Exercise Deprivation and Turkey

I am in Kerrville, Texas visiting family for the long Thanksgiving day weekend.   I will say though that we had a fabulous meal with turkey, sweet potatoes, mash potatoes, green beans, and pecan pie (this is Texas!).

The 2009 Monts Family Thanksgiving Table

I will say that I did eat a lot, especially the turkey that came out so perfect.  It had a beautiful golden color and the meat was juicy, tender and flavorful.  The only better was the pecan pie that I ate.  I knew the diet was going to be tough to maintain on this day, but I didn’t eat much leading up to the meal, I didn’t go back for seconds and I only had one piece of pie.  (tonight I will skip the pie altogether, much to the horror of the family)

I love my family, but they are not exactly the most outdoorsy types or most active.  The three people I am visiting are actually quite overweight, which makes it hard for me to get my exercise in.  I really want to spend time with them, but at the same time I need to maintain my active, fit lifestyle.  Triathlon training does not stop for me, I must maintain my base as I head into the 2010 triathlon season.

After two days of travel, cooking, and eating, I really felt the lack of exercise.  I get a little foggy headed, a little low on energy and a little grouchy.  This continues to build until I finally push myself to go out for a run, bike, or swim.

So, finally I got out this morning for a trip around the loop, which is the circular lane that my aunt lives on in Kerrville, Texas.  It is 1.4 miles in length, has a number of shallow, but long hills and provides for a very satisfying workout.   I also did a second run this afternoon, here are some stats (this is a training blog afterall!):

Morning: 10:36 pace ~ 14:52 ~ HR: 160/170

Afternoon: 9:54 pace ~ 13:36 ~ HR: 161/171

Not exactly the fastest or longest runs ever, but they did get my blood flowing and providing a great way to keep up the training while detoxing from all of that pecan pie and goodies I ate yesterday.

Even though family and holidays usually lead to exercise deprivation for me, the company and the fabulous turkey was worth it!

 

Speed Workout: It’s the Form!

Speed workouts are designed to increase your speed capability while also increasing your endurance.  During a speed workout, you run a fast pace for a short distance (say 0.5 mile) and then jog a slower pace for half that distance for recovery, then repeat. Your body learns to go faster and recover, helping increase your endurance and speed.

The Data Set

While speed workouts have been in my triathlon training plan for sometime, I always seem to miss them for one reason of another. On Saturday,  I shook things up and replaced a dork short run with a speed workout at the track.  Since training with metrics helps us understand the effectiveness of workouts, I present the data set below:

3x800 Speed workout with 1-mile on either end.

In the image above, the dark purple shading denotes an 800 run whereas the light purple denotes a 400 recovery jog and on either side is the 1-mile warm-up/cool down.  The thing that surprised me when I first saw this data set was how the 800s and 400s blended together.  I had to turn the smoothing feature way up before I could start to see the intervals. Here are some of the highlights that I see:

1. The first interval got off to a slow start as I transitioned from the mile.
2. The second 800 had somewhat of a sporadic pace.
3. The third 800 was much more consistent at a faster pace.
4. The second mile run was much slower than the first.

Challenges in Raw Data

One of the challenges with the above chart is that it is hard to compare averages for each of the intervals.  It is difficult to pinpoint how each interval performed relative to the other within the raw data.  This is why we need to look at averages of our key training metrics. To do this, I built a more specific view in Excel, focusing on the three training metrics that really matter for this post: Heart rate, Pace, and Distance.  The results are below:

The three metrics, distance, heart rate and pace in plain English.

There is interesting thing that really jumps out at me looking at this chart.  Look at the heart rates and pace of the three intervals:

1. 9:42 @ 165
2. 9:54 @ 168
3. 9:23 @ 167

Notice that the heart rate for the third and fastest 800 is 167, whereas the second, slowest 800 has the highest heart rate at 168. What I hypothesize is that we are seeing a difference in form.  The second interval I really started to fatigue and I think this was caused by lack of form.  For the third 800, I really tried to use good form for the run, pick up the knees, push off with the toe (thank you FiveFingers!), and swing the arms. This paid off quite well.

Summary

This being my first speed workout, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  In the end, I was sad to see the workout end.  By the third 800 I had finally found my groove and was able to perform.  If there is one thing I have learned from this, it is that form really is the key to efficient speed.  The other thing I learned is that the speed workouts can be more enjoyable than the dork endurance runs.

