Holding Steady – Peak Phase 1 | Week 1 | Run 3

My Road to TOWaterfront 42K

The task was simple: stay in low to mid Z2, let the hills roll through, and keep patience as the metronome. I leaned into the rhythm, never chasing pace, just letting effort and terrain balance out.

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📊 Metrics at a Glance

• Duration: 55:04
  
• Distance: 8.10 km
  
• Average Pace: 6:48/km (10:57/mi)
  
• NGP: 6:31/km
  
• Calories: 679 kcal
  
• Elevation Gain/Loss: 200 m / 198 m
  
• Average HR: 143 bpm | Max HR: 155 bpm
  
• Pa:HR: 5.29%
  
• rTSS / hrTSS: 84 / 57
  
• IF (pace): 0.91 | IF (HR): 0.75
  
• Cadence: 165 spm avg | Max 176 spm
  
• VAM: 218 m/h (≈ 1.09 W/kg)
  

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📦 What the Numbers Say

• Pa:HR (5.3%) sits right at the aerobic stability line – efficient for a rolling Z2 session.
  
• NGP (6:31/km) shows truer effort than raw pace, confirming climbs were well managed.
  
• HR (143 bpm avg) reflects solid aerobic control with plenty of margin.
  
• Cadence (165 spm) stayed steady, showing economy in form.
  

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🧢 Coach’s Corner

Execution vs Plan
Planned as 55 minutes in Z2. ✔️ Executed to the letter: 55:04, smooth HR control, no drift out of zone.

Performance Quality
Good aerobic discipline, with Pa:HR holding steady below 6%. That’s a marker of efficiency improvement compared to earlier in the month.

Advisability
Absolutely advisable. This was the right balance between effort and restraint – exactly what Peak Phase needs between harder sessions.

Hilliness Impact
200 m of gain made this a hilly aerobic run, but NGP and Pa:HR confirm you absorbed it without strain. Hills sharpened strength while HR remained under control.

Efficiency Check
Aerobic stability has improved week over week. Pa:HR of 5.3% versus early September’s ~8.5% baseline demonstrates adaptation.

Takeaway
A disciplined aerobic run – the kind that doesn’t grab headlines but builds the race engine behind the scenes.

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Conclusion

Peak training means sharpening, but it also means steady aerobic miles. Today I banked one more: quiet, controlled, and efficient.