Up and Running

I took 5 days off from training due to this cold. Lisa has it as well. You know the deal; starts as a screaming sore throat, then you wake up with huge sinus congestion and your nose running like a keg in Ireland. Energy wise, I felt decent after two or three days, but because of all the congestion, I laid low. Today I started back up and broke out the HR monitor. It's very easy to get away from using your HR monitor. We reach a point where we feel we know what HR we are at while training. And while this could be true, it doesn't mean that we stay honest with it.

For the next week, I'll keep my HR below 140 for every run that I do. Sure, there will be small occasions where it will slip above 140, but the goal is to have no more than 1 full minute of each run above 140. I ran this morning in the Trumbull rail trail. It was a stunning morning - one made for running. Starting out with just running shorts and a singlet, I was actually a bit chilly. For the first 10 minutes, my HR stayed below 125, then it went into the 130's. I felt relaxed and this was a good opportunity to blow out some of that cold. Then, I see a carrot up the trail. A guy running at a decent clip maybe 200 meters ahead. Within seconds, my turnover is faster, my stride has increased, and guess what? My HR is above 140. I dial it back down and forget about the runner. I passed him eventually anyways and continued on. I was doing an out and back. I hit the turn around and bam, I'm picking up the pace and the HR above 140. I dial it down again. I can tell where my HR is without the monitor. The problem is that I subconsciously go after someone up the road and pick the pace up when "coming home". The monitor was great at keeping me in check. I finished 8 miles in just over 52 minutes, with only 36 seconds above 140 and my legs felt better after this run then they did during it.

Later this afternoon, I went out for a second run. I ran 1 hour on single track trails and stuck with the 140 deal, even on the hills. All in all, it was a nice solid day followed up with an hour of soccer drills with my son.

The key now is to be patient and commit to this one week of sub 140 HR.

Cheers,

EH