Ironman training: running with a metronome

Recently I’d heard a lot of good things about running with a metronome. Fall of 2011 I purchased a Seiko electronic metronome to try it for myself.

I was worried the metronome I purchased wouldn’t be loud enough for me to hear while running if it was windy, if I was breathing heavy, or talking with someone during exercise but it is plenty loud. There’s 3 volume settings, and I use the middle setting. The loudest is way too noisy for what I use it for: running

The very first day of running with my metronome I fell in love with it. My average pace increased forty five seconds per mile without seeing an increase of my heart rate.

Where I find the greatest improvement is with my endurance! With my metronome I can run FOREVER without seeming to tire! I can run at a faster pace with less fatigue. The longer the run the more the metronome helps. I’ve also found that I can increase my run volume without increasing fatigue or needing more recovery time. Since adopting this new training tool I’ve had visions of grander for my Ironman this September.

Through trial and error I’ve found the perfect pace for my running is 177 foot strikes a minute.

Up until recently I thought the metronome was the perfect running tool with no down sides. There is a down side to a metronome. Last week I ran without my metronome for the first time since last fall. Without the metronome I fell apart on my run. Apparently I’ve become dependant on it. Without it I was running slowly and became tired very quickly.

I’ve decided to take a new approach for Ironman run training this season. I’ll run with my metronome on my long run days so that I can get maximum endurance benefits with as little fatigue as possible. But I’m going to run without it the rest of the week so that I don’t become dependant running with it. I’ll post the results of this new approach to Ironman run
training here on my blog as I see how it works for me.

Thanks for tuning in!