Monday 31 December 2018

Strava 2018

Well it has to be done, here's my Strava movie for 2018. I'm basically happy with 1000km running but it would have been great to have reached a cumulative 1000miles.


Saturday 29 December 2018

Flat walking

Just before Christmas I took delivery of Vivobarefoot Magna firmground boots for use commuting and on easy hikes. The reviews were mixed, especially regarding the stiff heel counter and tight ankle.



I can't say that I've had problems with either. I've gradually upped the distance I've walked in them an have now managed 16km and 22km in them, albeit on easy level ground. My left heel is slightly sore but nothing much - I think there is more to do with a heel  strike habit more than the zero drop. Interestingly I had no problems with some running intervals yesterday evening so can't be anything severe.

Monday 17 December 2018

Looking at stroke rate

Much earlier in the year I was trying to increase my stroke rate to gain some speed. My arm turnover is slow and may well be associated with a drawn-out glide phase. So today I tried sets at 64, 65 and 66SPM hoping to get some good times, I remembered 66SPM being a good rate for me. I got a good workout but unfortunately the pace didn't improve. Even my first set at 65SPM was at a below normal pace. This suggest quite strongly that the  stroke rate was too high for me to be effective.

Some final sets with bilateral breathing and a standard pullbuoy with a greater tempo were disappointing too.

Looking back to April 2018 it seems that 62SPM is closer to my ideal turnover than 66SPM, I'd remembered incorrectly, even from earlier in the month...

It's also possible that I'm tired, yesterday's run was the slowest I've ever done for that regular route.

Sunday 16 December 2018

HRM-tri battery swap

On today's run a message popped up on my watch that the Heart Rate Monitor battery was low. It may well be linked to the cold weather but clearly it must be past its best. Luckily I keep a stock of CR2032 3V batteries in stock. There's a YouTube video of the process if, like me, you're not sure where the instructions are at home:


Note the the official instructions include a few extra tips.

Monday 3 December 2018

Stroke rate

For a change I swam 3 sets with the ToyBuoy at 62, 64 and 66SPM. Previously 64SPM seemed about right, and it did today again as at 66SPM my pace dropped and the SPL increased. I felt to manage the arm turnover OK so the potential is there. Even 64SPM is faster cadence than usual and did give a slight boost to pace and uniformity so is a good point to work at currently.