Brain body connection - Runners World article
My dad sent me this article, and it reminds me of what Coach R tells us - don't let your racing self booger up the race via poor execution after your training self put in all the work to get you to the starting line:
http://www.runnersworld.com/race-tr...Guaranteed
Curious what others think, or what others' experiences have been, when trying to ditch a HRM or GPS or other techno-gadget we often use.
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During the race I just completely trust in how I feel and how my body feels and reacts onto certain situations/conditions. For me this has been the best practice and it has NEVER failed (until now)!
Why do I carry that HRM/GPS stuff around? Well because I'm reviewing the data afterwards - Racedata is the most valuable one you will ever get and you should not miss the chance to grab it if you can!
In training, except for long runs, pace trumps all - even if I am seeing 'sparkles'. For long runs, HR is the upper limit governor in general but not in the micro like for short hills or up-tempo sections.
For racing marathons I use a combination of metrics. Early miles GPS Pace and HR are there to reign me in so I don't blow up at mile 15 (except for when I get stupid and start believing I am superman - Boston 2011). HR needs to be zone 2 or lower for at least the first 3-4 miles. Mid race miles it is almost all RPE. I do verify HR and pace but don't make changes based on the watch - I refocus on RPE and do the mental calculus of how I am doing and adjust based on that.
Late miles I may look at overall pace to see where I am but it doesn't change how I am running. By that point, I settle into a 'this is the best pace I got' mentality and try to hold on to that until the final mile or so. If there is anything left in the tank, I burn it then.... cautiously, as I worry about race-ending calf cramps in the last 100 yards.
I never listen to music - only my breathing, foot falls, and HR. Any time I find myself struggling it is because I began to day dream or give into the suckage. Once I refocus on internal ques, I begin to recover my outlook, determination and strength and realize it is time for Gu and water....
.... So, yes, Amby has it right. If you know your paces, you can do well without all the gizmos. Maybe more people should. But I am a data-whore and never seem to get tired of collecting and tinkering with data - especially race data.
Haha sorry I've to answer to my own post ... I've now read the whole article and it's basically exactly what I've best experience with - funny thing here
This is *exactly* what I've been harping on in these forums for years. This quote from the article sums it up: "Your B-B [Brain/Body holistic awareness, if I get his drift] picks the right pace for you to run automatically. It knows what it’s doing—more than you give it credit for." That's pretty much the way I approach all my workouts and races - assume that my body knows the right pace/effort level for the distance or the number of intervals required, so "I" try to get out of the way.
For those who simply can't wrap their heads around this mumbo-jumbo, and feel it's a skill one only gets after decades of putting in the miles and racing, I usually offer the following to consider, using a half marathon as an example (this is copied from two threads about pacing a half marathon within the past week. First off, a major part of our training should be not only to develop fitness in the muscles, but also to develop a finely honed sense of that B-B connection this article talks about. [Response to Marc C's HM report] "...you demonstrate one of the less discussed values in the "Work is speed entering the body" training mentality: "Toward the end of the race, i was running pretty much at TP and again, i knew i had the fitness to hold that pace for the last couple of miles based on my training." The mental fitness we gain from high intensity intervals in all three sports is of equal value to the actual physical changes we undergo.
Second, how does one apply this to a race? My response to a recent thread on how to pace an HM: "This is my general philosophy about racing. If you have been paying attention to RPE while doing OS/GF intervals (and who doesn't), then you have all the tools you need to GO FOR IT. Here's my strategy for racing a HM: FIrst, I don't wear a pace watch, or an HR monitor. ... those can be limiters in a race, not whips. Second, I start the first 1-2 miles at an RPE of Marathon Pace. I'm not talking actual pace/speed here, I'm talking about how it *feels*. Then I gradually turn up the internal gas (again, RPE) so it's feeling like HM pace by mile 4, and hold it there through somewhere between 8 and 10 miles. By mile ten, I should be feeling like I'm working at 10K effort level, meaning TP intervals. Once I get somewhere between mile 11 and 12, I'm starting to think it feels like a 5K, and by the time I hit the last mile, it should feel like IP intervals. I do wear a small Ironman watch, and record my mile intervals (off of the course markers, which most races have). It usually turns out that mile one is a bit slower than my HM pace, miles 3-11 are at HM pace, and the last mile is my fastest mile. But the effort level feels as if it is constantly getting harder. If it does not feel that way, you'll actually be slowing down." [Precisely the point made in the article referenced in the OP.)
My point is, if you have been paying attention to what is happening in your body, how things feel inside, when doing your training at various paces or power levels, then you should have trained your B-B to race on RPE. Your body {"B-B} already knows how to do this. The only work "you" (your conscious mind) should be doing is monitoring that RPE, and controlling your effort level to keep it within the bounds suggested above. Another tool I use is to continually ask the question, "Can I hold this effort level for the remainder of the race?"
Several years ago, (and this was before I had a PM), I had my LT checked on the bike. When it was measured, it turned out that my LT was exactly what I had "figured it out to be" based on my riding. The Exercise Physiologist that tested me said, "I don't know why you guys (triathletes) bothter getting measured; you already know what the answer is." His perspective was that nearly all of the triathletes that he tested at that time already knew their zones, based on their experience. My answer was that I just wanted to confirm what I thought were the correct levels.
I believe that the instruments we use are helpful to understand how are bodies respond, and help to guide training, and, at times, racing. But, I agree that conscious observation (the brain-body connection) is a valuable way to gauge your effort on race day, since it can make the difference between whether you do well or even finish.