Running

[stessier]

Forgot to say I got in 15.38 miles on Sunday. Originally the plan was 18, but I walked on Saturday and ended up with a blister. Additionally it was intermittent rain and 15 mph winds, so when I stopped to refill my water at 13 miles, I got cold quickly. I tried to push through, but at 15 miles decided to call it a day. I actually believe this is personal growth as in the past, I still would have gone 18 (somehow) and been useless the rest of the week. Now I was able to get right back out on Monday and put in 7 more. An old dog really can learn new tricks!

[EvilHomer3k]

I know a fair number of older runners and some of them didn't run until they were older. Just because you're old doesn't mean you can't get better (and in many cases better than when you were young). 15 miles is certainly worthy of kudos, even if your goal was 18.

[LordMortis]

I went to buy peanut butter powder today in preparation for mixing with yogurt and I just couldn't pull the trigger for the cost and the amount of calories per "scoop". So I came back to look at your recommendation and wow, you've really built out that spreadsheet!

Looks like I need to break down and go to WalMart because what they had at Meijer (the local best thing) PB2 at about 200 calories:18 servings per container:$26. I don't even remember how much protein was per serving. I just couldn't see myself paying that much for that many calories when it was just as easy to get something like a Nature's Valley Protein bar for the price, which would have more substance.

[Jeff V]

You do realize the quote flipped min/mile for miles/min, right.

"The Flash" used to be my middle name. But that was before I developed a keg where my 6-pack used to be.

[EvilHomer3k]

I went to buy peanut butter powder today in preparation for mixing with yogurt and I just couldn't pull the trigger for the cost and the amount of calories per "scoop". So I came back to look at your recommendation and wow, you've really built out that spreadsheet!

Looks like I need to break down and go to WalMart because what they had at Meijer (the local best thing) PB2 at about 200 calories:18 servings per container:$26. I don't even remember how much protein was per serving. I just couldn't see myself paying that much for that many calories when it was just as easy to get something like a Nature's Valley Protein bar for the price, which would have more substance.

You can get PBFit from Amazon for $13.67 for 30oz. 2tbs per serving, 60 calories per serving, 8gm protein per serving. 53 servings per container.
The Meijer stuff seems off on calories and cost. Sounds like regular peanut butter. Some of the PB powders do have added sugar. Usually it's the flavored stuff. It's good but higher calories and lower protein.

[LordMortis]

I went on got the WalMart stuff and I'm adding it to my overnight oats. I bought some pretty bad yogurt and Aldi. I won't be doing that again. I can't really tell how I'll take to the WalMart stuff until I get better yogurt.

But the real reason I'm here is to say that 5.4 miles in an hour seems to have been mirage. I have since notched up my pace and I still don't hit 5 miles in hour, even as my circuit is faster. So GPS/triangulation hiccup? I'm still happy with my progress. I'm pretty close to 5 Miles in hour and I can see it in my future. Also a different milestone was reached this morning. 10k in 80 minutes. 60 minutes of which were jogged. I don't think I'm going to expand my routes beyond 10k, generally speaking, so I will eventually probably start jogging less in total on a long day but with longer intervals. I'm currently doing 12 minutes at a time. Got in 5 of them this morning.

[stessier]

I was running last Thursday early in the morning before the sun came up and a truck was coming at me with it's high beams on. Despite there being no one in the other lane, he stayed close to me and the light blinded me resulting in me tripping over a stick from the hurricane debris and falling into the road. Fortunately there was no one immediately behind him or I would have been dead as I pretty much starfished in the middle of the lane. While the road rash on both palms, an elbow, knee, and somehow the backs of both calves with hip, wrist, and shoulder bruises were annoying, the most upsetting part was that I cracked the watch face of my Forerunner 965 (newly purchased in May, 2024!).

A little internet sleuthing showed Garmin would (quite fairly) not cover it under warranty but would likely provide a refurbished model for only $160+tax and that they would ship me the new one before I returned the old one. It arrived today and looks like new. So very happy - I love that watch!

[LordMortis]

Glad you are OK. Traffic is no joking matter for the pedestrian.

[Zaxxon]

Glad you're OK!

I've somehow managed to miss posting in this thread for a year (!) despite 2024 being my best running year in quite some time.

