Easy 2 with negative split

Having slept past the snooze this morning, I ended up running after work today. I got to Memorial around 6:15 and got a great parking place in the tennis center parking lot. I like parking there because I hate walking so far in my work clothes to get to the locker room. Anyway, there was a lot of hub-bub around the park. Hundreds of people. Lots of running groups seemed to be out. One group was gathered around the northwest corner by the turnaround. They had some cones set up in the grass over what looked like about 100 or 200 yards. I thought that was awesome to run sprints/intervals or whatever they were doing in the grassy area over there. I thought it may be the SMART group but I did not recognize anyone. It still could have been. I think I recognized one Strider. I think her name is Yong. I'm not sure. I remember her from PIM and from hanging with the Striders but I've never met her personally. I also saw Holden. He was running hard. I passed him going the opposite direction just as he was taking a walk break. Great to see you Holden!

I must say that I just love running at Memorial park. I love seeing friends, acquaintances, and all the beautiful people, tall, short, fat, skinny, men, women, young, old, fast, slow, runners, walkers, trotters, joggers, shufflers, moms, dads, hotties, studs, blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, indians, middle easterners. I even saw a lady with a wig. My son said a few weeks ago, "Dad, I really like Memorial park. Everyone just does their thing. No one judges you or cares what you look like. Everyone's just out there exercising. It's cool." He's right.

My run was very evenly paced and that made me happy. It was hot but there seemed to be a bit of a breeze. I even managed a :02 negative split. Of course, it was still slow but I felt like it was a good run. Again, I had a .5 mile warmup with .25 brisk walk and .25 walk/jog/get my HR going.

Total time - 30:18
Total distance - 2.0 miles
Avg HR - 155 bpm
Average pace - 15:09
Mile 1 - 15:10
Mile 2 - 15:08
Calories burned (according to Polar) - 519

God bless!

Progress Report and thoughts

Hills

I've been gearing up for my first hill workout on Tuesday as scheduled on the Katy Fit Red Group schedule. I've been a little aprehensive about this, being for all intents and purposes a total noobie!!! I've always been advised as well as advised others that hill workouts should be reserved for runners with a good base of miles and who have been running for some months (6-12). The apprehension comes from the increased risk of injury from doing these workouts. But, I figure as long as Katy Fit tells me to do hills, I'm doing hills. It's on the schedule, right? The schedule I paid $100 to follow. I'm getting my money's worth and following the experts, right? Wrong!!! After posting on the discussion boards a call out to any Red's that want to get togehter to do hill running, I get a reply from our Red Group head coach that says,

"We don't recommend hills for the Red group -- unless you're a pretty experienced runner. You will notice that the "hills" will disappear from the Red schedule. Right now, running itself is something for people to explore and enjoy so it's a little early in the season to add hill work-outs for the Reds. For the inexperienced runner, there is too big a risk of injury to try hills at this point."

Well, thanks for the notice. I mean this is the day before the scheduled hill workout. And even more funny is that before our Red group long run on Saturday, Coach Sarah announced that we would be meeting at the Hwy 6 aqueduct on Tuesday to do hills if anyone wants to show up. This really pisses me off. So, I guess it's supposed to be an easy run (e on the schedule)? Who knows. I mean of course it's supposed to be an easy run. What about the tempo run on Thursday. Is that dangerous, too? IMHO, no. I think I need to spend at least a little time running above AT.

More on Katy Fit

I was checking out the discussion board over at Houston fit and came across this post from the Red Group:

"I signed up for this program to get fit and somehow convinced myself I could run a marathon. The site says "Whether you are a couch-potato, walker, casual jogger, or marathon veteran, this marathon training program is the most enjoyable, most inspiring, and most efficient way to get in the best shape of your life." After going two Saturdays I believe this. However, I fall into the couch potato group by definition and no group by color. The red lobsters run faster than I do, the walkers walk faster, and I'm more of a 1/5 than a 5/1. I was initially really disappointed but am trying to redirect my goal. My plan is to come out every Saturday morning and travel around that exciting 3 mile circle, hopefully getting better and pushing further. I can't even imagine running 10 to 13 miles with the red group in a short 4 to 6 weeks. My new goal for Houston Fit is to follow the minutes on the weekly plan, push myself by myself on Saturdays then listen with the group, and finish the 28 week program in much better shape than I am in today. Any suggestions would be appreciated."

