HADD Test

This post is thanks to Matt, check out his blog, "A Guy who Runs", and be sure to look through his past posts as he has a lot of great information. I had emailed him earlier this month and asked about the HADD test (which he had referred to on his blog) and I asked if it was similar to the MAF test? I wanted to try it out but I had failed to find info on it on-line (it may be there but my 30 seconds of looking on Google didn't find it) but I did find info on the MAF test so I took the easy way out and asked about the HADD test. No this is not the start of a trend, I will still continue to drive aimlessly around instead of stopping and I will not ask sales clerks questions and I am sure I will find other ways to not ask for help but for whatever reason on this day my curiosity got to me. He was kind enough to provide me this info and I wanted to make sure I posted and labeled it, so as the spring continues, I could find it again when I am ready to give it a go.

From Matt:
The MAF test and HADD tests are different, but they share the same concept. They both attempt to measure improvement in a static manner.

If I recall correctly, the MAF measures your ability to run 1 mile at an exact hear rate.

The HADD tests measures consistent distances at different heart rates. I think the HADD is more comprehensive as it measures low end and high end heart rates.

You might consider reading Maffetone's book, "The Maffetone Method". It's not really well written, but has some great content in it, and will help you understand low hear rate training better. The tough thing about low hr training is that it takes some serious discipline, and you need some time to do it where you are not racing. It is best done after the Fall season is over.

For the Hadd test, I would suggest the following for you.

Do a .5 mile warm up @ really low speed (I do 1 mile at 6mph)

Then, do 5 intervals at the same distance. Depending on the shape you are in, you can chose the distance. I suggest 1 mile. Adam and I do 1.5 miles, but that can be tough for people not used to running 10 miles on a regular basis.

Considering you are a little older than I, shoot for average hr segments at the following
120
130
140
150
160

Each segment you will start below and end above, but it is the average you are shooting for. I don't change speed during each interval. If it is off, it is off, I just use it as feedback for the next time.

You will probably find it tough to nail down the first 2 intervals (getting your hr low enough), but that's what this is all about (patience).

The key thing to remember is that this is a measurement more than a test. You can't change the results any given day by giving more effort. I have talked to people who just can't grasp that concept, and get frustrated. Your results are what they are. You live with them and use them as a benchmark for improvement.

I did do a preliminary run a few weeks back and discovered that on the road, he was right the low HR's were hard to hold. I was able to run the other heart rates but they did take a lot of focus as my tendency was to zone out and to speed up or down 5-10 beats, the 160 HR did cause some stress, imagine that. I only went 3 to 4 minutes at each HR as I was running longer so I just wanted to see what it would be like. I liked his advice to focus on it later in the fall, my thinking is that it would be a nice winter diversion if I don't get to it earlier.

I will plan to post my results when I do it as I do think it's an interesting concept. Thanks once again Matt.

A schedule curve ball?

I had my spring to early summer schedule set in stone or so I thought.

It was to run Chippewa, Stillwater, Swan Lake and Afton, basically a pair of 50k's with a couple of marathons in between spaced about 3-4 weeks apart almost a perfect sequence. Then I was looking around the Marathon Maniacs website and I saw that Maniacs get a discount at a lot of marathons. I skimmed through the list thinking that it was something to remember as I looked to click off future states when what did I see but the Minneapolis Marathon and $1o off. How can I pass up this bargain and even get a jacket which looks to be cool, yes I do like the schwag. Otherwise I have to explain to folks that I pay money to run these events but when they see the shirts or other things they can see it is well worth the entry price and I can see that they are tempted to sign up as well.

And then you add in the fact that occasionally I can get convinced to do something stupid and this might be the perfect storm, money off, a jacket, it doesn't look like it will conflict with a soccer tournament and 2 marathons in a week who can ask for more. Last year I ran two marathons 6 days apart and it didn't kill me or cause significant injury so maybe it's my destiny to do it again and this year there would be 7 days so it's an entirely different situation.

So today when I run longer I will just need to work my way through it, oh decisions, decisions.............

Doctors?

I finally decided that maybe I should go in and see a doctor, what for, well when I ran Pscyho Wyco back in February I fell numerous times and on more than one occasion my hand hit fairly hard. The day after I figured it was just a bruise, a week after I was surprised it still hurt but my fingers worked and my wrist seemed ok, I just couldn't lift anything heavy, squeeze things or put weight on it like doing push-ups or move it in certain directions quickly. It was a weird injury that didn't really seem to be too serious except that after a month it was about the same, so I was puzzled, so after 5 weeks and still the same, I decided to head in and get it checked out.

