Feel the Beat

Let me say this, I have NEVER been a good role model when it comes to wearing my heart rate monitor. For the last, um 14 months (maybe longer) it has collected dust in my stack of Rubbermaid Drawers that holds all my running/training gear. I have the chest strap that matches my Garmin 405( they no longer make this model of the watch, because they have new fancier ones, but I LOVE this watch it has everything that I need). So I have the HRM gear but have never really used it much ( I used to use it often while spinning because everything was based on zones, but even I stopped bringing it to class because the strap is uncomfortable)

Apparently I am growing up, or just learning more and more about training, but I am going to start using the heart rate monitor again (not that I used it religiously before...). My goal this week is to use my HRM for all of my workouts (except swimming), and start to get an idea of where I am at with my statistics. [This is your cue to hold me accountable for this!!!] I even paid $2.99 for an app on my phone (Most Apps I have are free, so this is saying a lot! But I read about it on a few Tri-sites so I thought it would be worth a shot)

Why am I all of the sudden starting to use my HRM again?

There are a few reasons for this, but the most important being I am training for my first Half Ironman (70.3) and all of my triathlon training books ( I have a lot of them, I am a self-proclaimed nerd....I love reading about running and training) talk so much about heart rate training, zones and how tracking it is so important. Now I don't plan on placing, or even coming close to placing in July when I do that 70.3, but I would like to be as prepared as possible to get me from start to finish. What that means is, I am going to have to suck it up and start using the damn HRM ( mentally I just need to get over how uncomfortable the damn strap is!)

Besides training for 70.3, my reasons for wanting to start HR training, is so that I can get more out of my runs in general. To be very honest, I don't know if triathlons could ever take place of straight running for me. I love running and everything it does for me and everything it has brought into my life. Triathlons are going to be a challenge for me and I love that, I am excited to be doing 70.3 this year and hopefully 140.6 next year but right now I don't have the love for it that I do for running. I know that could change once I do those big races, but for now, I am married to running and triathlons are just my hot pool boy. I know that using a HRM for running will help me improve and get closer to where I really want to be, learning to control my HR and stay in certain zones, learn to pace off of HR/effort more than just pace.

Yesterday was my first workout of the week, so naturally my first workout with the HRM on again (I'm surprised the battery in it still worked, apparently those things must be able to survive forever), and putting the HRM strap on was like putting on handcuffs. (you know the really tight bra feeling, like it limits your breathing, makes you feel trapped....yeah that feeling)

Okay, I promise I won't complain about the strap all of the time. Once I got into the run I didn't notice it as much, it's a little weird more than anything, luckily I didn't deal with any chaffing yesterday. I have heard some horror stories about HRM straps and chaffing. ( I may have gone through a stick of glide to make sure that didn't happen). I did a little over a 10 mile run (10.14 to be exact), with an average pace of 7:38. This felt pretty easy effort wise (besides the ridiculous wind I dealt with), but body wise, my legs and everything felt natural during this. According to my heart rate monitor, once synced up with the computer (Garmin Connect with ANT+), I found that my average HR during the run was 162 and my max HR was 181.  According to most of the zone calculators and charts, the average of 162 puts me in the endurance/aerobic zone, this makes me happy that a 7:38 pace can put me in that range when that pace used to jack my heart rate up so much more.

I have so much material I need to go through and mini "tests" I need to do to figure out my exact zones. First of all I need to get my resting heart rate, they say the best way to do this is take your pulse when you wake up in the morning and are still laying in bed. Apparently they don't know that when I get up I am not laying in bed, I am jumping to the sound of my alarm, this would show a max heart rate that should put me 6 feet under. ( I'm not a morning person). But I will find  a way to get this, for now I estimate my resting HR to be about 55 and my max to be about 200. With that fancy app I bought for my I.phone, I put those numbers in and created a new chart ( It comes with a few charts for you, alter the numbers to suit you), and this is what it looks like -------->

Once I figure out what my numbers should be for running zones and cycling zones I can create different charts which will make great reference while I dive into the world of HR training.

I have a longer workout planned for tonight, and plan on using my heart rate monitor (I'll try not to complain too much about the strap). I'll probably post about this quite a bit in the coming weeks as I continue to use my HRM and continue to read more into my books and literature about training zones and how to effectively use HR data to make you a better athlete.

Questions:

What about you, do you use a heart rate monitor?

Any Horror stories about Chaffing, or ideas on how to make the strap more comfortable?

For those of you who do use HRM, can you give me any advice or information as I start this new training adventure?

Bust through Boredom

Today's post is inspired by today's Dailymile #Dailymission 

#DailyMission :Do you have a secret for turning a boring long run into something at least a little more fun?

First off I have to say many of the things I am going to list are things I do during ANY run to keep myself occupied, not just on long runs. And secondly, you may laugh at some of these, or think that I am crazy but it works for me and you never know, it may work for you too....

