I got to have Muffins with Mom at Charlotte’s school this morning — first time I’ve done it with just her! She thought it was pretty fun, but was also randomly hesitant about being in the cafeteria with all the other people. (Her class still eats in their classroom.) She is starting to seem so grown up these days with her talking and level of communication…but then also still seems so small. She is more hesitant in new situations than Emma was, and more likely to be upset by crowds and noises and lots of hustle and bustle. But she’s also more excitable, and more loving, and more expressive. The lows are low and the highs are high, and that’s Charlotte right now!
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Teacher Appreciation Week seems to have gone successfully for Charlotte’s class so I’ll give myself a pat on the back for room captaining the whole thing. Whew! I’m glad I did a turn as room captain…and I’m also glad I’ll be able to use “well I just did it last year” as rationale for not doing it next year.
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I mentioned last week that I’m starting to run again before work a couple times per week, and am concentrating on slowing down. In a related move, I listened to an old Another Mother Runner podcast episode about heart rate training that was really interesting. The gist is that in order to build a solid aerobic base, you have to go slow — like really, counterintuitively slow. This is not the first time I’ve heard it, and years ago after having my VO2 max measured, I spent a bit of time doing some slow, slow runs to see what kind of impact it had. I honestly don’t remember the result, and pretty soon I went back to my old ways.
But now at 40, with different goals and a different body, I’m starting to drink the kool-aid on this subject. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve EVER had a truly solid aerobic base, because I always run “too fast.” On the podcast, the coach mentions runners who essentially run the same pace no matter what the race distance — and that’s totally me. 5K? Somewhere from 10-12 minute miles over the years. 10K? Same. Half marathon? Same. That one full marathon I did? Same again.
The premise from that podcast discussion is that for base-building, your heart rate should go no higher than 140. I managed to get my Orange Theory heart rate monitor working with the Strava app and as expected, to maintain 140 beats per minute I have to go REAL slow. Like 14-15 minutes per mile slow. Like I’m shuffling along at what feels like barely more than a walk. But I’ve done that for a few runs now and you know what? It feels slow, yes. But it also feels ridiculously easy. I can shuffle on and on and on. It’s definitely a “run forever” kind of pace, even if it’s much closer to a walk right now.
So for now, I’m going to go with 2 slow runs per week and 2 trips to Orange Theory…and see what happens. The biggest “risk” is probably just that 2 slow runs per week may not be enough to really see an impact, but I’ll find out soon enough I suppose. (And since 4 workouts per week will be more than I’ve done consistently in months, that alone will be worthwhile as long as I keep it up.)
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The daycare did spring pictures a couple weeks ago, and the photographer always gets fantastic results. Emma’s school pictures were a bit lackluster, so we went over to the daycare earlier than usual on picture day so that Emma could have hers done, and so we could get a siblings photo.
Jose picked them up on Wednesday afternoon and yeah. LOVE.
The key to building an aerobic base is running a lot of miles. I don’t think it matters whether you run them slow, fast, or in-between. However, if you do run them fast, you are more likely to get injured. It is also more difficult mentally. If every time you go out, it’s like a race / torturefest, you’re not going to be able to get in the miles you need. I do think some people who have a lot of fortitude pound out too many miles at too high a pace, but I don’t think that’s an issue for you or me or most people. The thing is, you’re not going to build a solid aerobic base running twice a week. You probably need AT LEAST four times a week, and if you’re only going to run four times per week, your runs need to be “longer,” whatever that means. If you’re only going to run twice a week, you’re not really going to build that solid aerobic base, and you can compensate for lack of an aerobic base by running faster . . . if you want.
My recommendation would be to run at a pace that feels comfortable and that makes you happy and feels sustainable. Don’t judge yourself for running too slow – in my opinion, there’s really no such thing. But I would also recommend not worrying about running too fast if you’re feeling good. If you start running 5 or 6 times a week, then you should probably think about pace for each run and the run’s purpose and so on. But otherwise, just get out there and run, and I guarantee it’ll make you a faster runner, regardless of your training pace. I guess my overarching point is that running twice a week, you can run at any old pace that strikes your fancy, and it’ll benefit you.
FWIW, my favorite running book is Faster Road Racing. It talks a lot about the purposes of running at various speeds. During my last half marathon, I was literally talking to myself about some of the information in the book and remembering why all the training I did should make me faster at that moment.
Interesting. I’m not sure I agree that running a lot of miles no matter what speed is the key — I’ve done a decent amount of reading about heart rate training and there’s a lot of science that goes into it. But you have definitely done way more reading about running and training in general than me, and also run way more than me period, so it’s absolutely possible that I’m off-base. I do feel like running at 185 bpm and running at 140 bpm are working my body in different ways though.
“running a lot of miles no matter what speed is the key” – My point is slightly more subtle than that. I guess I’m arguing that if you’re running very low mileage, increasing mileage is going to help more than targeting a specific heart rate. But if HR training helps you enjoy running, then I think it’s a great approach. I don’t meant to be negative. I am enjoying seeing your runs on Strava. 🙂
But 185 bpm? I would be in my grave if I maintained that HR for more than a few minutes. I think the max HR I’ve seen since I started using a monitor is about 183. What’s your max HR?
Yeah, I’m sure you have a valid point about miles vs. pace for someone like me who is not running much at all.
Not really sure what my max HR is, but I have maintained a HR of 180-185 for 10-15 minutes or more on many, many occasions over the years. That sounds crazy but it is absolutely true. It’s not enjoyable, but I also don’t feel like I’m about to collapse either. It seems to defy all of the heart rate guidance I’ve ever read, which essentially says that what I observe shouldn’t be possible. So that’s where I’m coming from — I’m wondering if perhaps I have trained myself to be able to keep going for a while at high heart rates. And I’m not sure that’s actually a great thing.
Thanks for the information about building stamina and the commenter too. I am finally trying to get back into running as well because a: I know from experience running helps me lose weight and b: I need to be in better shape. So the last two weeks I’ve run a mile at lunch and my pace is usually 13-15:30 min. I’m still in a run/walk phase at the moment but feel like I can get to the run wholly soon. I’m dealing with some calf burn though, probably from not running in so long and also trying to readjust to a mid-foot/forefoot stride. I’ve found alternating between my Vibrams and Brooks has helped.
Congrats on getting back into it! I’ve been an on-and-off runners for about 15 years now, with several “off” periods so I know the comeback experience all too well. It’s funny how every person is different. Running does not help me lose weight at all — the only thing that reliably does that for me is to simply eat less, lol. But I stick with the running for the “better shape” aspect of it! For me to 10-12 minute miles at the moment requires run/walk, but if I slow down to 13-15 minute miles I can jog continuously.
I’ve gone back and forth over the years on run/walk vs. straight running but honestly, either one seems fine to me as long as it gets the job done!
Testing—I’m thinking my post got eaten.