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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #00ffff;"><em>42,200 metres, 29,040 strides with 176 strides per minute @ 144cm per stride, 24,090 heart beats with 146 beats per minute @ 3,672 calories (burned), 226 milliseconds ground contact per stride @ 7 minutes and 51 seconds of total ground contact time, while finishing in 9900 seconds (2hrs45min00secs) @ 3min 55 sec per km pace.</em></span></h3>
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Today’s post outlines a summary of my systematic numbers-driven approach towards completing a marathon (42.2kms) in my goal time.  I gave myself six months to prepare for the event, The Gold Coast Marathon.  Once settling on my goal time with a series of calculations, I broke down my run from multiple physiological angles and bite size segments.  Then armed with all the information I needed, I then practiced, and importantly, bridging from one section to next.

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While I believe optimum athletic performances are largely brain and emotionally driven; I think the purpose of consistent (fitting) training is to convince yourself, this CAN and WILL happen, <a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-6.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-2913 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/run-6-300x205.jpg" alt="run 6" width="369" height="252" /></a>and, nothing ill-toward will upset my good health on this day.

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If you like numbers and have ‘running’ goal interests in mind, read on.  If you run for fitness, fun, and freedom, delete this post, and get back to work.

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I should add, while I <em>often</em> advocate running free of ‘beeping’ gadgets, and as such, heightening one’s innate sense of feel, observation suggests it can take years of analysing feedback and data in reaching ultimate self-trust and awareness.

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Hopefully, this post helps you fast track your pathway towards your ‘best’ run.

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Enter; Numbers and Gadgets.

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In this summary I’ll cover:

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<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;">1) Determine with numbers the possibility of recording my marathon goal time.</span></h5>
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<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2737814380_b9ab0b0630.jpg"><img class="  wp-image-2861 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2737814380_b9ab0b0630-197x300.jpg" alt="2737814380_b9ab0b0630" width="159" height="242" /></a>

<em><strong>Including:</strong></em>
<ul>
	<li>Determining my ideal race weight (as in; does power to weight ratio matter), particularly, given the race course is dead flat with just two hotdog turns? Or, what is the cost of my heart/ energy/ breathing rates, along with muscle and joint fatigue, particularly from 34-42kms, carry just one extra kilo of ‘unnecessary’ body fat?</li>
	<li>How, if at all, will my aging body influence my finishing time!</li>
	<li>Assessing the reliability of a reputable ‘marathon’ race predicting calculator - based on my most recent 5km, 10km and 21.1km best race times.</li>
	<li>Given the temperature on race day will likely fall between 21-25.'c, will this influence my performance, particularly during the final 45 minutes of the race?</li>
</ul>
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<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;"><strong> 2) Calculation of my ideal (race) heart rate in beats per minute.</strong></span></h5>
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<strong><em>Including:</em></strong>
<ul>
	<li>Firstly, I’ll assess one area of my current conditioning with blood lactate threshold testing.</li>
	<li>For me, most notably, results will highlight my energy burning efficiency. Meaning, at what point (in beats per minute) does my energy pathway click over from favouring stored fat, to stored, and blood, sugar.</li>
	<li>This matters! Big time! If I can’t break down and use stored fats (opposed to ‘limited’ sugar) at my goal pace, certainly for the first 90 minutes of the race, then, I know, I’m screwed over last 45 minutes, with maintaining my goal pace that is. With ‘fatigue’ my body will naturally crave sugar during the last 45 minutes, so, they’d be better be some left to burn.<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hrxx.jpg"><img class=" size-full wp-image-2652 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/hrxx.jpg" alt="hrxx" width="275" height="183" /></a></li>
	<li>Once I know this crossover point, I need to practice and practice some more at running at just under this intensity till I can reach and hold my goal pace at this intensity for at least two hours.</li>
	<li>Essentially, I need to explore ways of running faster for longer while using ‘more’ fat than sugar.</li>
	<li>I also need to know my maximum sustained intensity rate (a mixture of heart rate in beats per minute and sustainable pace) at which point my functioning gut shuts down. Why?  Because the damn race is too long for me to be hammering away free of water, minerals, and a little sugar.</li>
	<li>I want to know how hard can I push before I lose ‘reasonable gut’ function. And, if I do push too hard how long can I survive at my goal pace with limited, if any, sugars, minerals, and water reaching my muscles, skin, and brain.  Again, I know, if I abuse this intensity too early I can expect to pull a piano over that last 7kms – and there goes my goal time.</li>
	<li>Again, I need to improve gut efficiency at goal pace.</li>
</ul>
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<blockquote>
<h5><span style="color: #00ffff;"> <strong>3) Determine my ideal running cadence in strides per minute?</strong></span></h5>
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<strong><em>Including:</em></strong>
<ul>
	<li>Why should I care for my perfect rhythm in strides per minute? Well, it comes down to guarding my most critical performance limiters.</li>
	<li>Unlike the Kenyans at the pointy end of the race, I’m faced with two significant and influential  (physiological) performance limiters, over this distance.   I know my biggest challenge will come from the breakdown of my functional body; mainly, my (aching); quads, knees, and calves.  It is UNLIKELY at my goal pace; I will be challenged via my cardio-respiratory system. Or, via;  thermoregulation (hydration), or glucose &amp; mineral consumption.<a href="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/CGI_Human_Walk.jpg"><img class=" size-medium wp-image-2461 alignright" src="http://balancehealthprograms.com.au/wp-content/uploads/CGI_Human_Walk-300x141.jpg" alt="CGI_Human_Walk" width="300" height="141" /></a></li>
	<li>Determining my ideal cadence becomes KING in preserving my legs for that final seven km. Data suggests most people could well explore slightly increasing their cadence, over longer (relative) distances, and particularly over the last km when faced with somewhat trashed legs.</li>
	<li>In determining my ideal cadence I’ll assess, my; Upper to lower body muscle mass (I am lower body heavy - meaning my ideal cadence will be slower [unfortunately] than someone with a heavier upper to lower body ratio), fitness (VO2max), fat metabolism, hip angle (anterior tilt), and preferred footwear. All these features influence the bash and crash on my body.</li>
	<li>I’ve determined over my goal time; 2 hrs, and 45 minutes of moving time, I will spend only 7 minutes and 51 seconds in contact with the ground. The less time, the better.  The slower my cadence, the greater this time.  The greater contact time, the greater ask of my functional body (lower back, hips, quads, calves, etc.).  Stabilising and transitioning the body through my running action will cost.  As my greatest limiter is breaking down, I want to reduce the time I spend on the earth.  Increasing, my cadence and fitness, will reduce this time.</li>
</ul>
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I measured all this and practiced via numbers nailing my goal time in 10km segments.  I only bridged to the next 10km once mastering each 10km brick.

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It’s probable I’ve lost a few by now, and fair enough!

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In PART 2 I’ll rip into results, facts, and my practice.  I’ll also post my race results.

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I’LL ONLY FORWARD PART 2 TO THOSE WHO’D LIKE IT – pls let me know.

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BP

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Or, forget all this and just go for trot!