I will no longer be updating Iron Guide (see below). Instead, I am now writing at my new, personal blog. Though that will be about some of the newer things I'm doing in life, if you want to see updates about Louie, Lester, and now Dusky, add me on Facebook -- there's enough ridiculously cute pictures to go around.

Train slow to race fast. Or so everyone tells me. But, oh my God, on some days it just drives me insane. On Sunday, I couldn't find my heart rate monitor and so just went out without it. The result? 13 miles at ~8:40 pace. Not too shabby. Nice and steady mostly, not too hard, not too easy, and hopefully right where I needed to be. Yesterday, I had my easy run, and, having re-found my old but somehow-still-functional Timex HRM, forced myself to stick to my training zones. (See below.) OH. MY. GOD. For the life of me, I couldn't hold a proper pace. I had to stop running and walk so many times to keep my heart rate below 160 that I was going absolutely bonkers. Yeegh. I go from 7:40 pace to 11:40 pace (!) to 7:08 pace to -- well, you get the idea. Consistent? Not me, apparently.

Note to self: big hills + consistent heart rate, BAD. Go figure.

So, in either case, base training. From trifuel,

There are two basic energy systems you use when training; anaerobic and aerobic. Unfortunately, you can not build both your aerobic and anaerobic systems at the same time very well. The idea behind base training is to train your aerobic energy system specifically and solely. Why is this important? [...]

Fat is a primary fuel source for the aerobic energy system. Over the course of a base period your body learns to more readily break down and utilize fat as an energy source. As an added bonus this adaptation helps post exercise fat metabolism as well. This is an important factor, especially for long distance athletes. The fat we have in our bodies could provide enough energy to perform many distance events back to back, whereas muscle glycogen depletion can occur in as little as one hour. The less muscle glycogen you utilize, the more efficient you are. Contrary to the aerobic system, the anaerobic system consumes carbohydrate rapidly and the byproduct is lactic acid.

Makes sense. Endurance events are about testing your mind and body's ability to endure. Base training is about teaching your body to endure. But here's the kicker:

Over the course of base I progress from the low end of the aerobic energy system and gradually proceed in steps to the high end. The heart rate zones I use fall into the 71-90% range of lactate threshold or 61-80% of max heart rate. [...]

The hard part of base training is having the discipline to train at these low intensities. It may mean running very slowly or even walking. It may mean separating from your training group in order to pursue your individual goals. It also means avoiding the contest of egos that group training often turns into. If you can find a training partner with similar goals and fitness level you may be able to train with them, but more often than not what I see is a base work gone awry.

Yup. That's me. Yesterday at least, base training gone completely awry, lost, off-course, and somewhere out past Bugtussle, Tennessee without a gas station in sight to ask directions. Not that I would've asked anyways.

Labels: Ironman

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