I ran 2 miles Wednesday but hit the wrong button when I started the Garmin, so no heart rate info for the first mile. And even though I wently slowly the second mile, the heart rate numbers were no better. How frustrating.
We've had 14-plus inches of snow since Friday morning along with blizzard conditions. It's finally stopped and thank goodness it's March, so we know the snow won't stay long. I am SO glad this happened in early March rather than January.
Today (Saturday), I opted to ride the spinner at home -- everyplace else was closed and there was no running obviously. I did 50 minutes and worked up a nice sweat.
Here's the thing: My heart rate never got higher than 130 -- even after 50 minutes of spinning at 85 to 90 cadence. Yet when I run, my heart rate jumps to 155 in the first 2 minutes even if I run an 11:30 or 12-minute mile. This is crazy. I returned to running -- after an 8-year absence -- two years ago, so I know it's not about waiting for my body to adjust to running. The cardiologist offers no explanation (all the tests are normal), so I keep trying to work it out on my own.
I realize I might have a higher heart rate than the average (even though my RHR is usually 60), but my max would have to be like 200 for me to stay within my training zones. And I'm all but sure that isn't happening.
Well, I'll just keep working at it and trying to go slowly to slow my heart rate. And I'll keep riding the bike at a really low heart rate to build more aerobic capacity.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A long way to go
So I ran Feb. 23, the first run since the cardiologist. I ran with my new intention of running at no more than 154 bpm (85% MHR) and to walk anytime I reached 155 bpm. It was entirely frustrating -- jog (slowly) a quarter mile, heart rate monitor rings and I walk for a minute or so down to 125 bpm. Jog slowly for a quarter mile, heart rate monitor rings, and I was for a minute or so. Up and down, up and down. My Garmin heart rate chart looks like the spikes in one of those heart monitor machines in the hospital.
I figured I would just have to be patient and give it a month to see if there was any improvement. Then I talked with one of the ChiRunning master instructors who suggested setting the heart rate monitor for 165 and to slow down but not stop when the heart monitor alarm sounded. I couldn't imagine that I could run much slower than I already was, but still I was game to try.
My run on Sunday went pretty well. I was able to keep my heart rate at 165 or lower the entire 2.5 miles (I know that's not far, but I need to concentrate on the heart rate before I can focus on more miles). My pace slowed by about a minute a mile this way, but maybe this will work after all. I ran again on Monday but decided not to take the heart rate monitor and try to "feel" my heart rate and when it went over the top.
Hope to get a run in tomorrow but questionable. If not then, I'll have to wait until Sunday because of work and travel.
Sunday
Lap 1: 11:47
Lap 2: 11:41
Lap 3: 05:41 (.5 mile)
Total 2.5 miles
Ave. pace 11:46
Ave. heart rate 161
Monday
Lap 1: 11:12
Lap 2: 11:01
Lap 3: 6:00 (.5 miles)
Total 2.5 miles
Ave pace 11:10
Ave. heart rate (ran without monitor)
I figured I would just have to be patient and give it a month to see if there was any improvement. Then I talked with one of the ChiRunning master instructors who suggested setting the heart rate monitor for 165 and to slow down but not stop when the heart monitor alarm sounded. I couldn't imagine that I could run much slower than I already was, but still I was game to try.
My run on Sunday went pretty well. I was able to keep my heart rate at 165 or lower the entire 2.5 miles (I know that's not far, but I need to concentrate on the heart rate before I can focus on more miles). My pace slowed by about a minute a mile this way, but maybe this will work after all. I ran again on Monday but decided not to take the heart rate monitor and try to "feel" my heart rate and when it went over the top.
Hope to get a run in tomorrow but questionable. If not then, I'll have to wait until Sunday because of work and travel.
