Question
I have been following Barry P’s run program for the last 11 weeks, building to 25 mpw. Two recent field tests show an unusual pattern. I wonder if it's time to change things up a bit.
During a MAF test, I ran much faster than usual. It felt much harder and I breathed much harder than usual.
During Friel’s 20’ test, my HR didn’t get above my MAF HR, which experience suggests should fall inside my Friel’s Zone 2 for me.
My HR has no trouble getting up on brick runs or on the bike. It has had no trouble getting up on hard runs and races in the past.
tl;dr question: WTF?
Full question: Is it possible that my heart has gotten much stronger relative to my legs, so that my legs cannot sustain a fast pace, but my heart has no trouble supplying the necessary blood? And what’s the solution? Add tempo and/or threshold runs?
Background
I have little background in endurance sports. From 2016 to 2018, I become interested in fitness and did a bit of CrossFit and triathlon. In 2018, I burned myself out mentally and physically. I took a break from August 2018 until November 2019 to pursue other hobbies. In November 2019, I decided to give triathlon a more serious commitment. I want to approach it this time with moderation, patience, and a long-term commitment.
Training Approach
I began training on November 25, 2019. I began running 15 mpw on the Barry P run program. I maintained 15 mpw for four weeks and then bumped it to 20 mpw. I maintained 20 mpw for five weeks, and have now bumped it to 25 mpw. The volume has always seemed easily manageable and sustainable. I never fill the itch to run less, only to run faster on occasion. But I usually resist and keep it nice and easy.
I use one or more of the following metrics to define "easy pace." They are roughly consistent with each other.
I also bike and swim three times per week. The swims are mostly technique focused, and I'm currently working my way through the Guppy Challenge. On the bike, I do one moderate super-threshold session, one long ride up to 2.5 hours (perhaps substituting a sweet spot session if indoors), and a third ride where the quality and quantity depends on my fatigue.
Measuring Progress
I like to use 3-mile MAF tests to assess my progress for the run. To perform the test, I do a standardized warm-up of about 15 minutes and then run a standard 1.1-mile loop three times with my heart rate at 147. I hope to get faster at this same heart rate.
Here are the MAF tests so far.
November 17: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 12:12/mile @ 146 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 12:53/mile @ 147 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 13:24/mile @ 147 bpm
December 23: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 10:41/mile @ 145 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 11:02/mile @ 147 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 11:13/mile @ 147 bpm
February 2: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 7:49 @ 141 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 7:59 @ 141 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 7:49 @ 143 bpm
The February 2nd MAF test is way faster than usual for me and felt much harder than “easy.” It wasn’t “all-out,” but felt “moderately-hard.”
On February 7, after a rest day and an easier-than-usual week, I did a 20’ TT to establish running zones and get a sense of progress. The results are quite, again, surprising.
February 7: Friel’s 20-Minute TT Test
Average pace: 7:29/mile
Average HR: 142
Max HR: 149
That’s two unusual data points that are consistent with each other. For the February 2nd MAF test, my pace and RPE were much higher than usual for my usual low HR. For the February 7th 20’ test, my HR would not come up to match the unusual “all-out” (but paced) effort. Based on past results, I expected it to rise to 170 bpm or higher.
Here are several recent workouts with much higher heart rates:
I also have some older race data that might be helpful.
I have been following Barry P’s run program for the last 11 weeks, building to 25 mpw. Two recent field tests show an unusual pattern. I wonder if it's time to change things up a bit.
During a MAF test, I ran much faster than usual. It felt much harder and I breathed much harder than usual.
During Friel’s 20’ test, my HR didn’t get above my MAF HR, which experience suggests should fall inside my Friel’s Zone 2 for me.
My HR has no trouble getting up on brick runs or on the bike. It has had no trouble getting up on hard runs and races in the past.
tl;dr question: WTF?
Full question: Is it possible that my heart has gotten much stronger relative to my legs, so that my legs cannot sustain a fast pace, but my heart has no trouble supplying the necessary blood? And what’s the solution? Add tempo and/or threshold runs?
Background
I have little background in endurance sports. From 2016 to 2018, I become interested in fitness and did a bit of CrossFit and triathlon. In 2018, I burned myself out mentally and physically. I took a break from August 2018 until November 2019 to pursue other hobbies. In November 2019, I decided to give triathlon a more serious commitment. I want to approach it this time with moderation, patience, and a long-term commitment.
