W7 R2 Completed

[dindy]

I feel quite pleased as the 2nd run felt good. Max heart rate for my age is 135- 150.

Hard is 120-135 bpm. Naturally as runs got longer the heart rate has gone up,nearly all of my runs in later weeks have been in the hard zone. The last 25 min run of week 6 and the 1st run of week 7 according to polar beat my heart rate apart from walking was right on the line of Hard & Max,about 131-133 bpm. Even though the heart beat seemed higher than normal at no time was I struggling for breath but just breathing steady & hard as would be expected. The last minute blast did push it into the max zone but even then I felt ok and could have run for a few more mins but I did not.

Run 2 today was different, I felt more relaxed. Heart beat was smack in the middle of hard and did not go above 127. My breathing all the way through including the 1 minute blast at the end was steady even though it went into the max section. I did not feel so dry today or need to drink so much water. It may of just been a good day but it gives you a boost when it happens, roll on Friday for the last run of W7

[ju-ju- Graduate]

Well done and frankly I wouldn't be too hung up about your HR ( unless you have been unwell etc) as the main focus of the plan is about getting to 30 minutes of running. However if the HR stuff floats your boat then go with it!!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Well done.

HR monitors can be very useful for training purposes, since they can be another metric to indicate progress and teach you what each level of effort, relative to heart rate, feels like. You are sensibly working with a range for your age, rather than the hard and fast single max HR figure that many people get hung up on and which may not represent their actual max HR at all.

Your comment about your most recent run is, I believe, quite revealing. Hydration is considerably more important to good performance than most realise. Many also do not drink nearly enough.

Keep those fluid levels up.

[dindy Graduate]

Hi Ju-Ju & IannodaTruffe . I think you are correct I think in one way I have got almost paranoid about my HR. Almost terrified to go into the red zone 5 section (Max) in case something bad would happen. In one way result of reading too much on the web rather than listening & feeling my body.

Earlier on when my pace was too fast and was gasping for breath I was going into the yellow zone 4 (hard) section and I thought this is not good. I slowed down and now a few weeks later I am about the middle of the yellow hard section for most of the 25 mins run. The difference being my HR except the 1st 10 mins is steady and does not move more than 2 beats up or down. It is only the last minute faster pace that it goes into the red but I still am breathing steady but harder.

Not got as far as I know anything wrong with me but as I am not a spring chicken I am just taking it steady & cautious. Having said that and since I get some running gear for running outdoors & I complete the c25k I am on the treadmill.

I now run with the time taped over as feeling tired and looking at clock to see I have say 10 mins left is not good. Have also loosely taped over the HR on the polar beat on iphone as looking at that can make the heartbeat go up.

I have come to learn what it feels like to be gasping for breath & having a steady breath while running so started using that as my guide as both are linked to HR if you know what I mean.