Week 2: My First Win… But At What Cost?
Cresting over the hill, I glanced down at my watch… my heart is pounding at 188 beats per minute! I can literally feel the lactic acid seeping through my legs, turning them to concrete as I force myself deeper into the pain cave. – By Alana Doyle
Glancing up, the finish line comes into view, giving me the motivation to somehow lengthen my stride and keep up the tempo. There is only 200m to go.
“Go Doyles! You’ve got this!” shouts my fiancée Oli, who has been my pacer and motivator throughout the course. Closing my eyes for a second, and then opening them, I push myself to sprint for the finish line.
And then it’s over. I’ve done it. I’ve won my first race!
With one of my goal races happening this weekend – the 68km Hout Bay Trail – running the Groot Constantia 10km this last weekend was all about supposedly saving myself.
I had started slowly, looking down at my heart rate helped me stay aware of how hard I was going. At times I even walked some of the hills, scared to push too hard, but as the finish line beckoned – and I realised I was in the lead – I upped my pace and made a little personal history.
After doing some research it seems I may just have made a mistake that runners often make one week out from a key goal race. According to an article about ‘taper traps’ on www.staging.runnersworld.co.za (read it here) I had, what is humorously known as a ‘taper tantrum’. The article says: ‘No matter how good you feel, don’t risk your months of (ultra)marathon training for a PB or an age-group award at a local 10K.’
Taper Tantrum or not, it was an incredible feeling crossing that line. After Sunday’s effort though I am easing back into that itchy-feet feeling that comes with rest.
So it’s now time for me to tame the taper! I’ve been reading up a lot about doing it right and this is where using my heart monitor is more about resting than training.
For this week – ahead of the Hout Bay Challenge – with 4500m of climbing, it’s all about rest and recovery. I will take Monday to Thursday off and then on Friday do some muscle-activating strides. The crucial part of this workout – says coach Mauritz Jansen van Rensburg aka ‘Coach Mo’ – is not to fatigue my legs but rather to flush out the toxins and get the muscles going for Saturday’s race day.
I‘ll start with an easy 20-minute run at a recovery pace of between 140 to 155bpm. Then it’s 4x100m strides. These strides will be run at slightly faster than 5km pace, but are not sprints. It’s about feeling relaxed and activated.
Wish me luck!
Things I learnt this week
– 188bpm is going hard!
– A heart-rate monitor can help slow you down in the first half of a race, so you have plenty in the tank for the second half.
– Using a heart-rate monitor allows you to warm up just right. It’s about training to race, not racing to train.
– A win is a win… even if you should have been easing down for a goal race!
Alana Doyle is a committed trail and road runner and has completed events like the famed 160km UTMB (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc) run in France. This year her target events include the Hout Bay Challenge Trail Run and the Sanlam Cape Town marathon.
Follow Alana’s running journey here:
Learn more from Polar on factors that influence your heart rate while running.
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