In addition, you should do more than just review the data that you collect.  In the above example, it pays to know when you need a different view by interacting with the data and visualizing the workout.  In this case, I found it difficult to make an exact comparison of each of the intervals.  With a little fun in Excel, I produced an awesome graphic that tells me a story.

What story does you data tell you?

When the Dork Run Becomes a Short Run

My last post, When Something Is Wrong, discussed the circumstances around a less than enjoyable endurance run that I have come to nickname the dork run for its awkward pace. In that post, my weekend activities created a chemical imbalance in my body that caused my heart rate to spike easily and my mood to be not so gracious. I also suggested that training with metrics was a great way to keep you focused on your fitness and triathlon training goals.

My most recent dork run on Thursday morning was quite the opposite experience.  In fact, it went so smoothly and at fast enough pace that this dork run became more a Short Run (endurance run but over short distance).  The comfortable pace I found was between 11:30 and 12:00, which produced a heart rate of 149 on the flat surface.  It was so comfortable that it felt like a run and not a dork moment. I was also back in my FiveFingers barefoot running shoes for this run. Data set is below:

Much smoother Heart Rate and Pace

If you recall, November 9th’s dork run was plagued with heart rate spikes with a wide range of pace.  It felt far from relaxed and felt more like a burden to maintain.   All of this was caused by my body being out of balance.

On Wednesday, I payed particular attention to detoxification, rest and having fun at the new job.  I ate a very healthy breakfast, had an amazing salad for lunch, and a simple dinner.  No coffee, no sweets, no alcohol, and a good night’s rest prior to Thursday’s run.

There is one additional difference between the two runs that I need to point out.  Stress.  Last week and early this week, I was caught up in changing jobs and my stress level was quite high.  This likely made the weekend’s exhaustion worse.   On Wednesday, after starting the new job, I felt like a ton of weight had been lifted, allowing my body to be in a very relaxed state for Thursday’s run.

Going forward, I will incorporate a stress variable in my training with metrics dashboard.  As much as it is important to track the hard data, there is soft data that surrounds your emotional state that should also be recorded.  Fitness and peak triathlon performance requires not only physical readiness, but mental as well.  If you are stressed out, find a way to de-stress before you workout. Otherwise you are just taxing your body and making yourself suffer.

 

When Something Is Wrong: Training with Metrics

You know when something goes wrong and you can’t quite put your finger on it, what do you do?  In my case, I develop a bad attitude and fixate on little things that really don’t matter too much.  Unfortunately, I also seem to lose the importance of long-term goals and the vision to achieve them.

The Dork Run Fixation

Last night and today, my fixation was focused on the dork run.  The name refers to the form that I use when running at a pace that keeps my heart rate in zone 1 and 2, which is between a really fast walk and really slow run.  The point of the dork run is to build endurance and teach my body to burn fat efficiently, so that when I run a marathon, I don’t deplete my glycogen stores too quickly. As much as I dislike “running” at awkward (aka dork) pace, it is an essential part of the training plan.

In fact, dork pace was so uncomfortable, that my left knee was quite sore by the end of the run.  This is quite surprising as the long dork run I finished on 11/1 was quite enjoyable, albeit slow.  Check out the two images of the data collected from each dork run below.

Nov 1st Dork Run (click for interactive data)

Nov 9th Dork Run (click for interactive data)

The top image was my first long dork run on November 1st.  Note that the heart rate and pace are fairly consistent.  Now compare this with the bottom image, Novermber 9th’s dork run.  While the routes are very similar, the 9th’s heart rate and pace are very sporadic with extremely short periods between high and low, patterns indicative of a stressed out body. Two very different runs with two very different attitudes:

1st – Slow, but fun and leisurely wearing FiveFingers without the iPod.
9th – Not fun, inconsistent and stiff wearing shoes because my feet hurt in the FiveFingers and my iPod Touch for music.

