Week 3 Recap

WHAT I DID

Tuesday--My week should have started yesterday but I was (**cough** EXCUSE **cough**) sick.  I really did feel bad, but I found out today I can feel bad running or I can feel worse sitting at home in my jammies.  I behaved in accordance with a decision already made and joined my running group for a three miler.  The pace started out PAINFULLY SLOW.  If you recall, one of my coaches told me Saturday to slow it down in the beginning so that I can actually run longer...so that's what I did.  This was the first Tuesday run I've done the correct intervals the WHOLE TIME!!  (YEA ME!!)  The sacrifice was a slower pace overall.  I ran a total of 31 minutes and walked 6 so my average pace was 12:20.

Wednesday was a scheduled rest day, so I did just that-in my jammies with a box of Kleenex next to me all day.

Thursday I loaded up on meds and went out to do a solo 2.5 mile run.  After reading Lisa's fantastic post about living with integrity I decided to do what ever it took to finish my correct intervals.  I slowed my pace down a bit...and with only 2 very minor hiccups, I DID IT AGAIN (ran the whole time with the correct intervals-5/1)!!  That makes the first solo run I've finished with correct intervals....and remember I was sick to boot.  (I think I deserve a cookie!!??)  My average pace was 12:36.  I ran a total of 26 minutes and walked 5.5.  When I got home I did some calf and ankle exercises--much needed since I'm still having a very hard time with my left calf.

Friday should have been cross training, but unless cleaning house counts, I dropped the ball on that one.  (It could have been a rest day, so I don't feel like I'm "cheating", but I do want to do some cross training, so maybe I cheated myself??)  

Saturday I intentionally missed my (optional) group run.  In my "defense", I picked hubby up from the airport at 12:30 this morning, we got home and in bed about 1:30!!  I had to choose between going with the group at 7 on very little sleep or going solo for today's four miler.  I opted for the latter....and I DID IT AGAIN (finished the four mile run having done all the correct intervals)!!!  My average pace was 12:26.  I really have to thank Lisa again for her post on Integrity....

WHAT I LEARNED

I'm learning that doing whatever it takes to behave in accordance with a decision previously made sometimes means it won't look exactly like I want it to.  When I started running with the slower group on Tuesday I thought I'd made a huge mistake because going that slow was almost painful.  I'm still not 100% convinced that going slow is the absolute best option, but I can say that going slower has lowered my heart rate, which I believe really has helped me be able to run longer.  (Based on my heart rate research...) AND, the whole idea of "running" full steam only to fizzle out before reaching my goal has been my MO for most of my life.  Maybe slow and steady really can work??

After doing research on heart rates, I was able to determine my max heart rate and training levels.    I think this explains why slowing the pace down a bit in the beginning has helped me run for a longer time.  I haven't decided if I like the trade because the pace feels SO SLOW.  I think what this tells me is that after I build up endurance I'll be able to (gradually) build up speed so I'll have both. 

I learned I CAN run with a stopped up nose almost as well as I can with a clear nose!! 

HYDRATION and FUEL are key elements.  (I'll talk about more these topics in a later post.)

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

Hydrate, fuel (see the Zone update below), continue to train with my heart rate levels. 


CROSS TRAIN!!  (Realistically this won't happen this week since my son will be in town!! **YEA**!!)

Next week's plan:

Monday 2.5 miles

Tuesday 3 miles (group run)

Thursday 3 miles

Saturday 4 miles (group run)

ZONE UPDATE  

I think I had my first food hangover!  I ate popcorn at the movies and then the next day had STEAK and dessert (for hubby's birthday-dinner out).  I don't really know if it was the food or from being sick, but I had a marked decrease in energy the next day.  Even with being sick, going back to the ZoneFormula way of eating, I seemed to have much more energy, so I'm calling it a hangover.  This really does make me happy because I think it means I've been eating better. 

After hearing about fueling from Tammy Beasley, RD, CSSD, LD, I decided to increase my calories.  I'm not stressing as much about having an EXACT balance of 40-30-30, but I am trying to make sure I FUEL at the right times with a good balance.  Pretty much everything she said lined up with what I've been doing (except for the increase in calories and she suggested more carbs).

