Long Slow Recovery Run! Cracked 10k! - Couch to 5K

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Long Slow Recovery Run! Cracked 10k!

OlsBean profile image
19 Replies

I was kind of disappointed with yesterdays run, so today following the guidelines at runningforfitness.org/calc/... for my RHRT and MHRT.

I undertook a long slow recovery run, aiming keeping my HRT below 139bpm which I mostly did apart from the last 15 minutes or so where it started creeping up to around 145bmp, I guess I was gettting tired! Anyway I ran in total (excluding warm up/cool down) for a massive 1h07m42s and covered 10.69km!

Very Pleased :) stretched and now off to ice my achilles tendon.

Happy Running All!

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OlsBean
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19 Replies
greenlegs profile image
greenlegsGraduate

Wow! Amazing! That seems a pretty speedy time for a 'slow' run too - good for you. :)

Hope the ice is soothing, and it'll recover well.

(And you ran yesterday too?! :O )

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to greenlegs

I did run yesterday but todays run was what they call a recovery run (a new concept to me, so I may have it wrong), the idea is not to worry about speed but to concentrate on keep your heart rate below a certain threshold and because your heart is not working as hard it means that blood flow is increased to the muscles and ligaments within your legs. My ankle feels remarkable good, much better post recovery run to pre-run to the point where I am amazed and am thinking maybe it's just a coincidence.

I think my speed is quite slow :D then again I am reasonably tall at 6'3'' so I'm assuming longer legged people should in theory run faster than someone with shorter legs for example as they have a longer stride?

sfb350 profile image
sfb350Graduate in reply to OlsBean

Sounds like a quick slow run to me ! Well done :-)

greenlegs profile image
greenlegsGraduate in reply to OlsBean

Well that is a good 10" taller than me - not sure that fully explains how you can run almost exactly twice as fast as me though! :D

I thought a 'recovery run' was as you describe - but still thought it was recommended to have non-running days between runs, unless you've been running for a year or so. Glad your ankle's doing well anyway - looks as though it was a good type of run for it. :)

gdeann profile image
gdeannGraduate

I agree! Great time for a slow run! Congratulations on cracking a 10K!!!! :-) Gayle

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to gdeann

Thanks Gayle.

k6daisy profile image
k6daisyGraduate

I knew it. You're superman! :-)) Whats your secret, please do tell?

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to k6daisy

I think my secret is..... that for nearly a decade I was carrying around the equivalent in weight of three 8 year old children everywhere I went and now that they are gone I'm able to fly! lol :D

Lynds profile image
LyndsGraduate

Well done! :-) Fab run.

- how did you come about the time/distance covered? Did you just run a 'route' and thats what it was?

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to Lynds

Thank you, it was on the treadmill, which was also how I was able to check my heart rate as I've got a chest strap that integrates with it.

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to Lynds

Ah do you mean why such an odd number? The reason was that it was just a very slow recovery run, I had no targets at all apart from keeping my Heart Rate down in the 70% zone which for me is less that 139 bpm, I've never done this before and did not know how hard or slow I would need to run until I started.

It turned out to be much easier than I thought, at a 139 bpm I was not out of breath even in the slightest and my legs were not tired but that's the whole idea of a recovery run.

At 45 minutes I'm thinking this is quite easy and thinking I perhaps I could break my personal record and run for an hour, I get to 1 hour and to be honest I am at that point starting to feel it a little more, my heart rate had also increased to 145bpm but I'm then thinking, 10k :) I wonder if 10k is within my sights, the problem is that I've got my treadmill setup in old money and I can't remember at this point what 10k is in miles, I know it's somewhere between 6 and 7 miles, so I push on and goto 6.6 miles (I think it was) and at that point the rational part of my brain kicks in and I realise I'm probably pushing a little as the whole idea is to "Recover" and so I stop, hoping that I've broke through 10k, which I did!

Lynds profile image
LyndsGraduate in reply to OlsBean

That makes more sense - :-) well done, you must be very pleased. I know I would be! :-D

SBG356 profile image
SBG356Graduate

Fantastic OlsBean! A great time and another for The 10k Club!! Welcome! :)

Sue

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to SBG356

Thanks Sue.

con-brio profile image
con-brioGraduate

Congratulations, Olsbean, on your first 10K.

That bit about comparing your (past) excess weight to three 8-year-olds is really graphic... you've come so far! No wonder you fly. What an inspiration to us all. :D

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to con-brio

Thank you for the kind words.

swanscot profile image
swanscotGraduate

Well done on running your first 10 km. It's good your ankle held up well; hope that the Achilles trouble is past for good.

OlsBean profile image
OlsBean in reply to swanscot

Thanks, I'm following the advice shared on here for ankle care and (touch wood) it's helping :)

LandRoverMad profile image
LandRoverMadGraduate

Thanks for the link to running for fitness.

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