Run slow to go fast . . . .say what?

I'm no expert but doesn't the idea of running slow now to go fast later sound counter intuitive? My mind is the perverbial toddler, kicking and screaming, stomping my feet. There's no effin way running slow or biking slow will get me on that podium.Oh but touche, might I have a little broccoli with my CROW?

Part of my resistance comes from my experience with HR training last year. Last year my zones were figured ALL wrong. We might as well have used the standard 220-age formula, WRONG! It's my contention this formula is okay for the lay person but completely innacurate for HR training and athletes entering into base building phase...your whole season could be f8*kered up.

It works! Not only does it work, it is MAGIC! Let's go back in time seven weeks. Heart rate zone testing day. We must have hit the nail on the head with our testing, we figured my max to be 11 beats higher than the "standard formula."

Crazy Al "Poodle" doing his initial
zone assessment

This completey changed my training. I went from z2 runs that were 10:30 min miles to 8:40 min miles. Big relief, no more would my morning 5 mile runs take me nearly an hour, with forced walks just to stay in the correct zones. Mega frusterating! The irony of it all is that I'm super efficient when it comes to zone 4 and up! Why? Because I train with my husband. I run faster to keep up with him for long periods of time. He in turn is efficient in his lower zones as he runs slower to allow me to keep up. At least that's my logic. This is why I managed to run a 3:20 marathon (7:38 min/mile) ticking along at a high heart rate.....crazy eh? Goes to show you that proper fueling can sustain you at least for a while...but that's an entirely separate issue.

At the VAC for z2 testing, the day
I went from 8:20s to 7:33s BOOM!
Notice my @KSWISS #Kona kicks
they make me run fast!

Fast forward three-ish weeks, zone 2 progression, not a lot at first but improvement went from 8:40-8:20. Now fast forward again three weeks. I'm sitting pretty at a 7:33 min mile in z2+. What I thought wasn't possible has become quite possible. We have one more base building phase (3 weeks) to go before entering into our force phase so I can't wait to see the improvements.

Mostly I'm curious to what my z2 running / biking will translate to during race pace conditions. First event to show my stuff will be the IM 70.3 in St. George....picked a doozie didn't I?

Cheers,
K