I also started using Daily Plate at Livestrong.com.  I really love this site and it's unbelievably easy to use.  I wish there was a way to link up the FormulaZone.com site to Daily Plate, or that the FormulaZone site had a better food diary....but, such is life-you can't always get what you want!  So for now, I'll be using the FormulaZone site for menu making and the Livestrong site for the diary.

Thanks for stopping in...come again soon!

:D

Heart Rate Training Zones

The other day I talked about figuring out my max heart rate, which is about 200 as best as I can figure.  (Yes, it seems high....I don't know if that's good or bad, or if it makes any difference at all, but that seems to be what it is.)

Today I want to talk about what to do with that information.

**AGAIN, I am not a doctor, I'm not a trainer, I'm barely even a runner!!  Don't take anything in this post as advice....I'm just telling you what I'm doing.

The ultimate goal of training is to be able to run longer and faster.  The ultimate goal of training with a heart monitor is not only to be able to run with a lower heart rate, but to train smarter.  Running in different heart rate zones accomplishes different goals (ie endurance, fat burning, speed, recovery...).  (This is why it was so important to determine the max heart rate first.)



TRAINING ZONES


Based on a max of 200, my training zones are:

50-60% - 100-120
60-70% - 120-140
70-80% - 140-160
80-90% - 160-180
90-100% - 180-200

Some trainers recommend not running two consecutive days over the 70% level, setting that value (70%, or 140 for me) as the ceiling for recovery days. They say hard days should be run at the 85% level, if not higher (for me that would be 170+).

Like I said, different zones accomplish different goals:

Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone improves cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increases the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.  (This means you need to make sure you are properly fueling to train in this, and all higher zones--a topic for another day.)

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise-yet another subject I need to do some research on) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat. 

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.  

(By the way...the HR zones aren't just for running...you can use them for any work outs.) 

After delving into this topic, I see now why I haven't been losing any weight with running--the calories I'm burning aren't from fat because I routinely train in the 85-90% range.   I learned a lot about fueling the other night after my group run from Tammy Beasley, RD, CSSD, LD, author of Rev It UP (The Lifestyle Diet That Puts You In The Driver's Seat).  It seems as though I've been eating too few calories and my body is trying to store them all as fat!!  (Everything I've been reading since then, from other sites, has confirmed this view.)  The good news is I'm lowering my lactate threshold and raising my my VO2 max.  (I'll talk more about these topics other posts.)

Since talking to my running group coach Tuesday night, I slowed my pace WAY down (to what I feel is an unnaturally slow speed).  I don't honestly think I can slow down any more and still run!!  But, I will say that I have finished the last three runs having done the 5/1 intervals (with only 2 little 'hiccups'), so it seems slowing down just a little bit has helped.  

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!
:D 

Heart Rate Training

I'm finally sitting down to do some solid research on heart rate training.  I've talked about this before, but I haven't actually ever "finished" the task because there is a lot of seemingly conflicting information available on this subject.  It's going to require a lot of decisions on my part and I'd much rather have someone else just tell me what's right and what I need to do.

You might think talking to my doctor would be the best, and I did, in fact, do that.  She did some "research" and told me, according to the American Heart Association, I should train between 90-135 beats per minute.

Seriously??

On my first day of training, my heart rate was 113 when I stepped outside to start my walk.  The average for that first 30 minute, easy, 3.5mph walk (in 12 degree weather mind you), was 146.  Since I started "training" in January, my average heart rate (during walks/walluns/rulks/runs) has been 142, with an average max of 178.  The highest it's ever gotten to was 194, and that would have been at the end of the "race" where I sprinted to the finish.

I've said all that to say I think my doctor is WRONG...and also to emphasis the fact that I don't believe cookie cutter numbers work for everyone.  This is the whole reason I'm sitting here pouring over facts and figures and trying to determine what's actually best for me.

To be perfectly clear, let me say I am not a doctor, I don't even pretend to play one in bloggerdom.  You should not take anything in this post as "advice".  I'm writing more as a way to sort out all the information I've found.  Do your own research, talk to your doctor, make up your own mind about how you want to train.

