Dehydration fixed - better run

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

It occurred to me on the way to the gym this morning. I did not drink anything when I went to bed and I waited until well after 9 am to have a cup of tea. I did not drink very much yesterday, either, or this whole past week, because when it's cold outside I don't feel like drinking cold water and I was not home enough to make tea. I'll have to remember to bring a thermos from now on. Funny that I also gained two pounds over the last week. I think I ate instead of drinking, an old bad habit that restarts whenever the weather gets cold.
In any case, when I noticed I started drinking about 20 minutes before the beginning of my run and continued drinking throughout the run and finishing about 28 oz. of water by the end of it.
I also realized that my calves were still a little sore from ice skating two days ago.
Here are today's results:

Mile 1: 4.0 mph
Mile 2: 4.0 mph
Mile 3: 4.0 mph
Mile 4: 3.9 mph
average speed 3.98 mph
average heart rate 133 bpm

I suspect that the first two miles my body was not sufficiently hydrated yet.
I know I never would have figured this out if I had run without a heart rate monitor to notice the subtle changes.

  

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KKINNEA 11/16/2011 6:51PM

It's amazing the role hydration plays! Report Inappropriate Comment

Another attempt

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

My MAF test attempt last night failed. I don't know if my body was affected by the teeth cleaning in the morning (challenge for the immune system as more bacteria are circulating through the body) or if I was just tired, or if my body does not do very well with running in the evening which I don't usually do.
My warm-up went fine but then my first mile my heart rate reached target of 132 at only 3.9 mph. I also felt a little tired, so decided to give my body a break and try again today.
I continue to be amazed how good the feedback is I get from the heart rate monitor as far as what my body is up to that day.

  

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MPENNE 11/16/2011 6:51PM

I have thought about getting a heart rate monitor, sounds like it is a good investment. Sometimes it is good to just take a little break. Hope your next run is better. Report Inappropriate Comment

Monday 11/14/2011 ice skating, walking, hauling hay

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

We went ice skating in the morning and I was lucky enough to find a nice lady who helped me with the basics, improving my use of inside and outside edges, stops and crossovers. Whenever more advanced maneuvers don't progress it's good to go back to the basics.
We also moved the rest of the hay into the barn and I took a 40 minute walk on the treadmill. I hope to do another MAF test on the treadmill this afternoon.
I checked my resting pulse for the first time since I started the Maffetone method today and it was at 64, down from 68 a month ago.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JIBBIE49 11/18/2011 11:59PM

I had never heard of the Maffetone Method, so I looked up the book on Amazon.com. Looks interesting but about the opposite of what AL SEARS, M.D. has in his book "The PACE exercise program" which is 12 minutes of intense exercise in short burst & recovery. At 62, I am working on that idea as my knees wouldn't take long running. Report Inappropriate Comment

CGDINASIA 11/16/2011 9:50PM

Ice skating. It's been forever since I've been on ice skates. Good report on your pulse coming down. Keep it up. Report Inappropriate Comment

JOAN_HEO 11/15/2011 12:54PM

I haven't skated in forever! I used to go almost every day when I was a kid. I think I need to find a place to do that this winter. Report Inappropriate Comment

A very windy long run

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I woke up feeling tired and not really motivated to even get out of bed. After trying to figure out why for 15 minutes I realized that I had gone to bed after midnight for no good reason other than feeling too lazy to walk upstairs, LOL.
I also realized that I forgot to drink enough yesterday. This is much harder for me to remember in the winter when I don't feel like drinking cold water.
Because I missed my long run 2 days ago I did it today.
It was quite windy and on the way out I was almost running in place at times where I was running uphill and against the wind. On the downhill and with the wind in my back I got to find out what it feels like to run a much faster pace, very fun.
I hadn't been running in strong wind for a while and it was interesting to notice how my balance changed on the downhill. I shifted my weight further back to lean a little into the wind and not fall forward.

Total length was 7.7 miles
total running time was 1hr.52:18
average heart rate: 131 bpm
avg speed: 4.1 mph

The hardest part was having to put gloves and hat on and off multiple times which slowed me down. Overall a fun run with some sightseeing along a peaceful country road.

  

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MARCH_ 11/14/2011 1:56PM

Our first snow of the year is predicted for this weekend. I'm heading outside right now with my husband to put protection around the saplings and mow one last time. Windy windy windy! Report Inappropriate Comment

Hauling hay and ice skating

Sunday, November 13, 2011

This was definitely a non-cardio day. I can't quite call it a strength training day because we only moved hay for about 1/2 hour. In the afternoon I had a skating lesson and started learning single-foot spins. I'm pretty tickled by the fact that so far I'm keeping up with my daughter in the skating lessons. I've always had a fairly good sense of balance and have always liked sports that require neither much speed nor strength. I need to get more practice time in on skates this week to take advantage of these lessons. We now have snow on the ground with more coming overnight. I'd better start looking for my spikes if I want to run tomorrow.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

PAMAPPLE 11/13/2011 9:07PM

How fun to take ice-skating lessons and to be able to skate with DD:) No cumulative snow for us yet here in Michigan... I'm sure it won't be long, though. Report Inappropriate Comment

SUNSHINE99999 11/13/2011 1:09AM

Good luck with staying upright and enjoy the time with daughter. :) Report Inappropriate Comment