Technical Running

August 15, 2006 at 4:38 pm · Filed under BodyForLife, Running, Technique

I went on the treadmill this lunchtime and tried the Balke test for determining my V0₂ max score. This involves running as far as you can in 15 mins, I actually ran for 20 mins so I obviously wasn’t pushing hard enough, but I still managed to get up a fair speed. I actually managed to run at 11 km/hr (not for long) without being propelled off the back of the treadmill. I wouldn’t even dream of running that speed a couple of months ago. Things really seem to be coming together with this running malarky.

Anyway, back to VO₂. As with everything else I do, I have to get thoroughly obsessed with the science behind my hobby. Hence the purchase of all the sporting gadgets, training software, books and whizzy excel spreadsheets. I recently bought Daniels Running Formula which aims to tell you exactly what pace you should train at, based on your VO₂ max. So there would be a set pace for the long slow runs and another for marathon, 10k and interval runs. Trouble is I am too slow to even get onto his tables, so that was another waste of money!

The runningforfitness website is a techies dream. It is awash with converters and running calculators to tell you everything from predicted race paces to speed improvements associated with weight loss. I love it. The link I have given above enables you to determine your VO₂ max figure based on the 15 min run and then tells you what pace you should train at.

Apparently I should do my long slow runs at a pace of 08.03 and it reckons I should complete the 10k in 69 mins. Not sure if that figure is based on me running the race tomorrow or after a training schedule. I would hope to be running slightly faster than that by October but we shall see.

I am so impressed by the runningforfitness site that I have taken up PHP programming to recreate some of the conversion tables on my website. Not that I need another project at the moment - I’m supposed to be submitting my thesis in 2 weeks, instead I am spending every evening cursing about some line of code that refuses to do what I want.

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Steve wrote @ August 16th, 2006 at 2:06 pm

Snap. I’ve since purchased a book on PHP/MySQL programming as I want to tinker and butcher the PHP behind my site. But as you mention, it’s all time. At the end of the day my number one priority is health and fitness which means running. Techie stuff is a very close second.

warriorwoman wrote @ August 16th, 2006 at 7:58 pm

There really is not enough time for all these projects. I’m a postgrad student at the moment - so no real job commitments, and my gym is just at the bottom of the road, but it still requires a 2hr lunch hour to get my training in.

I notice on your site, that you do mammoth runs, everyday! That is really time consuming. I really don’t know how you manage it.

I start a ‘proper’ accountancy job next month and I’m really beginning to wonder how I’ll fit it all in. Perhaps I ought to start getting up early.

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