The "standard" max heart rate (MHR) is supposed to be 220-age.  (The numbers my doctor gave me were based on this MHR and using 50%-75% as the training range.)  This site has a variety of calculators for different ways of determining MHR, but it doesn't have the Karvonen method (which relies heavily on your resting heart rate).   However, my personal favorite site for determining MHR (because it told me what I wanted to hear) is this one.

I have to say the reason this site "told me what I wanted to hear" is because there are several methods of arriving at the magic number, that all line up with what I already believe really is my MHR.  (Okay, to be honest, I haven't done all the tests, but the ones I have done line up with what I already thought it was.)

So, armed with a "definitive" number for my MRH...the question becomes how to use that information to set up a training plan (in conjunction with the mileage goals for each week).  That's actually harder than getting the number in the first place....because it requires me to decide what it is I hope to achieve with my training.

Am I out there to burn fat and lose weight?
Am I trying to strengthen my heart?
Am I training for endurance?  Speed?

What if the answer is "all of the above"??

I'll explore training plans tomorrow.  I know...you're so excited you can't stand it, right??!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon.
:D

18--DARN HRM!!

WHAT I DID

Today was a hard training day....I think it's all because I read THIS BLOG just before I went out today!!  (Just kidding...thanks "reachdown" for reminding me "it's all in my mind...until I pass out, then it's physical"!!) 

Today I found myself HOPING I would actually pass out!  My darn heart rate monitor just wouldn't cooperate and LIE to me.  My heart is getting stronger and stronger...at a much faster rate than either my body or my mind.  My HR seems to almost plummet when I stop running.  I know that's a good thing, but my calves were really hoping for a different reading!!  They are really tight.  I pulled out the foam roller, but it's going to take more than the few minutes I've spent with it to work out the problem.  The question I have to ask myself is "Do I want to rise above my complaints or continue to sabotage my goal?"

Today I guess I made the choice to complain because I didn't go the full 45 minutes...I stopped at 31 minutes (17 minutes run intervals).  My distance increased a bit because my average speed increased, but it certainly didn't FEEL good.  (Reminder to train by my instruments!!)

WHAT I LEARNED

1) Continue to train by my instruments...NOT what I feel like.  The day was better than I thought it would be, and 2 weeks ago this would have been a good day...

2) I MUST have a plan.  Just winging it does NOT work for me.  AND, changing the plan really doesn't help me.  RUN THE PLAN.  TRUST THE PLAN.  (I've outgrown the plan I've been following, which is why I've tried to modify it....but I'll actually be getting a new one next week, so I'm just going to flounder along for one more week...)

3) I do MUCH better first thing in the morning.  I've tried different times of day, but first thing in the morning seems to be my very best time.

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

Keep going....stop whining...stretch...use the foam roller...use Icyhot.  (Sorry, Joan, I just don't know that I can get in a bathtub of ice water, even though I've heard many times how great it is...I'm not there yet!)

I'm also going to look into driving somewhere to do a run rather than continuing to run in my neighborhood.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again many times before I actually DO something about it......it's incredibly BORING to go around and around in the same streets over and over.  

 Thanks for stopping by, come again soon!!

:D 

16-From Saturday's Run

WHAT I DID

I was out of town all weekend so my schedule got a little off track.  My normal running days would have been Friday and Sunday...but instead I went Saturday and I'll go today and then again tomorrow.  I increased my running intervals from 15 minutes up to 30 minutes!!  I walked my usual 10 minute warmup, then trained to the HRM (staying between 165ish to 175ish), then walked to cool down for 5 minutes.  Since I was out of town I got to train on HILLS!!!  I am going to have to find some hills around here to train on because that adds a whole other level to intensity!  (Duh, I know.)  It's beautiful where my friend lives--out in the country with farm land and forrest all around.  It had snowed before we got there so, although the roads were clear, the ground was mostly white every where.  I felt like I could have stayed out there for hours...well, I wish I had felt like I could have stayed out there for hours.  That brings me to:

WHAT I LEARNED

 ((Warning: the following section is FULL of psychobabble...not meant for mere light reading!!  

Feel free to skip on down to the next section...it won't hurt my feelings one bit.))