In April, I learned I'd have the opportunity to run my first international marathon in a pretty neat way--a relative owns a running store and won a prize during a trade show that would see a running gear manufacturer sponsor him and a guest (hi! I'm the guest!) for the Mexico City Marathon in August, all expenses paid and a boatload of gear provided. Despite not having run a full marathon in 15+ years, I agreed.

I had been averaging 40-50 miles/month through April and knew that wasn't going to cut it. Ramped up to 85 in May, 100 in June, 130 in July, and topped out at 140 in August. The marathon went 'well' in that I set a PR despite the race taking place in the literal tropics at 7,300 feet of elevation in August, with humidity at 88%. I had a blast and am very much glad I did it.

One nice side-effect of having recently trained for such a ludicrous race & conditions is that this past weekend I ran the Hot Chocolate 15k here at 'only' 5280 feet of elevation and it felt amazingly easy. Finished 8th in my age group in 1:12:40, a 7:48 min/mi pace. Pretty good for me, and about ties my PR from nearly 20 years ago.

Planning to let the running mileage ramp back down a bit and put the focus more on lifting for the next few months. I can say now, ~19 months since I got my Tonal and started lifting routinely and with competent coaching, that this has made a very significant positive impact on my running. Highly recommend doing consistent strength work several times/week to all other distance runners.

[LordMortis]

Is a mile at a time long distance? I've "scaled back" to about 16 miles a week, one mile at a time four times a week. I am currently working on strength but for my upper body, aka physical therapy, the remaining three days. (I *do not* recommend getting hit by a car, Stess) I plan to work on my legs, back, and core eventually but I don't yet have the right concept for a plan. My current guess is that it will start to become a thing when the weather turns and I can't reliably get outside 4 days a week. Running teeny tiny laps in my basement no longer cuts it when I'm jogging 13 minutes at a time.

Congrats on the Marathon!

[disarm]

Is a mile at a time long distance? I've "scaled back" to about 16 miles a week, one mile at a time four times a week.

That's an interesting question without a firm answer.

There are a lot of sources that will say there isn't a lot of overall health benefit to sustained physical activity in excess of 20-30 minutes at a time, or some will say it's not really beneficial to run more than 20 miles per week. As you increase your distance or active time, the further cardiovascular benefits diminish and risk of injury rises. You get to a point where running farther doesn't really make you any more healthy; it only improves your ability to run farther (or perform other activities with improved endurance).

Unless you have a goal of being able to run a certain distance (or just enjoy running), doing a couple miles a few times a week and combine that with some strength training will probably benefit you most.

[stessier]

Congrats Zaxxon - I'm very envious of that pace! My goal is to get back to an 8:30 min/mile pace over the course of an 7-10 mile run and so far my best is an 8:55 for 8.22 miles. I think temps have a lot to do with it, though, as this weekend I averaged 9:10 over 17.22 (a run during which I also set my PR for the year in the half at 1:58:49 and 10k at 55:10) and it was in the 60s compared to high 70s over the summer.

As I've been losing weight, I've also been increasing my mileage. Don't really have a goal in mind - I just like being able to run long.



For LM - I tried the "getting hit by a car" thing too! It was like 2017 and a car was pulling out of a driveway and "hit" me - really just pushed me into the road as I bounced off the hood. They couldn't have been going more than 5 mph and from a dead stop, so I just got a bit bruised and a few scrapes - nothing like what you've gone through. I hope you continue to heal! As for mileage, I think hitting the minutes of exercise with an increased heart rate is probably more important. What is the current recommendation - 150 mins a week? Whether that 1, 5, or 20, I think it's the movement and heart rate that's going to be the most beneficial.

[Zaxxon]

Wow, stess. 250 miles in a month would probably kill me. Or at least my ability to do other things without sacrificing sleep time. Congrats. And a sub-2 hour half on the way to 17+ miles is awesome.

Honestly, I was surprised by my time on this 15k. I had gone into it with a pretty laid-back attitude, just planning to see how it went after ramping down from the marathon ~5 weeks earlier. I started out planning to finish under 9:00/mile worst-case, but felt good around an 8:00 pace while waiting for the crowd to shake itself out (this was a 5/10/15k race, and for some reason the shorter races started just before the 15k while sharing much of the course--it was a lot at the start). Then I found myself coming up on the 8:00 pace crew and decided to stick with them for a bit. A bit turned into 'hey, here comes mile 7 and I'm still feeling great.' So I just went with it until the end. Was a nice change from the CDMX run, where I was hitting 8:40-9 for the first 10 miles, then 9-9:30 through mile 20, then the pain train hit and it was 10:30-13 through the end.

