Posts
I had AVR surgery on Jan 22. Towards the end of February, I was
recommended by my cardiologist to start Cardiac Rehab. I did. I was
walking 30 minutes a day as I started Cardiac Rehab. I gradually
increased my workload at cardiac rehab. I was doing 5 different
machines with lifting added the two weeks before I was done. I was also
walking/jogging between visits against my nurses wishes. I did cardiac
rehab M,T, and Th. I walked/jogged W,Sat,Sun and gradually got to 5-6
miles on those days. I took Fridays off to rest. I ended Cardiac Rehab
in mid May after 12 weeks.
Once the cardiac rehab was done, I started running 40-45 minutes a day
with having to walk 2-4 times during the run. I ran a 5k on May 25,
2008. This was more of a test to see where I was. I ran in 24:37 and
finished in 19, second in 30-39 age group. I walked up the last hill
towards the finish. I have issues with hills and that is getting better
as I get stronger.
I joined the Fauquier Running Club with my son and we run with them on
Tues/Thurs starting at the end of May after the Ma 25 race. June 2 I
ran with my son in the 5K run for youth in Manassas, VA. I ran that
race in 21:14 and came in 2nd in 30-39.
My weekly log is something like this -
M - 6 miles
T - 3-5 miles (very easy/jog) / 5 miles with Fauquier Running Club
W - 6 miles
Th - 4-5 miles (very easy/jog) / Speedwork on track with Fauquier Running Club
F - OFF
S - 7-8 miles (the idea is to do 10 miles this day but not up to that yet)
S - 6 miles
I know it may sound strange to run twice on T/Th but I was not sure of
the training regimen that the running club does. I have been laying off
the morning runs a bit and is just a habit to run in the morning. I
have been scolded by the coach of the running club for doing this, btw.
I ran the Fathers Day Mile Run on June 15 with my family in 5:50. I
came in 6th and 2nd in my 30-39 age group. It is the same guy in front
of me each time and I eventually passed him in the next race.
On 6/29/2008, I ran the Fauquier Free Clinic in a time of 20:29 and 3rd
overall. I came in first in 30-39 finally overtaking the guy in the
previous two races.
Then, came back on July 4, 2008 for the culpeper 5k, Culpepper, VA in a
time of 19:49. I came in 15 out of 237 and 2nd in my age group. A
friend of mine beat me again just like last year in this race. This is
about 40 seconds faster than last year before the heart operation. I ran a 10K in 42:36 in Leesburg, VA on August 10, 2008.
I ran a 5k on 9/14 in 20:48 in Fredricksburg, VA. The course was pretty flat on dirt/gravel. I ran another 5K on 9/20 in 20:52 in Warrenton, VA. This course is very hilly. Then, I ran a 10K in 45:30 (I have to look this up) and struggled. I took it out too fast and had to walk quite a bit. This was a very hilly challenging course.
Anyway, my training is going much better now with an adjustment I made
with the coach's blessing. Before, I was running too hard. My coach had
me running hard on Tues, Thur, with a long run on Saturday. Well,
school started and we were not able to do the Thur speed work anymore.
What was happening was that I could not run at all on Wed and Fri which
was my day off anyway. The long run on Saturday was not good. I had to
walk quite a bit. Then, racing season started and I kept getting slower
each week. Well, I did a 10K in 45 minutes 3 weeks ago and I had to
walk the last 3 miles quite a bit. Then, came back and ran a 5K the
next weekend in 20:54 and I had to walk the hill in the last mile.
Something to me was amiss and I always thought that I was running too
hard. It could have been overtraining but not sure about that because I
did not exhibit a lot of the symptoms. I was stopping during my
training runs quite a bit also. I believe this caused my body to
exhibit issues during races because I was not running the total
mileage. I was walking and running. So, I laid off for a while.
I felt that the issue was breathing because I struggle with it during
hard runs. I started focusing on breathing and trying to get that
worked out. I find if I can control my breathing than I am able to run
fast. I just have to focus...focus...focus. Also, if I focus on
breathing, then my HR stays in check and during the last race I was
around 162.
Then, I decided to change things up a lot. I felt I was on the verge of
being able to run fast. So, I went back to the Maffetone method and put
on the HR monitor again. I was not wearing it because it was causing
issues with my incision area. According the Dr Maffetone, my HR should
for aerobic activity should be around 148. In conjunction with all of
this, I was doing the 5Ks as speedwork so I was not doing Thurs
speedwork anymore.
Here is what is happening. I believe the 5Ks were getting me into race
shape. Because once I started backing off, I had a burst of energy
everyday and I had a spring in my runs that I was not feeling before.