Sunday
Lap 1: 11:47
Lap 2: 11:41
Lap 3: 05:41 (.5 mile)
Total 2.5 miles
Ave. pace 11:46
Ave. heart rate 161
Monday
Lap 1: 11:12
Lap 2: 11:01
Lap 3: 6:00 (.5 miles)
Total 2.5 miles
Ave pace 11:10
Ave. heart rate (ran without monitor)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Missing In Action
Wow, it's been such a long time since I blogged last. So much has been going on -- a trip to California, family medical stuff, and more. Suffice to say I've been a bit preoccupied with more than running. And let me just say Alzheimer's is one mean disease.
Back to running news...so I've been putting off this entry for a while, waiting to see a cardiologist. The problem is that for years my heart rate wants to spike as soon as I started jogging like from 115 bpm to 150 in 30 to 60 seconds -- and we're talking a slooow jog here. So I had a series of tests in the summer and when they were all clear and the issue didn't go away, I decided to see a cardiologist. I should mention this high heart rate has been going on for years but it didn't make much difference because I wasn't running up until 2 years ago. I kept expecting the heart rate to drop the more I ran and the fitter I became, but no luck.
A couple of other notes: It only happens running, not when I bike or swim. My resting heart rate is between 55 and 60. My heart rate never comes down and slowly increases to 173 or so even with a 10:30 mile. I never feel like I'm having heart palpitations. My max heart rate is about 176 we think, which is a little higher than the 220-age etc.
So the cardiologist says the problem is...he has no idea. He can't figure out why that would happen. Bottom line though is that running long periods anaerobically can cause the heart wall to thicken (not a good thing). So what about a marathon? Not recommended.
So my plan is this: I'm going to back way off my mileage and do 2 runs a week of 2 to 4 miles at a nice slow pace and not worry about my heart rate. The other two runs, I'm setting my Garmin to notify me if I exceed 155 bpm and then I'll walk until it comes back down. I figure I'll try this for a month or two and see if I can change this pattern.
This does not make me happy. But the good news is nothing is wrong with my heart. Anyone ever heart of such a thing? Any ideas?
Back to running news...so I've been putting off this entry for a while, waiting to see a cardiologist. The problem is that for years my heart rate wants to spike as soon as I started jogging like from 115 bpm to 150 in 30 to 60 seconds -- and we're talking a slooow jog here. So I had a series of tests in the summer and when they were all clear and the issue didn't go away, I decided to see a cardiologist. I should mention this high heart rate has been going on for years but it didn't make much difference because I wasn't running up until 2 years ago. I kept expecting the heart rate to drop the more I ran and the fitter I became, but no luck.
A couple of other notes: It only happens running, not when I bike or swim. My resting heart rate is between 55 and 60. My heart rate never comes down and slowly increases to 173 or so even with a 10:30 mile. I never feel like I'm having heart palpitations. My max heart rate is about 176 we think, which is a little higher than the 220-age etc.
So the cardiologist says the problem is...he has no idea. He can't figure out why that would happen. Bottom line though is that running long periods anaerobically can cause the heart wall to thicken (not a good thing). So what about a marathon? Not recommended.
So my plan is this: I'm going to back way off my mileage and do 2 runs a week of 2 to 4 miles at a nice slow pace and not worry about my heart rate. The other two runs, I'm setting my Garmin to notify me if I exceed 155 bpm and then I'll walk until it comes back down. I figure I'll try this for a month or two and see if I can change this pattern.
This does not make me happy. But the good news is nothing is wrong with my heart. Anyone ever heart of such a thing? Any ideas?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
2008 ChiRunning goals
What is it about runners? We start with the simplest of notions -- to lose a few pounds, get healthier, or take on a small challenge. Then we start to run and it's like a switch gets turned on that can't be turned off. In the last month or so, I have seen or read about people going overboard in their training and I know -- but for the grace of God and my lack of severe-pain tolerance -- I could be one of them.
Some guy is going to lose 2 of his toes -- including the big toe on his right foot -- from frostbite he got running in a 64-mile race in 14-below weather according to msnbc.com (hope this link is still active). Then there's Frayed Laces, a fellow blogger, whose pain threshold must be ginormous. She ran the first few miles of a marathon with a fractured pelvis and then broke it 9 miles or so into the race. And yes, she finished the race!!!