It does make me wonder how I could do in a 10k or 5k right now, though. Too bad it's about to get into Real Mountain Weather here and I'm not excited about finding races to sign up for in the next couple of months.

LM: I second stessier & disarm's comments: shorter periods, relatively high heart rate. The coaches on my Tonal programs actively recommend *against* doing more than 20-25 minutes of cardio at any one time if you're looking to add muscle as you quickly reach a point where you're sending your body mixed signals (bulk up! slim down!). That's in addition to the increased injury risk as you extend the time doing repetitive motion.

The most important thing I've found is to find activities that you enjoy doing. Keeping a consistent routine of getting the time and work in several times/week (even if the routine itself changes often) is far more important than picking the most effective/efficient specific workouts. I will typically vary the intensity of the strength programs I'm in over the course of the year, while also significantly varying the amount and type of running I'm doing (eg high-mileage, slower runs, less-intense strength program especially for my legs while training for races, then I'll do no races for 4-6 months while doing faster/shorter runs and high-intensity strength programs). Keeps things fresher which makes maintaining the motivation a lot easier, at least in my case. Also helps keep me healthy as I'm not just pushing my old-ass body the same way all the time for many months in a row.

[raydude]

I've been followingthe run slow to run fast theory for my runs. Namely, 4 out of 5 runs a week are at an easy pace, for about 5k and then a harder run where I either run faster to try to build up my speed or run longer to build up my endurance. I have to say, it's worked in that I no longer am wheezing at the start of runs like I used to. I had childhood asthma and the start of every run used to be such a struggle as my mind kept thinking "this is like an asthma attack".

Now when I run I'm relaxed, I breath normally (in and out through my nose) and I don't end up panting and out of breath at the end. Not only that, but my easy runs are at a nice 8:00/km pace and my heart is at a nice 145-150 bpm. It's definitly helped with my endurance too, and my feet no longer bother me every other week to the point where I have to take a break from running.

[LordMortis]

As we approach freezing in my area and it's too cold to jog in shorts and no shirt and even starting to need a hoodie (and soon jacket and gloves and face covering), I wonder what all y'all do to both keep warm and keep cool jogging in the cold? My basement is too small to accommodate where I'm at now (14 minutes of jogging at a time). When I was only walking or jogging like 200 steps at a time, bundling up was fine but I still got way too sweaty. Now heavy breathing and snot and sweat are likely to be overwhelming bundled up in the cold. Even at 42 yesterday, my nose was like a fountain and I overheat sweat like hell in a TShirt and sweatpants. I have learned that I'll need to keep a fresh daily snot rag on hand (which means buy enough daily snot rags in addition to enough daily headbands and/or balaclavas)

I'm getting closer and closer to that gym membership, though I'm not sure how I'd adapt to treadmill either, especially with my heavy breathing and learned fear of cooties.

[stessier]

You were jogging without a shirt? Respect. I've never gotten to that point.

This morning it was 44F and for my 75 minute run I wore a: long sleeve running shirt, a short sleeve running shirt, a hoodie, a cap, running shorts, running tights, and gloves. The hoodie was borderline too much - I sweated, but not so much that it was a problem. My nose runs a bit throughout, but nothing too bad. In the Spring when I was significantly heavier, the hoodie and tights didn't come out until it dipped below 40F - now I get cold much easier.

[disarm]

Running comfortably in cold weather is really about finding the right thing for you and investing in appropriate clothing. Some people generate a lot more heat with physical activity than others, so you'll need to find what works for you. You'll often hear the recommendation thrown around to "dress like it's 20 degrees warmer," and I do think that's a fair place to start.

I can run comfortably in shorts and a t-shirt down to about 50 degrees. In the 40-50 range, I wear running pants (not sweatpants) and a lightweight but long-sleeve shirt. If it gets into the 30s (or lower), I wear my running pants, t-shirt, long-sleeve running jacket/pullover, running gloves, medium-weight wool socks, and sometimes a band to cover my ears. I've run in single-digit temperatures a couple times and that involved long thermal underwear underneath my pants, still only two layers on top (polyester tee and thin Smartwool jacket), wool socks, gloves and a beanie cap...comfortable except for cold fingers and actually took off my cap for a while when my head started to sweat.

