Webpro- what was your target heart rate when you slowed down your training?  Per his formula, at age 59, my target range would be 110-120!!  (I put myself in group C, since I've been running for less than 2 years.  I'm not sure I could do anything more than a fast walk or very slow jog to keep my heart rate in that range.  How long did it take before you were able to notice an increase in your pace at the same heart rate?    Sorry for all the questions, this puzzles me, but I want to do it the right way.  thanks.

5.1 miles this morning; 82 degrees at 4:50 when I headed down the hill to our country road!  I did not push it today, changed to a 2:1 ratio for running/walking.   Also carried water, which I don't normally do for a run this short.  I also saw Mr/Mrs Sandhill and their 2 chicks on my return!

Be careful in the heat everyone, but enjoy the run!

Tony and Ron, Thanks for the HR details. Been using a HRM for almost a year and I only know when it's high or low. I don't trust its accuracy enough to pinpoint a range and stay there. I scan my body for comfort to figure that out and then check the HRM to confirm how accurate I'm being.

Dan, enjoy those new shoes! Let us know if you're liking them? My newest are Brooks and I think they're finally broken in but it's taken a long time.

Debra - Family camping on Door Peninsula sounds heavenly. Hope it was nice!

Steve - You have a great plan for dealing with the after race blahs. Think I'll copy it.

Rob - I'll be at the Columbus HM, too. I'm excited! I've heard lots of good things. Haven't booked a room yet and that's probably a problem. I wasn't suggesting you slow down your pace if you are comfortable due to your HR. You asked about endurance and my suggestion was to add walk breaks with running at normal pace, 3 min run, 1 min walk, to make it possible to cover longer distance within an effort similar to what you normally exert. Another way to do this is to run all the way but at a slower pace. The goal is to prepare your legs and feet for the longer effort and eventually your conditioning will catch up. 

Kim - Welcome! You too will fit in well. We've discussed running with or without music and a surprising number of folks prefer no tunes. I always have them on to calm me down.

Bill - Glad you're enjoying your running club!I still haven't decided between the larger pay group or smaller free group. Both run out of local stores and both have experienced runners. In the larger, I'd be running with folks at my pace and mingling with beginners. In the smaller group, I'd be a pace group of one but mingling with all. That appeals most to me but for the smaller group having someone from my office.

Ron - I get that restricted content message on and off. I copy my message, log out, log back in and try again. If that doesn't work, I'll try cutting sections to isolate where the problem is. I swear posting on this site can be frustrating but it's free.

Kathy - Loved reading your group running story! You really do have the best of both worlds. Great motivation!

Kim and Rob, I started running from absolutely no experience on May 6, 2011 with C25k. I am running four days a week and working out the other two, fitting this in with full-time work behind a desk that I've been doing 20+ yrs. I've had a number of injuries, two bad enough to make me stop and one knee/leg strain that I've babied for months and which is still with me. I am 63 yrs old and amazed at what my body has done so far but am not happy with my lack of speed. My avg. pace is 15 mm and my race pace is 13 mm. I race about twice a month and *ran* two HMs this May. I've registered for a bunch in the fall: a 14k, an HM trail and 2 HMs on roads. I am also addicted; I run for endorphins! The folks on this thread have been a huge inspiration and great resource. We are lucky to have them!

Stay cool, strong and enjoy those runs!

Well gang I did it. my longest run to date 14.5 miles. It was 84 degrees when I started at 6:20. I ran slower than usual 2:40 mins. Felt great all the way with an average HR of 139. I took three shots of Hammer gel @ miles 6, 9 & 12. I stayed well hydrated. drank some Hammer Recoverite as soon as I arrived home just in time to complete my honey do list!!!!

Very impressive, Tony!. Debra, great job and sounds like lots of fun!