The Factors That Caused the Wrong

What caused the difference, the fixation, and my bad attitude? A number of things that center around my weekend activities:

1) Saturday morning I ran the NewsPress 5K Fun Run and did great, but pushed my body hard.
2) I took one tablet of beta alanine prior to the 5K, this causes me to have strange moods 24-36 hours afterwards.
3) Saturday afternoon I hosted a BBQ where I consumed some margarita, cheese cake, cake, and other products made with refined flours (basically, the diet was horrible).
4) Sunday, the diet continued to be less than desirable as I continued to consume left over refined foods and fatty hamburgers.
5) On Sunday I also rode the bike 10+ miles, my first ride in a month.  This was not a good idea since I was still recovering from the BBQ and 5K from the day before.
6) I also ate a complimentary Starbucks Mocha Ice Cream bar on Sunday afternoon (I love my favorite barista who gives me free stuff).
7) When I started the Nov 9th run, I wore the FiveFingers, but my feet hurt too much.  I returned to the car and switched to shoes which ended up hurting my knee.  My feet hurting should have the indicator to stop, go home and go back to bed.

What these items boil down to is this: wrongness with a really bad attitude.  My body was exhausted and I continued to push it. Making matters worse, my diet was so bad that my system was confused and fogging up my brain.

The Realization

All of this boiled over on Monday night and Tuesday morning as I started to realize was what happening:

1. I realized that I had lost touch with my long-term goal and the meaning of the dork run.
2. I realized that my diet had gone totally off course and immediately started consuming quality whole foods.
3. I needed to rest and let my body recover.
4. The bad attitude was like night and day as I started to cleanse my system, most likely driven by the horrible refined foods I ate (refined foods seem to act like mind altering drugs to me).

The shameful part is that this isn’t the first time this has happened.  In fact, my trainer can tell you many stories about my strange attitudes and some of the not-so-great stuff I can dish out when I am in one of my moods.

Training with Metrics

To prevent this from happening again, it is essential that I continue to track and enhance the metrics that I review routinely.  Using Training Peaks, Excel, and paper, I record my workouts, weight, food intake, and general mood.  However, I need to develop an enhanced way to bring all of these items together into one training center that will allow me to correlate them. Hence, the importance of developing my training dashboard.

Even simpler is developing enhanced discipline to:

1. Maintain a proper diet in sufficient quantities
2. Listen to your body’s signs of fatigue
3. Stay focused on your long-term goals, no matter what

I have to point out that having a system of metrics in place isn’t a replacement for discipline, but they are great for making sure you are holding yourself accountable.

This past weekend I dropped the ball in a major way, a way that threatened my long course training forever (injury and being rude to my trainer) and that is wrong.

Going forward, I will stress the importance of tracking metrics and fully understanding how they relate to the training plan.  With some tracking obstacles to overcome, in the coming weeks I will discuss more of my training dashboard and share with you my ideas for the ultimate training metrics.

In the meantime, may the dork runs rule!

Video: The Payoff for Cycling to the Top of the Hill

I really don’t like cycling up hills. This is the weakest part of my cycling ability.  To improve this, I have been building up to cycling to the top of Gibraltar Road in Santa Barbara.  While I didn’t get to the top today, I did get far enough to appreciate the reward for riding up, up and up.  The view that one has high in the foothills of Santa Barbara is simply amazing.

While I was up there today, I shot two videos using my Flip Mino camcorder.  The first is at a point partially the way up Gibraltar Road from El Cielito Rd.  The second is along Mountain Drive, just east of El Cielito Rd.  The two are quite similar, but you can see the advantage of going up.

Thank you watching.  I hope this inspires you to go up that hill rather than avoid it.  The view is worth it!

Tale of Two 5K Competitions

2009 has been an exciting year.  It was my year of firsts:

First year of competition.

First triathlon.

First duathlon.

First did not finish (dnf).

First year living fit with routine exercise and healthy diet.

I also started off the year running my first 5K.

After some consideration and mulling about, I decided to enter my second 5K competition, the NewsPress Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run.  Not only would this give me something to do while I was waiting for my trainer to complete the half marathon (yep I was there to cheer him on for a change!), but it would also allow me to show the world how much I improved my running ability since April’s Chardonnay 10-miler/5K (my first 5K).  In addition, this would also be another first, the first competition completed wearing my Vibram FiveFingers (barefoot running “shoes”).

Note that the race courses are exactly the same, starting at Leadbetter Beach and running east, looping back to the beach.

The 5K Results

To make a long story short, below is the data from April’s Chardonnay 5K (results):

Time: 33:04   Pace: 10:39
Place: 114/182 (top 63%)

And, Nov 7th’s NewsPress 5K Fun Run (results):

Time: 30:39   Pace: 09:48
Place: 91/250 (top 36%)

There is no question about it, I have really improved my running ability. I shaved two minutes, twenty five seconds (02:25) off my overall time and 49 seconds off my pace. I also placed in the top 36% of the group, compared to 63% in April.

