16 - 17 is up and down the 59th street bridge - it`s covered so I think you loose the Garmin signal so it makes the climb look a liitle slower and the drop off faster ! but yes the climb up the bridge is a bit steep !

mile 23 is the start of a slow and steady climb then in the park there is sharp drop which at that point it hard on the quads - then the last mile is slowly up hill !it`s challenge on tired legs !

I don`t set my Garmin / HRM to beep I just let it log and check it after the race - I was pretty pleased with my avg over the race -

Congrats Spicegeek!  You are such an inspitation.  Like you I was over weight 205 lbs and only 5 ft 3 in then started running.  Now I've become addicted and thinking of training for my first marathon.  Knowing there are others out there and reading their stories is such a motivation.

Plus the fact this thread was even started is just so heart warming.  To see how many friendships there are in this sight is amazing!  The truley experienced runners don't mind helping the newbes, and are encouraging the entire way through.

If you don't mind I would like to ask a question about your heartrate.  When was it you started seeing your heart rate come down and did you do anything to help it.   I am concerned my HR is to high and this is preventing me from training for the marthon.  Heres why.  My resting HR is 57 and max is 202 (seems high to me).  I have run 8-10 miles at least once a week for the last 7 months, thinking if I added miles it would make my HR lower on shorter runs.  However, if I run 1/2 mile @ a 12 min/mi pace ( I normally run about 9:30 pace for my long runs) my heart rate is still 194.  If I take my pace up to a comfortable pace of 9:30 it is 194.  If I run 8-10 miles like this, no matter the pace I'm between 194-196.  After 2 years I would have expected it to come down.  The numbers don't make sence to me.   I have asked the doctor and at first he said it was because I was over weight, then it was "give it time."  I'm thinking of demanding a stress test before I start training, better safe than sorry, but I also don't want to go in and be a grump if what I'm experiencing is normal.

Thanks for the advice,

TyKy

Tyky - It makes me feel so good when I hear someone say they feel encouraged by my story and that is makes them beleive they can do more - I had people around me who has so much faith in me I gave me the courage to push harder and aim higher.

This thread was such a surprise to me - I was very humbled by it - and you are right - it shows the culture and type of people that use this forum - I think this is one of the most supportive group of people you`ll find.

I monitored my resting heart rate over time - I took it once a month as soon as I woke up - before I got up. Just going an hour of cardio each day it started to improve - even before I was a runner - I used a basic HR monitor and tried to keep my HR up in 65 - 85% range  ( using the basic  220 - age ) when I worked out -  Intervals of any kind are also good for improving your stamina - Now experienced runners will do 1/4 sprints but if you are still a new runner and nor ready for speedwork you can do High Intensity Interval Training when you do your resistance training - instead of resting between sets you do 1 -2 mins of hard cardio - like jump rope - or hard spinning / biking / rowing - Or you can do bike intervals - do 2 mins very easy biking - 2 mins hight resistance as hard / fast as you can - repeat - as many times as you like ! This trains your body to recover fast - Biking is good support for running it helps you increase your leg turnover too