The long runs were getting faster each week. I was able to run without
having to stop again which felt great because I could not figure out
why I was having to stop all the time. I feel like I am in a zone now
and hope I feel like this for the half.
So, my workouts look like this now -
M - 3-4 miles
T - 6 miles
W - 6 miles
T - 6 miles
F - Off
S - 12 miles (8:00-8:30 pace)
S - 8-10 miles (depending on how I feel)
I am keeping my HR around 148. This allows me to run between 7:30-7:50
pace. Also, the HR is a also a good indicator of how tired I am. I am
finding if I am tired and my legs seem tired my HR of 148 slows me down
to 8:30 - 8:40 pace. I have been following this HR each day and I let
my body dictate how fast I run. I am not sure if this is wise but it is
working better than before. Night and day better for sure.
For the last month or so, I have been lifting (which I know is against
the Maffetone method. I lift to gain strength in the upper body) around
120 pounds two sets of 20 for different upper body exercises trying to
target the different muscle groups. I do this 2-3 times a week. I am a
newbie to the lifting thing but I think it is having a difference in my
strength and I also do two sets of 50 crunches a few days a week. This
has tightened up my abs.
So, if you look at the MAF minute per mile -
7:30 puts me at 6:00 5K pace which is around where I am right now. I
know in this method it does say that you will reach a peak and will
slow down over time and then need to include some anaerobic workouts to
increase your speed.
I am not sure how I was able to go from a 20:30-20:54 5K to a 18:26 5K
Saturday but I will not complain. This is a big swing in just a couple
of weeks. Part of it was I was holding back. My first mile I can run a
5:50 pretty easily but die in the last two miles usually. I wonder if I
psych myself out when I see this at the mile marker. Last Saturday I
felt like I could run in the top 5. Strategy wise I wanted to be in the
top 5 and ran to be in the top 5. I just need to convince myself that I
can win these races. Also, I wanted my breathing to be under control. I
was monitoring my breathing the whole race to make sure I did not get
out of breath. Also, I was bound and determined to speed up the last
mile and not slow down 20 seconds. I am not sure if I realized that I
was running that fast until after. I guess part of it was mental. My
splits were 5:50, 6:05, 5:59.
This puts me in the top 20 fastest times this year in my age group in
Virginia within a minute of top 10. This is just unbelievable when you
think that I was under the knife on January 22, 2008.
recommended by my cardiologist to start Cardiac Rehab. I did. I was
walking 30 minutes a day as I started Cardiac Rehab. I gradually
increased my workload at cardiac rehab. I was doing 5 different
machines with lifting added the two weeks before I was done. I was also
walking/jogging between visits against my nurses wishes. I did cardiac
rehab M,T, and Th. I walked/jogged W,Sat,Sun and gradually got to 5-6
miles on those days. I took Fridays off to rest. I ended Cardiac Rehab
in mid May after 12 weeks.
Once the cardiac rehab was done, I started running 40-45 minutes a day
with having to walk 2-4 times during the run. I ran a 5k on May 25,
2008. This was more of a test to see where I was. I ran in 24:37 and
finished in 19, second in 30-39 age group. I walked up the last hill
towards the finish. I have issues with hills and that is getting better
as I get stronger.
I joined the Fauquier Running Club with my son and we run with them on
Tues/Thurs starting at the end of May after the Ma 25 race. June 2 I
ran with my son in the 5K run for youth in Manassas, VA. I ran that
race in 21:14 and came in 2nd in 30-39.
My weekly log is something like this -
M - 6 miles
T - 3-5 miles (very easy/jog) / 5 miles with Fauquier Running Club
W - 6 miles
Th - 4-5 miles (very easy/jog) / Speedwork on track with Fauquier Running Club
F - OFF
S - 7-8 miles (the idea is to do 10 miles this day but not up to that yet)
S - 6 miles
I know it may sound strange to run twice on T/Th but I was not sure of
the training regimen that the running club does. I have been laying off
the morning runs a bit and is just a habit to run in the morning. I
have been scolded by the coach of the running club for doing this, btw.
I ran the Fathers Day Mile Run on June 15 with my family in 5:50. I
came in 6th and 2nd in my 30-39 age group. It is the same guy in front
of me each time and I eventually passed him in the next race.
On 6/29/2008, I ran the Fauquier Free Clinic in a time of 20:29 and 3rd
overall. I came in first in 30-39 finally overtaking the guy in the
previous two races.
Then, came back on July 4, 2008 for the culpeper 5k, Culpepper, VA in a
time of 19:49. I came in 15 out of 237 and 2nd in my age group. A
friend of mine beat me again just like last year in this race. This is
about 40 seconds faster than last year before the heart operation. I ran a 10K in 42:36 in Leesburg, VA on August 10, 2008.
