January 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • debrakgoogins
    debrakgoogins Posts: 2,033 Member
    @PastorVincent You never disappoint.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    Hi! I haven't been on this thread in a long time, but I'm looking for some advice. After a significant amount of time barely running and then another significant amount of time not running at all, and also a significant amount of weight gain......... I started C25K Sept 28. I spent about 5 weeks slowly working my way through the first 3 weeks of the program, repeating workouts, since I knew I was really out of shape. Then we got a treadmill and I decided to restart from the beginning (sort of, I didn't do all the workouts) to adapt to the treadmill. So I continued to repeat some workouts but managed to get up to week 6 day 3 last night, which is the 22 min run. (So it took me 12 weeks to do 6 weeks of the program not due to skipped workouts but because of repeating workouts.)

    Here is my dilemma........I am running/jogging really slowly. For my warm up I try to ease up to 3.5mph walk (and I double the warm up from 5 min to 10 min because I feel it helps me) and then when it's time to run I only hit the 4mph button on the treadmill :( Then I slowly increase to max 4.6mph. Earlier on when I was running shorter intervals I was doing 5-5.5mph but when the run time started increasing I abandoned that all together. The thing is, even running at a pace that most people would barely qualify as running, my heart rate is in the 170s and last night even got up to 181.

    From this point on in the program, there's no more walk breaks. It's a couple 25 min runs I think then 28 min then 30 min (at which point I won't be hitting 5k!) If my heart rate is so high, do I need to be running 30 minutes without walk breaks? (FINALLY - my actual question!) Should I work up to the 30 min and just strictly stay on 4mph jog until it gets easier? Or should I just take walk breaks to let my heart rate calm down a bit?

    The 22 min run last night didn't feel terribly hard. Mentally I was breaking it into quarters of 5.5 min each, and yes, I was working hard but not like I was gonna collapse. I have previously had high rate while running even when I was much thinner and fitter. But I guess I'm afraid my poor fat self if gonna have a heart attack on the treadmill. LOL

    Any ideas/suggestions how to proceed? Sorry so long :-p
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    edited January 2019
    lisaloumn2 wrote: »
    debrakgoogins wrote: »
    As most of you know, I am a newbie to running. I am also an analyst and so I study everything I become interested in. I have discovered that my easy runs are probably not as easy as they should be. My heart rate is regularly above where it should be for those runs.

    So...with that being said, I am also researching wearables that are better suited to running. I currently have a FitBit Charge 2. I like the diagnostics it provides but don't care about the social aspect. I would like something with a GPS and notifications if I am getting above my target HR. I don't want to be looking at my wrist all the time, especially since I run in cold weather and have gloves on when I'm running. I have seen some that include music download options but the reviews for the music seem to be hit or miss.

    You've given me good advice in the past. What wearables do you/have you use(d)? What do you like/not like about them?

    I’ve been thinking of investing in one as well, so look forward to the advise

    I use the TomTom Spark 3. It is a little bit less expensive than a Garmin but still has all the features I want. The GPS is accurate and it has a heart rate monitor. You can upload music or a map onto the watch. I use the watch (vs. my phone) to listen to music on my short runs.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    @skippygirlsmom and @kristinegift welcome back!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @greenolivetree I agree with @amymoreorless . Just keep at it, no matter the speed. I've embraced being a slower runner. We can start a club if you like.

    there is a slow runners fb group if you are on fb.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    @debrakgoogins I'm sure others have already given you advice. I wanted to touch on the music aspect. I got the garmin vivoactive 3 with music and I absolutely LOVE it. It's a midrange device so doesn't come with all the fancy metrics that the top of the range has. But it has all the stuff a charge 2 has and more.