More Data

Below is the data that I recorded during the NewsPress 5K. (click here for interactive chart)

Notice how smooth the heart rate and pace is.  I was surprised to see this as earlier this year, my runs were plagued by heart rate spikes, a really fast pace followed by really slow walking recovery driven by horrible form.  It wasn’t pretty. (I don’t have a similar data set for back then since it was before my GPS heart rate monitor)

So to see such a flat heart rate line means a few things:

1) My muscles have become stronger and able to sustain longer runs.
2) My run form has improved, making me more efficient.
3) I am able to control my heart rate while keeping a fairly consistent pace.
4) Running barefoot probably helped my form and efficiency too.

Looking at the graph, you can even see my mad sprint to the end as I out sprinted another participant to the finish (right side of graph). You can also see at the left side of the graph that my pace started out quite fast and I started slowing down to a more manageable pace.  Nice to see the speed at the start and the finish!

Wow!  Such a great way to end the year.

The tale of two 5K’s is really about showing you that all of that hard work and training does pay off.  In fact seeing these results makes every minute of pain and suffering during the last two years worth it.  Now I want to know what 2010 is going to bring.  I certainly am not going to settle for a year of seconds and I hope 2010 will be a year of more firsts!

Triathlon Training Dashboard: Chart One

As an analyst, numbers fascinate me.  After two years of triathlon training, I feel great!  I feel even better when I see my fitness improvements on a chart. This is the one of the reasons why I wanted to create a training dashboard that compliments my 2010 triathlon training plan.

This post is one in a series of posts to discuss the building of the triathlon training dashboard and the relevance of each chart and/or component.  Understanding how I built my dashboard, I hope it will inspire you to take another look at how you track your training.

As a member of Training Peaks, there are things that I like and things I don’t like about their dashboard. One of the things I do like about their dashboard is the Fitness Summary pie chart.  It shows the time and percent training spent on each of the sports like bike, run, swim, strength, etc. Below is my most recent Fitness Summary chart for the past 30 days (October 2009).  You can see that I spent the most time running, the second most time spent on strength training, etc, etc.

What I don’t like about this chart is that it lacks trending, which is a problem with all pie charts.  What I really want to know is how have these percentages changed?  While this month (or whatever time period) I spent about 45% on running, how does that compare to my training three or four month ago.  To do this, I have to go outside of Training Peaks.

Enter Excel.  Microsoft Excel 2007 is a blank slate just waiting to be nurtured into a masterpiece by an analyst like me.  After looking at the options, I settled on a weekly summary focusing on four sports: bike, run, Swim and strength.   I also decided that not only do I need visibility into the time trained on each sport, but the distance I covered as well.  If time stays the same, yet distance increases, it is a good indication that my ability in the sport is improving.

Below is my version of a Weekly Summary.

I use a stacked bar chart by week to indicate the amount of time spent on each sport.  This enables me to:

1) See the overall amount of time each week spent on training.
2) See how much time each sport makes during the week
3) How the time spent on sport changes over time.

Using an area chart placed behind the stacked bar chart allows me to:

1) show the distance covered in each sport.
2) trend the distance over time to identify changes
3) placing it behind the bar chart, I can easily compare time with distance.

When you put it altogether, the number of insights you can get from my combo chart above compared to the TP pie chart at the top is much more.  It is quite fascinating to see the relationships and changes in my actual training performance each week and over time.  Here are some of the interesting things I see in this chart:

1) in the past three weeks, I have almost doubled the run distance compared to week 36 and 37 (time spent running has also increased).
2) the past three weeks, I have not done many bike workouts at all.
3) the amount of time spent on strength training is consistent week over week.
4) swim time has become more consistent, but I need to spend more time in the pool.

Has anyone noticed something missing on the area chart?  Yep, that is right, Swim distance is non-existent.  This is on purpose for two reasons:  1) plotting 975 yards on the graph with these scales would throw off the rest of the data (one solution is to convert yards to miles) and 2) time spent in the pool focuses on technique, not covering distance and I don’t count laps when I practice, meaning distance is irrelevant at the moment.

Seeing your training on a graph is not only a great accountability tool, but it also drives inspiration.  I can see how far my training has come and I want to see how far I can take it!

Can you visualize your training week over week like I outlined here?

