Spinning Out the Legs...

I did this route with Anna today. It was supposed to be 1:15, HR Z1, followed by a run, 2h, HR Z1. I did the run on the elliptical because there was no way I was going to accomplish a Z1 HR on a real run and I didn't want to be in the heat working out--I wanted to save my sun time for the pool!

I completed (sort of) the rest of the extreme slow--3 minutes of the 5 for lunge and all 5 for the crate crunch. My legs just did not want to cooperate holding me up without my knee on the ground. I am so looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

Since I’ve really been trying hard to do this HR training thing right, I’m beginning to think it’s all a little strange. A 2h run in HR Z1? Is that even possible? According to my Garmin, my max HR is 194, Z5 is 175–194, Z4 is 155–175, Z3 is 136–155, Z2 is 116–136, and Z1 is 97–116 BPM. That’s barely high enough to allow me to walk. My ride, which was also supposed to be in Z1, was as close to Z2 as I’ve ever been. I can see the reasoning, sort of. They’re probably trying to teach you to go longer at a lower HR, like endurance training. But I’ll NEVER race in HR Z1. Or Z2. Or even Z3. Therefore, I don’t like training in that zone.

My ride looked like this:

• 1:15:05
• 21.66 miles
• 17.3 average
• 1,192 calories
• 34.2 max speed
• 149 average HR

So my average HR was under 150; that’s probably the lowest average I’ve had. Anna joined me (she’s strong on the hills!), which was definitely great since after the century yesterday, as soon as I got on my bike this morning I wanted to get off. High cadence rides don’t allow for much time out of the saddle, and I was ready to be done!

I went inside to do my 2 hours on the elliptical. It was my only hope of keeping a low-ish HR. The Polar HRM is slightly more reliable on the machines, and according to them, my average HR was around 130. However, I completed only 10.5 miles. In 2 hours! That’s not enough! Forget HR Z1!

Here's the nutrition side: I weighed myself just before I started and just after I finished, and I weighed the same both times. That's good, because typically I'll loose as many pounds as miles I've run. The thing is that I drank 20 oz of Gatorade and 20 oz of water, ate a serving of almonds and dried apricots, and took 2 electrolyte capsules. All that inside, in HR Z2. No wonder I lose so much weight when I'm outside running. I guess I'd better start watching that and drinking plenty all the time!