run rabbit run

Running is creeping back into my life.  I logged nearly 90 miles in
July, but August and September were thin with less than 40 each month.







I ran again today, putting in four miles at a slow pace of a 12 minute
mile.  My average heart rate was quite reasonable at 140/bpm.  That
still has me working a little hard at 80% of my maximum, but I can't
bear to go any slower.  If I was really smart, I'd be working at about
75%.  I'm not far off the necessary 132/bpm if I'm trying to fool
myself.







It was a glorious fall day here.  Colours of the trees were lit right
up in celebration of a long hot dry run of summer.  August and
September have been remarkably dry.  A wonderful break that is from the
drenching we've been having for the last few years.







I've put almost 500 miles on my shoes, so it's time to buy another pair
of runners.  I can feel that these ones are pretty much pounded out. 
I'm also convinced they have been key to me staying injury free through
this first year of running.  I began in the middle of October last year
by walking regularly and then gradually worked into a walk run and then
a run walk and finally a thirty minute straight run.  It took me 14
weeks to go from walking a half hour to running a half hour and I'm so
glad I was so conservative in my approach. 







I didn't manage to over do the training until July when I got
four or five weeks into an eight week schedule to train for a 10km
race.  I ran a series of repeats that knocked me on my butt, when they
were combined with a 25 mile week of base mileage.  There were 8
repeats of 400 meters. 







The idea was to run 2400 meters to slowly warm up then time the first
400 repeat and go out hot, but not so hot you couldn't do it again. 
Then take a two minute breather and do another, but not slower than the
first one.  It was a really interesting game.  Up to that point all I
had done for nine months is what's referred to as heart rate training. 
In a nutshell you work only at strictly aerobic paces of 70%-75% of
your maximum heart rate to cultivate a preference in your muscles for
slow burning fuel.  Fat is the fuel of preference for endurance. 
Carbohydrates burn too quickly.  You last a lot longer if your muscles
are all dialed in to burn slow burning fuel.







So I had done nine months of this and although I was euphoric with the
fitness, I was ready to bite into more of a challenge.  It was a heady
time.  All the preparation aerobically had prepared me exactly like the
guru's said it would, to adapt really well and quickly to any more
intense work I introduced into my training.  The rush of increased
strength was



dizzying. 







So I ran my first repeat and finished, thinking that I'd made a
horrible mistake and that I'd gone out far too fast for a first lap
around the track.  Two minutes passed and my heart rate had recovered
almost all of it's ground, I shrugged and went out for a second lap. 







In the last 25 meters of the sixth lap I came into a zone I hadn't
experienced before.  My lungs and heart were doing what they could for
me, but they had nothing left to offer.  I was a little tickled to note
this happening while my legs continued to feel really strong.  I had
taken a lot of council on what to expect, so I knew that I had done the
exercise correctly and was now into the meat of why a runner does this
type of silly thing in the first place.







By lap #8 I was in that same deficit with my cardiovascular system at
the 200 meter mark.  I had only my tempo to gauge my time.  I ran a
negative split on each lap, which means each lap was faster than the
one that preceded it.  I think there was only about 15 seconds that
separated the time on lap #1 from lap #8, but the work load between
increased tremendously.  Two minutes just isn't enough to completely
recover now is it?  eheh  What great entertainment!







I was pumped up and proud to be alive.  I was also curious to learn
that my body knew nothing about going fast!  Weird it was to learn that
after nine months of slow luxurious euphoric pacing, one has to relearn
how to get the legs moving faster.  I was awash in distracted research
on speed and very focused on beating a 50min 10km time.







I awoke the next day miserable.  A sure sign that over training is
looming large that grumpy man is in the house.  Did I listen?  Naw... 
I put in my four miles that day and woke up the following morning much
more miserable than the last. 







Then Mr. Murphy stepped in and created some other stresses.  It took me
nearly a month to dig out of that hole.  I slashed my mileage and went
to work on other things, long neglected.  I am the master of distracted
progress.  Maybe "progress" is the wrong term, but I'm leaving it just
to be optimistic.  No longer grumpy, if you will.  :P




Today when I ran, I was once again euphoric from the rush of life that
surges in me when I run.  It was good to be back.  Libido is
once again
a problem.  Life is good.   Maybe a long run on Sunday? 
Or maybe a tempo run on Tuesday?  Oh the fun we will
have.