Ok, so many of you may have noticed that I've been complaining about how much I absolutely loathe running and how hard it is, even after the first five minutes, no matter how far I am able to go.
Well...while talking with a friend who is also a personal trainer about how to get in better shape because I didn't seem to be able to push through past 4.5 miles, he told me to still do my 4 miles, but instead of going at the speeds I'm used to doing, I should let my heart rate dictate my speed. He instructed me to go whatever speed would allow me to maintain a heart rate of about 145 beats per minute and record how long it took me to do 4 miles. Normally when I jog, my heart rate has been at around 175 for most of the duration. I'd always thought the target heart rate zone thing was a bunch of hooey, but it turns out that at the speed and rate i was going, I was not significantly improving my overall fitness and just burning lots of energy in the process. And hating life along the way.
According to my friend, I need to keep a lower heart rate and workout more often and this should yield better results. Over time I'll eventually be able to go faster while still maintaining a low heart rate.
So I tried it on Friday. Turns out that it's impossible for me to keep my heart rate at around 145, but I did keep it mostly within my target zone by going much slower than usual. And you know what?? IT WAS SO EASY!
I kept going to just over 5 miles and the only reason I had to stop was because I had to shower and meet someone for drinks. And yesterday I did nearly 5.5 miles and was significantly less tired afterwords than I am after I do 2 miles at my usual speed. AMAZING!!
So now I'm wondering, is this what it's supposed to be like? So if I'm in shape and can go quickly while still keeping my heartrate in the zone, will it always feel that easy?? I've been going about this the wrong way for years. YEARS!