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Monday, May 21, 2012

at least I'm running

I was hoping this would be my first of a string of 60+ MPWs. But Thursday I started an ez road/trail run but had immediate and fairly substantial (4/10) achilles pain. Where had that come from? I turned around. Friday I planned to run but was swamped with grading and didn't run. So much for 60s. Wednesday was discouraging and really drove home the dichotomous choice I face - train to race and endure the pain or just have fun running and don't race at all.

Something to think about: I've been doing weekly 70-75 minute runs at my top aerobic pace (about 81-82% HRMax). These seem unusually hard - not like a tempo run but a rate that would be hard to sustain for, say, a marathon. Yet its 10-14 beats/sec lower than my HR during the Maine Marathon training runs. So why does it "feel" hard? My average marathon HR was closer to 17-18 beats/sec more. Could I sustain that now? It's easy to think of pace as waxing and waning but this comparative HR data baffles me, especially since its not like I've taken any time of from general aerobic work. I would have thought that 82% was easily sustainable its just that as I get fitter, the pace at 82% gets faster. So I can understand somewhat the variation in the ability to maintain pace at a specific HR (or VO2 percent) level. Regardless, I suspect this feeling is a consequence of the reaaaaaaalllllllly long time since I've done any regular tempo work or fast hill repeats and of course anything resembling 3K-5K track work hasn't been done since last summer.

Total Hours: 6:58:47
Total Distance: 45.9 mi.



6 comments:

  1. I would not have fun running if I worried about this level of detail. Leave your watch/GPS/heartrate monitor/IPOD/phone/GoPro at home and just run.

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  2. If I didn't obsess over this it would be over something else, like my research or house/yard chores. So worrying about training is actually relaxing and a break from obsessing over more important things. Put another way, I think I would be more stressed about not obsessing over something than the stress arising from obsessing over something.

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    Replies
    1. Strangely enough, I know exactly what you mean. Hang in there, Jeff.

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    2. I am in agreement too, there is a certain relaxation in knowing the details

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  3. Jeff, I'll be back in Maine tomorrow and looking to do some cross-training in the pool for a while. Join me at the Pineland Y for some tedious pool running if you like-- bring an Aquajogger! The water keeps your heart rate from getting very fast, but some people have raced very well a few weeks out of the pool! 360-317-5710 is my cell. - Susannah

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