Marker Set

At our two coached practices this week, we did a marker set.  A marker set measures our time and exhertion level so we can track our progress over the season.

On Thursday, we did a two mile run.  The coach told us not to push oursevles too hard this early in the season, so I paced myself for an 8-minute mile.  I did the first mile in exactly 8 minutes.  I felt good, so I did the second mile in 7.5 minutes for a total of 15.5 minutes.  We then noted our self-perceived intensity level:

INTENSITY LEVELS

Level 1: warm-up, talking easy

Level 2: short conversations comfortable

Level 3: 1-2 word sentences possible

Level 4: can’t talk, only cuss

Level 5: max effort, need all breath for sprint

I gave myself a 4 for the run.  Given that I want to do the run portion of my tri at a 7 minute/mile pace, I have quite a bit of work to do.

Today, we did a marker set in the pool.  We swam for 10 minutes, trying to do as many laps as possible.  I did 25 laps (625 yards) with an intensity level of 3.  Level 3 may sound like I was taking it easy, but my form gets much worse if I stay above level 3 for more than a minute or two.  In any case, my goal is to do the swim portion of the tri in under 30 minutes, so this pace should get me there.

After the swim, we went for a ride up Alpine Road.  Check out the route.