The long run and Gustav

Ran a GREAT 8 miles on Saturday morning before we headed off to my Alma Mater (Auburn) to watch a football game. I started off slow and easy for the first three miles. Ran around 12:30 to 13:00 min. miles. After the first three and a Clif shot, I picked up that pace to 12:10 to 12:30. Did this for another three miles. After the first 6, the sun was rising and the heat was building. So instead of looking at my pace, I kept a close eye on my HR. On my long runs I am trying to stay between 75 and 80% of my max HR. This is the zone where you feel like you can run forever. It allows you to take on long runs and build endurance of body and mind. So for the last 1.5 miles, I stayed right at 80%. For the last 1/5 mile, I turned on the soundtrack to the Spectromagic parade at Disney—I AM running in the Disney Marathon after all–and booked it at close to a 8:45 pace per mile. I was moving. My HR, according the the Polar watch, hit 100%. I didn’t feel like I was at 100%, so my coach Lisa told me to raise my max HR 10 beats per minute on my watch. I had suspected that I needed to do this. Even after the stress test back in the summer, I didn’t feel that my max should be 179. It felt too low. On some long runs, especially in the heat, I was forced to walk to keep the HR below 80%–even when my body felt little fatigue.

So, I had a great run. It is amazing how a good series of runs can really motivate you to run more–to step up your training. But there is a danger. We cannot get TOO enthused and overdo it and get hurt. Stick to the plan and revel in success. But I cannot wait until Tuesday and my next run!

The road id came in the mail this weekend. I’ll use it on Tuesday. I got the ankle strap version. It looks great and it is so light you cannot even tell it is there. PLUS, it serves the same purpose as the reflective bands I wear on my legs when I run.

Please keep the good folks of Louisiana in your prayers as Gustav bears down on them. I lived for 9 years in Louisiana and was in Monroe when Katrina then Rita hit the state 3 years ago. The state and New Orleans will have trouble surviving another devastating hurricane. It hasn’t come close to recovering from the first two. Now a third is bearing down.