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Tips to improve my distance running?

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Degnann said:
I do not. Zone tends to be 2 when walking purely cause I start it as a run and when it goes to Z5 I stop. I'll need to have a further delve into everything to see whats best to increase the fitness.
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Look into aerobic and anaerobic thresholds.
Aerobic is where the body uses fat to supply energy and anaerobic is where it starts to use carbohydrates. Carbohydrate fuelling is what leads to lactic acid production. Your heart rate determines which system your in. You start to feel tired/hit the wall when your body is producing more lactic acid than can be processed by the body.
That is my very basic understanding, and there is loads and loads of online resources.
How have you calculated your max HR? 220 takeaway age? Or have you done a test?
 
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JamesL said:
How have you calculated your max HR? 220 takeaway age? Or have you done a test?
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cheers for the help mate. app on the watch called zones. calculated it all for me. tells me what zones I am in when running etc
 
Once heart rates and intensity levels are learnt, I tend give HR a backseat. Training can become tiresome when performance is always being measured
These days, I run according to how i feel. Sometimes I go out without a watch, with no idea of where and how far I'm going, or how fast I'll get there
 
Big Cat said:
Once heart rates and intensity levels are learnt, I tend give HR a backseat. Training can become tiresome when performance is always being measured
These days, I run according to how i feel. Sometimes I go out without a watch, with no idea of where and how far I'm going, or how fast I'll get there
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Common sense approach is often best. ;)

@Degnann - don't get over overly obsessed or strung out over heart rate "zones" mate.

You sound to me like you're very unfit (not a dig - just an observation :)).

Heart rate training isn't an exact science and everybody is different. If you're as unfit as I assume you are, anything over 50% of your MHR is burning fat and anything over 60% of MHR is contributing to your cardio vascular fitness. As James quite rightly says, there are different "sources" of energy your body uses to perform what is being asked of it, most of it dependent upon the intensity and length of the particular exercise you're doing.

Build up. Jog (slow) for 3 mins then walk for 2, etc. vary it, look to do no more than 25 mins to start with and go from there. If your heart is beating faster and you're sweating, then it's doing you good, simple as. Do it minimum 3, maximum 5 times a week and progress it. It'll come.

You're not human if it doesn't. ;)
 
Unless calculated scientifically your max heart rate is just theoretical as everyone's body is totally difficult. My heart rate has always gone way above my theoretical maximum when exercising hard, and it had me worried for a while until I spoke to a medical professional and she said it wasn't a problem. I then did a scientific test, which basically involves a period of intense exercise where by the end you just can't give any more, and that came out at more than 10 higher than my theoretical maximum.

Always amuses me in the gym where the machine next to me picks up my heart rate strap reading and the person on that machine starts wondering what is going on ... :) (not that there will be anyone on a neighbouring machine for the foreseeable future)
 
Having sent someone off in the .90th minute of one game for a Suarez HB I think I was called a f’kin heartless something or other by both teams.... They don’t have pulses! 😜
 
a watch hr monitor isnt accurate. you need a chest strap for better accuracy. The best advice is run how you feel. Even when running slowly I am normally in HZ 5 but I can run a half marathon in under one hour 40 mins and do a marathon in under 4 hours so dont get hung up on HRZs
 
Kes said:
Common sense approach is often best. ;)

@Degnann - don't get over overly obsessed or strung out over heart rate "zones" mate.

You sound to me like you're very unfit (not a dig - just an observation :)).
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Unfortunately I can’t take it as a dig cause its true 😂 I appreciate the tips. I’ll ignore the heart rate things
 
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I agree with Rusty Ref about the fitness test, but maybe it should be taken from 5 onwards rather than 4. At 5 you are a senior county ref so should be getting a better standard of football than refs below them. Maybe it should be slightly less distance. But although you need to have a certain level of fitness is running for 12 minutes above a certain pace the correct way to asses a refs fitness. I never run at that pace for 12 mins continously in a game.
I also know that fitness does not mean you are a good ref. As I have become more experienced I now run less as I can anticipate play more. Maybe monthly fitness sessions run by CFAs so they can see refs fitness. There doesn't seem to be a solution which fits all as we might lose a lot of very experienced refs who can do a reduced fitness test but choose not too for various reasons, and it it might mean for some refs being demoted back to 6 as they are slightly slower these days who might just think blow this for a game of soldiers and leave the game. A compromise could be anyone qualifying from an agreed year has to take a test to get/keep being a level 5 but for those qualified before then have grandfather rights, like with driving. On a personel note I would be happy doing a fitness test every year and a laws of the game test. The second one is easy now to implement with every thing being online
 
