VO2Max, Heart Rate, and Weight Loss!!

So, it's been awhile since I've been blogging....  Honestly this is my last ditch effort to maintain and actively keep a blog.  I think about it often, but finding the time between kids, training, husband, and my business, is my downfall!  When I have the time to sit down at the computer, there is always something more urgent on the To Do list and at night and, I'm just to tired to think.  So I've made a decision to move this up on the priority list, before I throw in the towel.

I participated in a study that allowed me to have my V02 Max, Lactate Threshold, and all that fun data analyzed.  It was a fun experience with some good news and some not so great news.  The good news, my VO2 Max is awesome, I'm in the 99% percentile, so not much room for improvement.  My speed at  Lactate Threshold is pretty good and my heart rate there is in very close to my max heart rate.  So this means, that I can run pretty close to my top speed for a good long distance....  Bottom line, if all conditions are ideal I should in theory be able to run a 3:30 marathon, according to my speed at LT.

So, for the bad news...  My running efficiency is good, but not great.  My body fat percentile is less than ideal.  I admit it, since IronMan, I've indulged more than normal.  I've had wine more in the last two months than I probably drank in the previous 12 months.  At 40, that all adds up.  Good news is my Lean Body Mass (LBM), the muscle and bones, are great and so is my body water.  The amount of LBM I have for my height and age is in the 85%, so again, really high.  What this basically means is that I have a lot of insulation.  Not that my body fat is all that high, at 23% it is still in the ideal range, but by losing 6 lbs, I would drop my body fat to 19% and increase my running efficiency and my speed at LT would increase and theoretically I should be able to run a 3:12 marathon...

So let's talk reality.  I know myself really well, and I know that mentally I'm not going to push myself to sustained pain, so a 3:30 marathon or better, no matter what I weigh is unimaginable to me.  On the other hand, yes, I admit, I am about 5lbs over my ideal body weight and the weight I've been at for the last 4 years.  Thank You 40 and Malbec!  So now it is time for the dietitian to put into action what she talks about all the time.

My training routine heading into Eugene....  Kind of late in the game to look at weight loss, but since it is a small amount, theoretically by March I should be at my IBW, which would give me 3 weeks before peak training, hopefully allowing peak performance at the end of April!

• Monday will be a simple run day
• Tuesday is quality and TRX
• Wednesday is recovery run
• Thursday is quality and strength
• Friday is rest
• Saturday is Long Run
• Sunday is stability and core

Right now my cruising pace is about an 8:30, which, would give me a BQ, and I'd be perfectly excited at achieving!  I'd like to drop that pace to an 8:26 by March, and hopefully run the marathon at an 8:22 pace, because of course, I am who I am, and want the best case scenario result!

Tune in to see how the weight loss and running are going!!  I'm sure there are bound to be some road bumps, but I'm hoping for smooth sailing!  :)

Happy Running!

Tracy