Had a great race today and am very happy with my effort. Followed the lead of another runner who is nursing a wound and ran her interval plan, whic is also the one suggested in the Galloway book about running until you're 100. I went out with 1:1 and planned to increase after the first half mile or so as my pace would allow. Well it turned out that with the hills, heat and race pressures, that 1:1 gave me a 12 mm for the first mile and that is a first for me. I was breathing pretty heavily so I didn't feel I could run a longer interval and the course was hilly. About half of mile 2 was uphill so there was a good bit of walking; I committed to push my walking pace instead of forcing myself to run more. In the end I finished with an avg pace of 13.34, a best. Though it was 103 this afternoon, we had a break this morning and there were patches of shade. I was using them to keep running at the end across the finish: "You can make it to that next shade; just one more patch." So I put it all in and it's a good feeling. Also, my run portions were from 8 - 10 mm, which is also neat to know. I could not have stretched much further but it's nice to know I may be able to move out of 15 mm with work. it feels good. Tomorrow will be TM at the gym and veg at the movies, Magic Mike - Girls Night Out!

Run strong and fierce!

Spent half an hour tonight trying to post - kept getting a "Restricted Content Found" error.

Can anyone point me to a terms of use document on this site somewhere?  The least they could do is highlight the "Restricted Content"...

Couldn't find anything that even the strictest church-goer would find offensive.  Tried eliminating a brand-name I'd used - no difference.

Frustrating.  I think someone else here has been having the same problem.

Anyone know how I can contact a moderator or something?  Don't want to ware all the time posting if I get shut out for an unspecified reason...

Rob

Rob, to try to answer your question, I think you got caught in a random screwup.  There are no restrictions on brand names, urls, other sites, etc. that I'm aware of.  And curse words like **** get bleeped out.  I think the only thing you can do in these situations is try again later.

Len

Tony-I tried to slow down as you suggested on my long run Saturday-10.2 mi, a new long for me.  I was running mostly 12:30-13:30 and a 3:1 ratio, and heart rate was lower, but still above his recommended range-130-140 most of the time.  (Tried the heart rate monitor for the first time and couldn't get it to read on my Garmin.  I'll change the battery and try again.  I would just check pulse at the beginning of the walk.) 

Debra- You are right about the heat.  The only way to get stronger  is to go ahead and run, but important to be smart about it. Or at least I try to.  Running a 5K Wednesday in Deforest-last year it was mid-80's at start at 8 AM, looks like it will be at least that by the forecast!

Mary Kay-  That change in the walk/run ratio sounds like a smart move.  I've been thinking of using a 3:1 ratio on the 5K on the 4th due to the heat.  We will see how the day heats up!

On my long run Saturday I changed my plan and decided to go longer since I was going slower to try to keep my HR down in the goal range.  Never sweat so much running before!  the bottle I was carrying didn't last long; I ran into a campground and filled it with cold water from the soda dispenser in the mess hall.  they were very nice about it.  I even called my wife to bring me more on the last leg.  Overall I didn't feel as bad as I have after some other runs, so the slow pace, extra water and several shot blocks must have helped.

Run strong and smart this week!

Dan~10.2 miles!  Nicely done, and good job choosing a route with access to water at the campground.  Yesterday was hot even along Lake Michigan, cannot imagine how sweltering it was in your area.  Forecast for high 90s and high humidity tomorrow, take care!  Thanks for the hydration info link, I'll check it out.

Mary Kay~YoooHooo!  Congratulations on the PR and a well run race!  You did an excellent job adapting to extremely harsh conditions.  So glad the run/walks are working for you.  Hope you enjoyed "Magic Mike", Soderbergh's films are usually pretty good.  Lots of "eye-candy" in this one!

Had a good 6 mile run on the mostly shaded bike path at 7:00 am.  Sections of the route were actually pleasant due to the deep shade.  Used my hand held bottle, filled 1/3 with water and froze over night.  Topped it off with water in the morning to carry with me.  Six miles is about the longest I care to use the handheld.  For longer runs change to the waist belt and larger capacity bottle, or drop frozen water bottles on the route.

Anyone racing over the Independence Day holiday? 

Run strong, friends!  Be safe out there.