Then, one of the responses:

"Oh my goodness....when I was reading your post, it sounded just like me. I am the slowest of the slow red lobsters. I joked that they know who will be bringing up the end. I wanted to quit. But you know what the coaches are so encouraging. I showed up to the Thursday run and although I was last, the coach (I can't remember her name, sorry) ran with me and encouraged me to finish. I did. This past Saturday was very scary to me because we were running 4 miles (more than I have even walked before not to mention running) and I had to do it. There I was starting out and already so far behind the red lobsters thinking "Okay, if I can't even keep up with the slow runners, what am I doing here?" But Coach Jane came back and stayed with me and I ran so slow that she could walk next to me. But she kept encouraging me and during the middle I had to walk a little more than the minute but I kept going and by the end I was running again. I made it to the end of the 4 miles to the cheering coaches. The coaches made me feel so great. I felt so excited that I accomplished 4 miles. You know what else, some of the runners that were ahead of me, ran too fast starting out that they fell behind also towards the end so I had company. Which was great because I got to meet a few new people. So keep coming to the Saturday runs because we can encourage each other. I will be the one in the very very back."

I can really relate to this poster. I thought going into Katy Fit that there would be some noobie slowbies in the group. You know, I'll never forget my Fall 2004 PIM coach and now good friend, Andrea Chan. I was the slowest runner in our group and I always was the last to finish. But Andrea ran each and every step with me. We talked about running and nutrition and weight loss. I learned so much about running from Andrea during those runs. She was so encouraging to me telling me that it was good to run at a slower pace and that I was doing good maintaining my pace and staying conversational. I may be wrong to expect the same from some of the Katy Fit coaches and really I am sympathetic that the group is large and they can't give everyone one-on-one attention. Still, I really feel like I'm not part of the group. Heck, the other Red group runners are more enthusiastic and cheer me on more than the coaches. Luckily, I'm not in a place right now where I need a lot of hand-holding and luckily, I have Coach Steeeve and the Striders as well as awesome encouragement from the HRB'ers and other bloggers. Still, if I were a coach for a marathon training program where I new there were new runners and first-timers, I'd make it a point to seek out those that are struggling and give them a little word. I'd definitely make sure I had the back of the pack covered. There are about a dozen or more runners in our group that finish our "group" runs alone. By the time I get in, all the coaches are over wtih the big group visiting with the faster runners. Again, I'm not whining and I'm a big boy. I just think each runner in the group should get just a little personal attention.

Doubts

Saturday's 5-miler really brings into doubt whether I will be able to do what I have set out to do. I know that doubts are normal at this point in marathon training but I really need to be realistic. To finish Houston in 6 hours...I just don't know if it's possible. It kind of goes back to the whole Katy Fit coach thing. Steeve, Jamoosh, Andrea, Jon, somebody, it this even possible given the fact that I am so slow now? If it's possible, is it doubtful? If I do everything right training-wise, is it possible to do this. I don't need to know if you think I will do it. I just want to know if it's possible.

Belt buckle

Today, I went to the last hole on my belt. Another month and I'm going to have to get some new clothes.

Thanks

Thanks so much Bill, Cassie, Christy, Doug, Bonnie, Sarah, Wunnin' Wabbit, Barbara, Jon, June, Lisa, Donna, Edwin, and everyone else, especially DW and the kids, for all the encouragement and comments. It's a great community and I really *heart* y'all.

Congratulations to Bonnie

Just a quick word of congratualtions to Bonnie, publisher of Survival Shuffle for completing the Grand Isle Trail Marathon. Bonnie finishe the traile run in 5:29:55.0. Looking forward to a great race report! CONGRATS, Bon!!!

Whew!! That was a tough one!!

I left nothing out there on today's long run. I must say it was my toughest run to date, since coming back. I can't say that I'm unhappy with my performance. I actually feel good and feel like I really gutted it out. But will I look back on this one and remember it always? Don't think so!!!