Training Approach
I began training on November 25, 2019. I began running 15 mpw on the Barry P run program. I maintained 15 mpw for four weeks and then bumped it to 20 mpw. I maintained 20 mpw for five weeks, and have now bumped it to 25 mpw. The volume has always seemed easily manageable and sustainable. I never fill the itch to run less, only to run faster on occasion. But I usually resist and keep it nice and easy.
I use one or more of the following metrics to define "easy pace." They are roughly consistent with each other.
- RPE "easy," "comfortable," "not pushing the pace." I could carry on a conversation.
- Heart rate below 147 bpm (MAF HR). This heart rate is consistent with training zones I used previously based on Friel's 20’ TT test, which gave a Zone 2 of up to 153 bpm.
- Pace of 11:12 - 12:17. I based this on a 5 mile TT from October 2019, where I ran I pace of 9:40/mile. This is the "Easy" zone from the VDOT calculator. Over time this pace has surly dropped, so I rely more on HR and RPE. I would say that 10:00/mile feels "easy" now.
I also bike and swim three times per week. The swims are mostly technique focused, and I'm currently working my way through the Guppy Challenge. On the bike, I do one moderate super-threshold session, one long ride up to 2.5 hours (perhaps substituting a sweet spot session if indoors), and a third ride where the quality and quantity depends on my fatigue.
Measuring Progress
I like to use 3-mile MAF tests to assess my progress for the run. To perform the test, I do a standardized warm-up of about 15 minutes and then run a standard 1.1-mile loop three times with my heart rate at 147. I hope to get faster at this same heart rate.
Here are the MAF tests so far.
November 17: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 12:12/mile @ 146 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 12:53/mile @ 147 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 13:24/mile @ 147 bpm
December 23: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 10:41/mile @ 145 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 11:02/mile @ 147 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 11:13/mile @ 147 bpm
February 2: MAF Test
Lap 1 pace: 7:49 @ 141 bpm
Lap 2 pace: 7:59 @ 141 bpm
Lap 3 pace: 7:49 @ 143 bpm
The February 2nd MAF test is way faster than usual for me and felt much harder than “easy.” It wasn’t “all-out,” but felt “moderately-hard.”
On February 7, after a rest day and an easier-than-usual week, I did a 20’ TT to establish running zones and get a sense of progress. The results are quite, again, surprising.
February 7: Friel’s 20-Minute TT Test
Average pace: 7:29/mile
Average HR: 142
Max HR: 149
That’s two unusual data points that are consistent with each other. For the February 2nd MAF test, my pace and RPE were much higher than usual for my usual low HR. For the February 7th 20’ test, my HR would not come up to match the unusual “all-out” (but paced) effort. Based on past results, I expected it to rise to 170 bpm or higher.
Here are several recent workouts with much higher heart rates:
- January 7: During a 2-mile hard brick run, I averaged 168 bpm with a max of 184 bpm. This is my only recent hard run with HR data.
- January 25: During a 2 x 20’ sweet spot workout on the bike, I averaged 150 bpm and 153 bpm for each interval and maxed at 167 bpm.
- January 21: During a 4 x 6’ at 105% of FTP workout on the bike, I averaged between 153 bpm and 156 bpm for the intervals and maxed 168 bpm.
- December 24: During an Allen-style FTP test with 5’ and 20’ TTs, I averaged 160 bpm and 166 bpm with maxes of 173 bpm and 176 bpm.
- November 26: During a TrainerRoad Ramp Test on the bike, I maxed at 181 bpm.
I also have some older race data that might be helpful.
- During a half-marathon in 2017, I averaged 169 bpm and maxed at 187 bpm.
- During a sprint triathlon in 2017, I averaged 177 bpm and maxed at 190 bpm for the run. (I averaged 178 bpm and maxed at 184 bpm on the bike.)
- During a sprint triathlon in 2018, I averaged 176 bpm and maxed at 183 bpm for the run. (I averaged 180 bpm and maxed at 185 bpm on the bike.)
Last edited by:
carly_tris: Feb 7, 20 15:23