Moral of the story is that you need a lot less clothing than you think because your body does a good job of heating itself with activity. If you're wearing heavy sweatpants, that's probably always going to be too much. Your legs will stay warm with a lot less covering than your upper body. Once you're moving and generating heat, keeping your fingers, toes and ears warm becomes the trickiest part.

Last few recommendations...

Never wear cotton when it's cold (or really any time you're running). It may be warm and comfortable initially, but as soon as you start to sweat it will make you colder because it doesn't breathe or dry out. Quality polyester or wool running clothes are your best friends.

Dress in breathable layers. A couple thin layers of the right materials will be warmer and more comfortable than thick pants or a heavy coat/jacket.

Don't forget to wear good socks. Running shoes are super thin and lightweight, so you'll need the right socks to keep your toes warm. I like medium-weight wool running socks from either Smartwool or DarnTough... warm without so much bulk that they make your shoes tight.

If you need something for your hands, mittens work much better than gloves.

[raydude]

I second running with cold gear that is made for runners - ie material that wicks sweat from your body and jackets with zippers to let you vent air out. Also, I follow the rule of thumb of dressing like it's 10-20 deg warmer than it actually is. The start of my runs are on the nipply side but becomes more comfortable as I heat up. For me the important coverups are my hands (they get cold easily) and head (I have zero hair to help insulate).

[LordMortis]

Hands nose and ears were what got really cold, hence the balaclava and gloves. With my arm having been pieced back together, it now also has a problem in the cold, especially in the damp/humid cold.

At 41, sweat pants were too much this morning and the hoodie went around my waist after the first 14 minutes. Snot rag and sweat band and all my clothes drenched. The problem will be when it gets below freezing drenched will turn cold in a split second.

I guess I may need to think about running pants, something I never would have thought about in a billion years and maybe long sleeve running shirts. One of each to start, I guess. Now to figure how to shop for such things and where they are affordable. Can I assume there is off season for buying such things and I missed it? I'm not a quality over price person unless it really really really makes a noticeable difference. As example, I tried Temu shopping for cheap stuff you need around the house crap when they first came about and I'll never shop there again, but having bought Brooks Ghosts, it looks like I'll be budgeting painfully (to keep away literal pain) for expensive (to me) new running shoes twice a year.

This was so much easier when I was just walking every day.

[Montag]

So I have not been running, but have been walking hard. I am doing 4 miles a day split over two separate walks in the morning. I do 2.4 miles right around 4 mph, and a 1.9 miles at 4.3 to 4.5 mph. Whent through a learning process. I never had the proper shoes and got wider shoes. God bless the inventor of moleskin tape. Needed better socks because of blisters. Had to stop for a few months because of knee pain, resumed when healed then the other knee hurt. Paused for a month and now I am at it full force without issues. I have been doing it religously for two months and I am seeing some weight loss and definite stamina gain. At both speeds I am getting plenty of aerobic time on the heart rate.

My first pair of Hokas has been worn thorugh big time. I am fully through the tread in large portions of the ball to the front of the shoe.

How often are you guys getting new shoes?

[LordMortis]

I was getting them... never, as I was wearing through "cheap" Sketchers quick as I increased my walking and then tried to upgrade to jogging. By the time I wore through my 2nd pair of Sketchers and was trying to jog tiny amounts my foot pain was getting bad. I took advice here and went to Fleet Feet. My Brooks Ghosts aren't the best things since sliced bread but they are noticeably better in most regards and their wide fit breathing helps accommodate my wide feet. Problem for me is at over $100 a pair (these are less expensive shoes), I can feel they're going bad (insole/cushioning is bad and what made the difference between a cheap shoe and the Ghost as I don't care about tread unless I start slipping) after less than six months. Now I'm rotating two pairs. It looks like I'll currently have to rotate out about twice a year at my current pace which is probably wearing them for about 550 or 600 miles at my present wear and movement.

That's just me, though. I'm not even a novice at this. More like a dabbler trying to figure it out as well.

[disarm]

I guess I may need to think about running pants, something I never would have thought about in a billion years and maybe long sleeve running shirts. One of each to start, I guess. Now to figure how to shop for such things and where they are affordable. Can I assume there is off season for buying such things and I missed it? I'm not a quality over price person unless it really really really makes a noticeable difference.

