good, and maintaining a good pace, I stopped briefly at around 17/18 milesin, and yammed my banana down, in an attempt to avoid bonking.

Like with my runs this week I’d been focused on maintaining a fast and steady cadence, and it seemed to be paying off.
Off I went again exploring the area. Had to stop a few times to check Google Maps on my phone and make sure I was heading in the right general direction.
Other than this, the large number of junctions I had to negotiate, and a 4 mile stretch of what can only be described as a mudtrack (my aching spine!), the roads were pretty great for riding.

Then bang. Happy ride ended. Pain began. 23 or 24 miles in (I didnt care how far I’d come at the time – just how far I had left from home).

I bonked.

My legs seemingly suddenly had nothing left. The 17-18 mph pace was all of a sudden confined to between 12 and 15. I was gutted. The banana was supposed to stop this. Damnit! The last 5 or 6 miles were hell. I was starting to cramp up (electrolyte loss?) and I knew that the goal I’d set myself at around twenty miles of a 17 mph+ run over a 25 mile+ distance was slipping away.

I knew I couldn’t push any harder without significant risk of having to stop. I did what I could. Down to the drop bars to make myself as aerodynamic as possible. Pushed my legs round as far as I could – constantly feeling on the edge of breaking down and them locking up.

I arrived home and drank and ate, and felt strength returning. Synced the Garmin and uploaded the workout to Endomdo. Average speed 16.9mph. So close! Probably if I hadn’t stopped the few times to check where I was, and there were fewer junctions on the route, and I’d avoided the mudtrack, I would have met my goal of a 17 mph average, but without a doubt my body failure was the real cause.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/25744981

Off to research flapjack recipes and electrolyte tablets….

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Running the wrong way

October 18, 2011 00:34 ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

I previously wrote about the benefits of efficient running style. This is a brief follow up post describing yesterdays training run that I was planning on using to try and focus on improved running economy and running the right way.

I ended up running both the right way, and the wrong way simultaneously; I was pleased with the results of a more efficient running style. However, I had absolutely no idea where the hell I was running to!

I’ve just relocated to East Anglia, and am living in a peaceful village, with plenty of rural lanes that (discounting uneven surfaces) are great for running.
So yesterday, following an 8.24 mile run on Monday that I still felt a little tight from, I planned to head out on a short 3 or 4 mile recovery run.
Not knowing the lanes, I consulted Google maps and identified a route that looked around the right distance. All well so far.
I donned the running gear, laced up and headed out. Standing on my driveway waiting for the Garmin to acquire a satellite fix it started peeing down.
I don’t mind a bit of rain when running – I usually find it quite refreshing. Twenty seconds later and I was off, heading out of the village along the route I’d planned.
Got to the T-Junction at the end of the road. This is where it started to go wrong. The T-Junction I’d arrived at was supposed to be a crossroads that i’d head straight over!
Ah well, sod it….I knew there was a turning on the opposite side of the road a couple of hundred meters along, so went that way.

For me, the first couple of miles of a run are always some of the hardest. My joints seem stiff, I get a bit of knee pain, sometimes a little shin pain, and generally things don’t seem so smooth, and I was trying to ignore all of this and get into a groove whilst running along this B road, still thinking that I knew roughly where I was, the direction I was headed, and confident that I’d be able to find a turning and make a loop back home for a total of 3 or 4 miles.
Only the turning didn’t come as soon as I’d hoped. 3 miles in and I hit a T-Junction. The signs concerned me. Neither left nor right indicated my village. The sign to my village was pointing back the direction I’d come from, indicating 3 miles. Usually having a pretty keen sense of direction I still thought I could find a way back home without needing to double back on myself (for some reason I hate doing that; illogical I know), so I headed left.
By this time I was just getting into my stride, and starting to focus on my running style. The Garmin kept beeping at me – another mile down. And I was feeling pretty good, though getting slightly anxious about where the hell I was and how far away from home I now was.

After 5.5 miles I hit another junction whos signs indicated that a left turn was 4 miles back to my village, and a right turn was to some place I’d never heard of, so I headed left, and soon realised I was heading back toward the lane I’d started on. (Turns out that if I’d headed right at that last junction I could have made a nice loop back home without re-tracking down the same route I’d headed out on – note to self – road signs are sometimes best ignored!)
By this time I was drenched. I mean completely and utterly soaked. It hadn’t stopped raining for a second since I started out. Usually I sweat a lot, but this time the vast majority was rain water. I could feel my running jersey bouncing up and down with its weight (which though I didn’t realise it at the time, is likely the cause for my extreme nipple chafing, that is still aggravating me this morning)
I wish I’d weighed all my gear when I got back – I’m pretty sure there was several pounds worth of additional weight from the rain water absorbed into my clothing.