But before I explain the results, I should explain that this is a record time for me to go in and see a Doctor, I normally procrastinate it for even longer, usually a year or more. I have always used the philosophy that if I can move it and nothing is at odd angles it will heal on it's own. I probably wouldn't recommend this approach to anyone as it has led to some interesting ricochets meaning additional injuries as I favored the injured area. I could write way too many stories of me ignoring injuries and then having other issues but I have always been unwilling to go in to see a Doctor for fear that they would tell me to take time off (and yes a few have so I did the right thing and found a different Doctor). I think in this way I am like most runners. The nice part about this injury it's just a hand which is probably why I went in as it bugged me enough in other areas and they couldn't tell me anything that would affect my running.

Good news and no surprise, nothing was broken. He said I had sprained a ligament in my hand and that it would take probably up to 8-12 weeks before it was healed. So all I had to do was not re-injure it and all would go well.

So since today was such a beautiful day I decided to head out for a run, what a grand day temps in the mid 40's, rain, a perfect day for running in the rain again splashing through puddles, slipping and sliding my way around. I decided to run along the river bottoms entering at Cedar Avenue. I do love spring, no snakes yet, no bugs, cool temps but I can run in shorts, I wish it would last for months and months. What fun.

All was going well, my legs felt great, until I hit one of the raised wooden bridges that span the marshlands. What happened, well, I hit the bridge at full speed (which isn't that fast) and the next thing I know, my feet are sliding out from under me and I am going horizontal until I land on my hip and my hand as my feet and legs go into the marsh. It was exactly how I fell at Psycho Wyco, as again I thought to myself safe, except the hand hurt right away but hey no odd angles, nothing to worry about. Don't know if I re-injured the hand or not, time will tell, but I did find it ironic that the day after I went in to see the Doctor I wipe out and land right on it. What if I had waited longer, my guess is I wouldn't have had an issue at all as I am sure I wouldn't have fallen and landed on it and all would be well. Guess this is a gentle reminder to not go in until it's serious or at least affects my running.........

Running in the rain....

Friday turned into a delightful and beautiful day, work wasn't great but all of my crisis's were finally managed and the weekend was here. If I doubted why I have always quit when I have been a manager in the past, I now remember the why fairly clearly. Enough on work as what I really needed was to get a run in for stress relief as well as for training purposes. I saw it was raining as I left work and I smiled. You see, unlike some folks, I love running in the rain. Preferably, I can get started before it rains hard but anytime I am out in the rain, I have a blast.

On Friday, I got to Lebanon Hills around 5:30 and oddly enough no one else was there. It was raining fairly hard and it was a bit cold as the temp was only around 40F. I got myself ready and headed out on the trails. It was muddy and my Rucky Chucky's seemed to do pretty well in the mud, there were still some icy sections and the RC's seemed to do ok on it as well, too bad I didn't have them in Kansas. Although this mud was nothing compared to that and as I thought a bit more about Kansas the main problem there wasn't just the mud but it was all the mud on the hills with all of the sharp turns. Lebanon Hills has very few 90 to 180 degree turns. So I was able to just slosh my way along taking in the sights of a nice cold spring rain and watching as the snow was melting away and life was coming back to the woods. Soon the leaves will appear and the trails will once again be enclosed in the shade and seclusion of the trees and the brush so it was nice to look around and see things that will soon disappear. I do so love jumping into the puddles as I run as it brings back long gone memories.

I have come to appreciate and enjoy rain as it means it isn't snowing, it won't be too hot and usually it isn't too cold and if it is windy well, I am on the trails where the wind is reduced by the trees. Through the years I have run in the rain many, many times and I have come to really enjoy it especially when you add in trails as it always provides me a nice quiet time to soak everything in and it seems to cleanse my mind. It allows me to remember what's important in life and after a nice run in the rain, I seem ready to face whatever else comes along. So as the song says bring on the rain.

Jo Dee Messina, Bring on the Rain
(billy montana/helen darling)

Another day has almost come and gone
Can't imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I'd like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war ('cause)

Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

It's almost like the hard times circle 'round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
And I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing - but I'm not dead (no)

Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

No I'm not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight ('cause)

Tomorrow's another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain

Tomorrow's another day
And I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

(Bring on, bring on the rain)
No, not gonna let it get me down
I'm not gonna cry
So bring on the rain
(Bring on, bring on the rain)
(Bring on the rain, Bring on the rain)