Tino Best said:
I agree with Rusty Ref about the fitness test, but maybe it should be taken from 5 onwards rather than 4. At 5 you are a senior county ref so should be getting a better standard of football than refs below them. Maybe it should be slightly less distance. But although you need to have a certain level of fitness is running for 12 minutes above a certain pace the correct way to asses a refs fitness. I never run at that pace for 12 mins continously in a game.
I also know that fitness does not mean you are a good ref. As I have become more experienced I now run less as I can anticipate play more. Maybe monthly fitness sessions run by CFAs so they can see refs fitness. There doesn't seem to be a solution which fits all as we might lose a lot of very experienced refs who can do a reduced fitness test but choose not too for various reasons, and it it might mean for some refs being demoted back to 6 as they are slightly slower these days who might just think blow this for a game of soldiers and leave the game. A compromise could be anyone qualifying from an agreed year has to take a test to get/keep being a level 5 but for those qualified before then have grandfather rights, like with driving. On a personel note I would be happy doing a fitness test every year and a laws of the game test. The second one is easy now to implement with every thing being online
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Perhaps. But the fitness test is not for reffing. It's for running the line. If you fail then fitness tests you can still ref a supply league middle, if like down here we have to cover some. Supply with L5s. You just can't do any lines on the contributory leagues.
On that basis enforcing fitness tests at level 5 is more likely to reduce the referee workforce as referees of an experienced age start to fail it
 
I remember when @Mintyref was in the peak of his training, his missus told him to run 2 mile a day...... 34 days later he somehow turned up at my gaff for a brew!!!
 
Tino Best said:
I agree with Rusty Ref about the fitness test, but maybe it should be taken from 5 onwards rather than 4. At 5 you are a senior county ref so should be getting a better standard of football than refs below them. Maybe it should be slightly less distance. But although you need to have a certain level of fitness is running for 12 minutes above a certain pace the correct way to asses a refs fitness. I never run at that pace for 12 mins continously in a game.
I also know that fitness does not mean you are a good ref. As I have become more experienced I now run less as I can anticipate play more. Maybe monthly fitness sessions run by CFAs so they can see refs fitness. There doesn't seem to be a solution which fits all as we might lose a lot of very experienced refs who can do a reduced fitness test but choose not too for various reasons, and it it might mean for some refs being demoted back to 6 as they are slightly slower these days who might just think blow this for a game of soldiers and leave the game. A compromise could be anyone qualifying from an agreed year has to take a test to get/keep being a level 5 but for those qualified before then have grandfather rights, like with driving. On a personel note I would be happy doing a fitness test every year and a laws of the game test. The second one is easy now to implement with every thing being online
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I think it all comes down to numbers (of refs). If a county is struggling then perhaps they can’t implement a test that would cut out much needed refs.

Where I am, we are not struggling for numbers. It’s fiercely competitive. Everyone gets tested. It’s 2600 Cooper (12 mins) for the levels that are around 6/5 equivalent.
 
santa sangria said:
I think it all comes down to numbers (of refs). If a county is struggling then perhaps they can’t implement a test that would cut out much needed refs.

Where I am, we are not struggling for numbers. It’s fiercely competitive. Everyone gets tested. It’s 2600 Cooper (12 mins) for the levels that are around 6/5 equivalent.
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It's also the admin of the test as well. You'll always need bodies to stand, time and count and I can't imagine there's enough numbers to run enough tests.
 
es1 said:
It's also the admin of the test as well. You'll always need bodies to stand, time and count and I can't imagine there's enough numbers to run enough tests.
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Yeah fair enough. Capital area here, one lonely ex-ref does 4 consecutive saturdays of all day cooper tests here. He deserves a medal;)
 
santa sangria said:
Yeah fair enough. Capital area here, one lonely ex-ref does 4 consecutive saturdays of all day cooper tests here. He deserves a medal;)
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He bloody does!
I forgot you also need st John's ambulance on site as well for the tests so even more reason why they won't happen below L4!
 
a. Although The Cooper Test does not reproduce conditions of refereeing, it is a widely accepted and predictive method of assessing fitness
Sprinting, can and is assessed in addition
Other, more specific fitness tests are harder to administer and are rightly reserved for higher levels with fewer numbers
b. I'm very much against all L5 referees retaining status for life, as many are ageing, less fit and have no requirement to stay 'current' with LOTG
I don't know what the answer is to b. because Supply Leagues (Step, 6 & 7) need to maintain appropriate coverage for their games and we can't be influencing any referee to 'give up the game'
 
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Going back to the fitness for distance running...

Don't suppose anyone has mentioned the couch to 5k app?

Seems a decent gig for a 9 week training session and it bleeds you in slowly.
 
RobOda said:
Going back to the fitness for distance running...

Don't suppose anyone has mentioned the couch to 5k app?

Seems a decent gig for a 9 week training session and it bleeds you in slowly.
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i downloaded it but it doesn’t have an apple watch app and I dont take my phone on my runs so no good to me
 
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