The way I see it, there are four main components to me as a runner: my physical heart (not to be confused with the 2nd component...), my determination/drive/moxie, my body, and my mind.  

My heart is pretty strong, despite slight mitral valve prolapse/mitral regurgitation, and I can tell it's gotten stronger in the last month.  As far as moxie...I am determined to continue running...more than that, I enjoy it. I don't get out there because I have to.  I don't dread it.  I don't want to love it, I just DO!!  Those two parts are strong....but there's a problem with one or both of the other two...

I used to think my body just wasn't physically able to run.  My legs would hurt, my lungs would feel like they were going to explode, my heart would beat out of my chest...you get the picture (all those things your body does when it's out of shape).  After some considerable pride-swallowing, I made the decision I can run.  I say it took some humility because I had to admit running for any length of time, much less a whole marathon, is not something I can just go out and do, I have to build up and train.  

The "problem" is, almost every time I start my first interval, I think I have an ache or a pain somewhere.  It sometimes feels like I'm running in super slow motion and can't seem to speed up.  I can't describe it.  It's almost like my body is behaving completely contrary to what I want it to do!!  Intellectually, I know my body is stronger than I think it is.   To wit, I haven't been sore, I haven't felt fatigued, I haven't thrown up or collapsed after a run.  So I think the idea of not being able to make my body react the way I want it to must be all in my mind.  But my mind is the one that has decided to run, so why would my mind be causing problems???

As I was running Saturday, I spent the better part of my 45 minute "rulk" debating whether my mind or my body was the weakest link.  They were both pointing a proverbial finger like school children deflecting responsibility to the other one!  I think, because of all I said in the previous paragraph, I have decided my mind is the main saboteur keeping me from my best training.  Unfortunately I can't just tell it, "goodbye" like they do on the show...although my husband might say I did that long ago!!  

So, what I learned Saturday is that I have to continue to train by "my instruments" as my darling husband so aptly put it in his comments to a previous post.  My body is good, my heart is good, my determination is strong.  All of these components MUST overcome my mind.

What I think is funny is that if my mind were weak, I wouldn't be having this "discussion" in the first place!  The thoughts in my head really do have the power to override all the others....which is why it's so important to remember that running was a decision first made in my mind!!

((Hey, I warned you--complete psychobabble!!  My husband says, "Welcome to (his) world!"))

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

In an effort to bring my mind into submission to my drive, on top of the change I implimented Saturday (increasing my run interval time to 30 minutes), I've decided to run every day.  The only thing that might change that decision is if the running group I joined that starts up next week has a different plan.  In that case, I'll simply follow their plan.  

I'm completely aware that this whole thing might make no sense to anyone other than me...but I'm okay with that.  On the off chance anyone reading has any idea what I'm going through, I'd LOVE to hear your suggestions....even if you're reading this years after the fact because chances are I could still be dealing with this issue!!!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D

Fifteen...It's Official

About the time I would have usually been getting ready to run it was sleeting cats and dogs!  So I cleaned house first (my usual Monday chore).  About the time I got done it had stopped sleeting, and was snowing a blizzard!!  (An Alabama version of blizzard--a lot of flakes, but no accumulation anywhere.)

I decided I'm officially crazy because I could NOT wait to get out there and run--even in the snow!  By the time I was all bundled up and ready to go it had stopped snowing, but it was still about 35 degrees.
 
Today's run was much harder because I got very little sleep last night; I can really tell a difference in the way my body operates on less sleep.  I was much slower than usual....but, my heart rate took a while to crank up, and recovered very quickly.  I ran a total of 12 minutes and my recovery intervals totaled about 3 minutes.  The cool thing is the break down.

After my 10 minute warm up, I started running (very slowly-the inside of my right knee and the outside of my left calf sort of hurt----not injury pain, just niggly ache that I knew would eventually go away).  I ran until my heart rate got up to 175--it took 4:23!!!  Then I walked to recover to a heart rate of 167 (which took only 30 seconds) and started running again.  I trained up to a max HR of 180-determined to make it all the way up a slight hill without stopping-and recovered down to a HR of 165.  The rest of my run intervals were: 1:07, 2:09, 2:56, and 1:34.  My recovery intervals were: :42, :46, :56.  I did my usual five minute cool down.


