My legs feel good. I just went out for a run with Sara. Okay, maybe not the wisest thing to do, the day before the Brabantse Kluis Trail, where I will run the 30 kilometers. Yet, I wanted to run with Sara this morning. Just to shake out my legs, and come up with tomorrow’s race plan.
To be honest, this run was planned for yesterday, but first I had no time, because we had to finish up the filming with Vera Bettiol for the new yoga courses for La Scimmia Yoga. When I had time, the weather was absolutely awful. Yes, I could have gone out, but is running in the rain smart? Smarter than running a day before a race?
Consistency is key
I think, more than the type of training you do, consistency is key in booking progress. Sara’s last run was last Tuesday. Not running today, would mean she would only run twice this week. I think three times is the minimum to progress. That’s why we went out today.
We only ran 3 times 18 minutes, with 2 minutes of walking in between. Nothing crazy, but enough to feel my legs, and to see how my heart is doing. Well, my legs feel good, and my heart rate stayed nice and low. I finished the run with an average heart rate of 133.
Tomorrow’s race plan
I’m especially pleased with my low average heart rate. I think it means that all the after effects of COVID are out of my body. I mean, last time I went for a run, my average heart rate was surprisingly high.
Which brings me to tomorrow’s plan for the Brabantse Kluis Trail. It’s my first 30 kilometers run in this second running life. So, there is just one main goal; finish it. The question is how.
To be fair, I feel pretty confident I can. About a month ago, I ran 27,5 kilometers. I didn’t feel great that day, and my intestines played up during the run. Yet, I finished and had energy to spare. Two weeks before that, I ran 26,7 kilometers, and just a month ago, I ran 23,6 kilometers during the Alfa Bear Trail, but that one had 558 meters of altitude. So I think I can do 30 kilometers as well. Even with a week of bad sleep, like this week.
Pace strategy
I’m not starting the race with a pace strategy. I prefer to think about heart rate. The big goal is still the 55 kilometers at the Dolomiti Extreme Trail this coming summer. What I need for that, is to find this flow, this feeling that I can keep on running forever. If I can keep my heart rate below 150 beats per minute (bpm) – or even better below 135 bpm – I’m there. That’s my flow zone.
Tomorrow I would like to be in that zone for at least half the race. 20 kilometers would be even better. The last 10 kilometers I will divide in 2 parts. First 5 at a nice pace. Which will be something around 5.30 per kilometer. Based on how my legs feel, I will either speed up the last 5 kilometers or slow down again.
There is just one little thing I have to keep in mind. I just looked at the trail for tomorrow and it’s not 30, but 32 kilometers. Ten of them will be unmarked. We have to run on gps. So I might end up running even more than 32k. Which means I have to make sure I save some energy for the end.
Okay that’s it. That’s tomorrow’s race plan. Start slow, finish strong, but keep a little extra in the tank. The only thing I have to do now, is charge my watch, charge my phone, charge my headphones and put my legs up on the sofa.
See you tomorrow.
