Jeff Galloway has a great article about getting started with running without aches and pains. If you’ve been inspired to hit the roads this New Year, you should check it out.

Onwards and upwards. I’m meeting my goal of running four times a week, and this week I managed an itsy bit farther. We’ve had a run of hot weather, and it’s really hard to maintain pace and stay within my aerobic heart rate zone on hot and humid days. I also had my first circuit training session of the year at Spudds yesterday. (I was definitely feeling it on my run this morning.) Let’s look at the weekly totals:

Jan 8: 5.3km
Jan 10: 6.56km
Jan 12: 5.4km
Jan 14: 5.5km
Total this week: 22.6km (14mi)
Total in 2010: 44.9km (27.8mi)

I’m working on a new running-related secret project… which I’ll hopefully unveil this weekend. Stay tuned!

Do Running Shoes Cause Running Injuries? In a nutshell, nobody knows for sure. The folks at Newton make a persuasive argument against strapping giant blocks of foam to your heels though… (I love my Newtons.)

The first week of 2010 is over! To meet my goal of running 1000km (621.4mi) this calendar year, I need to average just over 19km (12mi) a week. I’m happy to report that I’m right on schedule. I ran four times this week for a combined total of 22.1km (13.7mi). I’ve also planned out my training schedule for the 2010 Sydney Half-Marathon. I’ll be using Jeff Galloway’s plan for a 2:20 finish from Galloway’s Book on Running. It doesn’t really start in earnest til February, so I’m still base-building at the moment. I’m aiming to do three of my runs each week at less than 145bpm, and I’ll allow myself to push up to 160bpm on one of them. (Interesting sidenote: I found it much easier to stay within the easy zone this morning since I’d skipped my usual coffee. Might have to make that a habit.)

Jan 1: 5.23km
Jan 2: 5.12km
Jan 5: 5.81km
Jan 7: 5.95km
Total: 22.1km (13.7mi)

When I got my heart rate monitor last month, the first thing I wanted to know was what level I should be training at. I used a number of online formulas to work out my Maximum Heart Rate, which turned out to be 185bpm. I knew I was supposed to be working at 70-80% to increase my aerobic fitness, so I aimed for 130-148bpm. This felt uncomfortably slow, but I told myself that I’d get used to it. A chance Twitter comment from Brandon about “zones” got me thinking though. I did some more reading and found out that I really need to be taking my Resting Heart Rate into account. For several days now I’ve been taking my RHR as soon as I wake up in the morning, and it’s averaged out to 65bpm. (Hey, that’s pretty good!) Okay, so 185 minus 65 equals a Working Heart Rate of 120bpm. Multiply THAT by .7-.8 and add back in the RHR, and I get a target aerobic zone of 149-161bpm. That looks better! That should allow me to push a little more without having to walk so much to stay within the zone.

Updated to add: These things are never simple. The great @runjohnerun is not a big fan of this more complicated formula, and he thinks basing it just on my MHR (as I was doing) is better. He’s suggesting I keep my easy days under 145, and my moderate days under 160. That means I’m back to going SLOOOOOW. 🙁

My base training continues. Using a heart rate monitor has definitely made a big difference in my runs. I don’t worry so much about running the whole distance without stopping; I just try to maintain a consistent level of effort the whole time. If my heart rate maxes out trying to run up a hill on a hot day, it’s better to walk it and stay within my target zone. Along those lines, I’m also noticing what a dramatic difference the weather makes. On a hot or humid day, I have to be vigilant about slowing down or my pulse skyrockets. On a cool breezy evening (like last night) I can run along at a decent clip without breaking 140bpm. Anyway, here are the weekly totals for the past month:

Nov 23: 21.5km (13.35mi)
Nov 30: 23km (14.2mi)
Dec 7: 24.5km (15.2mi)
Dec 14: 26km (16mi)

According to my Buildup Schedule, this week (week 4) will be a recovery week of only 20km. Looking forward to it. My lower back was bothering me a little last night, and overall my legs are feeling a little tight and tired. I was amused to note that I’m actually getting a small callus on the ball of each food. Hey, I guess that’s proof that I’m a forefoot runner now!