But to what end? I worry about these runners. The first runner is losing 2 toes and the doctors are worried about 4 more. And Frayed Laces, while I admire her drive and determination, continues to push the envelope of what her doctor allows her to do, risking more injury.
Honestly, I am no better. I'm just older, and maybe with that age has come a tiny bit of wisdom or at least common sense. I wish I had known at 16 what my body would feel like at 40+, I think I might have made a few different decisions about what I played, when I played, and how hard I played.
I still have a ways to go myself. Sometimes that switch still gets turned on and I do things in the name of fitness and running that are really about feeding my ego. So in the name of working to quiet my "Type A" tendencies, here are my eight running goals for 2008. These will be very different than most runners:
1. Embrace gradual progress.
2. LISTEN, really listen, to my body and do what it wants not want my ego wants.
3. Continue to find the joy in my body moving regardless of speed.
4. Take my ChiRunning form to the next level.
5. Make running a meditation rather than a race.
6. Run injury free all year.
7. Increase my mileage without pain.
8. Feed my body what it needs to perform and eliminate the junk food.
I know my goals don't sound like those of a "real runner." There are no races to run, PRs to be had, total miles to cover, but there they are. They lead to one overarching goal -- enjoying the feeling of painfree running for another year. After my previous life as a runner's Humpty Dumpty (see the post before this one), painfree running is better than any PR.
Some guy is going to lose 2 of his toes -- including the big toe on his right foot -- from frostbite he got running in a 64-mile race in 14-below weather according to msnbc.com (hope this link is still active). Then there's Frayed Laces, a fellow blogger, whose pain threshold must be ginormous. She ran the first few miles of a marathon with a fractured pelvis and then broke it 9 miles or so into the race. And yes, she finished the race!!!
But to what end? I worry about these runners. The first runner is losing 2 toes and the doctors are worried about 4 more. And Frayed Laces, while I admire her drive and determination, continues to push the envelope of what her doctor allows her to do, risking more injury.
Honestly, I am no better. I'm just older, and maybe with that age has come a tiny bit of wisdom or at least common sense. I wish I had known at 16 what my body would feel like at 40+, I think I might have made a few different decisions about what I played, when I played, and how hard I played.
I still have a ways to go myself. Sometimes that switch still gets turned on and I do things in the name of fitness and running that are really about feeding my ego. So in the name of working to quiet my "Type A" tendencies, here are my eight running goals for 2008. These will be very different than most runners:
1. Embrace gradual progress.
2. LISTEN, really listen, to my body and do what it wants not want my ego wants.
3. Continue to find the joy in my body moving regardless of speed.
4. Take my ChiRunning form to the next level.
5. Make running a meditation rather than a race.
6. Run injury free all year.
7. Increase my mileage without pain.
8. Feed my body what it needs to perform and eliminate the junk food.
I know my goals don't sound like those of a "real runner." There are no races to run, PRs to be had, total miles to cover, but there they are. They lead to one overarching goal -- enjoying the feeling of painfree running for another year. After my previous life as a runner's Humpty Dumpty (see the post before this one), painfree running is better than any PR.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Humpty Dumpty has nothing on me
Sometimes I feel like a broken China doll that’s been glued back together, or maybe – as a result of my latest eating patterns – Humpty Dumpty. Then again they never put Humpty back together again but all of my “horses and men” are making it happen for me.
OK, here are a few of the scrapes and injuries that left me feeling a bit broken even before trying running on a regular basis.
Minor scoliosis at a child.
Fell off a top bunk and straight onto my tailbone at 11.
Severe shin splints during junior high track. But there wasn’t any “sports medicine” when I was in junior high, so I just laid in bed at night after practice and gutted out the pain. Shin splints have haunted me ever since.
Shredded the cartilage under both kneecaps catching fast-pitch softball in high school. One knee has been scoped; the other supposedly needs it.
