Run:Walk Protocol

I did my first two-hour run of the season today.

Here's the protocol that I used...

1 -- walk five minutes
2 -- run ten minutes; walk one minute
3 -- repeat #2 until done

Things that I noticed...

a -- the hardest part (by far) is the walking. I had to walk through a couple of towns, beside pregnant ladies and grandmothers... I really had to let the ego go

b -- as this was my first long run, I went really easy at the start (about 125-132 bpm) within the first half an hour. Gradually, my heart rate came up without any effort on my part. My pace also picked up. For intensity reference, my HR cap is 148bpm; 80% of that cap would be 118 bpm; my AeT is 140 bpm.

c -- once warmed up, I'm probably rolling around 6:30-50 per mile pace // the transition down to walking from that requires very different muscular recruitment. I think that this is the "reset" that Bobby talks about. With the walking, I find that my hamstrings stretch -- so there is no shortening of my stride as the run progresses. Pace is maintained by staying fluid, I could have run very fast at the two hour mark (but didn't!).

d -- I'm not sure if 60 seconds of walking is the right amount. I may be able to get the "reset" on a shorter walking interval. I'll stick with 60s for the next three weeks and see how things progress.

e -- I figure that the run to walk transitions as well as my walking pace will improve with practice.

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Q1 -- Thanks for the input. On your long runs with walk, after warming up, it sounds as though you running the 10min portions near your HR cap; walking; and then gradually letting your HR rise again. Is this correct?

gA1 -- I haven't changed my training, just inserted a cap. So I try to sit in the bottom half of my steady zone when running that is 138-145 bpm (AeT-2bpm to AeT+5 bpm). A common temptation is to view "caps" as "targets". We all need to watch this in ourselves.

Q2 -- I noticed the desire to let myself run a bit quicker after walking to 'make up time'. If I understand it correctly, the time shavings is mostly from the 'lack of slowing down' over a marathon, not necessarily something an athlete will see a lot of on a two hour run. Is that how you see it?

gA2 --Here's what I expect that we'll see

>>>Race Benefits -- lack of slowing; better processing of calories; faster gastric emptying; less cramping -- in other words less of the four things that derail most Ironman performances

>>>Training Benefits -- faster recovery and higher quality of overall training -- I did weights this afternoon and felt fine; my 12-14 hour athletes that stuck with the run:walk were faster overall on all their long runs -- most will see benefits on a two-hour run. It's not for racing only.

Most people overestimate their running paces and underestimate their fade -- if we had powermeters for the run then we'd see that more clearly for folks. I suppose we could use GPS but I prefer to focus people on learning the correct effort within their zones/caps.