During the run I was probably passed by 20 or so cars, and the looks on all of the drivers faces amounted to them thinking ‘nutter’. Similarly I passed many a (very smelly) farm and got even funnier looks from some even funnier looking folk…
But I was loving it, especially heading back knowing that this would accidentally become my longest ever run. When I rejoined the road I’d run up before, safe in the knowledge that I was heading home, and just how far home was, I was able to increase the pace, and my fastest mile was actually between mile 8 and 9.
I’d been going for well over an hour without fuel or electrolyte replenishment though, so for these last couple of miles I was feeling it in my legs – or more accurately, I wasn’t feeling much in my legs anymore – they just seemed to be kind of moving on there own with the momentum of each stride driving the next.
Eventually, 9.5 miles after starting out, I arrived back home, and only when stopped realised how little I had left in my legs.
I was pleased that I’d run so far though, with relative ease due to being more economic with my style, and it gave me confidence that with some mid run fuel I’d be able to continue for much further – certainly that half marathon seems far more achievable than it did just a couple of weeks ago!

I’m off to buy some plasters. Theres no way I’m running that far again without adequate nipple protection. It’s just not worth it. Ouch.

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Running the right way

October 18, 2011 00:31 ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

A couple of weeks back, Rich posted a blog entry about HR (Heart Rate) zones, and calculating your MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) using generic formulae that will be pretty accurate for many folks.

However, never one for being average, these calculated methods have typically been way off the mark for me.
In response to that post I commented about the fact that I seem to have a naturally fast HR, and even slow to medium paces would see me in zone 4, finding it nearly impossible to exercise in zone 3 or below (discounting walking).
I’d kind of resigned myself to this being just a part of my genetic make-up.

Well, since then, in an effort to increase my pace, I decided to focus on my running efficiency.
Like most people, I’ve never been taught how to run ‘correctly’.

You just lace up your shoes and leg it right? Apparently there’s more to it than that!

Having a high aerobic capacity helps (and at least I’m no longer crippling myself in this respect by smoking!) but is for the main part inherently limited by your genetic make-up.

Paula Radcliffe measured her VO2 max over a period of five years, and it was observed that she exhibited an 8% decline in her VO2 max. Yet over the same period her pace improved (to the extent of improving her 3000m time by 46 seconds!!). How did she manage that?!

Well, all becomes clear once you learn that over the same period, she became over 10% more efficient in her running.

As I understand, the two most important factors are to reduce wasted energy through vertical movement, and to reduce braking forces exhibited during the foot strike.

This analysis of 3 runners from the 2008 NY City Marathon is pretty insightful.

I was surprised to see such differences between these elite level athletes.

This reinforces how Paula Radcliffe has been able to become a faster running despite her aerobic capacity declining.

So, back to me…..apparently (according to studies conducted by folks like Jack Daniels (not of whiskey fame) for distance running, the optimum strike rate / cadence for maximal efficiency is around 90 paces per minute.

Not yet having a foot pod for my new Garmin FR610 (mini review to come), I had no idea what my cadence typically is, but I knew that it wasn’t near that optimal figure of 90. Turns out (just from counting) it was typically between 70 and 75.

So on the last couple of runs, I’ve tried to keep a higher cadence.
I haven’t really pushed for increased pace, as these have been (for me at least) fairly long runs of between 8 and 10 miles. Yet despite that, my pace has increased. But most notably, it’s been easier to maintain that improved pace.

Instead of running 12 minute / mile pace at around 160 bpm, yesterdays run averaged 9.42 minute / mile pace with my HR average being 158: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/25576416.

I’m pretty chuffed with that!

Another benefit of efficient running style is reduced risk of injury – when you’re racking up the miles this is an extremely important consideration – next year I’m looking to do my first half marathon, and later on a full marathon – the last thing I want is to train for weeks only to be unable to compete due to injury….so I’m going to continue to work on running the right way. Of course it’s no guarantee of remaining injury free, but anything we can do to improve our chances has got to be worth trying, especially with the associated performance benefits.

For a funny video on (in)efficient running styles check out this recent blog post from Rich

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