Monday, July 4, 2011

And Now I Learn From My Mistakes

Tempted though I was to go back to bed when I woke up at 7:15 this morning, I put on my running clothes and headed to the gym. I was eager to try my 99 minutes again, and had my watered down Gatorade with me with 2 Chomps in my belly and one PowerBar Protein Bite. Knowing that I was tight, I started with stretching and warming up with a few minutes of running at 3.5mph. I moved into 4.4mph, but my heart rate went higher than I could sustain for the distance I wanted to cover. I slowed back to 4.0mph. I went back and forth between running at 4.0mph and walking at 3.5mph, in hopes of loosening up and settling into the run. No such luck this morning:

Running: 17 min/mile (3.5 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.17  †
Running: 13.5 min/mile (4.4 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.9  †
Running: 15 min/mile (4 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.60  †
Walking: 3.5 mph (17 min/mile) ~ 0% Incline min.16  †
Running: 15 min/mile (4 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.45  †
Walking: 3.5 mph (17 min/mile) ~ 0% Incline min.24  †
Running: 15 min/mile (4 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.68  †
Walking: 3.5 mph (17 min/mile) ~ 0% Incline min.28  †
Running: 15 min/mile (4 mph) ~ 0% Incline min.60  †
Walking: 3.5 mph (17 min/mile) ~ 0% Incline min.12  †
I spent the rest of the time stretching, doing abs and upper body. I realized that the 7 miles that I did might have called for a break. Lightbulb on! With the speed increases and the fact that 7 miles is my longest run to date, perhaps I need some recovery time, even though I'm not sore. After my 10k I didn't give myself a break and a result, I really lost the endurance and progress I had made up to that point. So, the next three days I will focus on easy bike rides, yoga/stretching and upper body workouts before trying for another run. 

When I look at the stats for these last few runs, I am realizing it's not failure. What I am seeing is my body giving me feedback and this time I am going to listen instead of feeling bad for what distance and time I didn't go. I know that I can go farther and longer so clearly I need something else right now. It feels so good to be in this place right now, learning from my mistakes and treating myself well. 

Happy 4th everyone! 
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2 comments:

  1. N.D.July 5, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    where do you get this chart from? You are doing great!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KT80July 5, 2011 at 4:51 PM

    I use a food diary called My Food Diary, and this is the chart they generate for the exercise that you enter. If you are interested in weight loss or weight gain, I highly recommend the site: www.myfooddiary.com. It does cost $9 per month.

    ReplyDelete

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