This is the time of year when I start thinking dangerous thoughts about the upcoming race season. I’m someone who always needs a goal and a training plan to stay motivated, and lately I’ve been thinking about… the big one. The marathon. Could I really do it? It would certainly be something to work for. It’s stuck in my brain now, and I can’t shake the idea. I even googled to look for possible destination marathons next spring.

First things first though, right? Before I even consider marathon training, I need to build up my weekly mileage. I’ve been averaging about 20kms a week or so, and I need to just about double that to have a decent “base.” I’m using this buildup plan and so far it’s going well. (I’m halfway through Week 2.) I’ve successfully increased to running four days a week with 1-2 days of additional cross training. I’m still forefoot running, and my only pain at the moment is a twinge in my right calf. (I think some ice and Voltaren are in order there.) My current plan is to run the Sydney Half Marathon in May and then see how I feel after that. If I do go for the marathon, it would likely be the Melbourne Marathon in October.

The other big news is that I bought a Timex Heart Rate Monitor and I’ve been using it for the past week. For effective base training, I’m meant to stay within 70-80% of my maximum heart rate (with one run a week up to 85%). That’s actually meant slowing right down, and on warm days I have to walk the hills to stay within it. The more I do it though, the faster I’ll get within that range. The Timex works great, and I definitely recommend it for any other interested beginners. You do have to wear a chest strap, but it fits pretty nicely under the band of my sports bra. When I’m running with my HRM on my left arm and my iPhone with RunKeeper on the right, I feel like the BIONIC WOMAN!

This morning was Race 6 in the Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series 2009. I hadn’t done any of the other races, but Fiona did a few of them. She couldn’t run this one so she gave her spot to me. There was a half-marathon, a 7km, and a 4km, and I/Fee was booked in to the 7K. I debated last night on skipping it, due to the extreme heat. (It’s supposed to be 41C/105F today!) But I got a good night’s sleep thanks to the air conditioner, so I headed out this morning to pick up my number. (Go #723!) There was quite a crowd! As I stood there stretching and taking photos, I suddenly realised that the famous w!tchcAt was standing before me! So I did the dorky thing where I said hi and confessed that I read her blog. Hi w!tchcAt! The half-marathoners started at 8, and we started about 15 minutes later. I fumbled getting Runkeeper started, so my race details are a bit off. The course went all over the place, occasionally doubling back on itself. It was really fun! We were on paths, sand, grass, paved track, all over. I tried not to think about my speed and just concentrated on running without stopping. The sun was coming out and the heat was climbing. I hit a couple of the water stops. I was surprised by how many fit-looking people I managed to pass! Finally the finish line was ahead. I don’t have my official time yet, but it should be around 50 minutes. I felt like I could’ve had a PB if it hadn’t been so hot! I drank some water, ate a banana, and headed home for a shower. That’s where I discovered the real fun of running cross country: dirty legs! It was a good run; I’m glad I did it.

A few weeks ago, my friend Venks told me about the upcoming Run 4 Fun 10K out at Olympic Park. I hadn’t run farther than 5K since mid-August, right before I got sick and had to pull out of the half-marathon. Since then I’ve mostly been doing short run/walk training intervals to build up my leg strength and transition to forefoot running. The Run 4 Fun was a new event though, and it was billed as a Fun Run. So what the heck? I could walk if I needed to. I signed up.

A week before the race, Eileen and I did an easy 6K jog (with walk-breaks) around the neighbourhood. On Thursday, I did a 5K run/walk around the city at lunch. I really wasn’t sure what goal to set for the race, so I did one final test on Friday: a 5K run without stopping. To my surprise, I felt pretty good during it! My pace was less than 7:00/km, and I felt like I maybe could’ve gone a bit farther. So when race day dawned on Sunday, I posted my official goal: to run the whole 10K without walking. (The farthest I had ever run without a break before was 8K, so this was going to be a challenge.) I also set a back-up goal of finishing in 75 minutes, which I thought was achievable even if I had to walk.

