Oliver "Wine Capital of Canada - 10 KM

[SimonC]

Just thought I'd post a quick race result before the rest of the BPR guys flood the forum with some super duper results ... (a little birdy told me that there were some good results in Pitt Meadows and Kelowna today )
I headed down this AM to do the Oliver "Wine Capital of Canada - 10 KM this AM.
After a nice talk with Andrew on Sat aft, I had a "prescription" that would serve me well for future longer running races ... 
I have suffered as of late with pacing issues ...    I just plain go out too hard at the beginning of a race and blow up real good near the end 
So armed with a new Polar RS300 with foot pod on loan from the BPR coaching staff, I had all the tools to monitor HR and speed in real time during the race ... so no excuses for pacing issues ... right 
My plan for the race was the following ...
2.5 km's @ 9.0 mph @ 160 BPM HR
2.5 km's @ 9.5 mph @ 165 BPM HR
2.5 km's @ 9.0 - 10 mph @ 160-165 BPM HR depending on how I felt
2.5 km's All Out Baby 
With the gun going off I immediately left the line and settled in at 9.0mph at a HR of 158-160 BPM  This was very comfortable as it is below my BP and I was able to cruise at this pace. At 2.5 km's I ramped this up to 9.3-9.5 mph and was running 165-165 BPM. This was a little uncomfortable but I was able to manage with 3 stride / breath. At 5.0 km's I tried to ramp the pace up to over 9.5 mph and I immediately stated to feel uncomfortable, so I chose to remain at close to 9.3 to 9.5 mph and was hitting 165 to 166 BPM's.
At about 7km's, the road turned to gravel  and the huge headwind kicked in  sooo at 7.5 I tried to really ramp things up but extra speed was tough with the conditions so I ranged between 9.0 and 9.5 mph with HR's of 165-168. I figure I was losing about 15 secs / km due to the wind and gravel.  My big plan of cruising the last 2.5km's @ 10.5 - 11 mph was a pipe dream with the condition. So I just settled with just cruising into the finish line hoping for a decent time.
When all was said and done, I ran a 40:55 which was 11th overall and first in my cat 
More importantly, I have started to appreciate the benefits of proper pacing which will serve me well when the big races come online 
I’ve also started another addiction with my new Polar RS300 with foot pod. I don’t think I can run without out it now. So I better start thinking of excuses for Andrew when he asks for it back … ahhh Kilmartin ate it during a huge food binge   … or the Ushynator borrowed it and it exploded on his wrist and he pounded a climb as it couldn’t handle the raw data it was receiving … Yeah … Andrew will buy these excuses … Right
Thanks for reading 
Simon

[Andrew]

Polar has been very good to us this year, and your report shows the value of using technology during racing as well as training. I think your report shows exactly the kind of thought process we encourage all BPR athletes to adopt.

1) Start with a plan...the one we worked out was specifically to challenge the pacing issue, using HR as a guide, and the speed to watch how it changes with the duration of the event, while also gauging whether our predicted LBP was accurate.

2) Challenge one system...in this case, we don't necessarily know what the limiting factor is at LBP running pace. It still may be coordination, and at 9.5mph, it certainly could be a combination of cadence or stride length. We would have to see the data from the foot pad to help explain why the "feeling" got lost over HR=165. Of course, this could be indicating a different weakness, either in respiratory or cardiovascular. Again, more testing, and some new trials in training may help answer the question.

3) Review the results objectively.
Objectively, a nearly perfect execution of the pre-race plan. Good insight, and smart decision making throughout. A confirmation of LBP likely at 165, based on the feelings of what happened at the 5km mark when you tried to increase the speed above the HR of 166. So, good confirmation of the test results from Saturday.

4) Make plans to use the race information to adjust training. So, being keenly aware of the identified limitation during testing on Saturday, which currently seems to be a lactate shuttle issue. It will be VERY interesting to see if the planned functional intervals improve this situation.

As Simon says, he feels great, is riding as well as he ever has, and is staying very positive. I think the race results speak for themselves. Well done Simon!

[GinnySellars]

Thanks for the great and detailed race report Simon! I haven't set up my foot pod yet, but now I can't wait. It will be very cool to be able to see pacing info at the same time as my HR. This will also be good because sometimes the HR goes super high at first even with a reasonable pace just because of adrenaline. The pace info will help me choose a realistic speed. 40:55. WOW. A runner is born!