Total distance: 5 miles
Total time: 1:21:53
Average HR: 157
Mile 1: 15:14
Mile 2: 16:01
Mile 3: 16:25
Mile 4: 16:45
Mile 5: 17:24
Calories burned (according to Polar): 1427!!!! (no way!)

I'm hesitant to compare this to previous long runs for a few reasons. One, to me it was the most humid day I've run so far. I was really sweating. I mean the kind of sweating where you're drenched from head to toe. By the end, I looked like I just got out of the swimming pool. Also, because of a fishing trip that was planned for today, I ended up moving my schedule around a bit and doing Monday's easy 30 minutes on Friday. The plan was to then rest 1 day and do my long run on Sunday. Well, late in the day on Friday, the fishing trip got cancelled allowing me to do the long run on Friday. If that's too confusing, suffice it to say, I ran on Friday before a long run. I do not think that affected me at all, I'm just saying, I can't compare this to other long runs since I usually have a full day of rest before.

On the bright side. I'm feeling no nagging pains. I'm still injury-free. I feel like my ankle is holding up well. Plus I got to see Bill whizzing by along with some other Striders. Among these familiar faces was Coach Steeeve. He greeted me on the out portion of his run as we were passing in opposite directions. But on his back leg, Steeve was FOCUSED!!! I me an he was humping it. Running hard. Awesome to see that, Steeeve!!!

Much better

Per coach Steeve's advice and acting on the wisdom of runner/blogger/superwoman Barbara, I incorporated a warmup and cooldown into my workout today. So, it went something like this:

stretching
.25 mile brisk walk
.25 mile brisker walk/jog
30 minute easy run (the actual workout)
~.4 mile walk to the car

The fun thing about this is now I get to go all the way around the Memorial Park loop. I really enjoy that for some reason. I like the back stretch, facing east, towards downtown, as the sun is coming up. I love the cars whiizzzzing by with the occasional whoooosh of a Metro bus. Today, I looked across the street, where the Strider's water stop is on the Houston marathon course. I visualized how awesome it's going to be one day to be running through there, taking in the enthusiasm and energy of the Strider nation.

I felt the warmup added to my workout and my splits were more consistent. I felt "settled in" from minute 1 and kept a consistent effort for the entire 30 minutes. Mile 1 was still a bit faster than 2 but more consistent than previous workouts. I could probably still ease off a little during the first 3-5 minutes of the workout. I really felt good the last 10 minutes or so of the run.

Venue: Memorial Park
Total time: 30:01
Total distance: 2.01 miles
Average HR: 155 bpm
Average pace: 14:56
Mile 1 - 14:43
Mile 2 - 15:09
da change (.01 miles) - 0:10
calories burned (according to Polar) - 517

God bless!!!!

Need to add a warmup

There is something about my shorter runs during the week that I do not like. Maybe I can get some comments on this from Steeve or some of you experienced runners. My easy runs during the week have been around 2 miles. The splits have been:

14:07/14:57
14:18/15:01
14:28/15:07
13:48/14:59

The first thing that jumps out is that the mile 1/mile 2 splits are always fast/much slower. I think one main reason for this is that I am starting out pretty quickly to try to get my HR up above 150. It takes me about .25 miles to get there. For that first .25, I'm estimating a ~13:15/13:20 pace. Then I "settle in" at around 155-157 bpm. The first mile, after getting out fast (for me) ends up around 14:00 pace. Then, keeping my hr under 160, I start to slow down. I feel like my last 1.25 miles are at pretty consistent pace maybe a little slower at the end. Probably around 14:50-15:00.

Here's where I need some advice. IMHO, it is good to maintain a consistent effort throughout a run. By that I mean consistent the goal of the workout. So, for easy runs, I would maintain a conversational effort throughout the entire run, breathing easy and not gasping for air. When a runner runs by pace, a runner ends up running at an increased effort towards the end of a run compared to the beginning. My easy run would start out conversational, but to keep a consistent pace, by the end of the run, I would be gasping for air and probably be running above AT. So, if this is my philosophy of training, to maintain a consistent effort, then I should not even "start my workout" until I reach that level of effort, right? For example, if today I am doing an easy, 30-minute run at 150-160 bpm, I should not even start the clock until I reach 150 bpm. I guess what I am saying is that I think I need a warmup. I need to get myself in the proximity of my target HR so that when I "start" my workout, the fires are stoked, I'm lose and I'm ready to "settle in" to my target effort. I think if I do this, my splits will be more consistent. Now I'm not going to see that "fast" mile 1 but I should see a mile 1 pace that is more indicative of where I am in my running.

