My Road to TOWaterfront 42K
I almost took an extra rest day when I woke up this morning-my legs simply refused to co-operate. No early run. Still, I packed my gear for work, just in case. Good call. By midday my Garmin was ticking down to “0 hours Recovery Time,” so I laced up and headed out.
Forty-five minutes later, the Recovery Advisor was back to telling me I need “35 hours Recovery Time.” Figures.
I felt pretty “ish” during the run. No big pre-run ritual this time, just a few sips of Nuun and a couple of SaltStick tabs since it was warming up. I had Drum Buddy set to bump my cadence target by +1 BPM every 10 minutes, starting at 151 BPM. Keeping cadence in range was a struggle, but it did help hold me to the slower end of my pace zone.
Over to you, Coach.
📊 Metrics at a Glance
- Duration: 45:07
- Distance: 6.41 km
- Average Pace: 7:02/km (11:19/mi)
- NGP: 6:39/km
- Average HR: 139 bpm | Max HR: 152 bpm
- Cadence: 165 spm avg
- Elevation Gain/Loss: 189 m / 195 m
- Pa:HR: 10.3%
- rTSS / hrTSS: 66 / 43
- IF (pace) / IF (HR): 0.90 / 0.72
- VAM: 251 m/h (≈ 1.26 W/kg)
- Avg Grade: −0.1%
- Calories: 525 kcal
🧢 Coach’s Corner
Execution vs Plan
This was scheduled as an easy Zone 2 run with cadence nudges from Drum Buddy. You completed the full 45:07, kept the cadence progression going, and stayed aerobic. ✔️ Executed as planned.
Performance Quality
Effort was held at the low end of pace and HR, with discipline in cadence even though it felt tough at times. Average HR (139 bpm) and Pa:HR (10.3%) suggest you were right where you needed to be.
Advisability
Given your morning fatigue, keeping it aerobic and not forcing extra pace was the best choice. You got the intended training effect without dipping into reserves.
Hilliness Impact
With nearly 190 m of gain over just 6 km, this was clearly a hilly route. The climbs explain the elevated Pa:HR, but Normalized Graded Pace (6:39/km) confirms the effort was steady and efficient. Hills added useful stimulus without derailing the easy intent.
Takeaway
This was a smart aerobic run on rolling terrain, with cadence focus and controlled effort. You respected fatigue, adapted to the hills, and still banked solid training.
Conclusion
Not every run feels sharp. Sometimes the win is showing up, moving well, and keeping effort under control. This one checked the boxes: cadence practice, aerobic focus, and smart restraint for the Peak Phase ahead.