I ran a 5k on 9/14 in 20:48 in Fredricksburg, VA. The course was pretty flat on dirt/gravel. I ran another 5K on 9/20 in 20:52 in Warrenton, VA. This course is very hilly. Then, I ran a 10K in 45:30 (I have to look this up) and struggled. I took it out too fast and had to walk quite a bit. This was a very hilly challenging course.
Anyway, my training is going much better now with an adjustment I made
with the coach's blessing. Before, I was running too hard. My coach had
me running hard on Tues, Thur, with a long run on Saturday. Well,
school started and we were not able to do the Thur speed work anymore.
What was happening was that I could not run at all on Wed and Fri which
was my day off anyway. The long run on Saturday was not good. I had to
walk quite a bit. Then, racing season started and I kept getting slower
each week. Well, I did a 10K in 45 minutes 3 weeks ago and I had to
walk the last 3 miles quite a bit. Then, came back and ran a 5K the
next weekend in 20:54 and I had to walk the hill in the last mile.
Something to me was amiss and I always thought that I was running too
hard. It could have been overtraining but not sure about that because I
did not exhibit a lot of the symptoms. I was stopping during my
training runs quite a bit also. I believe this caused my body to
exhibit issues during races because I was not running the total
mileage. I was walking and running. So, I laid off for a while.
I felt that the issue was breathing because I struggle with it during
hard runs. I started focusing on breathing and trying to get that
worked out. I find if I can control my breathing than I am able to run
fast. I just have to focus...focus...focus. Also, if I focus on
breathing, then my HR stays in check and during the last race I was
around 162.
Then, I decided to change things up a lot. I felt I was on the verge of
being able to run fast. So, I went back to the Maffetone method and put
on the HR monitor again. I was not wearing it because it was causing
issues with my incision area. According the Dr Maffetone, my HR should
for aerobic activity should be around 148. In conjunction with all of
this, I was doing the 5Ks as speedwork so I was not doing Thurs
speedwork anymore.
Here is what is happening. I believe the 5Ks were getting me into race
shape. Because once I started backing off, I had a burst of energy
everyday and I had a spring in my runs that I was not feeling before.
The long runs were getting faster each week. I was able to run without
having to stop again which felt great because I could not figure out
why I was having to stop all the time. I feel like I am in a zone now
and hope I feel like this for the half.
So, my workouts look like this now -
M - 3-4 miles
T - 6 miles
W - 6 miles
T - 6 miles
F - Off
S - 12 miles (8:00-8:30 pace)
S - 8-10 miles (depending on how I feel)
I am keeping my HR around 148. This allows me to run between 7:30-7:50
pace. Also, the HR is a also a good indicator of how tired I am. I am
finding if I am tired and my legs seem tired my HR of 148 slows me down
to 8:30 - 8:40 pace. I have been following this HR each day and I let
my body dictate how fast I run. I am not sure if this is wise but it is
working better than before. Night and day better for sure.
For the last month or so, I have been lifting (which I know is against
the Maffetone method. I lift to gain strength in the upper body) around
120 pounds two sets of 20 for different upper body exercises trying to
target the different muscle groups. I do this 2-3 times a week. I am a
newbie to the lifting thing but I think it is having a difference in my
strength and I also do two sets of 50 crunches a few days a week. This
has tightened up my abs.
So, if you look at the MAF minute per mile -
7:30 puts me at 6:00 5K pace which is around where I am right now. I
know in this method it does say that you will reach a peak and will
slow down over time and then need to include some anaerobic workouts to
increase your speed.
I am not sure how I was able to go from a 20:30-20:54 5K to a 18:26 5K
Saturday but I will not complain. This is a big swing in just a couple
of weeks. Part of it was I was holding back. My first mile I can run a
5:50 pretty easily but die in the last two miles usually. I wonder if I
psych myself out when I see this at the mile marker. Last Saturday I
felt like I could run in the top 5. Strategy wise I wanted to be in the
top 5 and ran to be in the top 5. I just need to convince myself that I
can win these races. Also, I wanted my breathing to be under control. I
was monitoring my breathing the whole race to make sure I did not get
out of breath. Also, I was bound and determined to speed up the last
mile and not slow down 20 seconds. I am not sure if I realized that I
was running that fast until after. I guess part of it was mental. My
splits were 5:50, 6:05, 5:59.
This puts me in the top 20 fastest times this year in my age group in
Virginia within a minute of top 10. This is just unbelievable when you
think that I was under the knife on January 22, 2008.