Today's run felt great. Here are the stats: Venue: Memorial Park
Total time: 30 minutes
Total distance: 2.09 miles
Avg pace: 14:22
Avg. HR - 155 bpm
Mile 1 - 13:48
Mile 2 - 14:59
da change (0.9) - 1:13
Caloried burned (according to polar) - 517

God bless!

For TxRunnerGirl

This is from an article entitled Training Intensity and Heart Rate by Eric Schwartz.

Heart Rate Zone	Effort	Description
Zone 1	Easy	Recovery. Endurance building. Conversational pace. You can hold this pace for a long time. Commonly referred to as aerobic training.
Zone 2	Easy to Moderate	Extensive Endurance. Endurance building. You can usually hold this pace a long time. On days after hard workouts zone 2 may be a little more difficult and it may be best to avoid in this case. Commonly referred to as aerobic training.
Zone 3	Medium	Intensive endurance/muscular endurance. Beginning athletes can maintain this pace for 15-40 minutes, while experienced athletes may be able to hold this effort for 90+ minutes in training.
Zone 4	Medium Fast	Sub-threshold. Your ability to maintain this pace in training will range from 20 minutes to 2+ hours.
Zone 5	Fast	Super-threshold. Lactate threshold pace. This pace can be maintained in training for 15-60+ minutes depending on fitness.
Zone 5b	Very Fast	Anaerobic Endurance. This pace will be very difficult to maintain for more than 15 minutes. Breathing will be very hard and you may last as little as 2-3 minutes at this effort.
Zone 5c	Very, Very Fast	Power

More good stuff from RW beginners forum

Poster Falco writes:

"There’s a stretch of road that I run on that is long and straight and seems to go on forever. I used to hate it, but now it’s my favorite place. See I don’t have to do anything, just run. I don’t have to avoid dogs, dodge traffic, or encounter potholes. It’s just me and the road.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Last night while I was on that stretch I began to think how powerfully simple this all is. We ask our body to run and it does…at first not far…but then over time it becomes this machine. A simple perfect machine. Breathe in, breathe out. One foot and another. An endless repetition of a series of moves that propels you further and further along. And the miracle of the human body is that it responds by carrying you further and further until one day you show up at work and say, “I ran eight miles yesterday” and all the jaws drop. Yes…you did. Something that your co-workers consider positively superhuman. You did it. You may not look like a superhuman, but at that moment you are.

My mind flashes back to a conversation I’ve had about running. Every run is a test; a test to see what you are made of. Do you have it in you today? Here on the road there is no way to cheat. It’s simple, you either run it or you don’t. Either you win or the road wins. And no matter how sick you are, no matter how tired you are, the road still asks, do you have it in you? Even if you had a great run yesterday, the road is still out there today and today you have to prove what you are made of. When Oprah ran the marathon folks said, yeah, but she had a personal trainer. Yeah, but she has a personal chef. Right, but no one can run it for her. She took every step herself. And you…well you take every step yourself.

Breathe in, breathe out.

The road doesn’t care if you are good looking, smart, young, old The test is the same. What do you have in you today? Some days you come home glowing with accomplishment. Other days you lose. You feel fat, heavy, out of shape, tired. Well meaning friends say “why do you do that to yourself?” but you know…you aren’t doing it TO yourself, you are doing it FOR yourself.

Breathe in, breathe out. Scuff, scuff, scuff, scuff, scuff. Individually the movements are simple, even amateurish. Collectively though, they are powerful.

Along the way you lose things. Some of you have lost weight. I haven’t. But I’ve lost that voice I call the “inner loser” who tells you all the reasons why you can’t run. (you’re too old, too fat, too tired, too sick, you just ran yesterday). My inner loser can’t run more than a mile. I leave him beside the road early in my runs these days.

