SERIOUS training

Well, here it is, Summer of 2002. I've skied a few races and gotten beaten by many women.
On the plus side: I've enjoyed the beatings (is that what I meant to say?). Anyway, the point is that even though I often placed last in my age division (geezers over 40), I enjoyed the challenge and  the events and I'm going back for more. Challenge and events, that is. This coming season, I want to beat a few (one?) person in my age division.

I got a book - not just any book: "SERIOUS training for endurance athletes" by Rob Sleamaker and Ray Browning. I read it last year and said "hmmmmm". I read it this year and said "ouch". Then I re-read it and said "I could do this...".

So I am. This chart displays the number of hours I need to spend in each type of training each week.
graph of Bob's intended traing for the next 48 months

All the colored bars represent different training modes that I'll be in for each week until April 2003. I'll add to this page as I get into the various training stages, but here's what we have so far:

Speed:  haven't done it...

Endurance: Keep my heart rate (HR) in zone 2 (within 5 beats/minute of 140).

Race/Pace: haven't done it...

Interval: alternate high and low exertion. HR high = LT to LT-5. (my Lactate Threshold appears to be about 167)

Overdistance: HR in zone 1 (within 5 beats of 130).

Up/Vertical: I walk hills (15% grade) for this one at a pace that puts my HR at 140 and count it double for for Up/Vertical and Endurance. This may be cheating, or it may not be; I don't know. Ray, Rob... is it?

Strength: weight training. This is pretty obvious and doesn't involve strapping on my HR monitor. (excellent!)


So, just because I have a HRM (heart rate monitor) that records, I feel obligated to show some HR graphs of the various types of training. But, of course, the only one that's interesting is the Interval training, so here's a couple of examples:

So, did your like it as much as I did? I used to hate intervals, but they aren't as hard I they once were, so I'm actually coming to like them. The best thing about them is that they're over rather quickly ;-).  The graph on the left is 2:00 high / 2:00 low and low has deeper rests because I drop down to a walk in the rests. The graph on the right has me running at a 8:30 pace on the rests and only 1:30 high and 1:30 low. They both count as interval training.

The next chart shows the results of various methods of calculating the HR zones. As you can see, there is quite a bit of controversy on the matter, so I include the "Bob" calculated training zones, too. The first two methods divide up the HR from max (192 for me) to resting (45 for me) based on strict percentages. The LT (Lactate training) method starts with the LT HR (167, for me) and divides the zones above and below this HR. The "Bob" method is my compromise of all of the above. It seems to work for me.


 

Bob