Running Data

I haven't run with any kind of running technology for a LONG time. I stopped wearing a heart-rate monitor, timer, watch, etc. because I found they got in the way of having fun while running. I wasn't training for any races and didn't have any running goals in mind other than to practice good form all the time and to have as much fun as possible. Today, I think I found that running with tech can help maintain good form and be fun, too.

I ran today with a Garmin FR60 for the first time. While running, I had the display show heart rate (just to see where my fitness is at), timer (to establish a baseline for one of my most common short run routes), and cadence (for an accurate assessment of where my rhythm skill is at). I decided to run today with no walk breaks to see how my heart reacted and how long this run takes me now, which I'll compare to later in the season.

I discovered that my heart rate slowly creeps up during my run. I think intermittent walk breaks might help keep it lower throughout my run but I can test that now to see if that is actually the case.

I also discovered that my cadence is around 88-90 BPM (one foot) on flat and uphill, which is pretty good. The optimum cadence would be 90 so I'm happy at 88-90 for a first time out. My cadence goes up (to 103) going downhill, which is exactly what I would expect to see.

Overall, I'm happy with the results of my first run with running data. I do have some goals in mind for this summer of running longer and slightly faster while maintaining good form and being injury-free. Maybe the FR60 can be an added tool for me to accomplish those goals. I don't plan on running with it every time but seeing the results of my run was pretty cool and fun for me.

If you're interested, I downloaded the data and saved an image of the summary (you can click on it to view it larger).

Running Data for May 3, 2012

Patience Pays Off

I went for a short test run today and it was fantastic! I don't know if it's because I haven't run in four days (when I have been running every two or three days) or because I decided to go for a road run instead my usual trail run but running today felt FAST and EASY! If only every run could feel like that!

I decided my right foot was in good enough shape to test it out. I'm really glad I waited. I'm fairly certain that had I run on it on the days that it was feeling sore, I probably would have done additional damage. Listening to your body can be hard. Patience can be hard, too. In this case, patience definitely paid off.

Listening to Your Body

Sometimes, it's hard for me to have patience. Sometimes, I want to run but some part of my body is telling me not to run. It can be hard to listen to that body part when your brain says you should go for a run and your heart says it really wants to go for a run. This week, that body part telling me NOT to run is my foot, which I'm thinking, in this case, supercedes my brain and my heart.

In an effort to get my whole body stronger, and most especially my core stronger, I started going to TRX classes. TRX is suspension training that uses your body weight and your core in every exercise. I find that it has done wonders for my core and back strength (which was pretty limited due to my past back injuries). It took 4 months but I have finally just increased to 3 1-hour classes per week.

I've also been trying to increase how many times I run in a week from 2 to 3 times per week.

Probably unwisely, I'm also trying to increase the distance that I run for. Not a lot. Just a couple hundred metres more once per week.

I'm starting to think that the added TRX and the added running time and distance was a little too much for me and my right foot is telling me so. It doesn't hurt a lot but it is definitely uncomfortable with some steps more than others. So, although I REALLY wanted to run two days ago, I didn't and took a rest day instead.

Why would I write about NOT running? Because I know that sometimes it's hard to be patient and to listen to that body part that says maybe you shouldn't run. I also know how important it is to listen to said body part to avoid a worse injury. I thought I'd share this in case others are experiencing (or have experienced) a similar situation.

Hopefully my foot feels all better tomorrow and I'll go for a short test run. If it doesn't, I'll probably ride my bike and keep letting it heal. :)

Run Barefoot Girl Podcast Interview with Yours Truly

I recently had a lovely chat with my friend and fellow podcast host, Caity McCardell. The scary part was the interview for her wonderful podcast, Run Barefoot Girl, where we talked mostly about Natural Running Coaching. Even though the interview portion lasted maybe 30 minutes, Caity and I ended up chatting for 2 hours in total. How time flies when you're having fun.

Anyway, Caity recently posted the interview and it can be found as Episode #39 of RBG. I posted a little more about it on the NRC website as well. I haven't found the courage to listen to it yet so, if you do, let me know what you think. I was more than a little nervous being on the receiving end of interview questions instead of my usual giving end.

Snow Day at Bragg Creek in Neo Trails

Last week we had one of those mornings when you wake up and the world outside is covered in white: a SNOW DAY! We decided to go for a hike in nearby Bragg Creek. There was even more snow out there than there was at home! My spouse and I both decided to wear our VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Trails for the hike in the snow. We could definitely have worn snowshoes but actually feeling the ground is so much more fun!

We picked the snowshoe trail so the dogs wouldn't destroy the cross country ski tracks on the other trails (for which the skiers were probably very grateful). We hiked uphill for about 2 km. It was slow going with the dogs and the uphill and all the snow. Traction was awesome, however, even in the fresh new snow. We stopped for lots of pictures, of course.

Because we were wearing our lightweight Neo Trails, we decided to run down. It was super fast! Again, great traction on the corners, which was good because otherwise we would have landed on our faces in the snow or wrapped around a tree. After the run down, we went back home and had a pack nap.

Here are some pics:

Kiah and Cordie LOVE the snow!

A whole lot of new snow.

Taking a picture break #1

Taking a picture break #2