You lose the stress of the day. No matter how bad your day is, you sweat out all those problems on a long run. You shut off the voices. You silence the chatter. Just you and the road, alone.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I know we all have goals. Five k goals and marathon goals and negative splits. But on your next run let me encourage you to just run and enjoy the simple pleasure of running. No watch, no time limit, you’re not going anywhere, you’re not getting anywhere. You just are…a simple lone runner…on a long stretch of road.

I’ll see you out there.

Consistency this week

I really feel good and strong so far this week following an enjoyable 35 minute run this morning. It was a beautiful morning, almost cool, running at Memorial. Given the distance I ended up doing in 35 minutes and then the ~.3 miles I had to walk back to the car, I should have just gone around the entire loop. By the way, this is something I've yet to do since the comeback. Although I have 3 and 4 mile long runs under my belt, they were not at Memorial, my favorite place to run. But I really had a great time. I had to run with my beeper since I was on call but was not bothered.

Stats:
Venue: Memorial Park
Total distance: 2.39 miles
Total time: 35 minutes
Avg HR: 155 bpm
Mile 1: 14:28
Mile 2: 15:07
da change (.39): 5:26

I had the privilege of running into Doug Spence out on the trail. It was great to see Doug. Didn't stop to talk long as we were going in opposite directions.

Evidently improving

This morning's 30 minute run marked the first 30-minute run where I actually went past the 2 mile mark. So, instead of stopping short of the 0-mile marker (30 minute runs are out to the 1 mile marker and back), I actually went past it, just past the water fountain, before my 30 minute timer went off. Here's a comparison of some recent 30-minute runs.

Date	Distance	Avg. pace
7-3	1.84	16:18
7-5	1.87	16:02
7-18	2.0	15:00
7-24	2.06	14:34

All these runs were performed at approximately the same effort. So, here are the stats from this morning's run:

Venue: Memorial Park
Total time: 30 minutes
Total distance: 2.06 miles
Average HR: 156
Avg pace: 14:34
Mile 1: 14:18 (152 bpm avg.)
Mile 2: 15:01 (159 bpm avg.)
:06: 0:41 (162 bpm avg.)

4 miler with Katy Fit and familiar faces

I've been debating this week whether or not I was going to do our group run with my HRM or just leave it and pace with some others. I keep hearing that Katy Fit is big time pro-running-in-groups. And I didn't see how running by my HRM was going to work in a group run. After all, that's the whole thing about HRM training. It's very individualized, based on your own maxHR and your own fitness. On individual may be running 4 miles at 14:00 min pace and stay aerobic. For me, that would probably get me well above AT pretty quickly. Anyway, I decided against running with the hrm today. Besides, I'm not planning on racing with it, so I need to start getting more of a "feel" for my pacing and effort, especially on long runs.

Overall, the run went pretty well. I must say this was my toughest run to date. I struggled a little bit and had to push pretty hard and stay focused. I think that this being a tough run was a function of a couple of things. First, my nutrition on Friday was terrible. After a good breakfast and good lunch, I had no snack in the afternoon and no supper. We rushed over to a dessert party after work and I did not take time to eat supper. All I had in the evening was a couple of chocolate chip cookies and some coffee. I had a Clif bar Saturday morning before the run but I think that was too little, too late. Even though I wasn't famished on Friday night, I still should have eaten dinner. Secondly, I got to bed really late on Friday and didn't get near enough sleep before an early long run.

So, here are the stats:
Total distance: 4 miles
Total time: 1:03:32
Mile 1: 15:02
Mile 2: 15:29
Mile 3: 16:13
Mile 4: 16:48

Comparison to last week's 3-miler
Mile 1 (last week/this week): 15:54 / 15:02
Mile 2 (last week/this week): 16:14 / 15:29
Mile 3 (last week/this week): 16:40 / 16:13
Mile 4 (last week/this week): ----- / 16:48
Total time, 3 miles (last week/this week): 48:48 / 46:43
Difference, 3 miles (last week to this week): -2:05

So, is there improvement there? Apparently so. Conditions were about the same so it's a fair comparison. I definitely don't think I could have gone 4 miles last week so my endurance improved some. The difference in pace could be due to the fact that I was running without my HRM. However, I was able to carry on a conversation for the entire 4 miles. In fact I did talk to serveral other runners on the course, even during the last mile.