I have been doing a lot of research on training to my heart rate.  I don't have it all figured out, but I'm learning a little bit every day.  I did find out what I'm doing is a good thing.  The way I'm doing it and/or the heart rates I'm using might not be the best, but I'll get all that figured out eventually. 

I'm really excited to see improvement, even on a day when I was tired and my legs were in protest.  Even more exciting to me is that I really love it.  I know there will be days when I won't feel like getting out there, and I hope on those days I can remember how good it makes me feel...and how much I've loved it every day so far!!

My 10K training group starts two weeks from tomorrow!!  I can not wait.

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D

Lucky Number 13!!

WOW...I trained completely by my heart rate this morning.  I didn't look at my times at all after the 10 minute warm up walk.  I ran until my HR went to 175, then walked until it went down to 165.... I just uploaded the data to trainingpeaks and WOW!!  My first run was 2 1/2 minutes long!!  I ran a total of ELEVEN minutes and walked a total of six (not including warm up and cool down) (yes, I went over on my interval running just a couple of minutes).  None of my running intervals were under a minute!!  PROGRESS!!! 

I didn't get enough sleep last night (5 hours--which is about 2 less than I "need") and I could feel it this morning.  But, when I got home I did a 10 minute "G-ball" work out.  That was the first time I've done that "work out" and I can't say that I really felt I got anything at all from it.  The only reason I did that one is because I couldn't find my 10 minute Pilates DVD!!  I know if I had done that work out I would have felt it!  We'll see tomorrow!


I'm really looking forward to the day I can go out and run for an hour.  I used to have my doubts that would ever be possible, but (most days) I don't anymore!  I just have to keep working at it.  It's like any other skill in life, to get better you have to practice.  Chess, writing, golf, strength, math, piano, cooking.......even marriage!!

I have a lot to say today, but no time.  Maybe I can practice my writing skills later!!

Thanks for stopping by, come again soon!
:D

Twelve

I woke up WAY before dark:30 this morning so I could get my run in.  Although I have the BEST job in the world (see this post in my other blog), I do still try to maintain a schedule.  Tuesdays are full, so when my every-other-day run falls on this day, I have the choice to either swap days, or run in the dark.  I already tried swapping days and I hated it.  I am positive that I'm obsessed with running now, because there's no way I would voluntarily go two days in a row without it!

When I got up, my leg was hurting  a little bit and my stomach sounded like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors ("FEED ME").  I had just gotten good and warmed up when my 30 minutes was over.  I might have kept going, but I feared for any neighbors that might be out and about.  (That's a reference to the movie, so if it doesn't make sense, check out the link!)  Seriously, I'm sticking to the plan so even if I FEEL LIKE doing something different, I'm committed to doing what I already decided to do.

Having said that, I trained to my heart this morning!  Heart rate that is.  I haven't figured out the textbook way to do this quite yet, but I worked out with a personal trainer a about a year and a half ago (strength not running) who set some heart rate zones for me that I'm (roughly) using...along with "perceived exertion levels".  At my "max", 180bpm, I feel like I can't breathe.  At 175, I'm just to the point that I don't want to talk (or sing, since I run alone).  So, starting with my first interval, I ran until my HR got up to 175 (about a minute and a half), and then walked until it was down to 165 (about 30 seconds).  I repeated that until it was time to cool down.  (Okay, so I did cheat a little bit, running a couple of minutes longer, ending with only a 2 minute cool down.  Yeah, I remember what I just said about "sticking with the plan", but I don't think I veered too far off!!)

I had SEVERAL intervals that were longer than 1:15...and most recovery intervals were about 30 seconds.

I'm not going to pretend that's "good" in relation to ALL runners, but I do know that's "good" for me.  AND, I do know that's an improvement--after just TWELVE training days!!


And, yes, I sing when I run!  I stopped using earphones when I found out they aren't allowed in races.  Instead, I play music on my iPhone (via the external speaker), just loud enough for me to hear, and I sing along.  Some (obviously not all) of the songs  I listen to are in my "Playlist" on the side bar.   (Feel free to mute it if it's not your thing.)


Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D