While the big running companies (Brooks, Craft, Saucony, Vuori, Asics, New Balance, etc) do make quality clothing, you are correct that it comes at a higher price. You definitely don't have to go that route though. You can actually get pretty good gear for a reasonable price from places like Old Navy or Target that is more than adequate and much cheaper.

The one nice thing that I recommend spending on is quality wool socks. One pair of DarnTough running socks will cost you close to $20, but they have a lifetime guarantee...no questions asked replacement if you ever manage to wear out a pair of their socks. I have some that I've been wearing for more than five years and they're still like new. They're the most durable piece of clothing you can buy in my opinion, and if they do have a problem, just ask for a free replay. I'm to the point that they're almost all I buy and are my go-to athletic and casual socks. I'll eventually get to a point where I should never have to buy socks again.

[stessier]

I use Bombas for socks, but they aren't cheap. Shoe use depends a lot on how heavy you are. I think the general recommendation is 300-500 miles. I use mine for 500 (because of the replacement cost) and have run as much as 750 miles. Once I get close to 500, I can really tell they need to be changed and going to 750 is really not recommended.

[Skinypupy]

I guess I may need to think about running pants, something I never would have thought about in a billion years and maybe long sleeve running shirts. One of each to start, I guess. Now to figure how to shop for such things and where they are affordable. Can I assume there is off season for buying such things and I missed it? I'm not a quality over price person unless it really really really makes a noticeable difference. As example, I tried Temu shopping for cheap stuff you need around the house crap when they first came about and I'll never shop there again, but having bought Brooks Ghosts, it looks like I'll be budgeting painfully (to keep away literal pain) for expensive (to me) new running shoes twice a year.

This was so much easier when I was just walking every day.

I went cheap with all my cold weather gear but it has worked great for several years now.

- $25 for a 2-pack of running tights (wear them under some basic Adidas athletic shorts)
- $35 for a 4 pack of long sleeve shirts
- A $30 jacket
- A $6 hat

I’ve worn this combo (along with some gloves I had already) running in temps down to 4 degrees and been just fine. Definitely don’t need to break the bank.

[LordMortis]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to hold off on the socks, which I may regret. I have multiple pairs of warm socks already though they haven't been put the test. I ordered a fresh new Balaclava to add to my aging ones, some running pants and some long sleeve sweat venting shirts. I don't figure I want to wait, as we're already seeing freezing weather and I prefer to break as little as possible if reasonable. I have good thing slowly building and I don't want to to go a long time worrying about starting over in spring if I can avoid it. I did, like, working my way up to 700 steps at a time on and off all last winter, sometimes in hiking boots. That's not something I care to go back toward.

I forgot snot rags! D'oh!

[Jeff V]

Perhaps we can coordinate a spring Octocon the same weekend as Shamrock Shuffle?

After my surgery and hopeful recovery, I'm hoping to compel my son to train for the race with me. I suppose if we sign up for it, that will commit us to that course of action. Years ago, I tried training with him...we would walk a block, then race a block. With one block to go, we were legitimately tied at 3-3, he pulled ahead then slowed down, took my hand, and said, "daddy, let's finish together, we are both winners." I've never been more proud to be a dad.

[LordMortis]

$220 worth of cold wear clothes and a pair of shows sure seems like it should have come in a bigger box and in bigger subpackages. Not even enough to fill a paper grocery bag. I'm old. Also, naturally it was 34 when I ordered stuff. It's 70 today and I was out in shorts at 0745 this morning. Anyhoo, now try on new shirts and weird pants and balacava (before washing them) and shoes because trying on new shoes is nice. I really need to start throwing away old shoes. I have a dozen or more of pairs or worn out shoes around my house that I just can't seem to get rid of because, I might be painting or 4 pairs might not be enough to yard work with...

[stessier]

I signed up for a half marathon this weekend on a whim since my long runs already take me well past that distance. I usually take Saturday as a rest day, but that is race day, so had to adjust my schedule a bit this week to have the day off on Friday so my legs are quasi fresh. After the same schedule for nearly 6 months, the adjustment feels weird.

In my long runs, my best half marathon time is 1:56:59. I'm hoping I can do at least that well given that the course is much flatter than my normal runs (I think - the map makes it a little hard to tell). My dream finish is anything under 1:50. A bad day would be anything over 2 hours. Race starts at 7:30am (sunrise is 7:45am) temps should be about 54°F and the expectation is slightly cloudy. The course is on the Swamp Rabbit Trail which is paved and shaded, so should be really good conditions.