Got rear-ended at 45 mph – by a drunk driver -- while stopped at a traffic light.
In almost every case, I never saw a doctor for any related problems until decades later. The cumulative effect had taken its toll and running only got harder and harder with more breaks -- because of aches -- with each passing year. And, it seemed, I got slower and slower.
Ten years ago, my then chiropractor asked me to stop running so he could fix my back. I was so fed up with nightly back spasms and pain that I gave in -- for eight years. A new chiropractor said she thought I should be able to run into old age – maybe slower and fewer miles but run all the same. Of course, by then if I ran “fewer miles,” I’d only have to get up, walk to the kitchen and get a snack to cover my “workout.”
I tried to run again a few times, but the same old hurts came back with a vengeance. The bike, elliptical, kayaking, golf and (sometimes) weights filled my workouts. Then one day I discovered ChiRunning while on the Internet looking for something else with the word “chi” in it. And it changed my life.
I started out tentatively and timidly, wondering what would “break” first. Where before, running broke me down, ChiRunning seemed to build me up. My current chiropractor says my back and knees have improved with running.
It’s a little weird, but my body seems to be revisiting each of my big injuries and some symptoms are reappearing. Now it seems I’m working through all of my pains and injuries with running instead of the injuries coming from running. But this time when I get them worked on, they seem to finally be gone for good.
I still use my “team”– chiropractor, PT, massage therapist, muscle activation therapist, cranial-sacral doc – when I need to. We are closing in on the last of the problems/challenges – or at least I hope so. There is one last hurdle that I’m hoping a cardiologist can answer soon and then there’ll be no stopping me. I’ll have gone from China doll to Wonder Woman.
OK, here are a few of the scrapes and injuries that left me feeling a bit broken even before trying running on a regular basis.
Minor scoliosis at a child.
Fell off a top bunk and straight onto my tailbone at 11.
Severe shin splints during junior high track. But there wasn’t any “sports medicine” when I was in junior high, so I just laid in bed at night after practice and gutted out the pain. Shin splints have haunted me ever since.
Shredded the cartilage under both kneecaps catching fast-pitch softball in high school. One knee has been scoped; the other supposedly needs it.
Got rear-ended at 45 mph – by a drunk driver -- while stopped at a traffic light.
In almost every case, I never saw a doctor for any related problems until decades later. The cumulative effect had taken its toll and running only got harder and harder with more breaks -- because of aches -- with each passing year. And, it seemed, I got slower and slower.
Ten years ago, my then chiropractor asked me to stop running so he could fix my back. I was so fed up with nightly back spasms and pain that I gave in -- for eight years. A new chiropractor said she thought I should be able to run into old age – maybe slower and fewer miles but run all the same. Of course, by then if I ran “fewer miles,” I’d only have to get up, walk to the kitchen and get a snack to cover my “workout.”
I tried to run again a few times, but the same old hurts came back with a vengeance. The bike, elliptical, kayaking, golf and (sometimes) weights filled my workouts. Then one day I discovered ChiRunning while on the Internet looking for something else with the word “chi” in it. And it changed my life.
I started out tentatively and timidly, wondering what would “break” first. Where before, running broke me down, ChiRunning seemed to build me up. My current chiropractor says my back and knees have improved with running.
It’s a little weird, but my body seems to be revisiting each of my big injuries and some symptoms are reappearing. Now it seems I’m working through all of my pains and injuries with running instead of the injuries coming from running. But this time when I get them worked on, they seem to finally be gone for good.
I still use my “team”– chiropractor, PT, massage therapist, muscle activation therapist, cranial-sacral doc – when I need to. We are closing in on the last of the problems/challenges – or at least I hope so. There is one last hurdle that I’m hoping a cardiologist can answer soon and then there’ll be no stopping me. I’ll have gone from China doll to Wonder Woman.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Really cold-weather running for dummies
I've always mentally chastised runners who I think are a bit over the top. You know the people who show no respect for bitter cold and unrelenting heat. As I returned to running after a long absence (8 years), I promised myself I would never be like that. I never mind running in heat so that wouldn't be a problem and I hate the cold, so I certainly would never venture out when it got "too cold."
