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Staying in your Zones




As some recover from their races in New Zealand and others prep for their March events. It's a good reminder to discuss your training zones. How you should be training in your zones, what are the best ways to balance and be aware of your training zones. How to understand them better and utilise them better for your overall training.


What tools are you using to training in your zones - Heart Rate Monitors / Power Meters / Rate of Perceived Effort? This is discussed and will touch more on Power meters next week.


  • Intro Song - Paradise - The Presets

  • Welcome to Beve with Benn Episode 51

  • Beer of choice?  - Bubblin Billies NEIPA - Mountain Culture + Firestore Walker Co / 7%

  • What happened last week and what's up this week


Segments


  • Training Talks

  • Weekly training review - Strava - Training Peaks

  • Upcoming Sessions

  • Upcoming Races - Port Mac / Six Foot Track

  • Running Experiences (Bouddi Coastal Run)

  • Socials - 3 Day Bender in the Blue Mountains

  • Athletes Questions -  Training Zones

  • QF’s with Benn - Sharon Clout

  • Outro Song -  No One Knows - Queens of the Stone Age



TRAINING TALK

  • Last week's training sessions (Strava)

  • Strava Leaderboard

  • Training Peaks - SNL Group 

UPCOMING SESSIONS

  • Next week's Sessions

  • Refer Training Peaks

  • Sunday Long Run - Glenrock Loop 


RACE RESULTS

  • Trail Run Australia - tried to get results but the page is all over the place 



RACING CALENDAR 


2024

  • 3/3 Runfest Port Macquarie

  • 9/3 Six Foot Track

  • 15/3 Australia Alpine Ascent

  • 22-24/3 SNL Blue Mountains Bender

  • 22-24/3 Buffalo Stampede

  • 23/3 Noosa Ultra Trail

  • 6/4 Jabulani Challenge

  • 7/4 Canberra Marathon

  • 7/4 Mt Solitary Ultra

  • 7/4 Hill 2 Harbour

  • 21/4 Newy Marathon

  • 16-18/5 UltraTrail Australia


RUNNING EXPERIENCES


  • Sunday - Bouddi Coastal Run

  • Blue Mountains - 22nd March 2024 !!! (8 weeks from event)

  • TRAINING PEAKS


SOCIALS

  • Sunday Runs - All welcome (Glenrock Loop)

  • Sunday Runs - Glenrock Loop

COACHES CORNER - 


ATHLETES QUESTIONS - Understanding Training Zones

Understanding your training zones is crucial for optimizing your running workouts and achieving specific fitness goals. Training zones are typically based on various physiological markers like heart rate, pace, or perceived exertion. Here's a general guide to help you understand and determine your training zones:

1. Heart Rate Zones:

  • Max Heart Rate (MHR): Determine your maximum heart rate, often estimated using the formula 220 minus your age. This is a rough estimate, and individual variations exist.

Example (220-41=179) 

  • Training Zones:

  • Zone 1 (60-70% MHR): Easy, recovery runs. (116-125- HR)

  • Zone 2 (70-80% MHR): Long, steady-state runs for aerobic development. (134-143 HR)

  • Zone 3 (80-90% MHR): Tempo runs, improving lactate threshold. (152-161 HR)

  • Zone 4 (90-100% MHR): Interval and speed workouts for anaerobic capacity. (170-180 HR)

2. Pace Zones:

  • Determine Your Race Pace or Recent Race Time:

  • For example, your 10K pace or recent 10K race time.

  • Training Zones:

  • Easy Pace: Conversational, comfortable running.

  • Steady/Tempo Pace: A pace you can sustain for an hour (around your lactate threshold).

  • Interval Pace: Faster than your 5K race pace, focusing on speed.

EXAMPLES

  • Marathon Pace - 4:14

  • Half Marathon Pace - 4:07

  • 10km Pace - 3:42

  • 5km Pace - 3:36

3. Perceived Exertion (RPE):

  • Rate your perceived effort on a scale from 1 to 10.

  • Training Zones:

  • Zone 1 (RPE 1-2): Very easy, warm-up, and cool-down.

  • Zone 2 (RPE 3-4): Easy/moderate, conversational pace.

  • Zone 3 (RPE 5-6): Moderate, still able to talk but with some effort.

  • Zone 4 (RPE 7-8): Hard, conversation is difficult.

  • Zone 5 (RPE 9-10): Maximum effort, sprinting.

Tips for Understanding Training Zones:

  • Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how you feel during runs. If a workout feels too easy or too hard for the prescribed zone, adjust accordingly.

  • Regular Assessments: Periodically reassess your fitness level and adjust your training zones. As you become fitter, your zones may shift.

  • Combine Indicators: Consider using a combination of heart rate, pace, and perceived exertion to get a comprehensive understanding of your effort levels.

  • Consider Training Goals: Tailor your workouts to specific goals, whether it's building endurance, speed, or improving aerobic capacity.

  • Consult your Coach: Seek guidance from a running coach to create a personalized training plan based on your individual needs and goals.

Understanding your training zones allows you to train more effectively, ensuring that your workouts align with your objectives and prevent overtraining or undertraining.




QF’s WITH BENN (quick facts) Sharon Clout


Favourite race distance? It might be a little crazy  – but I love ½ marathons…it was always my ultimate goal to run a ½ and now I have completed 6 since mid 2022.


Race you want to do? 

I am really looking forward to Tarawera NZ as it will be my first “big” trail run and also my first event outside of Australia. Sharing this experience with great friends will be so special. Im also training for the Treble (36kms) in Port Mac in March which I have wanted to do for ages. This will be my longest run and I’m nervous but excited for the challenge.


Best Learning and Running / Training Tip? 

When I first started out running, a friend told me to listen to my breathing when I was running– not to worry about my feet – that they know what to do! This helped me so much as I stopped thinking about my feet and really tuned into my breathing, listening to it and learning to “hear” it and concentrated on that. It worked. And I still do this now. I head out for my long runs and I get into a rhythm with my breathing and tuning in to it. I think this is why I never listen to music – it distracts me from hearing my breaths.

Favourite Running Shoes?

 My Hoka Bondi’s. These were my first ever “real” running shoes. I have several different brands of shoes now but I always go back to my Hoka’s for my favourite runs and events. I now also have Hoka Challengers for trail running and love these too


Favourite Session of the Week? 

Thurs am trail sessions. It’s so nice to be up early to run through the bush!! I often arrive at work that morning and my colleagues all think I’m nuts being out in in the dark running before work!


Holiday Destination you want to travel to? 

The Maldives – there certainly wont be any hills to run up but I could get some cardio workout in that picture-perfect water!


Fun Fact / Something about you? 

I never thought I would ever “be a runner” but my sister who lives in NZ who is a trail runner came home for Christmas 5 years ago and dragged me along to Bluegum Hills Parkrun…I couldn’t run the whole way but I loved it! From that day I was hooked and have been running ever since. I wish every day that she lived back here in Australia so we could run together. This year she was to join us in Tarawera and it would have been our first trail running event together but she got injured and had to pull out. We are now even more determined to do another event together when she recovers. I wonder what it could be?



Thanks for joining me @ Beve with Benn. Stay tuned for updates. Post your questions and updates on racing


Stroke No Limits Coaching - stick to the mantra of my 3 D’s #desire #determination #discipline



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