[Zaxxon]

Sounds like great conditions. Good luck!

[Jeff V]

Good luck! It's been 9 years now since I ran a half-marathon, training was interrupted by health issues with wife and son at the time. Since it was my longest race since the 2012 Chicago Marathon, I didn't expect a great time, predicted 2:10 so I could be seeded properly. The weather was cold (high of 26), the course was hillier than I imagined it would be and with the lack of training I was running in zombie mode the last half of the race. Finished 2:09:56.

Hopefully this upcoming surgery will be successful and I'll be able to train for the Shamrock Shuffle (8k).

[LordMortis]

I was beginning to believe I was going to plateau at 4 14 minute jogs per session, but then I started working on improving my posture and doing more mindful forced exhalation. I can get to 4 15 minute jogs now easier than my 14 minute jogs were but it's coming with trade offs. I'm feeling something in my left knee. It's not pain but it's concern, especially in my morning warmup where I do kickbacks and in my after stretches. I'm going to need to work on a better stretching routine I think. Also the improved posture is a bad fight as when I am fully upright the palsy in my right eye makes me get so cross eyed I can't see right. And finally the bunion in my left foot is hitting a point where it's letting me know that it exists. Maybe I should have posted in the getting old medical complaints thread. I'm not sure if I should be looking for medical resolutions at this point or not. Being turfed to medicaid, I feel like seeking help for these things is an unnecessary burden on "the taxpayer", even as I paid in to the medicaid system for nearly 40 years.

[stessier]

I signed up for a half marathon this weekend on a whim since my long runs already take me well past that distance. I usually take Saturday as a rest day, but that is race day, so had to adjust my schedule a bit this week to have the day off on Friday so my legs are quasi fresh. After the same schedule for nearly 6 months, the adjustment feels weird.

In my long runs, my best half marathon time is 1:56:59. I'm hoping I can do at least that well given that the course is much flatter than my normal runs (I think - the map makes it a little hard to tell). My dream finish is anything under 1:50. A bad day would be anything over 2 hours. Race starts at 7:30am (sunrise is 7:45am) temps should be about 54°F and the expectation is slightly cloudy. The course is on the Swamp Rabbit Trail which is paved and shaded, so should be really good conditions.

Success (mostly)!

My daughter had to work and had forgotten about it, so I found out Friday night I'd have to do it alone. Not a problem, but meant I had to run with my car keys. My plan was to push and see just how fast I could run it with no concern about burning out. I felt really good and hit the half way point in 53 min flat which would have been a 1:46:00 finish...but I had gone out way too fast given the first half was mostly uphill. Mile 5 I did in 7:52 which was the fastest mile I had run all year - but I was having fun so just kept at it. At Mile 10 the wheels came off and I went from 8:10/mile to 8:40/mile. Then the last mile or so is all uphill and led to 3 short walk breaks (for a total of 51s according to Garmin). The second half I did in 57:12 for a final time of 1:50:12. I was happy, but just 1s/mile faster and I would have broken 1:50. So close.

Oh, and carrying my car keys played into the story because they are heavy and weighed down my shorts in ways they never were in training. Led to some friction burns that were unpleasant to sit on for Saturday and Sunday. Oh well, I'll know better next time.

Finished 8th in the Male 50-54 group (out of 28) and 205 of 949 overall. At least I can say I did above average!

The Garmin graphs show where the wheels came off - I really felt like I was running all out and didn't feel that drop in heart rate at all. Also - who plans a race so it ends uphill???

[Zaxxon]

Nice job! And that seems like a pretty high-level running crowd for a 1:50 to not make the top 20%.

[EvilHomer3k]

Yeah, 1:50 is a very good time overall. And the only people who plan a race to end uphill are people who either have no choice or they're just evil. Though some races are supposed to be hard and hilly like that. Anyway, congratulations!

[disarm]

We're having pretty much perfect running weather in CT, so I've been trying to get outside more instead of hitting the treadmill. Today, I got home from work early and decided to push myself because it was so nice...54 and sunny with a light breeze. I decided to run an outdoor route that I haven't done in years because I've been too out of shape for the distance and inclines. I had no time constraint, so I figured I'd go for it...worst case scenario, I walk a lot and it takes more time.

The end result? I ran a 5k distance for the first time in almost two years, did it on a hilly outdoor route, and managed to keep it at a 10:00-mile pace. I wasn't able to run the whole thing due to a couple significant inclines, but I got through those with short walking intervals and never stopped moving.