Here I am before the race. It was a gray morning with rain threatening (perfect weather for a run, really). I felt good. I’d had a PBJ for breakfast and I was decently hydrated. My calves were still a bit sore from my last run, so I worked in some Dencorub. At 8:45am, I said goodbye to the Snook and headed to the starting line. I did some stretches and jumped in place to warm up. The crowd was pretty mixed, with lots of little kids and even some people in costume. I even spotted a guy dressed as a kickboxer with boxing gloves on! With five minutes to go, the rain finally came down. (Bugger.) It stopped just before the gun… and we were off!

I went out slowly, deliberately letting lots of people sprint past. I told myself several times in the first few kms to just run my own pace without worrying about the time. I didn’t care if I was fast so long as I didn’t walk. To my surprise, at the five minute mark RunKeeper announced that my average pace was just under 7:00/km. This was crazy; I hardly felt like I was putting in any effort at all. It wasn’t a fluke though; my second and third kilometers were even faster. I wondered if this was due to the forefoot running being more efficient. I really was going faster without any perceived increase in effort. I tried hard not to look at the clock, and to just concentrate on keeping moving. I didn’t feel winded or tired at all. The course doubled back on itself a few times, so the Snook was able to cheer me on at 3 different places during the run. He snapped this photo at one of them. (The lens distortion is pretty fun.) I wasn’t struggling at all.

In the latter half of the race, I started to seriously entertain the possibility of finishing in under 70 minutes. My pace had slowed down a little bit, but my average was still hovering right around 7min/km. I decided to conserve what little I had left in the tank for the last kilometer, when I’d do my best to push. At the 9km mark, I realised that I was right next to the kickboxing dude, who I’d been following for most of the race. I said hi and introduced myself. His name was Peter. He asked what my goal was for the race, and I said I was successfully running the whole thing without stopping. I also admitted that I had a secret goal of finishing in 70 minutes. He checked his watch. “We can do it! Come on, Kris!” So Peter and I pushed ourselves through that last km. We urged each other on. Finally we were at the tunnel into the Stadium, and then we emerged out onto the grass with the finish line only 50m away. I sprinted, and the stitch in my side finally exploded. I didn’t care. Peter and I crossed the finish line at 69:06 and I gave him a winded hug of thanks. (I found out later when I checked my stats on Runkeeper that the final kilometer racing with Peter was my fastest of the whole race. Thanks again, Peter!) I was wheezing and stuggling with the pain in my side, but I managed to collect my bottle of Powerade and my medal before going to find the Snook. He was very proud of me! He’s the best support staff a runner could ever have.

So that’s it! I met my official goal, and also my top-secret speed goal too. This goes a long way towards making up for the disappointment of missing out on the half-marathon a few months ago. I really think that changing to a forefoot strike has reinvigorated my running. My persistent lower back pain is gone. I’m running faster with less effort. And now I’m thinking about the Sydney half-marathon in May, and maybe finally breaking that 100min barrier at the City2Surf next year…

I haven’t done one of these in a while, huh? I’m happy to report that I’m back into a regular running schedule. I’ve been running three times a week following the Couch to 5K plan to rebuild my fitness level. I’m also using this as a way to transition into forefoot running. I’ve just finished Week 5 and did my first 20 minutes of continuous running since before I got sick. It was great! Forefoot striking is starting to feel really natural, and my lower back ache is pretty much gone. My right hip is still tight and frozen though, so I may need to see the physio for that. I had sore calves for the first few weeks, but that’s mostly gone now. My knees feel a bit achey after today’s run. I’m definitely going faster with the same amount of effort though.