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2022-08-11 10:38 AM

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1508
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Cypress, Texas
Subject: 1-Hour Power

There is a local running group that I am fairly new to that is do what they call "1-Hour Power" for their group workout on Saturday. 

They must do it every year because most of the people in my running circle have done it at least once before.  The lead group is advertised to be doing a 6:00 min/mi pace for 10 miles with a progression of slower pace groups following them.  I posted to the 15 people in my Saturday morning group to ask what pace they were planning on doing and I was told that this workout is supposed to be as fast as you can go for an hour.

So, it sounds like a 60-minute lactate threshold workout to me.  I have done the 30-minute lactate threshold test a few times and I have done some 15K and 10-mile races which would be very similar but this is going to be something new for me.   This is kind of exciting.  I am guessing that there are going to be at least 100 people at this group run (and possibly a lot more than that since it sounds like a big local tradition). 

Has anyone else ever heard of group workouts that consist of a 60-minute lactate threshold workout?     Is anyone up to a virtual 1-Hour Power this month?  If so I will post it in the challenge thread.  :-)   



2022-08-11 1:51 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power

First, that sounds painful.  It would be cool to test like that but I'd schedule some taper and recovery and treat it like a race.  Back when I peaked in adult running shape maybe 8 years ago I might have been able to get to just short of 8 miles on flat terrain - that would have been a nice challenge to just hold 7:30 for eight miles vs. a 10K.  Nah, still sounds awful.

I've done a couple of 40K bike only time trials on flat ground that were over an hour but that's a close to a "power hour" as I've gotten.  My old Masters squad used to do 100 100s once a year (they're wacko ultra-distance open water swimmers, like swim around Manhattan, swim across the Channel types) and I'd get through about half of it.

I'd give it a go if it fits in your training schedule.

2022-08-11 2:19 PM
in reply to: 0

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Master
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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power
Have done it for swim and bike but not run, at least not in that fashion. US Masters Swimming has an annual one-hour"postal" swim for time (you do it on your own with a timer or coach who signs off, and compete virtually as individuals and teams) and I've done it a couple of times. And my tri coach has, twice I think, had me do something where I cover the power meter and then try to sustain best possible power for an hour on the trainer. (Once was on my birthday, and I've never quite forgiven her for that!) Yes, it is painful and no, I don't really want to do it in the next month. It's almost more awful if you can't see the PM because you keep second-guessing yourself.

Running, no.... can't say I've done that. Back in the day, I guess it would have been in the 10-mile range, but I don't even want to think about it now! Our students have an annual jog-a-thon and they get an hour to do as many laps as they can, but only a few kids seriously try to max out, and I've always been too busy herding and encouraging the troops to put in a serious effort myself.

Edited by Hot Runner 2022-08-11 2:23 PM
2022-08-12 11:50 AM
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1508
1000500
Cypress, Texas
Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power

I did some tapering this week. I hit a little over 8 hours of Triathlon Training the past two weeks (560 & 520 TSS) and will hit 5-1/2 hours this week (420 TSS). Ya...I have done some 40K TT's on the bike trainer.  I usually don't get really excited about challenges.  They seem like a good way to wreck your training for no really purpose.  So, I usually stick to the training plan and let others go out and do pointless challenges.  I like the idea of a 1-hr swim though.  I might have to set up a 1-hour swim challenge.  That would be something like 100 x 25yd for me.  I know a guy who attempted the channel last month (weather didn't allow his group to make it). He would do something like 100x100 every week.  So I know the type.  I am still a young swimmer though and would be lucky to make it halfway through a 100x100.    



