Summertime running is tough . . .

. . .  especially tough on an old man trying to build back his endurance!

For awhile I tried to run in the heat of the day thinking this would add stress and thus increase the effort.  But the heat won and now I'm trying to get my runs in during the mornings before the real heat blasts in!

I can see some nice improvements in both my pace and my heart rate.  Plus I just feel better and have way more energy during the day!

Pace wise there are improvements but not all that impressive to me.  Starting back my pace was about a 15:30 and I was only going a mile or so.  Now I'm averaging a 14:00 pace for 3-4 miles.  That's about a 10% improvement in pace for a longer run.  So I'm feeling okay about that!  I haven't decided if I'm start trying to add a long run in once a week or not.  Right now my longest run has been about 5 miles.

Heart rate is interesting and I'm encouraged here.  I have always watched my resting heart rate as an important fitness indicator.  I'm no expert about this and I've never really talked with my doctors about it either.  But during several of my surgeries, the surgeons commented on my low heart rate as if that was a positive thing!  Most memorable was when I has having retina surgery at Duke they kept me awake for a large portion of the surgery so they could ask me questions about what I could and couldn't see.  I remember alarms kept going off frequently as my heart rate was slow enough to set off the alarm.  Finally, the surgeon asked the anesthesiologist to "shut off that damn alarm . . .we know he has a really low heart rate!  He runs marathons!"

So starting back running again my resting heart rate was around 54 or so.  I knew my fitness was not good but this was a real surprise and motivating factor.  Now that resting heart rate has dropped to an average of around 48 and several days it has a 43.  A far cry from my past 36-39 averages but getting there!

Additionally, my weight is coming off.  Slowly of course.  Every thing I do seems to be slow!  . . . but that's okay!  When I started back running my weight was a whopping 239 pounds!  Most I've EVER weighed!  Today it down to 221 and my goal is to get my weight down to around 210 . . . and stay there!

What isn't really improving is by breathing.  At the first of my runs I can run about .3 of a mile until my heart rate hit about 135 and I'm past aerobic and into the anaerobic zone!  So I walk until my heart rate drops to about 110 and then start running again.  By the end of my run my running interval is probably .1 of a mile!  I think I'm going to start today measuring how long I can run that fist interval.  That might be a good measure to watch.  (UPDATE: The answer is 1.33 miles before I walked.  But it kicked my butt!)

Hip-wise things are generally doing great!  The only issue I'm having is lifting my knee while I'm sitting.  Movements like putting on shoes and socks or getting into a car simply hurt like holy hell!  It's nit the bones or the joint . . . it's muscle or tendon pain!  My surgeon suggested exercising it specifically but the pain is WAY too much to do that!  I'm visiting him tomorrow to see if he can inject me or something.  But this pain does NOT affect me walking or running at all!  My hip feels GREAT!

Anyway . . . I'm improving and things seem to be heading is a positive direction!!

Damn I'm good!!

Okay . . . that a HUGE overstatement!

But I am pretty pleased with my first 5k coming back!  So let me brag a bit!!

Leading in to this first 5k my average pace has topped at 14:15 per mile.  I've been trying to keep my efforts controlled.  I'm keeping my heart rate less than 135 and generally taking it fairly easy!  I figure I have a long, long time to build my strength back.  So I'm talking it slow and easy.

But at the Mill 5k I decided to push it.  Not crazy pushing it . . . but giving it a good go!

Results . . . I average about a 13:00 minute mile!  I admit this is still a VERY slow pace!  But to me I was screaming fast!!  Okay . . . so I just improved some!  But you have to celebrate your accomplishments as you can!!

Honestly I just really happy to be running some again!

Coming back! Slowly . . .

It's not surprising that my running progress is slow.  SLOW is the word most used to describe me! (I'm hoping that is used to describe my running but I'm not really so sure of that!)

Most people of average physical condition when walking purposefully can walk at around a 20 minutes per mile pace . . . 3 miles per hour.  Maybe a little slower when going uphill and a tad faster going down.  Sounds easy but to keep that up for 4-6 hours it's not a cupcake walk.

I've been "training" now since March 15th . . . about 7 1/2 weeks!  I started out running at a pace of about 15:30 per miles.  Running some and walking some but trying hard.  After running several minutes I'm running out of wind and just need to walk to recuperate.

Since I started back I have improved!  As the weather warms I'm trying to balance between the cool times of the day and the hottest time . . . and that makes a HUGE difference!  Those hot temps just plain kick my ass!!  But I'm thinking I benefit from these runs as much as the cool, faster runs.

Guess I should have put the word "faster" in quotes!!  I did a 3.1 mile run in cool temps at a 14:18 pace.  Definitely an improvement but not as big of an increase as I would have hoped.

It's weird!  A big part of me just plain doesn't care!  I'm getting more healthy.

• I'm losing some weight which had become a primary reason I started back. Sill a long way to go to get to my target but I'm seeing progress!
• I seem to have more energy.  I had become lethargic.  Just couldn't muster the desire to do many of the things I really needed to do.  I'm really glad this is improving! 
• My resting heart rate had increased.  Finally it's getting back into the 40s and I'm pretty sure it should get back to my "normal" high 30s and low 40s.
• I am able to run more in relation to my walking!  That is also improving but I still can't run a mile before I need to walk!

But . . . as a runner I do look to speed and endurance improvements to measure my progress.  And that is lagging what I had expected!

• I thought that by this time I could run a mile without walking.
• I had hoped I could average a 12:XX pace for 3 miles.
• I need to be adding in at least one long run a week . . . maybe more.  But that just isn't happening yet.
• I'm finding I'm totally out of breath when my heart rate hits about 130.  Hoping that will increase!  But the end of my runs that 130 comes pretty fast!

But overall . . . I'm in a way better place!  Really feeling good about running again and looking forward to I'm not sure what!!!