Today's first workout called for 3 hours of alternating between walking for 30 minutes and running for 30 minutes. Stacey and I made the 35 minute drive to Maybury State Park, as it's the nearest place to feel close to nature. Today was the first time in weeks that I was someplace outdoors where I couldn't hear the obnoxious din of traffic.
We set out at a good clip, though the snow made for some precarious footing.
My HR was around 100-110 bpm for the walking portions, which is a brisk pace for me and a near-jog for Stacey (her heart was pumping away 130 or so times per minute). In addition to the tough footing, the terrain was hilly - we did the first two running portions on some mountain biking trails that were constantly going up or down. The green line in the graph below represents elevation, while red is my HR.
Due to the combination of unstable footing and hills, I was using muscles in my legs and core that I don't typically use (or at least don't use much) while running. My legs were especially fatigued by the second running portion. While I was able to average 140 bpm for the first run portion, I think a lack of leg strength prevented me from keeping my HR as high during the second portion, where I only averaged 136 bpm. Stacey and I would regroup following each run portion, and for the third half-hour of running, we headed out to a dirt road adjacent the park where the relatively even ground did not require as much leg strength. Still, the level of leg fatigue brought back memories of the marathon during an IM.
Stacey celebrated with a snow angle:
Nice! That's how a walk *should* be...and it's exactly how you should feel afterward, much like Stacey does laying in the snow. All we're aiming for Evan is to alter the stress. Days like today do that nicely.
ReplyDeleteThe park looks nice...plan a drive there every few weeks. How is it in spring and summer?
-CV