Begin: 12:12 PM
End: 1:18 PM
Weight: 160 lbs
Total time: 1:06:29 (60 mins shuffling/walking time, 6:29 warm up/cool down)
Total distance: 5.28 miles (5 miles shuffling/walking, .28 warm up/cool down)
Avg. pace: 11:45 mins/mile
Weather conditions: Cool (upper 40's), mist --> light rain, patchy fog, overcast
Road conditions: Asphalt; wet; patchy ice on trails
Course: Park road and bike trail, moderate hills
Attire: Scuba shoes, leggings, long-sleeved shirt, jacket, headband, gloves, scarf
Was attire comfortable for the conditions?: Yes, was cold for first 3-5 minutes. Nice to have layers to take off / put back on as needed. Feet were wet but warm throughout. Body was warm but wet, cold in car after run. Rain in eyes was uncomfortable, but thankfully short-lived.
Overall feel of run: I enjoyed basing my shuffle on how fast/slow my heart rate was instead of by pace or distance. It was nice to not only give myself permission, but INSIST, that I stop to walk when my heart rate reached Zone 5. This typically happened on the uphill climbs. One of the climbs I continued to shuffle through Zone 5 because the hill, though steep, is short and I knew my rate would drop on the downhill after the crest. I'm sure this is where my max recorded heart rate of 207 happened. Though winded by the crest (breathing with each footfall and tightened facial muscles) I felt pretty good.
Physical Discomfort?: My quads were sore due to the (perceived) slower pace (although, the split times were equal to my previous norms). Feeling as if I was shuffling slower to keep my heart rate in the desired zones, my knees were slightly more bent and foot turn over was slower. Plus adding the intermittent walking...changed things up a bit. I felt as if I couldn't really open up my hips and legs, causing some muscle fatigue. Also had tenderness in the first joint of both of my big toes...pretty common when having to wear my scuba shoes or boots. Not sure why...must be pushing off??
Cardiovascular discomfort?: Minimal, due to not allowing myself to push my heart rate up past 185. When I did, it was very easy to tell, as I breathed in and out with each foot fall (as opposed to every two or three footfalls) and carried tension (grimacing) in my face to gasp for breath. Anytime I entered into Zone 5, I walked until my rate was in Zone 3. At that point, I began shuffling again.
The course I shuffled was a 5 mile out-and-back. The first 2.5 miles is generally slightly down hill with one steep uphill at the end. My heart rate recovered quickly and I had little difficulty keeping the rate in the 3 and 4 zone (between 158-185). The last 2.5 miles (on the way back) is slightly uphill and I found myself kissing zone 5 often and quickly. As I neared the end of my shuffle, I had a harder time staying out of zone 5...likely due to fatigue, as this is pretty common for me. Maybe next time, I'll start at the hard end first so my last 2.5 miles are "easier" to see if the quicker increase in rate is due to fatigue or the slight uphill.
Would like to spend less time in the Anaerobic zone (zone 4) and more in the 3 zone...but at this stage, I'd have to walk the whole time to do that!! I'm hoping this will naturally come down with time. I was really surprised to see a 207 max heart rate, as I've never recorded one that high before (the previous high was 195 during a 5k this past summer, and I REALLY felt that!) so I don't know if that was an error.
Psychological discomfort: I never felt like I couldn't keep going. Not allowing my heart rate to climb so high was really helpful mentally. Though, I was glad to be done due to the weather being so cold/wet and my legs/feet being so tired.
The rest of the day I felt balanced and motivated. Not overly tired and not overly euphoric. No "runner's high"....just balanced and relaxed.
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