On a great note, I saw several Striders out there at Cullen and was greeted by them. Barb Shephard (Cha-Ching) and Stacy Stepler were running together and looking strong. Then I saw Ryan Stepler, Megan Clark-Dillingham (Road Rage), and Lynlee Linke (Hooter Girl). I'm a bit unsure if the name of the 3rd runner was Lynlee. I recall meeting this 3rd runner at the Chritmas Lights run in 2004 and for some reason the name Lynlee comes to mind. If that wasn't Lynlee, I apologize.

Oh, one final thing. I had the privalege of meeting a very sweet, young lady at Katy Fit by the name of Jo. She wears a Houston Strider singlet to the Saturday meetings and I've been in my PIM singlet which led us to start up a conversation and became acquainted last week. Very nice lady. We both started running through PIM. Well, funny thing is that this week she introduced me to a couple of other runners that she met. The conversation went something like this. "Shashi, this is Vic. He's training for the full marathon. He runs slow but continuously." LOL!!! I in no way take offense to this and I know from Jo that's not a disss. She really is just the nicest, sweetest lady. I just thought it was cute. You know you're slow when you are introduced as "slow, but continuous."

Easy running pays off for RW forumite

I wanted to post this question and answer from the beginners forum on Runner's World web site. I think it's an awesome testament to the importance of aerobic base building and thelearnedfoot couldn't have said it better.

RyanRC187:
"For the last 8 weeks I had followed the 5k program I found on the front page of runnersworld.com and all seemed to be going fine. I haven't really ran to see if my 5k time has dropped, but I'm sure that it has as I've been upping my miles a few at a time week by week and included some speedwork as well.

This is what I have found to be the prevalent line of thought on how to improve on most running sites... simultaneously up your miles a bit at a time, as well as utilizing speedwork once or twice a week.

I was speaking to someone else however who runs a sub 4:20 mile and was told that I should focus almost solely on distance running until I'm up to about 50 miles per week to build a strong base, and then to switch over to speed and strength drills several times a week in order to see my times drop.

I actually really like what he said and felt it made sense. So I'm thinking about switching to easier paced distance runs several times a week to build a strong foundation and skipping the speedwork for now.

Any thoughts?

thelearnedfoot:
Can only speak from my own experience. Last fall, I ran a 5K in 26:20. That was my PR at the time. I was running 35 miles or so per week. Over the late fall/winter, I upped my miles to the point where I was actually averaging 70 and then up to 100 miles per week. This spring, I ran a 5K in 20 minutes and change. I did no speedwork other than an occasional fartlek or a very occasional tempo type run. Nearly all my running was done at an easy, conversational pace.

At first when I switched to the easy paced long distance running, I found myself slower. (Example -- ran a 5K in 27 something in November when I was starting to up the miles) However, it was temporary (obviously).

I am not advocating running as much as I do, but my philosophy on running is runners should try and go as far as they can with the easy base building stuff. How far you go in part depends on how much time you can devote to running and in part how much volume your body can handle (keeping the runs easy is key to upping volume). When you can't go any further and no longer see your times improve with just easy, aerobic base building, then its time to try stuff like speedwork.

(I think the problem a lot of folks have is they don't want to do the easy, base building runs. They would rather skip it because its boring and jump into running fast or long races. Then they burn out or get hurt or don't reach their potential. There's nothing, in my opinion, that can subsitute for having a very strong aerobic base and foundation.)"

Discipline

It takes more discipline for me to sit around for 24+ hours on a rest day than it does to go out and run 5 miles. I should be running today. I know! I know! There's always cross training. btw, I swam last night. I think it was 300 yards but it may have been more. I lost count. Anyway, "I, Vic Kaiser, do solemnly swear that I will not run today, per Katy Fit schedule as well as common sense and best training practices." I just had to say that.

I'm already starting to get excited about my 4 miler on Saturday. I really have to relax.

Wonderful post by Bon

Please head over to Bon's Survival Shuffle blog for her most recent post. It's a great read and I know you'll appreciate it.