Today, the windchill was in the single digits. My husband said, "Don't go." My dad -- who my husband encouraged -- said "Don't go." The two inner runners who sit on each of my shoulders, of course, had differing opinions. "Don't go," said the angel runner. "At least go to the indoor track." "The sun is out for heaven's sake," said the devil runner. "How bad can it be?"
I waited until the temperature reached its peak of 14 with 11 mph winds for a wind chill of 7 or so and headed out. Now, I haven't run in this kind of cold, so I wasn't quite sure what to wear. I ended up with a short-sleeve wicking shirt, a long-sleeve wicking shirt, a breath thermo running shirt (these things are amazing. The material warms up when it gets wet.) a pullover and a Pearl izumi jacket. On the bottom, I had a pair of tights and some windpants. Topped off by a hat, mittens with peel-back top to expose the fingerrtips and a balakava-type thing.
I had so many layers on, I left the house with a flashback to childhood and the 8 layers my mom bundled me in to play in the snow -- for 15 minutes -- before I had to go to the bathroom.
I was comfortable for about a half-mile and then realized, like my mother, I had overdressed myself. So off came the top layer. I was surprised how comfortable I was. I spent a little time learning how long I needed to cover my mouth and nose to warm up and then lower it for some fresh air.
Here are a few other lessons I learned along the way:
1. Apparently fat freezes before muscle. I have no real research to back this up other than personal experience. Even with the jacket, I experienced first-degree freezer burn on my butt and outer thighs. OK, now I am grateful for that jacket I wrapped around my waist. The freezer burn could have been worse.
2. Always, always lay out ALL your gear before you dress for cold-weather running. I realized I forgot my heart rate monitor about 2 minutes into my workout. There was no way I was going home for it.
3. Relax, relax, relax. Muscles tense in the cold. Tense muscles use more energy than relaxed muscles.
4. Maybe those over-the-top runners aren't so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm becoming one of "them."
5. Apply some of the same rules from hot-weather running to cold-weather running -- like slowing down or cutting back on the length of the workout. I ran about 60 percent of what I'd planned but it felt right.
6. I read an article/post by an long-experienced runner who said anything below 10 degrees -- stay home. He's right.
I'm sure these are just a few of many "really cold weather lessons" I should know, so please let me know of others you have learned along the way.
Today, the windchill was in the single digits. My husband said, "Don't go." My dad -- who my husband encouraged -- said "Don't go." The two inner runners who sit on each of my shoulders, of course, had differing opinions. "Don't go," said the angel runner. "At least go to the indoor track." "The sun is out for heaven's sake," said the devil runner. "How bad can it be?"
I waited until the temperature reached its peak of 14 with 11 mph winds for a wind chill of 7 or so and headed out. Now, I haven't run in this kind of cold, so I wasn't quite sure what to wear. I ended up with a short-sleeve wicking shirt, a long-sleeve wicking shirt, a breath thermo running shirt (these things are amazing. The material warms up when it gets wet.) a pullover and a Pearl izumi jacket. On the bottom, I had a pair of tights and some windpants. Topped off by a hat, mittens with peel-back top to expose the fingerrtips and a balakava-type thing.
I had so many layers on, I left the house with a flashback to childhood and the 8 layers my mom bundled me in to play in the snow -- for 15 minutes -- before I had to go to the bathroom.
I was comfortable for about a half-mile and then realized, like my mother, I had overdressed myself. So off came the top layer. I was surprised how comfortable I was. I spent a little time learning how long I needed to cover my mouth and nose to warm up and then lower it for some fresh air.