Please stay tuned for the next post in this series…

If you are a data oriented triathlete like myself, you might also want to read, Triathlon Results and Their Story, where I plot the results of my division for the 2009 Carpinteria Triathlon.

Halloween, Candy, and Depression

I think we all look forward to Halloween because it is not only a great time to dress up and have fun with friends, but the perfect opportunity to let the diet slip a little and have some candy.

I know, you do it too… I can’t be the only one sneaking a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on Halloween.

Well, there is a great article on the BBC News that links processed foods to depression.  The article, Depression link to Processed Foods, discusses research conducted by a team at the University College London.

Of the two groups they studied, the group that ate more whole foods like vegetables, fish, and fruit were less 26% less likely to become depressed later on.  The group eating highly processed desserts, grains and dairy products were more likely to become depressed.

These results are not surprising and I agree 100%.  When I was an office potato, refined foods were my life, consuming mochas, soft drinks, fast food, sweets, and just about everything made with flour.   Shortly before I made the change to triathlete, I am sure I was a depressed person.

Now, my diet consists of fresh vegetables, whole grains and fruits.  I even eat as little red meat as possible.  I feel great and the added exercise and energy levels are a benefit too.

Since this past weekend was Halloween, I have to wonder how many people feel depressed in the weeks after.   We consume 23.8 pounds of candy annually (ref), and I will make the assumption that most of it is during the quarter of the year.

I only ate three snack size pieces; one Crunch, one Reese’s Pieces and one Milky Way.  I think that is all I need for the rest of the year.

How much candy did you eat?  Do you feel depressed, yet?

 

How Swimming Becomes Easy

Why is swimming the most difficult sport of the three in a triathlon? It certainly is different from cycling and running in terms of technique, muscles required, and environment.   When you swim, you are pushing against liquid in four dimensions, which is completely different than fighting gravity on the ground in two dimensions. It also takes a different kind of training  to master.

My approach to swimming was more of shear strength.  While my swim coach was able to teach me side stroke fairly quickly, freestyle (frontal crawl) presented many challenges.  My form was so bad that I required lots of oxygen, which I couldn’t get, to feed muscles as I forced my way through the water.  I was tense, lacked balance, and was unable to get oxygen to keep moving.  So, for the 2009 triathlon season, my swim was all about brute force with a scissor kick and the side stroke (I finished three triathlons this way). I found out the major disadvantage of this stroke was that it tired out my legs before I even got on the bike, effecting my bike and run times in a major way.

There must be a better way?

YES, there is a better way.  Ever wonder why Michael Phelps is so fast, yet is pretty scrawny? (You could probably fit three of his quads in one of mine.)  I certainly have more strength than he does, yet he can run circles around me all day long.

What is the difference between Aric and Phelps?  The key to swimming speed is moving through water efficiently, with as little drag as possible. When a boat builder starts designing a boat, he/she does not start with the engine, he/she starts with designing a hull that moves over the water with minimal drag and then puts a motor on the back.  Swimming is the same thing…  you don’t need strength to be an excellent, efficient, fast swimmer.

Enter Total Immersion, a method of learning how to swim based on kaizen. I heard about it through my local triathlon club and signed up for their two day workshop figuring I had nothing to lose.

The two day workshop explained the fundamentals of how to start swimming; designed so that someone who has never been in the water before can easily grasp the basic positions needed to develop the right, efficient form from the beginning.  Little did I know that this would spark a new passion for swimming within me.

The key to successful Total Immersion swimming is finding balance in the water so that you move through the liquid efficiently.  The more drag you create, the more you have to work to maintain speed with every stroke.

I won’t go into too much detail, because I don’t want to infringe on their sales.  I will say this though, what is did for me in two days, was far beyond my expectations.

Upon reviewing video of me swimming on saturday morning, our coach described my technique along the lines of unbalanced and uncoordinated as I struggled for breathe, dragging my legs, furiously kicking, and swinging my arms in desparation to get to the other side. Not a pretty picture.

By the end of the second day, I had very good balance and my body was more coordinated to the point that I was relaxed.  Breathing was much less of an issue because I was using less energy to move through the water.  The power was coming from the hip, not the kick. Just by finding balance, I was able to drastically reduce the energy I used to swim.

While Total Immersion didn’t make me into Michael Phelps in two days, the improvements I saw were amazing.  I know that with more practice and refinement of the Total Immersion drills, I can be a fast and efficient swimmer.

