Heart Rate Training: Week 2 (Weekly Wrap-up Edition)

So this is the second week of my heart rate training.  How have I done.  Great!  I think it has helped that the humidity has been a little less this second week.  For almost all of my runs, I have gotten my heart rate right where it should be (an average of 140-147).  That's very exciting.

Monday - I started out with a treadmill workout.  I have been going back and forth on if I want to keep up these speed sessions or not.  I have read where you shouldn't do any speed work till you are well into the heart rate training.  I started out the first mile at 4.6 and then moved to the second mile rotating between 4.8/5.0.  The third mile I upped it to rotating between 4.9/5.1 and at mile 2.68 (according to the treadmill) I got a very sharp pain in my knee.  Not good!  I slowed down and still had the pain, just not as bad.  So I decided just to walk out the rest of the mile and once I started walking no pain.  And no pain the rest of the day.  My heart rate averaged 146.

Wednesday - 5 mile run in da hood.  I've been trying to do the same loop so that it's easier to compare my stats.  Also, sun rise time is starting to get later and later, so I'm starting to wear some flashing lights so that cars can see me while it's still dusky out.  Run was real good.  Temps were defiantly cooler.   I did find that I started having the same knee pain that I did on Monday.  I concentrated on making my stride shorter and that helped a lot.  Except for the few times it hurt when my stride was too long, I really had no pain.  I found myself in Zone 4 for 28% of the run (21:06 minutes).

Friday - I did the same 5 mile loop as Wednesday.  I found on Thursday I had some residual pain in my knee in the morning, but it worked itself out by the afternoon.  I did get out my big knee brace that I wear when my knee is acting up.  I found that helps make it feel secure and really didn't have any knee pain while I ran.  I found that I was in Zone 4 for 53% of the time (39:41 minutes).  I know I was trying to walk faster.  Also during the last mile, I think my HR monitor flipped out as it kept saying my HR was at 151 no matter how slow I walked.  Then I ran and it stayed there.  I ended up rebooting it and that did help.  I really love comparing these stats to see what I did different and what might help in the future.

Saturday - Our long run was a drop back week.  I wore my big brace and found, again, with that on, I didn't have any issues with my knee.  The route was nice, taking us through some nice neighborhoods.  A bit of zig zagging and through a park.  The day was overcast, which was good.  One of the neighborhoods we ran through was Tim Kaine's (Hillary's VP Candidate).  I think I saw him outside his house as there were a bunch of men in suits with him.  At mile 9 I found myself going down a road and thinking that it couldn't be right.  I should be getting closer to the stadium and I was getting further away.  It turns out the directions I printed out had me turn the wrong way.  So almost half a mile later I figured out where I should be going with my phone.  This is why I never run without my phone.  Except for that mile which I slowed down a lot to figure out where I was going, I think I did real well for an almost 11 mile run.

So this week has been good.  My times have been quicker and my average heart rate has come down.  I can't wait to see where the next couple of weeks get me.

Linking up with Holly and Tricia's Weekly Wrap Up.