    The music side for me is awesome. I HATE having extra stuff when running so having just a watch and Bluetooth headphones, I feel so free. I don't bring my phone most of the time and I love it. The music is pretty reliable. I use Plantronics BackBeat Fit earphones Nd occasionally get dropouts, but only for a moment and it mostly doesn't annoy me. The battery life is pretty much as advertised. As I'm will probably never run an ultra (famous last words) I'm OK with that.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    greenolivetree wrote: »
    Hi! I haven't been on this thread in a long time, but I'm looking for some advice. After a significant amount of time barely running and then another significant amount of time not running at all, and also a significant amount of weight gain......... I started C25K Sept 28. I spent about 5 weeks slowly working my way through the first 3 weeks of the program, repeating workouts, since I knew I was really out of shape. Then we got a treadmill and I decided to restart from the beginning (sort of, I didn't do all the workouts) to adapt to the treadmill. So I continued to repeat some workouts but managed to get up to week 6 day 3 last night, which is the 22 min run. (So it took me 12 weeks to do 6 weeks of the program not due to skipped workouts but because of repeating workouts.)

    Here is my dilemma........I am running/jogging really slowly. For my warm up I try to ease up to 3.5mph walk (and I double the warm up from 5 min to 10 min because I feel it helps me) and then when it's time to run I only hit the 4mph button on the treadmill :( Then I slowly increase to max 4.6mph. Earlier on when I was running shorter intervals I was doing 5-5.5mph but when the run time started increasing I abandoned that all together. The thing is, even running at a pace that most people would barely qualify as running, my heart rate is in the 170s and last night even got up to 181.

    From this point on in the program, there's no more walk breaks. It's a couple 25 min runs I think then 28 min then 30 min (at which point I won't be hitting 5k!) If my heart rate is so high, do I need to be running 30 minutes without walk breaks? (FINALLY - my actual question!) Should I work up to the 30 min and just strictly stay on 4mph jog until it gets easier? Or should I just take walk breaks to let my heart rate calm down a bit?

    The 22 min run last night didn't feel terribly hard. Mentally I was breaking it into quarters of 5.5 min each, and yes, I was working hard but not like I was gonna collapse. I have previously had high rate while running even when I was much thinner and fitter. But I guess I'm afraid my poor fat self if gonna have a heart attack on the treadmill. LOL

    Any ideas/suggestions how to proceed? Sorry so long :-p

    First, don't worry about your speed, that wl come, worry about stamina first and getting that extra time in.

    Second where are you getting the HR data from? It its the treadmill, they are notoriously unreliable.

    Third unless you feel like you are going to pass out, don't stress about the HR zones. Some do but most of us ignore them. Instead go by can you talk, hold a conversation with someone when running. That should be your pace.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    zeesparrow wrote: »
    I appreciate this discussion! When I ran a few years ago, I was also faster. I started C25K again in October last year, and bought a Garmin Vivoactive (with music - I have the option though haven't really used it much) when it was on sale after Thanksgiving, which shows my average HR above where it 'should be'. Sometimes I pay attention to it, but mostly I try to go by feel... I read so many folks say to stay at a conversational pace. I run with my dogs and they're not much for conversation. ;) But then I read that if you can recite the pledge of allegiance (or count to 10? one one thousand, two one thousand, etc) that's a good way to gauge as well. (https://runnersworld.com/training/a20816982/speak-easy/) I used that this morning, and my Garmin shows my average HR was 166! It didn't feel that hard! I've heard of the possibility that it locked into my cadence (which averaged 167) but analyzing in Strava it doesn't seem to be aligned with that. I guess I'll just keep trying to go by feel, chat a bit every once in a while as a test, and review the data afterward. ^shrug^

    1/1: 1.91 miles
    1/2: 8.27 miles indoor bike/30min
    1/3: 1.90 miles

    January total: 3.81/30

    I think it was Orphia who recently told me the default heart rates zones are often actually too low. If you really want to know your proper zones you could go out and do a run as fast as you can. I did this when doing a 4k run. First 2k at my usual 5k pace, then 1k as fast as I could. My max hr was actually about 10bpm higher than the suggested rate. Plugged that into my garmin and my HR zones appear to be more accurate to my actual perceived effort now
  • KerrieA87
    KerrieA87 Posts: 167 Member
    greenolivetree wrote: »
    The thing is, even running at a pace that most people would barely qualify as running, my heart rate is in the 170s and last night even got up to 181.

