Humid, but good

I was glad that I was able to run today for two reasons: I enjoyed the workout, and it meant the fever and stomach bug that hit me Saturday AM had passed.

The temperature was 74F (23C) but the humidity was 90% when I ran my workout today.  Nonetheless, it was good workout which saw me finish about 1:30 minutes faster than the previous one last Thursday.  I was pleased with the workout performance though there is plenty of room for improvement.  I know where my body is at this point, and it is giving me what it can.  As the unwanted weight comes off, I will perform better during workouts.  I know this to be true, but I have put myself behind a HUGE 8-Ball, and will have to be patient where "numbers" are concerned.

I am dieting, also.  We are using the Advocare plan.  My wife and I decided we needed the discipline such a program can provide at this point.  It is working for both of us, and that is all good.  I have a target weight in mind, and it is possible to reach it by year's end.  It will be less than I have weighed in 20 years, so it is ambitious.

Until then, I will keep moving forward, and hope you are able to do the same.

Morning run, humid morning

Houston is humid, especially in the morning.  As the heat rises through the day, the humidity drops.  OK, it doesn't drop to Tuscon levels, but it drops double digits.  Nonetheless, morning is still the best time to run as this morning proved.

The run/walk (staying in the aerobic zone) this morning was seven minutes faster than the first one.  The first run was late in the morning when it was 90F (32C).  This morning it was 68F (20C).  During the first run, I could not get back to 70% HRmax and eventually could get my HR lower than 76% HRmax.  This is due to thermodynamics.  As the body tries to cool, the heart beats fast enough to get blood to the surface for cooling and regulate the core temperature.  Normally, perspiration appears on the skin and evaporates producing a cooling effect.  In high humidity, the perspiration does not evaporate and therefore, little cooling takes place.  Reduced cooling on the skin causes the heart to beat faster to pump more blood to the surface for some cooling.  This is why runners prefer 50F (10C) for running because the HR will bother little with its core temperature responsibilities.

I was able to run/walk throughout the three miles (the first day I walked the third mile, maintaining a HR of 76% max).  The first four cycles I was able to get my recovery HR to 70%, and then it began to rise, eventually to 73% HRmax.  The cooler temperature helped me be seven minutes faster; I am certain I have not changed physiologically enough to warrant a 12% improvement in two days.  :-)

This is a process.  A long one to manage, but the outcome is always positive.  Runners who stay at it for years go from being beginners and grow into accomplished runners.  I will, too.

Thanks for coming along; keep moving.

Coming back again, hopefully this time sans interruption...

It has been six weeks since surgery, and the doctor finally cleared me for exercise.  It has been a long healing process -- or at least it seems that way -- and the surgery did help my breathing significantly.  I have at least one more checkup before this chapter closes.

Yesterday I went for a run/walk.  All of my exercise is aimed at getting in and staying in the aerobic zone, defined as 70% to 80% of HRmax.  Due to scheduling challenges, I wound up running late morning, and here in Houston it was already tapping on 90 degrees (32C).  My goal is to run or jog until I hit 80% HRmax, then walk until I get to 70% of HRmax.  With the heat, I could not get down to 70% HRmax after the first cycle.  Every cycle I ran caused the HR on the low cycle to be higher.  I got to the point that when walking I could not get below 76% of HRmax, I simply continued to walk.  Sure, it is not as satisfying as running the whole time, but I will get there.

Today I cycled almost 5 miles for cross training.  I was out 25 minutes, and the last 15 minutes were in the aerobic zone.  A little thigh burn is good for the soul.  It is hard to find a longer route without getting on some busy roads, so this is something on which I will be working.

One day at a time, keep moving forward...

Why quiet?

No, I did not give up already...

On Thursday last, I had surgery to repair a deviated septum and remove polyps in the sinus cavities.  This surgery is uncomfortable enough, and mine had the good fortune of taking almost twice as long as expected.   It was more of a mess than my doctor expected, despite a pre-surgery CT scan.  My sinuses and nose bled for the better part of the next 3 days, finally stopping in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  I go Wednesday to get the "packing" removed and hopefully a clean bill of health to resume exercise.

This has been a lifetime problem that got worse as I aged.  It interfered with sleep in a big way, and since sleep is as important as exercise in terms of recovery and stress management, this was literally killing me slowly.  If you have any such problems, deal with them NOW, for your own sake.  I will be encouraging my daughter to do likewise.

I was required to sleep on my back after surgery, which for me is like not sleeping at all.  I just cannot do it.  I am hoping to get clearance from my doctor today to start sleeping on my side.  If not, then it is two more nights of resting in the recliner through the night.  I am optimistic; however, that this surgery will allow me to sleep better than I have in years, to breathe better than I have in my life, to enjoy exercise more than I have known.

Take care, run freely.

First ride in a while...

Today was cross-training, in that I did something different from running.  The theory of cross-training is that the body becomes very efficient in its main activities, such as running, and one reaches a point of diminishing returns.  By cross-training, different muscles are being exposed to new activities, and even the "running muscles" are used differently, so they fail to find that "lazy path" to motion.  Further, by training different muscle groups, blood flow is increased throughout the body, resulting in better aerobic performance.  All good reasons to have cross-training in one's regime.

Blood certainly flowed in places it had not in a long time.  My thighs were swollen after this first ride of the new era.  The blood doesn't flow in that area as much when running or walking.  It did take me 9 minutes to reach the aerobic zone for my heart, but my legs would have fatigued if I tried to do it faster.  It is a matter of conditioning, which I no doubt need, and time.  It is all in the right direction.

Take care and run free.

Starting over...

The only way to be defeated is to quit entirely.  The last three years, especially the last year, have taken a heavy toll on my body and psyche.  Without getting into any details, I allowed such obstacles to detract from good fitness and dietary habits.  I have gained a lot of weight and can no longer expect to back up a little and get back in my running groove.  My focus must now be on weight loss through diet discipline and exercise.

I am starting over, which means to focus on aerobic (fat-burning) exercise and watching what I eat (at least 2/3 of the weight loss battle).  So far as running is concerned, I will be running on heart rate, keeping myself in the 70-80% HRmax zone.  This is achieved through a combination of running and walking.  I run until I hit my upper limit, then walk until I hit the lower limit, then run again, and so on.  In this way, I am keeping my body in the fat burning zone at all times.  I will add cycling at least twice a week for cross training.  I will push it until I am in the aerobic range as well.

I performed such a run today as the official "starting over" run.  I know this is going to take time -- a few months -- before I can start thinking about performance training.  I know it will work if I stay the course.  Besides, what better day to start something anew than your birthday.

Take care, run free.

Back on track, again

I fell off the face of the earth on purpose.  The top of foot pain (TOFP) returned and would not let up.  I was not going to post complaints and whinings and general verbal diarrhea.  I had no idea if I would come out of the woods.  As I stated before, I know tendons and ligaments can take up to a year to heal completely, and with the loading running puts on the feet, I should not be surprised if it takes longer than six months for me to be able to run.

I have been stretching and massaging the foot, the Achilles, and the calves for some time.  I walked unshod as much as possible.  The TOFP did not go away completely, but I have reached diminishing returns in the therapeutic process the last month or more.  It is time to begin again, and see if the lingering TOFP is something I can live with.  I am walking at first, mostly to build up the soles of my feet for barefoot running.  I am cycling for cross-training gains.  I will do this for a couple of weeks before I begin running intervals.

I shall post here again after the first intervals...until the next time, take care and run free.