Here are a few other lessons I learned along the way:
1. Apparently fat freezes before muscle. I have no real research to back this up other than personal experience. Even with the jacket, I experienced first-degree freezer burn on my butt and outer thighs. OK, now I am grateful for that jacket I wrapped around my waist. The freezer burn could have been worse.
2. Always, always lay out ALL your gear before you dress for cold-weather running. I realized I forgot my heart rate monitor about 2 minutes into my workout. There was no way I was going home for it.
3. Relax, relax, relax. Muscles tense in the cold. Tense muscles use more energy than relaxed muscles.
4. Maybe those over-the-top runners aren't so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm becoming one of "them."
5. Apply some of the same rules from hot-weather running to cold-weather running -- like slowing down or cutting back on the length of the workout. I ran about 60 percent of what I'd planned but it felt right.
6. I read an article/post by an long-experienced runner who said anything below 10 degrees -- stay home. He's right.
I'm sure these are just a few of many "really cold weather lessons" I should know, so please let me know of others you have learned along the way.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Lessons learned
It's been a good week running and I learned -- or relearned -- a few lessons.
1. Water is like oil for the joints. When I drink plenty of water, I have few to no aches or pains in my knees or anyone else. But when I chug those Diet Cokes and forget the water, well, my knees can start to talk to me just a bit.
2. I sleep with my feet so pointed my toes practically touch the mattress. My husband thinks I am a freak because of it. Anyone else out there able to do that? Well, what I learned is anyone who can probably has tension in their calves when they run. In ChiRunning, we really, really relax the lower legs. Getting my calves to relax has always been a great challenge for me. I always felt like my ChiRunning technique was solid but still the calves would begin to tense as early as 3 miles and certainly by 7 miles. The other day my chiropractor suggested I stretch not only my calves but my hamstrings -- and do it 4 times a day. Four times a day! I don't do anything four times a day unless there's chocolate, salt or a Diet Coke involved, or better yet, all three. Plus, I hate stretching. Still, I decided to give it a try, and my last two runs of 3 and 4 miles have been great. Chalk one up for stretching (but I still hate it).
3. Even when you think you're going to have a lousy run -- and want to bag it before you start -- it's good to give it a try. Tonight, I just felt like it would be a miserable run, but tomorrow it's supposed to be below zero and Sunday too, so tonight was my best chance to run without frostbite. I told myself I would go 1 mile. If I felt as bad as I did when I left the house, I'd stop. But as most of you already know, after that first mile, I started to feel better and better.
OK, I know these aren't earth-shattering lessons but there are good to remember. So why do I keep having to learn them again and again?
1. Water is like oil for the joints. When I drink plenty of water, I have few to no aches or pains in my knees or anyone else. But when I chug those Diet Cokes and forget the water, well, my knees can start to talk to me just a bit.
2. I sleep with my feet so pointed my toes practically touch the mattress. My husband thinks I am a freak because of it. Anyone else out there able to do that? Well, what I learned is anyone who can probably has tension in their calves when they run. In ChiRunning, we really, really relax the lower legs. Getting my calves to relax has always been a great challenge for me. I always felt like my ChiRunning technique was solid but still the calves would begin to tense as early as 3 miles and certainly by 7 miles. The other day my chiropractor suggested I stretch not only my calves but my hamstrings -- and do it 4 times a day. Four times a day! I don't do anything four times a day unless there's chocolate, salt or a Diet Coke involved, or better yet, all three. Plus, I hate stretching. Still, I decided to give it a try, and my last two runs of 3 and 4 miles have been great. Chalk one up for stretching (but I still hate it).
3. Even when you think you're going to have a lousy run -- and want to bag it before you start -- it's good to give it a try. Tonight, I just felt like it would be a miserable run, but tomorrow it's supposed to be below zero and Sunday too, so tonight was my best chance to run without frostbite. I told myself I would go 1 mile. If I felt as bad as I did when I left the house, I'd stop. But as most of you already know, after that first mile, I started to feel better and better.
OK, I know these aren't earth-shattering lessons but there are good to remember. So why do I keep having to learn them again and again?
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