Beautiful morning at Memorial

I did 30 comfortable minutes this morning at the park. I was this close to skipping this morning and sleeping in. Don't know why but I just kept hitting that snooze over and over. I know that as soon as I get up and get moving, I'm fine but it's just putting that first foot on the floor that's hard. I did it though and I'm sure glad I did. I love that feeling when I get in my car in the pre-dawn light and turn the radio on. I know where I'm going and what I'm about to be doing. Running. I can't wait.

Sorry for being such a kid about running. I just feel so blessed to have a life and 2 legs and feet and such a wonderful family. I just want to live my life to the fullest, yes, for me, but also for my family. My kids are doing sports this year for the first time. My 5 y/o and 10 y/o are playing soccer. I dream of being fit enough to just go to the park and kick the ball around with them. I see families at Memorial and over at TC Jester park, and the whole family is out there just running around the field playing soccer. For so long, if the ball went past me, I would say, "Go get the ball!" I don't want to do that any more. I want to run after that ball or race the kids to get it. Know what I mean?

My 13 y/o, who is obese like me, wants to play football this year. He's been exercising and eating right the past few weeks and I am soooooo proud of him. He's savoring his first taste of the active lifestyle and he's been remarking how good he feels. I know it's not too late for him. I think if we help him get control of his life (by setting a good example) he'll grow into his weight and have a better self-esteem. My prayer is for a healthy life for my children. I've gotta stop 'cause I'm tearing up here in the office. Someone's going to think I got fired or something. :)

Stats for the run:
Total time: 30 minutes
Total distance: 2.05 miles
Mile 1: 14:07 (151 avg HR)
Mile 2: 14:57 (157 avg HR)
last .05: 0:56 (162 avg HR)
Avg HR (total): 154
Calories burned: 523

All my runs feel good!!

This morning, I did my scheduled 25-minute run according to the Katy Fit red group marathon traing program. For about the last 2 or so weeks, it seems like evey single run has been a good one. What I mean by that is I have finished feeling strong, like I accomplished what I had set out to, like I pushed hard enough but had enough left in the tank where I could have done a little more. And most importantly, I have been pain-free and injury free.

This morning's run, after a 3 mile LSD on Saturday and total rest on Sunday, was a bit of a different experience for me. For most of my runs prior to this, I've struggled to keep my HR below 160. I've really had to slow down to a very slow shuffle to keep my effort aerobic. Well, today, I felt, for the first time, some pressure to pick up the pace. Now, when I say that, I don't mean what you might think. I'm not saying that I just wanted to run faster to get a better workout. That's not in line with my training right now. What I mean is that to get my heart rate up in the 153-158ish range, there was pressure to run a little faster. My shuffle was just getting me up to the high 140's. My first mile was 14:34. And my HR stayed below 157 the whole time. I finished the last .72 miles at about 14:45 pace with avg HR around 159. On most previous runs, my pace has been well over 15:00 m/mi. Now there certainly could be many contributing factors to this "quicker" run today. Perhaps I was well hydrated. Humidity and temperature may have been lower than on previous runs. I dunno! Besides all that, what's my point? The point is not that I ran faster today. It is rather that I ran faster at the same effort. That's the big deal and if I continue to see workouts like this, it's a good sign that my aerobic fitness is improving. DUH!!!

Stats
Venue: Memorial Park
Total time: 25 minute continuous run
Total distance: 1.72 (according to Polar, which is still off)
Mile 1: 14:34
Remaining .72: 10:26
Calories burned: 434 (according to Polar)

Physiology 101

Please don't take this post as coming from a physiology expert or from one who claims to have even the slightest idea of the totality of how the human body does what it does. The desire to post anything along these lines mostly comes from wanting to get down in writing the thougths and ideas that I have learned from reading various training books, web sites, and text books.

I've always been the kind of person to ask "why?" Before my first PIM training run, Pam stood up there and told us all that we should run easy...that we should be conversational when we run. I thougth to myself, "Why?" And ever since then, I've sought as much as possible to understand how the body adapts to training and how I might, as a new runner, maximize my workouts to get the most benefit for my time.

