I took a few days off from running because I was starting to get worried about shin splints. Instead, I used my elliptical machine for a lower-impact way to exercise. I've done some reading the last couple of days about training to run 5K's and 10K's, and ways I can use my heart monitor to help my running. I think I've been over doing it. (That probably contributes to my shins starting to bother me)
I had been running for about 2 miles without walking. My heart rate would get up in the 190's. From what I've been reading, my heart rate should only get up above something like 175 for short intervals after I'm in much better shape than I am currently.
Today, I changed things up. I only ran until my heart rate got up to 175, and then I would walk until it dropped down to 140. When I was jogging, I went at what felt like an extremely slow pace (otherwise I would have spent almost as much time walking as running) Because I was doing some walking and was running more slowly, I added more distance. Tonight I drove the route, and it turns out that it was almost exactly a 5K.
I don't know why I should be surprised that one of the obstacles I need to overcome in this endeavor is my own stupid ego. My ego is why I was running too hard without stopping to walk. It felt wimpy to do otherwise. The results? The beginnings of shin splints and feeling rather miserable at the end of each run. Maybe if I literally pay attention to my heart, I can find a balance between love and hate (no matter what kind of shoes I wear) and avoid injury.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Running Update
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2 comments:
Your post reminded me of a time that a friend and I decided to run 3 miles at our normal 2 mile pace (spring track), and see if we could go the whole way.
We were running single file since we were on the street. As we got to around the 2.5 mile mark, I was dying and didn't think I could possibly make it, but since Ron was still running fine, I felt that I had to keep up with him and not slow down. I found out later that the only reason he was still running is because he could hear me behind him, and figured he couldn't slow down, since he was in the front, and if I could do it, so could he...
We collapsed back at the school, but we did make it without slacking off. We both wouldn't have kept going if we were by ourselves.
Yeah, the male ego is an interesting thing. It can encourage us to accomplish amazing things, and to do really, really stupid things as well. It can be tough to distinguish between the two most of the time!
On a family vacation a few years ago, I ran most nights with my former brother-in-law and his wife. It definitely helped to have a running partner. The benefit would be as much about making sure I got out and actually ran on a regular basis, more so than pushing me to run further or faster.
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