All of the sudden, I am looking forward to the pool. My 2010 triathlon training plan is now full of exciting workouts, both on land and in the water. You know, swimming isn’t so difficult anymore, it is almost easy.

- – - – - – -

For more on Total Immersion, Check out the following YouTube Channels:

TI Swim Japan

TI Swim

Total Immersion Israel

 

 

Triathlon Training, Security Guards and Football

You might be wondering what triathlon training, security guards and football are doing in the same headline of this post.  They certainly don’t have much in common do they? Just keep reading.

When I left the house this morning for work, I planned on having my first speed workout for running this evening.  Last night, I programmed the Garmin 305 with the distances and paces so that I could accurately measure the 3×800’s at 10:00 pace.

So, after work, I hit the gym like I usually do.  This gives me a moment to wind down and start focusing on my run.  It also gives me an opportunity to change, foam roll and stretch.

Challenge Number One

After I stretched out, filled my water bottle and started packing up my gym bag, I suddenly realized that my Garmin 305 was no where to be found!

“Oh no! Where is it?”

Well, since it wasn’t on in its usual home on the strap of my gym bag, there was only one place it could have been.  You see I was really tired last night and didn’t prepare my gym bag the night before like I usually do.  Since I had programmed the workout into it, my tiredness apparently prevented me from at least staging it with the rest of the running stuff.  AND, in my haste to get out the door this morning for work I left it on my desk.

“oh, pooh! A lot of good it does me there!”

Anyway, perseverance is a triathlete’s middle name.  We don’t let these stupid little things interrupt our training addictions.

I had my Polar heart rate monitor with me, so I could, at the least, record heart rate, kcals, and time.  From that I could extrapolate pace.  Also, I know my heart rate zones so I know how hard to run, when to rest etc.

Challenge Number Two

After  I arrived at my usual running spot, I had this crazy idea to head over to a nearby high school and run on their track.  This would help eliminate the problem of trying to guess how far I ran. At the track, I could  calculate my pace better as the goal was for each 800 to be in 5:13.

Well, the giant school bus out front of the school and all the traffic around the school should have been an indication to just keep driving. But no, I found a secret parking spot on a side street and heading toward the track.

But then I noticed the gate to the track was locked and a big truck parked on it.  Hmmm…. something is fishy and it isn’t tuna!  Then I noticed the stadium lights were on.  I thought that was pretty nice of them to turn the lights on for me.  But, I kept walking and noticed that the next gate was locked too.

You have to remember that I am wearing dark sunglasses, a white hat, black track pants and a dark blue shirt.  I am certain I would be suspicious of me too.  The security guard definitely was!

Just after I noticed a number of camera men stationed around the track and the high school football team on the field, did I hear the security guard screaming at me.  Something about trespassing…  but I couldn’t tell because all I saw in slow motion was the long, billy club come out of her holster and it started swinging in my direction. (I think she thought she was Clint Eastwood; kill first, then ask questions).

I asked her why the gate was open and what the event was.  Apparently, everyone in Goleta knew there was a game tonight but me.  I live in Santa Barbara so, go figure.    Swinging the club, she asked me to leave or else she will call the police.  This is ironic because during this entire 30 seconds, about a dozen other people came through the same gate and hopped the fence right in front of her which made the camera guy yell about disrupting his shot.  Sure, pick on the dude from Santa Barbara.

In retrospect, this problem gave me an idea… create a calendar of availability for all of the tracks in the greater Goleta and Santa Barbara area.  I certainly would like to know when I should avoid going to a track due to an event; could have saved me the pleasure of meeting Bertha and her billy club.

Finally, The Run

At this time, I felt like this run was doomed from the moment I realized I left the gps on my desk.  However, I was there, the car was in a safe place and I had a lower middle class neighborhood in Goleta to explore.  So, I started out running a route that I had run before.

The idea was to get my heart rate up for about a half mile, then recover and repeat.  Since I had no indication of distance or speed, this structure went out the door rather quickly.  I did continue to run until the heart rate reached 180, jogged until it came back down to 160, and then ran to 180 again.

In the end, I only did this three times, covering 2.36 miles in 26:08 (11:04 pace, 165/181 hr).  While I didn’t go as far as I wanted, at least I didn’t let the circumstances prevent me from getting in a workout.

Now you now why triathletes have such perseverance.  You also now know what triathlon training, security guards and football have in common.

If you are interested in more about my experience with running, please check out From Office Potato to Runner, Part 1