So, I'm not an expert. I'm not an exercise physiologist. I've not even had enough experience as a runner to give any personal perspective. I am certainly open to corrections, discussion, and even ridicule. This post and possibly some following represent my opinion and approach to training for new runners. I will attempt to answer (to my best understanding) the question, "Why?"

Last disclamer: This post could get way too long so I'm going to just go through the basics. If there is any interest or if I just get bored later, I may do some more detailed posts.

What is VO2max?
I think for me it is beneficial to start with the definition of VO2max. VO2max is the maximum volume of oxygen that can be used during complete, all-out exercise. At VO2max, your body does not have the capacity to take in and consume any more oxygen than it it at that intensity. Now, since oxygen consumption and energy expenditure are linearly related, VO2max is a meaure of an individuals maximum capacity to do work aerobically. Simple, huh?

So, what limits my capacity to do work aerobically? (btw, later we will get to what happens when we exceed our ability to do work aerobically. Be patient.) Well there are two things that limit my ability to do work aerobically or rather that limit VO2max. 1)The external delivery sytem's (heart and lungs) ability to provide the oxygen to the place where it can be used as energy (intake), and 2)The number of mitochondria in my muscle cells as well as the density of the capillary network surrounding that cell (uptake). This is the final destination of the oxygen and the site where it is converted into energy to be used for work (running in our case).

So, which is it? Which limiting factor to I target to get my body to work harder and longer aerobically? This is kind of controversial although to me it's a no-brainer. If you don't have enough capicity to receive the oxygen (the untrained athlete), it does no good to try to increase the amount of blood being delivered during each heartbeat (stroke volume). The untrained runner or new runner needs to concentrate on increasing mitochondrial counts and capillary density at the point of uptake. I'll get into how that is done later.

Man, this is getting to be a long post.

I'm going to need a little feedback here in order to continue. :) Is any of this worthwhile putting down on this blog. I know Cassie expressed a little interest when she asked "...so you have to keep your heart rate low? I need more explanation." If this stuff is of the least bit of interest to anyone out there, let me know an I'll continue.

To be continued (maybe)...

Short post...gotta do the yard

This morning, I did 3 miles with the Katy Fit group. It was so awesome. I really like running through the wooded canopy at Cullen Park. I'm already making friends. One couple that I met lives out in Fairfield by us. Tom is a veteran runner but his wife Cindy is a first timer.

I was really excited both before and after the run. I felt good throughout and held a very comfortable effort throughout the run. Here are the stats:

Distance: 3.03 miles
Time: 49:31
Avg HR: 155 bpm
Avg pace: 16:20
Mile 1: 15:54
Mile 2: 16:14
Mile 3: 16:40
.03: :43 (??? I'm still trying to figure out the calibration on my watch)
Calories burned (according to Polar USA): 867

OMG!!! I just registered for the Houston Half

I just couldn't wait. I had to commit!! I'm tired of waiting to see how it's going to go. I'm ready to say it's going to go fine. I WILL do this. I gotta get in the game. Besides, if something happens, the $$ will go to a good cause.

The only thing that really, really scares me (and motivates me) is the 12:48 pace required to have your time recorded. I guess that scares me now. Hopefully, the closer I get to October, the less scared I'll feel.

This is going to be fun!!

Easy run on Thursday night

Well, tonight's run was a little under 2 miles. The format was as follows:

5 min warmup (143-152 bpm)
30 min easy (143-160 bpm)

It was very difficult to stay in the 143-160 range for the 30 minute easy run. I know the heat and humidity contributed to the difficulty but also my fitness has loooong way to go. One positive, though. At that effort, I can definitely go for a considerable amount of time. I don't know my limit but it's definitely more than 30 minutes. I guess that's what this active recovery zone is defined as though. As long as I stay below AT, I can go for a long time.

I made a mistake today that I will not forget for a long, long time. This morning, after doing my VO2 test, I showered and changed. I put my workout clothes in my bag to use again when I ran this evening. After all, I didn't sweat profusely or anything during the VO2 test. Well, when I got to the locker room at Memorial and opened up my bag, WHEW!!! My clothes stunk. And after I put them on, I STUNK!!! I hoped and prayed that I would not run into anyone I knew and have to stand and talk to them while thier eyes watered. Fortunately, I was the only sufferer. Lesson learned.