1. Bring a friend along...DUH! One of the easiest ways to beat boredom in any run, especially long runs is to run WITH someone.... even if they only run part of the run with you, even if you don't talk at all....having someone there can really help! FYI having a friend there makes people watching and making fun of things you see, that much better! Laugh together! You could also pretend to be criminals running from the cops together, or spies chasing someone, just saying that you have an imagination and you should use it.
2. Make a kick ass playlist...music is a great motivator and the right tunes can keep you going even when things get boring or tough. Randomly scatter in some crazy upbeat songs, mix in some oldies (we all have them stashed away, you we know you know all of the words!), play songs you know you can get lost in, sing all the words and forget about the miles passing you by.
3. Sing & Dance to said 'kick ass playlist' : The amount of times I have gotten busted jamming to tunes while running is astronomically high. Every time I get caught I laugh too, because I am not embarrassed, I may not be the best dancer, but when I dance when I run I am pretty sure I look like I am having a seizure. That is my public duty, to make people laugh when they see it. Brighten someones day who see's me, they'll brag to their friends about it. My playlist making skills have gotten very good, and I love putting songs on there I know all the words to, usually I'll sing and beebopp in my head, but it eventually starts coming out of my mouth, or at least humming the tune. Name the following songs, they're awesome throwbacks to run to, because we all know you know the words and you'll forget all about the fact that your leg is cramping up.
1. "What you wanna ball with the kid Watch your step you might fall Trying to do what I did Mama-unh mama-unh mama come closer In the middle of the club with the rub-a-dub, unh No love for the haters, the haters See me on the fifty yard line with the Raiders Mad cause I got floor seats at the Lakers Met Ali he told me I'm the greatest I got the fever for the flavor of a crowd pleaser" 
2. Night Creatures Call And The Dead Start To Walk In Their Masquerade There's No Escapin' The Jaws Of The Alien This Time (They're Open Wide) This Is The End Of Your Life
3. Take me home tonight I don't want to let you go 'til you see the light Take me home tonight Listen, honey, just like Ronnie sang Be my little baby, oh, ho, oh
4. You're playing so cool Obeying every rule Deep way down in your heart You're burning yearning for Somebody to tell you That life ain't passing you by I'm trying to tell you It will if you don't even try You'll get by if you'd only Cut loose, footloose
4. Chase cars: yes, I am serious. I run in the city a lot more now than I ever used to. So I will see cars at stoplights, I'll make a goal to beat them to a few lights down. They have to stop at all the lights or get stuck behind other cars so sometimes you can actually beat them. Or there have been times I changed my route to follow a car (this is on main roads, not back roads or anything), make them think I am following them, then back off and turn around...messing with people can be quite fun. Don't do this unless you know the roads though, don't get yourself lost or put yourself in a bad situation.
5. People Watch: I LOVE LOVE LOVE people watching. If I could sit in the airport or at the mall and people watch for hours I would. Some of the things people wear, and some of the things I see people doing are just beyond me. Pay attention to your surroundings when you run. Notice the houses that still have Holiday Decorations out from a few months ago, I totally saw a house with Halloween decorations the other day!! Wacth the people on the streets, the crazy outfits you will see or the random people talking to themselves. When you are running on main roads, running or standing at a light take a moment to look at the people in the cars around you, I make a point to catch people rocking out in their cars, Jimi Hendrix wannabees with their air guitars, or the steering wheel drummers trying to be Ringo Star or Mick Fleetwood. 
6. Plan a fun route: the route for your run can make all of the difference, sometimes being in the middle of nowhere can be nice, but when you are going to be out there for a while, seeing people and having things to look at can help. I love running through some of the artsy or busier districts in the city, plenty to look at, people to watch, and also, more opportunities for water fill ups or potty breaks (necessary things on long runs). I also have learned to love looped runs. Break a long run into a few smaller loops, maybe do a few different loops, or just do one loop a few times. I found that breaking my 20's into a 10 mile loop twice was a great way to break things up, and the 2nd loop always felt so much shorter than the first!
7. Count things: Count the number of red cars you see, or the number of dog walkers you pass, count anything, helps pass the time. For the record, I count my steps when I am going up a steep hill, it takes your mind off of the struggle and helps you get to the top faster! It's like counting sheep to fall asleep, pick something to count to help you finish the run.
8. Play with your speed: Altering your pace every once in a while is great to help make things more interesting and it will actually help your muscles too. On your long runs you don't need to make it anything drastic like mile intervals or something of the sort, but switching gears every once in a while can be helpful. Even if it's every few miles, pick it up for a minute or so or a few street blocks, push it a little more and give your legs a chance to stretch out then settle back into your planned long run pace. Changing things up a bit can help keep your mind and your legs fresh.
9. Plan something in your head: Most people do their long runs on Saturday's or Sunday's because it's naturally when they have more time to be out on the roads for a few hours. I like doing mine on Sunday for a better reason, that gives me a few hours to plan my week out, map my schedule in my head, plan my to-do list, and get ready for the hectic week to come. Sometimes I lose myself in miles by even planning out what I will write for my run-recap when I get back.
10. Visualize your big race day: When I am finding it difficult to get in the groove, I flip through songs until I find a good upbeat power song that I love, and then I visualize myself crossing the finish line of the race I am training for. For example, in the fall I was training for the Marshall University Marathon that finishes on the goal line of the football stadium(They pass you a football with about 20 yards to go so you can cross finish line/goal line with the ball..TOUCHDOWN!!!). During my longer runs, I kept visualizing my touchdown dance when I finished. Would I do a 'Moss moon' or a 'Lambeau leap', or perhaps Stevie Johnson's notable TD dance mocking Plaxico Buris, One of OchoCinco's many celebrations, or I could stash a sharpie in my Kinvara and autograph something like T.O.....the possibilities were endless. But it proved to be a great way to distract me during runs, I was visualizing the finish line, and every emotion that goes along with it, very powerful way to motivate yourself. (for the record, when I did cross the finish line in November, I was so overwhelmed with my huge PR and BQ that I mentally blanked and forgot the dance I was going to do, and simply spiked the football and yelled "hell yeah", not the most creative, but damn it felt good! Unfortunately you can't see the spike or hear me yell, but watching this always makes me smile, I use it as motivation to keep getting better...)