Running

Once I get up to about 25 km on my weekly long run, I usually start alternating longer and shorter weeks. This week was a shorter one. I was thinking about 20 km but the route I took ended up being 23 km,

It was only 12c when I started so I threw on an extra long sleeved shirt. It took me about 5 minutes before I was too hot and I took it off. Then I got out into the 30 km/hr wind and I was too cold. Can't win!

I decided to run by heart rate, at a moderate level (115 to 120). Not really easy, but not pushing either. That went well. For the most part I stayed in my target range fairly naturally. The pace felt quite reasonable. I resisted looking at my actual pace. (Or even the time and distance since then I can’t resist calculating my pace.)

For the last few months I’ve been walking 30 seconds out of every 10 minutes on my  long runs. That’s down from the 1 out of 10 I was doing previously. I’m tempted to stop the walking, but maybe it’s one of the things that’s been keeping the chronic issues away. Or maybe it’s switching between different pairs of running shoes. (Supposedly a study showed that reduced injuries by 40%.) Or maybe it’s the warmup ritual I’ve been doing religiously before each run. (5 min barefoot on the treadmill, leg swings and raises, etc.) Or maybe it’s pure random chance. Whatever it is, it’s allowed me to gradually raise my volume of running over the last few months, and still stay (mostly) pain free.

I feel like I’m getting fitter, but frustratingly, not much faster. At moderate paces, my heart rate has dropped quite a bit, which seems like a good sign. But my speed at longer distances doesn’t seem to have improved much. 

At 18 km when I took my usual 10 minute coffee break, I finally checked my pace. I tried to predict what it would be, but I’m terrible at that. Today, at least, it was a pleasant surprise - quite a bit faster than I expected, given the perceived effort. The cooler weather probably helped. The last few weeks it’s been quite hot which tends to slow you down. 

Happy about my pace I ran the final 5 km home at an even faster pace. It turned out to be my fastest long run in recent years. So maybe the increased volume has made a difference after all.