Podcast Experiment Results and Marathon Prep Week

3 graphs of heart rate over time

In response to last week’s post, “Are Podcasts Slowing Me Down or Do I Just Need the Rest?”, I ran two easy runs without a podcast or music and a long run with music. In my very unscientific experiment, I found my average heart rate closer to the Z2/Z3 border in all three runs. However, I question if the higher heart rate is related to not listening to a podcast. Most likely, my body was less tired this week. I was consciously trying to run with a higher heart rate. A better experiment would be listening to a podcast on a long run when trying to run a higher heart rate. I am out of long runs during this training block, so I will need to look at this again in the future.

It's marathon prep week. I’ve been trying to figure out all the logistics for the 6:00 a.m. start. I am supposed to report to the shuttle area at 3:30 a.m. That leaves a lot of time before the race. My long run breakfast routine is a cup of coffee and a buttered bagel about 45 minutes beforehand. For the marathon, I am considering having a Clif Bar and coffee at 3:30 a.m. while waiting for the shuttle and a banana when I arrive in Ojai. For races, I consume a gel right before the start. The coffee options look sparse. Supposedly there is free coffee in the hotel lobby, but a 24-hour McDonald’s nearby might be my best option. I hope it is better than 3:30 a.m. gas station or 7-Eleven coffee.

Later this week, I will heed my advice, “The Power of a High Five: Oakland Half Marathon Lessons”, and memorize the course and elevation changes. I will also prepare for the carb loading. I have been trying to get more sleep, especially considering I must be up extra early on Saturday morning.

What’s your race day/long run breakfast routine? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Received a Job Offer!

Image
This is my 100th blog post. I have gone from a student who did not like to write in elementary school, middle school, high school, and undergraduate school, to a graduate student who tolerated writing a thesis, to a principal who needed to write at least once a week, to someone who writes when he has something to say for fun. I started this blog to share what I have learned and to demonstrate to a future employer that I know how to communicate. I guess it’s appropriate that my 100th article is job-related. I was offered a job! It was a remote job with flexible hours and a six-figure salary in instructional design. Unfortunately, it was a scam. Something felt off from the initial email, but given how AI is used these days, I chalked it up to someone using AI poorly to communicate with potential applicants. Below, I will share the red flags I saw and explain how the scam works so you can protect yourself and your friends and family. Something Was off
Read more

“Let’s go!” vs. “No way!”

Image
I didn’t plan well for my planned pace run. I have learned I am a better runner when training for a race or time trial because I have a plan. Since recovering from injury, I have been running every other day, so 3 to 4 times per week, which roughly constitutes a plan. Last week, I wanted to transition back to running 5 to 6 days a week. I had the following plan in mind. Sun: Recovery Mon: Base Tue: Recovery Wed: Speed Thu: Rest Fri: Pace Sat: Long However, I wasn’t able to get my run in on Wednesday. At the time, I thought it was okay and could flip-flop it with my Thursday rest day. However, on Thursday, I was extremely busy with housework and could not pull myself away for a run. When Friday came, I thought I was ready for a pace run. I figured I hadn’t run for two days; my body must be prepared. I did not account for the fact that I was under-fueled on Thursday and Friday. I failed to comprehend that the housework I did on Thursday was a full-body workout. Friday was also one of the
Read more

Don’t Let Strava Steal Your Low Heart Rate Training Mojo

Image
This is a friendly reminder that what you value might differ from Strava. I have been on the low heart rate bandwagon for a while. By keeping my heart rate low for 80% of my runs, I can develop my aerobic system and allow my body to do more at a lower heart rate. For example, last week, I had my best base run of 2024. I ran 5.2 miles and averaged 10:24/mi. My heart rate average was 138 BPM, and I spent 99% of my time in Z2 or lower. I was stoked to see these statistics at levels I had not seen since training for my last marathon. After I loaded the run into Strava, I scrolled down to the section that indicates when your fitness has increased. I looked, but this run did not trigger the criteria for Strava to show that I improved my fitness. Then, I looked at the relative effort section, and Strava reported that my effort was lighter than my three-week average. I ran further and faster with a lower heart rate, and my effort was lighter; what? I felt great, as if I had improved! I thought
Read more