Our Story Continues

Our Story Continues

Well, it's been a good few weeks of running. I've been able to keep up about 5 or 6 days per week of running, and steadily increasing my training in all respects. I've had progressively longer runs of all categories: long, slow ones, medium-tempo, easy recovery runs. And I'm starting to increase the run:walk ratio for all categories as well, though still stick to around 4:1 or so, with the long runs at something like 6:2.

I'm able to see an appreciable difference in my heart rates after the runs as well, with my average for the longer runs down in the 130s, and for the tempo runs in the mid-140s. But even more important than the numbers is that I feel much better. I have really begun to look forward to these runs, and physically feel very satisfied for several hours after they finish, though I am usually very hungry most of the time now. I do think I've started to lose some of my extra weight and can see it in my face, though I think I'd have a bit of a spare tire even if I lost another 40 pounds.

I admit that I have a ways to go in my aerobic conditioning. I'd like to be able to go on a run with minute walk breaks after 9-12 minutes of running like I could in New Orleans. That may require just living at this altitude for a few more months in addition to continuing to train. And I'd like to really work on speed and going genuinely hard on the hills some time. And of course, I need to begin strength and flexibility training in earnest as well. But all that will come with time. This is still the period of simply building a good aerobic base, and I need to keep this in mind patiently. It's fun to start seeing that my work is paying off! Now I just have to not get greedy and screw it up with an injury or burnout.