Steve and I follow a low heart rate training plan. That means that most all of our runs, and certainly anything over an hour, are done at a very low, easy pace... easy enough to chat together while we run, and easy enough that we don't feel devastated at the end of the day.
There is soooo much information out there about low heart rate training. We started several years ago by following a program developed by Dr. Phil Maffetone. Dr Maffetone has coached world class athletes into record breaking performances by the use of low heart rate training. Here is his book, which will detail much of his training regimen. He also has a holistic approach to health that i like, though he is NOT vegan. But he has a balanced view of training, racing, diet, and health.
We did about 20 miles on snow today at 9000 feet elevation.
This is Marley... she is quite the athlete - she also did 20 miles. She was found as a very young pup, thrown in a ditch, nearly starved and badly malnourished. We adopted her, and feel like we got a real gem.
Basically, this is the idea. There are two fuel systems in your body. One is the aerobic system. It uses fat stored in your body for energy. We all, even the most lean runner, have virtually unlimited fat stores. Burning this fat does not produce the metabolic waste products like lactic acid that can make our legs fatigue quickly.
The other system is the anaerobic system. Anaerobic training (that gasping-for-air kind of running) has to grab quick energy in the form of glycogen, a sugar stored in the muscles and liver. There is limited amount of this in the body, a fact which you have experienced if you have suddenly tried to sprint for any distance at all. or hit the wall at mile 20 of a marathon. Once you're out of glycogen (we call it "bonking") then it can take hours for the body to recover enough to continue.
So, it doesn't take a genius to see we gotta learn to burn fat as a fuel. If we want to train our bodies to run long, we need to increase our ability to use that aerobic system. Running long, slow distance (LSD) gradually trains the body to adapt to the miles, and to utilize stored fat. This happens all the way down in the cellular level, where increased mitochondria can crank out energy... and even increased blood flow (and oxygen carrying capacity) from increased capillaries. it does this without creating further stress on the body from the metabolic wastes and by products of using glycogen as a fuel.
Basically, you are creating a bigger engine that will have more power to keep you going in the late miles of an ultra.
My little Toyota truck is great, but it is a 4 cylinder. It really struggles on hills sometimes. Now, my neighbor has a Tundra, basically the same truck, but with a much bigger engine. It cruises up the mountain roads here. That bigger engine means better ability to process the gasoline and turn the wheels.
That's what we want as runners! Build a bigger engine, better and stronger performance!
Staying at a low heartrate is the best way to train this aerobic system.
There are lots of ways to calculate how fast you should be running. A very basic, easy one to use is this:
180 minus your age.
Say you are 50, then 180-50 = 130. That's the maximum heartrate at which you should be doing your training. ( a heartrate monitor is very useful)
Some say that if you are already pretty fit, then you can add 5 to that number. That would mean 135 in our example.
Sure, harder training comes later, but it is necessary to build an aerobic base -Expect this to take months. It is not a quick fix. In fact, when I first started training this way, it was downright embarrassing. Even though I'd been running for several years, my engine was still pretty small. I had to walk a good bit of the time to stay under my target heart rate. My muscles were stronger than my aerobic system.
"But, I need fast work if I'm going to run fast", you say! Again, yes, faster, harder work can come later, but you gotta build the engine first!
There are other benefits to this kind of training that I'll talk about in another post. But if you've ever dreaded going out for a run, or felt like crap afterwords, or stayed tired all the time... then consider checking into low heart rate training
Here's a short video of how we run. (I didn't know Steve was going to film ME... but this way you can see we are just jogging along.. no stress!)
slowwww running example!
And, here's our favorite "plant based Taco Salad"
This was our dinner last night before the 20 mile run today. We both felt great!
The "meat" in this taco salad is my Black Bean Burger recipe, so we'll start there.
Black Bean Burgers!
These are fast, easy, and very versatile. They are a 'ground beef substitute" in just about any recipe. I make a batch of these, and keep them in the freezer, so I can whip up a taco salad like this, or veggie burgers, or even add them to soups.
One can black beans, rinsed and drained, or about 1 and 1/2 cups of home cooked beans.
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup grated carrots
2-3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to tast
optional: finely chopped kale or other green
I just throw all this in my blender, but you can do it separately if that works better for you. sometimes, I reserve some of the whole black beans and add them after everything else has been processed, just for some texture in the burgers.
Make patties. They will be soft and sticky and not easy to form, but you'll get the hang of it. If they are REALLY soft, you can add a bit of dry oatmeal, oat flour, or barley flour.
Cook these in a skillet with a small amount of good oil, until they are getting browned and crispy on the outside and they are easy to handle.. I lay 'em on a plate to cool, and then put them in freezer containers with a bit of wax paper between each one so they don't stick together. They keep very well in thefreezer.
Now, to use these in our taco salad, I took two patties, crumbled them, and put them in my good ol' cast iron skillet with chili powder, cumin, minced garlic, and a bit of salsa, and let that heat up and mingle all the spices. Meanwhile, in BIG bowls, I put several cups of salad mix (any kind you like), grated carrots, yellow bell peppers, a bit of thawed, but not cooked, frozen corn, and a half avocado each, sliced.
You could add any veggies you like.
On top of the salad, I placed the "taco mix" from our black bean burgers, and then topped the whole thing with fresh pico de gallo
(chopped fresh tomatoes, onion, seeded jalapeno peppers, and chopped cilantro)
a dash of lime juice, and enjoy!
