I've completed 2 weeks of training for my 2 upcoming half marathons. Things have not been going as smoothly as I would have liked them to go. My legs needed time to adjust to the increase in mileage. I had to slow down my pace on some runs due to higher HR. I was rather puzzled for a bit there, but kept track of the data (both HR, weather, sleep, diet, stress, etc). I now have clear proof that my HR is higher when under stress and/or when I don't sleep enough. Dah!!! But for me, having the data really made a difference. I have always been really good about sleep, but lately I have been staying up too late enjoying time with Chris at the end of some pretty stressful days. There isn't much to do about stress but to ride it out, problem solve and take care of yourself; I had been partly neglecting the take care of yourself part, the part that I have control over.
Anyway, I am out of the stressful patch. Went to bed at a reasonable time last night, got 9 hours of sleep, and today I had a really good run. Nothing out of the ordinary. It was a simple progression, but my HR was lower than I have seen it in a long time, and I felt really strong. I ran 14 miles @ 7:20, 7 miles building up from MAF-10 beats to MAF (aerobic HR) @ 7:45, 3.5 miles @ MAF+5 beats and then 3.5 @ MAF+10 beats, which ended up being 6:52 pace. Nothing hard in this run, just a progression from easy to moderate, on a cool and rainy day, on rolling terrain. Happy!
And now I have to contain my enthusiasm and make sure I won't push it too hard too soon. I have a tendency to run myself into the ground by working too hard too soon. I love running hard and pushing my runs to the limit. But I know that I am not a spring chicken and need to be smart about how hard I push and when I push. My February HM is a B race. My goal race is in March. Plenty of time to push much later on! For now, my main focus will be on making sure I get enough sleep and don't run myself into the ground. Because the big goal is to run myself into a PR:) in March.
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6 comments:
Totally agree HR is way higher when under excess stress no matter what the cause! So good to keep track of that stuff b/c our bodies tell us what they are ready/willing to do IF we listen. Smart to heed the stress and back off the effort and wait til your body was ready for that progression run. Nice! :)
That's one thing about HR training- it gives some great evidence to look back over and analyze, and to support the gut feelings and clarify the questions. Good for you for taking a step back and looking over it all- and for getting some much needed rest. I can't sleep 9 hours, but i could sleep 8 and should be shooting for that. Rest makes a HUGE difference for me- as does running practice. Though we HR train a little differently, I can see you are making huge progress!
Nice progression!! Base building requires patience, and will pay off big time for you!! It's all about stress and rest...absorb and move forward.
The PR will come! I am excited about your B race in the mean time :)
Envious of your 9 hours of sleep :), I think it was in 2001 when I last slept that much.
Love all the MAF talk, of course. You seem very strong right now and just make sure you're following your own advice to hold back. The journey to the halves will be so exciting, can't wait for you (and February will be here so soon....crazy how fast the year has flown!).
Nice progression run! Very motivating post, as I struggle this time of year with motivating myself to run, so reading about strong runs helps up my drive to get out and get going! Thanks for sharing!!!
First of all glad you are out of the stressful patch!!! I definitely believe in the power of sleep with running. I don't always get it but man I've seen how it benefits me when I do-especially the last few weeks of my last training cycle. 7 hours would be ideal for me if I could consistently do it I think.
What an awesome run! 14@7:20 with nothing hard in this run is super!!!! You are doing awesome!!! Not sure what you have going on in April as far as races but when you run that big PR in March perhaps you will be content to relax for a bit, humor me and run at my ever so slightly SLOWER pace when I come-ha ha!
About that PR-really looking forward to that!!!
Nice to see the progress in the run.Rest and sleep are also important to boost up the body. 9 hours of sleep has certainly energized you.
goatweed
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