Lazy Sunday
Time below represent 500 meter pace and the max number allowed, I generally try to stay withing 10 seconds of this:
1,000 meters 2:30 warmup
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:10
250 meters 2:20
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:10
250 meters 2:20
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:20- notice the time creep from that last two sets
250 meters 2:20
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:20
250 meters 2:20
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:30 – again we creep
250 meters 2:30 – and creep
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 1:50
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 2:30
250 meters 2:30
Total:
7,000 meters in 30 minutes
Average HR 160
Max HR 177
I know I was running in the low 170s during the sprints. I checked it a couple times rigth before a sprint and I was invariably 160 or 161. I assume the low average is also a reflection of the fact that I had the monitor running during my warmup. I have begun to decide I bought too cheap of a monitor. I’d like one that could give more than time, max and average heart rates.
I drove the whole way home thinking about how I should have done a cool down 1,000 meters. Well, that and what’s for dinner. I decided to do a little kettlebell work at home as a cooldown.
16K kettlebell
100/arm, sets of 20
I watched the heartrate kick back up, low 160s after set 1, high 160s after set 2, low 170s after set 3, mid 170s after set 4 and high 170s after set 5.
Time 7:56
Average HR 162
Max HR 178
I noticed one interesting thing. I think my resting heart rate is dropping. When I first got my monitor, I was surprised that I was running in the low 70s all the time. Today, while I was driving to the gym, I kicked it on to find I was at 68. A little deep breathing and I was steady at 65 for a while. That’s gotta be a good thing. Even if I don’t lose weight (which I am) getting a healthier heart is an improvement.
Anvil or Hammer 
on July 8, 2007 on 7:21 pm
The lowered heart rate is a great side effect of getting your conditioning up. I was pushing the upper 70’s at some point last year. I just checked myself at 58bpm. Generally if I am at or under 60, I am doing well. When I was doing a lot of endurance work in college, I ran in the low 50s. I don’t know if that was due to the additional conditioning or my lighter body weight.
on July 8, 2007 on 9:54 pm
My average resting HR was 48 for years – not just before rising from bed but about anytime I sat down for a few minutes – since retirement it’s up around 52 to 56. I’ve had it as low at 38 when training for triathlons and mountaineering trips. What I have noticed is that my upper number has come way down as I have aged. I used to be able to exceed 200 easily when going all out – now I just can’t do that. My work capacity is also way down from before but a lot of that is the fact that I’ve been plain lazy on my cardio lately. But I’m afraid part of that will never be quite what it used to be – the last few times I have trained up – up wasn’t what it used to be.
on July 9, 2007 on 5:24 am
Those are some pretty amazing numbers. I didn’t think you were supposed to be able to hit 200. I don’t know what my pulse was at my most fit. I never really took it. I know I was in the 50’s for a while, the upper 50’s. Then I was in the 60’s for just a little while, then suddenly it was the 70’s. The jump from about 60 to the low 70’s would have been over the last five years or so with all the heavy lifting and the finale of my weigth gain. I guess, for a long time, I would rationalize my pulse of 72 or slightly higher as “I was just walking around” or “It must still be up from the workout four hours ago” or “I’m overtrained.” I guess, one of the rought things for me about he last 6 months is that I have really realized that I rationalized myself into a very unhealthy state. I told myself I was healthy and fit the whole time but I was getting further and further from it.
on July 9, 2007 on 12:04 pm
Mike – I’ve been kidding myself as well for a while – telling myself that the lifting etc was enough when I knew better all along. I’m putting together some thoughts about the things I want to be able to do in the future goal wise and what I will need to do to reach those goals. One of those is a big mountain perhaps in the fall of 08 – that means a whole new ball game for training.
I believe my heart rate is partly genetic and partly mail route and quite a bit of endurance training on top of that. I do have some heart issues to deal with the doc tells me but for now at least I’ll deal with it in my own way.
on July 9, 2007 on 12:45 pm
I’ll be really interested to see what you lay out for your Mountaineer Routing.
Isn’t it funny that we can lie to ourselves so easily?