    Any ideas/suggestions how to proceed? Sorry so long :-p

    We’re you measuring your heart rate initially or is this a new thing? When I first started 5kms my heart rate would fly up into the 180’s (occasionally 200’s) and I would genuinely feel crap after, I’d have to sleep/nap straight away but that’s part and parcel of my medical conditions so for me it was normal. However the more I’ve been running the lower my heart rate has been, including my resting rate. If you’re not feeling good while it’s happening then it’s a sign that your heart rate is too high and you’re pushing yourself too hard if you feel fine and you’re just becoming anxious about the numbers then maybe not read too much into it. I’ve never done the couch to 5k so I’m not overly familiar with the process (I just ran/walked 5km then aimed to be faster each time) but if you feel uncomfortable back off, 12 weeks is only a goal and sometimes the posts need to be moved.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    @girlinahat I feel okay since C25K has taken away the walk breaks. I feel like I could complete the program no problem. I've never been a super fast runner, but I always felt I was an okay runner vs. a slow runner. :D I used to walk 4mph and I can no longer do that. Walking 3.5mph is pushing it. The 4mph on the treadmill definitely feels like a run.

    @avidkeo My HR data is from a Fitbit Charge 3 which I just started wearing about 5 weeks ago maybe. I previously, as in couple years ago, used a chest strap a few times and also manually checked my heart rate. I've always found that I jumped straight to 160s when running and quickly drifted up from there, even when much fitter.

    I think the Fitbit Charge 3 suggests you go outside and do a 1 mile run as fast as you can. I may do that after I complete the C25K so the Fitbit has that information.

    I have always struggled to talk at all while running. I can barely get out a few broken words to form a sentence. But maybe I'll try to work on that while I'm home on the treadmill alone.
  • zeesparrow
    zeesparrow Posts: 348 Member
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    I think it was Orphia who recently told me the default heart rates zones are often actually too low. If you really want to know your proper zones you could go out and do a run as fast as you can. I did this when doing a 4k run. First 2k at my usual 5k pace, then 1k as fast as I could. My max hr was actually about 10bpm higher than the suggested rate. Plugged that into my garmin and my HR zones appear to be more accurate to my actual perceived effort now

    So you used the max HR that Garmin showed during that 1k?
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited January 2019
    JulieS3103 wrote: »
    @mbaker566 I've been looking at the Fall 50 too, looks like a great one! Love the dog pics, they are so cute :)

    I need to set a goal for January, the back and hip are still pain free and tolerating running pretty well the last 2 months so I'm going to plan for 60 miles.

    1/1 - 3 mile Treadmill run
    1/2 - 5 mile Treadmill run

    8 miles so far/Goal 60 miles

    Upcoming races:
    2/9 - Steve Cullen 8k
    3/16 - Lucky Leprechaun 7k
    6/9 - Manitowoc Half Marathon

    hey :)

    have you done the cullen 8k before? there is a large hill at the end. i didn't read the elevation chart. barely had enough to get up.
    i work saturdays now :(

    i was also looking at the manitowoc full or half. have you run it before?
  • JulieS3103
    JulieS3103 Posts: 86 Member
    @mbaker566 I ran the Cullen race last year and that hill is rough! I really liked the rest of the course though :D

    Yes, I ran the Manitowoc half last year and I loved it. It's flat, fast, and on the lake. It's a smaller race and my husband was able to drive down the whole course and stop to cheer, it really helped since there aren't a ton of spectators. The full starts earlier than the half and goes further and then you turn around. It wasn't congested at all and everyone was friendly.
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