I'm in Better Shape than my Dog

I don't know if it's the heat (though today is not so very hot) but I was able to go faster and farther than Rocky wanted. I found I could jog along with my heart rate in the 140s (>85% max) and still had to slow it down for the four legged guy.  I don't want to push him-he has had heart health issues- so no serious training runs with Rocky for now. But I think long walks and even these slower jogs are fine, as long as it's not hot.

Happy Independence Day

The dog and I enjoyed the relatively cool weather this morning. I woke up blah, but we finally got out there.  Part of the secret was deciding to go someplace different, not just right out the door.  Rocky's first trip to Rock Creek Park, so different from going with Abbey.

Out there on a Saturday

Rocky and I did a small amount of jogging. I could have done more but was worried about muscle soreness.

Sunday 5K

40:25 for a 5k on the treadmill (warmup excluded). I ran the first 12 minutes (at 5.3 mph). Then 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running, to the end. Lowest speed was 4.8. Each time I switched to walking, I was on the edge of nausea, but I recovered quickly. Heart rate went to teens in walking and high 140s during runs.




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Miling

Short time today, but I decided pounding out a single 12 minute mile was a good compromise and way better than nothing. Also did my stretches afterwards.


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A mile and a 5k

I ran 12 minutes for my first interval, 8 minutes for the second, and 6 minutes for the third. So I had a complete mile, and then I went on to finish the 5K in no very great time. I have to remind myself this time includes a slow 5 minute warm up. I could stop the treadmill and reset everything after the warmup but I'm too lazy.



I tool a snap after 30 minutes for comparison with other snaps.


This is the first complete mile and the first complete 5k this year.

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Still Trying

First run in a while... amazing how easy it is to make excuses. Three five minute intervals all at 5.3 mph except for the last minute where I indulged myself with hitting the down arrow once, to set it at 5.2 mph.

Longer

I'm pressing ahead with the runs, but more slowly than the C25K would have me do. After two successful tries at 8 minute paired intervals, the next level was 20 minutes. I decided that was just too much and gave myself permission for less. So it was 15 minutes, 3 minutes walk, then another 5 minutes run. The first bout was 5.3-4.8 mph and the last 5 was 5.0-4.7 mph.

I went around noon and it felt bad at first. The heart rate readout was all over from 165 to 135. I don't know if my heart was really jumping around like that or if it was instrument error. But I persisted and the music really helped. I even tried running mindfully, just feeling the whole body, picking up the knees and standing tall. It helped.  I dropped the speed when the heart rate got up over 150 for very long. I was able to keep it in the 140s, and I felt like I was doing ok with that.



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Back on the Treadmill

But that's a good thing. First run since a week ago. Did 8 minute intervals. First one was great, at 5.3. Second one was hard.



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Made it!

I am progressing more slowly than the canned C25K program would expect. But hey, I'm a short portly woman in her late fifties, so I have persistence, experience, and wisdom going for me, but biology against me. But today I completed week 5 workout 2 on the second try. I decided it was more important to be successful at a given level than to keep to some arbitrary timetable.

2 8 minute runs, the first was almost easy at 5.5-5.1 with most of the time at 5.3. Heart didn't get over 148. The second was very hard, from 5.3 to 4.8 with half the time at the bottom. Heartrate hit 150 a couple of minutes in and stayed there even with the slowdown. But I had music and I got there.



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Edge of Nausea

The C25K is really stepping it up. Today was supposed to be two right minute runs. I started to feel nauseous in the second run, so split it in two. I decided I'm doing this to feel good and it wasn't. I'm good with pushing myself but not to the point of throwing up.

Heart rate wasn't above 150. Speed was 5.5 down to 4.8.







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3-5 minute intervals, 5.3-5.1



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Feeling Even Better

It's Saturday and I got down there about 8:30. Plenty of coffee and water but no food. Around the block first with Rocky. Felt good, 5.5 for first interval, 5.3 for second, 5.3 for third, and 5.3 to 4.8 for last one. Breath had gone but heart rate was just skimming 150. I focused on the music and rhythm and didn't look at the dashboard very often.






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Better

(Cross posted in the blog and the quick log)


I knew today would be close to optimal: adequate sleep, up a sufficient length of time (alarm at 6, on the treadmill at 7:45), coffee ingested, and long enough since last I did this (it's Wednesday, I last ran Sunday, gym Monday morning mostly strength training).

I completed Week #4 workout #2 as written. It was slow, but I wanted into be slow. 5.5 mph on the first, 5.0 on all the others except the last couple if minutes I gradually slowed to 4.5 mph but by golly I was still running!

Heart rate shot up in the first interval, all over the map in the second, but then it was in the 140s till the end when it was in the 150s. Per the calculator in the last post, this is fine and about right, even on the low side. By the old Macdonald test, I was working very hard.

But I feel very good right now. And snow tomorrow!

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From Norway, a calculator:

Your HRmax is calculated to be:
173 bpm
Your target heart rates for interval training are:
During intervals: 147 - 165 bpm
During active rest: 113 - 130 bpm

Linked in today's NYT.

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Week 4 #1

The heartrate shot up to 165 on the first few seconds of jogging and slowly went down to the 130s. I was dragging all day and finally got myself to do this but was slow (5.5-5.0) and felt nauseous so didn't evb complete five sold minutes. But I stuck it out.



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Week 3 session 3

Heart rate up to 152 during last minute of run but it felt good. 5.5 mph.


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Plugging away on the treadmill

Week 3 day 2



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Mall Run

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Week 2 session 2

Early morning. Heartrate to 150 last three runs, no lower than 120 during walks.



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I know it's hard to read. What matters are the two top right numbers. 2.0 (miles) and 30:02 minutes. Summary of the workout. The number to the left of the miles is estimated calories burned. I don't believe it as an absolute number but the relative number matters-today is 1989 and Sunday was less, with the same mileage and time. So calories shows more detail and shows I'm progressing some. I should take the time to crop and straighten the photo like I did Sunday, though. It is slightly more readable.

Week 2 day 1

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Evening intervals

Got all prepared to do it this morning but off to the vet instead.

So gave it a try this evening. Uphill all the way. Slower than last time.



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First intervals

This is the treadmill readout from Saturday.




This was the first interval running I've done in a long while. It shows 2 miles in 30 minutes. I did the same thing today in the gym.

Week one of couch to 5k treadmill version. One minute run intervals with 90 second walks. Saturday on the first interval the heart rate went bananas, jumping to over 175 instantly, then gyrating around. It settled down. Saturday all but the last run was at 6 mph. Today I held it to 5.8 mph and my heart rate was in the 140s for the runs, all the way back down to the (one hundred) teens for the walks.

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