[dtower67]

Hi,
I started Mike Foote’s Big vert plan a little while ago and realized I have significant ADS: AeT from treadmill test is 134 with 5.4%drift (23.5% incline at 2mph) and according to Training Peaks, my AnT is 184bpm from a recent 90 min hill climb race (way higher than expected). I’m 36, resting HR 51, Max HR 204, and consumed by running/cycling but have had a couple of injuries over the past couple of years so this makes sense.
A while ago, however, I signed up for The Rut 28k in Montana which is now 5 weeks away. It’s definitely a reach (7800ft gain to 11k elevation) but its a race I’ve always wanted to do and not sure I’ll be able to do it next year or anytime in the next few years. Due to the steep, scramble sections, its probably impossible to keep my HR below AeT for a lot of it (there’s also an 8hr cuttoff). Is this something I can take relatively slow and tough my way through? Any recommendations on whether to just go for it or on how to survive it?
Thank you!

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on July 22, 2019 at 6:37 pm #25364

When you race you will be utilizing what ever capacities you have built up to that day. In 5 weeks you are unlikely to move the aerobic threshold needle very much. The best plan will be to start a long aerobic base development period after the race when you have the time to concentrate on this. Run the race for sure and enjoy and learn from it. Don’t look at your HR and try to control it during the race. Obviously you need to pace yourself for an 8 hour race. But I don’t think you can or should worry about the AeT for this one.

Scott

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on July 22, 2019 at 7:13 pm #25366

After the race, it’s probably worth getting a gas exchange test. 50 bpm is a big spread between AeT and AnT. I would get a test done to confirm your thresholds.

[dtower67]

dtower67 on July 23, 2019 at 6:14 am #25387

Thank you, I really appreciate your feedback! Very helpful.

[brianjstampe]

brianjstampe on August 29, 2019 at 2:31 pm #27570

I am in the same boat; I have ADS and am running the same race. My AeT is 140 bpm and LT is 176 when tested (with portable lactate analzyer) 8 weeks ago. I have been training 90% of my time under 140 since. That 36 bpm spread is large and is unlikely to have been shifted much (recently I did a drift test at 145 bpm and I drifted more than 5%)(I must need to do more volume, although I’ve been hovering around 5 hours running 4 hours biking per week). I hear the advice above and elsewhere:

-Start conservative
-Mostly ignore HR
-Race on feel

I have one twist: I rolled my ankle a few times this spring and have been strengthening and running on it since. But I have been very conservative on the downhills, most of the technical descents (>20% with rocks) my HR falls to Z1 and is only slightly faster than my uphills. I am also a fast twitch athlete. So my plan is to keep the HR in Z2 for the first ~20 minutes then allow to climb to low-mid Z3. On the descents I will take it easy and let it fall back into Z1-2. If after the first half of the race I feel I can push it harder I will let it climb to mid-upper Z3, but not hit LT. Basically, using my slow descents as rests and then relying on my FT muscles to be engaged for the ascents. However, all sorts of factors could affect HR on race day: caffeine, elevation, adrenaline and other endorphins, heat etc. So basically I plan to do the above except make decisions based on perceived effort and use HR as a sanity check knowing that it could well be elevated. I hope to finish around 5.5 hours which would be split about evenly between Z3 and Z2-Z1 efforts. If I were expecting 8 hours I would probably not let my perceived exertion be above what would normally be low Z3 at least for the first half.

All in all I will use the above as a rough guideline from which I will allow myself to deviate based on feel during race day.

Good luck and I’ll see ya out there!

Brian

[dtower67]

dtower67 on September 3, 2019 at 5:53 pm #27824

Interesting thoughts Brian, thanks for this- saw it right before the race. I ironically sprained my ankle 2 weeks prior and wore a neoprene brace. Makes sense to recover on the downhills, and typically that hr zone map is how I’d do a really long training hike/run. I decided to just go for it, however, and ignore HR completely (kept an eye on average pace targeting sub 7hr). Really enjoyed the first half, particularly opening it up along Headwaters ridge and the decent which I had looked forward to running. I should have descended slower and that bit me in the ass. I hit a wall between miles 8 and 9 at 2.5hrs in (and average hr of 168bpm looking at the data). Suffered through the next couple miles up to Lone Peak, took the descent in a fast walk rather than run, recovered and eventually finished feeling much stronger in 6:41. If I had done the first major descent slower my guess is I would have finished in a similar time and not felt as shitty for an hour. Who knows if the altitude played a bigger factor as well (no recent experience at altitude).

How did it go for you??