I’ve been looking for a new challenge to get me back in to my running for some time and overheard a work colleague talking about a 100 mile race that he’d entered for October this year, so I quizzed him about it and decided I’d give it a go as well.
The event is the 100 mile Caesar’s Camp Endurance Run which takes place in Aldershot, Hampshire. There is a series of 50 mile, 100 mile, or 30 mile midnight runs that are combined on the same day.
I’ve run a few marathons in the past but was always chasing the clock to get a better time, and strangely enough the first one I ran was my best time when I had no pressure but to finish the race. I trained much more in subsequent attempts but always broke down later in the race and finished slower.
I like the idea of slowing the pace down and entering an event that is more about finishing than getting a time. More recently I’ve just not had the motivation to get out the door and consistently train, now I have a goal this has almost changed overnight.
I read a book called Slow Burn: Burn Fat Faster by Exercising Slower
Now that I’ve looked in to what it takes to complete an ultra marathon it’s not a whole much more than training for a marathon [09/08/10 I take this back, it is taking up a lot of my leisure time, which is why I haven't managed to post any more blog entries!]; granted, there are going to have to be long runs but those will come later in my training and if I have to I’ll be getting up early to do those so I can still have a weekend.
What’s interesting is that my attitude to training has changed since adopting a different approach using my heart rate to guide my pace. For long distances it’s all about making the most of your body’s reserves to get you through, not about going all out and then suffering later.
My heart rate monitor is now my best friend, I’ve used it to gain a better understanding of what pace I can sustain for longer periods, even without that much base training to date. I have only been back training 4 or 5 days a week for two weeks, but happily ran 17 miles last weekend and felt I could easily have done more. I must point out that I was in fairly good shape to start with but have acquired a little extra around the waist as I’ve aged! Hopefully piling on the miles will see this reduce.
I’ve used the heart rate guides discussed in Slow Burn, never exceeding an upper rate of 162 bpm on days when I ‘go anaerobic’. Most of my runs are going to be in a much lower range of between 112 and 142 bpm depending on the session, with the bulk being in my ‘Most Efficient Pace’ range of 132-142bpm. I’m sure this range may change as I get fitter, but currently this feels about right. I’ll also be doing fat burning sessions in the ‘Mostly Aerobic Pace’ range of 112-132 bpm. These might simply be walks or light jogs.
This renewed method of training has helped me to feel what my body is doing much better; I often get back from my runs now and feel fresh enough that I could do it all over again.
I’m going to keep track of my progress on here so if you’re intersted then please check back regularly. I’m going to do a 26 mile training run this weekend, so I’ll post how I get on.
