I’ve definitely stalled out on my running in the past month. I’ve averaged 2 runs a week since mid-December according to my fitness app, and that’s simply not enough volume to improve. I’m kinda maintaining, as in I could go run a 5k right now and not die (and ‘didn’t die’ is a good summary of my performance in the two 5k’s I ran in November and December.)
If I’m going to meet that goal of running a half marathon by the end of the year I need to come up with a way to make progress.
I have two issues:
Fridays are hard
My workout schedule right now is supposed to be a run on Monday/Wednesday/Fridays. On a normal week with no holidays it’s easy to get in the workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays; I just use the gym at the office since I work from there those days. They have nice Peloton Treads and it’s super convenient going down one floor to the gym after I finish working.
Fridays are different because I work from here. Running outside sucks right now for multiple reasons: 1.) It’s cold and running on ice scares me. 2.) My neighborhood is too hilly for me to be able to run at my current fitness level. I could get over #1 if I forced myself, but #2 is more of an issue. Which leads into:
Can’t run slow enough
I’ve “run” two 5ks, but for both I ended up having to walk. Right now, I can sustain a jog for a couple miles, but my heartrate will be in the 170 to 185 range at a 13 min/mile pace. If my Zone 2 heart rate is supposed to be in the 145 range, there is no run or jog pace at which I can stay below that.
The answer seems to be that I need to just swallow my pride and start walking. As one guy in a video said, “your heart doesn’t know if you’re walking, running, cycling, or skydiving.”
So now what?
- Make Friday workouts happen, either by sucking it up and going outside or just paying Planet Fitness for a treadmill once a week.
- Consistently get in a leg-focused strength workout once a week. (I’ve done this the past couple weeks, just need to keep going.)
- Be willing to vary exercise types. Incline walking is a good way to get me into the right heart rate range. If I can’t do the boredom of walking that much, throw in some stationary bike.
- Work out to a plan for building up my aerobic base instead of winging it.