Garbage Trucks, Mile Repeats, and a Little Ab Work

90 days til SGM.
Sat. was my next hard day. The dreaded mile repeats.
Sat - am 7 miles total - So I head out to do my 1.5 mile w/u. Everything going nice and then the garbage truck passes (see pic). It stinks, luckily I am still warming up and not into the mile repeats where I gasp for air. So I finish the warm-up and start the first mile. The plan for the day was to HOPE to run 7:45 pace. Not sure if I can do that with the heat and I haven't run any mile repeats in a LONG time. Just before leaving for the run at 6:30 am it was 82 degrees with a heat index of 92. So I am thinking I will be doing great if I can run the 7:45s. I get started and then I remember what my friend Jim had emailed me earlier in the week. I am trying to start some heart rate training (don't know much about it) but this is what Jim had said in an email. He said "most runners run to hard on the easy days and too easy on the hard days." I know that I definitely have tendency to run to hard on the easy days, so I have been monitoring that part of my running with the heart rate monitor for a while. However, I didn't think I would fall into the category of running too easy on my hard days. It always seems to me that I am working REALLY hard. So, I am .3-.4 into my first mile repeat and I check my heart rate and pace. The pace was where I wanted, but the heart rate was not, so I picked up the pace. This is a SUPER example of why the heart rate monitor can be so helpful. I had planned to run between 7:45-7:55, when I checked the heart rate monitor, I was not in zone 5. I was @ 157 and 163 is the low end of zone 5 for me. It felt crazy to be picking up the pace, didn't think I could pick up the pace and hold it. I picked it up to 163 and stayed in the 163-164 range. I had 2-3 min. recovery and then started the second repeat. This time I monitored the heart rate the whole time and kept the heart rate between 163-167. If I had not used the HRM, I would have run these closer to 7:50 which, just as Jim said, would have been to slow on my hard day. So thanks Jim and others for good advice.

So I finish with the repeats and start the cool down. I need to get 3.5 miles in. Here comes the garbage truck again, he passes, he passes again, again, and just to make sure to try to get me sick, he passes one more time during my cool down. (maybe it was my new Nike running skirt, ha ha, no it's just them going up and down all of the side streets and my running route is coordinating perfectly, dang, bad luck today with the stinky.) During my cool down, I also worked on my abs and my posture. Trying to hold in the gut, and hold my shoulders back. For some reason it never becomes a habit. (can hear my yoga teacher in my ear talking about how runners have a tendency to "hump" the shoulders, and it get's worse with age.)

This was a tough run (not a big fan of the mile repeats) but I am so pleased to have run that well in the heat. You really can learn to run in the heat if you really want to You just need to take it slow and hydrate really well (before, during, and after). This comes from someone who just a few years ago took the summers almost off from running because "it's too hot to run and I just can't do it."

I still have so much to learn about the heart rate training. I am looking at some books to purchase to help me with, when to run in what zones. I am fairly sure for mile repeats, that zone 5 is the correct zone, but I am not even 100% about that. So let me just say that my training was great, if I was in the correct zone. Ha Ha Clueless about HRT!

Sat - pm - so I need 4 more miles for this week. I can either do them on Sunday, or opt for a "2 a day" and have Sunday off, from running. Chad(my hubby) and Scott (our friend) needed to run Sat. night so I opted to "get it done" I ran an easy 4 miles. Not too bad considering the earlier run, and the worst part - I FORGOT my Ipod. I HATE that!

Sunday am - Just found this link from Runner's World, and I will be using until I find a book worthy of purchasing. Yay! I was correct about the heart rate for the mile repeats.
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?uan=176

Enjoying a lazy day with Chad (see pic) and Tiger
Today will be an easy bike ride while Chad and Scott run late this evening.
Finished week 2 with 34 miles of running, 1 yoga class @ The Yoga Room, 1 day weights with squats, lunges, push ups, and 2 days of core work.            

Week 3 - 38 miles