Edited by BlueBoy26 2022-08-12 11:52 AM
2022-08-12 2:06 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Master
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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power
For the swim test--I usually make a quick stop every 1000 yards/meters to take a sip of sports drink and check the clock/watch. Helps to break up the monotony, pace, and keep an eye on remaining time. If swimming solo, you can set your watch timer to go off at 60 minutes. It is hard to pace well to truly empty the tank on an hour swim, at least for me, since my instinct is that I need to swim at a very sustainable pace since the rest of the IM (or long Sunday workout) will follow shortly! I tend to start too slowly and then blow it out on the last 700-1000. I think last time I did this (in spring) I was in the 3700 yard range, including maybe 30 seconds worth of stops. There were plenty of people who did a lot more. I think best for my AG in the country was something just insane--4600 yards?? Under an hour for IM distance. Maybe more? Another woman on our team did 4300 yards. Some of the advanced swimmers did do this challenge as big sets of 100 on a pretty short interval until time was up. I've always been a distance swimmer, so for me it worked better to break it into longer chunks.

You could also do it open water if you could find a good course with calm water and no obstacles, and had the right kind of Garmin.
2022-08-15 6:54 AM
in reply to: Hot Runner

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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power

I mentioned the 100 x 100 set my Masters team would do...I tried it twice in our SCM pool.  First time I got through about 4400, second year about 5300.  We usually broke it up into a 10 x (10 x 100) and the groups of ten would be a little different each time.  The final one I did, we had all remaining swimmers in the same lane so I'm swimming with a buoy and paddles just making the 1:45 interval so basically a paddles 1K time trial.  The guy leading the set did most of them fly.  SMH  Our Masters coach just swam the Channel for like the 4th or 5th time a couple of weeks ago.



2022-08-15 11:04 AM
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1508
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Cypress, Texas
Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power

Thanks for the tips on the Hour Swim.  I am going to try something just to see what I can do in an hour in the water.  I haven't done a lot of long swims and it would be a nice to see where I am at. 

 

The hour Power run was fun.  I decided to go out with the fast group and see how long I could hang with them. 

 

My planned run pace for the opening 10K of the National Championship Standard distance Duathlon was 7 sec/mi faster than what the group was doing on Saturday.  I nailed that run and it felt pretty relaxed going into T1.  I figured the heat and humidity in August would slow me down about 17-18 seconds a mile from where I was at in April for my duathlon but I figured it was worth a try at hanging with the fast group.  My goal was to make it 10K before having to slow down, but after about 4 miles I was spit out the back of the group.  We were doing 3 mile loops and were on a dirt path, so I stopped at mile 6 to look for some water (oops...I left my water in the car 1/4 mile off of the loop).  With the stop at mile 6 for water, photo ops, chit-chat, etc.  I created a big enough gap that I finished at 20 sec/mi behind the lead group. 

 

I didn't make 10 miles (which would have been a PR for me), but did make 15km which was not a PR, but the pace I keep trying to get the Beast Pacing team let me pace at the Hot Chocolate 15K races.  At the 15K races I usually finish top 10 over all if I pace the 7:00 min/mi group so there just aren't many people trying to break an hour so they would rather have me pace 8:00 min/mile or even 9:00 min/mi than a 1-hour 15k pace.  I counted 15 guys in the top pace group when I dropped out at mile 4.  I think 2-3 dropped out after me but think there were at least a dozen that completed the 10 miles in one hour.   There is a 10-mile race series in the Houston area.  There is usually only about 1 person under an hour at those races so we had a good group at this run. It is fun being in an area with a good running community.  It sounds like the 1-hour power is how some of the colleges use to do for tryout for the men's university cross country teams.  Anyone who finished 10 miles under an hour in the middle of the Texas heat made the team.  Those that didn't got cut.   I got cut this year but enjoyed the experience.   



Edited by BlueBoy26 2022-08-15 11:09 AM
2022-08-22 1:44 PM
in reply to: BlueBoy26

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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power

Nice work, Curtis.  Sounds like you made a good workout of it. 

2022-09-04 2:44 PM
in reply to: jmhpsu93

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Master
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Subject: RE: 1-Hour Power
Wow that sounds both fun and terrible.
But I like weird things like that.
Especially if it's something I haven't does before, I tend to get a truer sense of what I can do because I don't have anything to measure against.
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