I have a long way to go before I'm back in the shape I used to be, but I'm feeling better every run and weight loss continues...down 17 pounds since the beginning of June, but still have 20-25 to go. Now if I could just see my heart rate coming down a little. I don't feel bad when I run, and I've always been on the higher side with vigorous activity, but averaging 170bpm at 46yo is not where I'd like to be...

[LordMortis]

(aside from the 170 BPM. I can't even imagine getting my heart rate that high after working so hard and being unable to get to 140 BPM during a stress test and getting to the point where breathing was like being a fish on land. I see Stess was at 158 from his run. I really should get a monitor and see where mine goes.)

[Zaxxon]

Yeah, I tend to hang out in the 150s on longer runs. 171 sounds… painful.

[disarm]

Yeah, I tend to hang out in the 150s on longer runs. 171 sounds… painful.

Fortunately, it's not uncomfortable at all...just seems to be where I settle in right now. I don't feel excessively winded or like my heart is pounding out of my chest, so I'm not worried...just annoyed. I also recover to a more reasonable HR pretty quickly when I stop running. Ten years ago when I was running half-marathons, I think I averaged around 160 (still higher than recommended).

What does surprise me is that my max heart can exceed predicted for my age by quite a bit. Using the old 220-age formula, I should max out around 184...and my 170 average, while comfortable, comes out to 92% of my max predicted HR. If I do a hard sprint in the middle of a run, I can still push it to the low 190s. It's something that I try to avoid because max exertion is not the right way to exercise, but experimentation shows that my body apparently still thinks it's younger than reality. If I limited my effort to keep my HR below 75% of max predicted while running (<138bpm), I would barely be able to run.

It's an interesting observation, and I'm hoping that my HR will come down as I continue to exercise and lose weight, but it's not something that's going to slow my efforts.

(aside from the 170 BPM. I can't even imagine getting my heart rate that high after working so hard and being unable to get to 140 BPM during a stress test and getting to the point where breathing was like being a fish on land. I see Stess was at 158 from his run. I really should get a monitor and see where mine goes.)

When you first posted about not being able to get to 140 during your stress test, I did have the thought that they would probably cut me off early for too high HR even though I can easily and comfortably maintain that level for an extended period. It's not "normal," it's who I am right now.

[LordMortis]

So I started feeling off in my left knee a couple of weeks ago and started scaling back instead of scaling forward. I haven't incorporated any jogging for in my routine for the last six days but I went to bed and feeling off has moved to feeling light pain. I'm not sure when or how I will pick up again and that makes me sad when I was doing so well. On the bright side, I'm slowly integrating leg strengthening exercises into my routine and I just tried a 10 minute intro to Pilates class this morning. What sucks the most is my steps goal is cut in half without jogging and even meeting that is just time consuming compared to the time it takes to jog and my mind is focused on jogging (and now breathing and posture) when I jog. Walking can feel like a drag if I'm not walking through a nice path. (and the last nice path I walked through saw a duck hunter and his dog in a friggen nature preserve)

10 minutes of the most basic intro to Pilates is still almost impossible for me. My flexibility and posture are about as bad as it gets. But you gotta start somewhere if you wanna start and I do feel a tiny bit more loose even at 10 minutes of just "curling my spine" and lifting my legs exercises.

[Zaxxon]

So I started feeling off in my left knee a couple of weeks ago and started scaling back instead of scaling forward. I haven't incorporated any jogging for in my routine for the last six days but I went to bed and feeling off has moved to feeling light pain. I'm not sure when or how I will pick up again and that makes me sad when I was doing so well. On the bright side, I'm slowly integrating leg strengthening exercises into my routine and I just tried a 10 minute intro to pilates class this morning. What sucks the most is my steps goal is cut in half without jogging and even meeting that is just time consuming compared to the time it takes to jog and my mind is focused on jogging (and now breathing and posture) when I jog. Walking can feel like a drag if I'm not walking through a nice path. (and the last nice path I walked through saw a duck hunter and his dog in a friggen nature preserve)

Don't know if it's an option for you, but long ago I bought a treadmill desk that allows me to walk while working (or while surfing the web, etc). I only go around 2.8 mph but I can zone out and suddenly I've got thousands of 'free' steps knocked out without 'using' any time to do it.