Most of my clients work around the world of technology, with Data being one of the hottest areas of competition and growth in the world. With so much data available it's easier to get overwhelmed and overloaded. I like data, and the stories that it can tell us, but it's important to focus on the right information and put it into the right context. I've looked at a few different methods along this journey and I keep coming back to the Most Important Things that data needs to measure an support - Base building, Training Stress/Overtraining, Distance and pace over distance (for me this is the least important, as what I care about is the finish more so than the time, but if you are racing and want to compete pace will be more so).
It's easy to be tripped up and focus on the wrong things. It's easy to be obsessed with focusing on massive weekly mileage volume, for instance. Not listening to what your body or the data is telling you, and ending up breaking down or injured (which when I look at the data last year, was clear to see my injury coming a week before it happened!
This image shows the first 6 months of my 'Form' (which is Training Stress Balance in TrainingPeaks-speak). As a reminder, this is the 'how hard am I stressing my body compared to recovering (the balance between stress and rest). The two arrows show me
Going DEEEEEEP into the dark red zone (this was my 50km run at Easter after a very choppy 3 month training block)
The week after that 50k going back to the edge of the deep red zone (doing a 30k run only the next weekend)
After #2 my ankle became injured and the rest went to shit. It was still injured when I went to the 100k in May and then that was that for my 300k challenge last September. Hence postponing it for a year as a result of not listening to the data and obsessing over the volume. I learned the HARD way, that this could have been avoided. This is why this training cycle has to be different...
Data that matters - Physical Feedback
Everyone will be slightly different, however data is important. Data takes the form of the stats from your mileage, pace, heart rate, duration, frequency, etc... but it MUST also take the way you physically FEEL into the equation. If it feels too hard and your body is exhausted, then you need to ease up. If you feel tired, lethargic and burned out, then ease up. I talked about the Overtraining Fairy in my recent post here.
I've learned to listen to my body. If I'm too exhausted to get through a 30 min zone 2 jog, then go for a walk instead. If my ankle feels tired and sore, then I jump on the bike rather than run and make it worse. Cross training with the exercise bike has helped hugely the last couple of months, allowing me to work on my base metabolic and aerobic fitness without undoing the rehab on my tendons and ligaments. Our body gives us an instant feedback mechanism. I'm using that more wisely this time. Workout Intensity
I now religiously use a basic RPE Scale from 1-10 (Relative Perceived Effort) for every workout from walking to VO2 Max intervals. It's dead simple, you give the workout a score out of 10 on how obliterated you are (or not) on each workout. If your entire week is full of 9/10 workouts, you are going to be trashed or injured or both soon enough. Conversely if every workout ends up feeling a 3/10 or 4/10 then you're not putting enough higher intensity sessions in your week (or you are in injury rehab). For me mixing it up works well. I find a Zone-2 1 hour cycle or 45 min run gets me to a 5-6/10. Perfect for 3-4 times a week... but also duration matters here as a 2 hour Zone-2 long run will typically feel like a 7/10 by the end as your body tires.
I train with a Suunto 9 sports watch. This uses TrainingPeaks formulas to generate a PTE score (Perceived training effort) out of 5. It almost always adds up to the same as my RPE so I know the data is pretty accurate compared to how I 'felt' in the session. I'm sure Garmin, Coros, etc all have something similar.
The trick with digital data and Heart Rate based training is to be accurate on your heart rate Zones. I always went with the Maffetone formula for Zone 2 (180-age = top of zone 2) but this can vary wildly based on age, condition, etc. I'm pretty lucky though as it appeared to be spot on for me.
That said, the other day I performed a test to find my LT Point (Lactate Threshold) based on the Borg RPE Scale (from 6-20 scale for relative perceived effort). When you run progressively quicker every couple of minutes until you and can reach and hold it at a 13/20 (with 6/20 being a simple easy walk). What your HR is at that point is your Lactate Threshold - LT.
They've done numerous tests and this came in consistently within 1 bpm of a scientific LT test done with blood analysis during a VO2Mx and Lab LT test.
Why does it matter? Well, this is the point that your body produces lactate in the muscles faster than it can clear it from them as the point you start to become more Anaerobic than Aerobic. It's where you begin to get a 'stitch' in the old world when exercising and when your muscles feel like the energy is starting to ebb away just before you hit the wall and crash.
I did this LT Test this week and came in at 150bpm. That means that If I held that BPM for an hour or while running, then by the end of that hour I'd be flattened (if not well before). You can train to develop this point so that you can run faster and change the needle, but in order to understand where my heart rate zones are specific to me it helps to use an accurate LT Point. Knowing that my LT is @ 150 BPM for my Heart Rate, I then entered it into my TrainingPeaks application (though you can use the Joe Friel formula instantly here for free if you know your actual LT). I put the 150bpm number into the calculator and had my zones confirmed as follows:
This matters as it allows me to measure my TSS (Training Stress Score) in every workout accurately to be able to monitor how hard I'm pushing myself and when to start easing up as fatigue accumulates and injury/overtraining risk increases. It also confirms where I was operating my Zone 2 workout range in the sweetspot zone for 80% of my training from now on of averaging 128-130 bpm in my Zone 2 aerobic sessions.
This will change over time so need to perform this test every couple of months and adjust accordingly, but for now I know where the edges are to help with my workout plans.
As a trainingPeaks user, I've also built an annual training plan based on TSS and accumulated fatigue etc that should see a steady increase in fitness with ample recovery. At the moment I am in base building phase where I'm targeting a TSS (Training Stress Score) of 350 per week. I'm coming in just over so I'm getting the balance right, and it feels right.
I also get a summary of where I am in a week with regards to my TSS target of 350 in another handy chart:
Where I can see my previous scores for Training Stress each week and how much I have remaining in my plan for that week to accomplish
This is something I've only set up the last few days so will be interested in how it plays out.
This should continue to get the balance between easy sessions and hard ones, and it's something I can see in my original tracking chart so far
The red line is above the black line and the black line (CTL - Fitness) is constantly rising. The second chart (Form - TSB = Training Stress Balance) shows I'm in the right zone for productive training without risking injury or burnout. Working hard enough but also consistently, which is exactly what I wanted January base building to look like. In short the lines all point in the right direction and things are looking on-track. Thanks for reading.
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