When Greg got me the Garmin 410, one of the reasons he picked that model was because it was compatible with a heart rate monitor and he wanted me to have that option.  It took me over a year to use it, but I have to admit it was neat getting the data feedback!

Garmin has a video tutorial section on their website that had my heart rate monitor on and connected to my watch in under 5 minutes.

The strap needs to touch your skin on your chest, so I just tucked it under the strap of my sports bra where it stayed in place easily the entire run.  I knew it was there, but I didn’t really notice it, and it bothered me a lot less than my water supply strapped to my waist (which is starting to bounce more than it used to, I wonder if I used to wear it differently?).

I thought it would be fun to wear it on a long run and get 10 miles of data.

Before I looked at the numbers, I had to figure out what they meant.  Active.com has a Target Heart Rate calculator.  These calculators all use a standard formula, where you subtract your age from 220 to get a maximum heartrate.  According to WebMD, “the American College of Sports Medicine recommends a target heart rate while exercising of 50% – 85% of your maximum heart rate”.  My maximum heart rate (220 – 30) is 190.  That means my range is 95 beats per minute –  161 beats per minute.  Where you shoot for in that range depends on how active you are, with the highest cardiovascular benefits at the top end of the range.

I didn’t know what to expect for a reading.  It was a long run, so I knew I’d be exerting less continuous effort than if I were only running a few miles.  (Here’s a link from Runner’s World about determining the correct heart rate percentage for different runs.)  Connecting my Garmin to upload the heart rate data, I was a little apprehensive.  What number did I even want to see?  If I were able to run 10 miles at my normal long run pace in the lower part of my target range, it’d mean that I could probably be working harder.  That’d be great, because I’d love to be faster… and yet, I feel like I’m working plenty hard already!  On the other hand, if I were working at the upper end of my target range, I’d feel validated that I’m pushing hard enough on my long runs, but also have the buzz-kill of realizing that I’m not going to magically drop a minute per mile off my long run pace “just because I wasn’t putting in the effort I could be”.

Mentally, I know I’ve been working hard.  But what would the numbers say?  And how much does it really matter?

 

Above is the chart read-out of my splits.  Areas with less than 1 mile splits are where I stopped to take a GU, or, in one case, where a motorist pulled over and asked me directions.  (Unfortunately, I was almost 5 miles from my house and had no idea where she was going, so I had to stop my audiobook and use my smartphone to help her!)

In 10 miles, over 1 hour and 43 minutes, my heart rate averaged 166.  My highest heart rate was 178.  That means I was working above the recommended heart rate window…. for an hour and forty three minutes.  See?  I knew I was working hard.

The neat part?  When I stopped the watch to GU, or give directions, or even for a stoplight or street crossing, my Garmin might not have recorded a split to show that I was taking a break, but my heart rate chart showed it clearly.

 

The dips in the heart rate are pauses in my running.  If you look at the chart, you can see all the dips where it gets down to the 140s.  It even dips down to 133 after that long conversation with the lost car driver.  Even if I’m not diligently recording every pause for a stop light, street crossing, or GU anymore, my heart rate lowered because I took a break, and then increased again as I started running.  The neat part?  Even though I feel like I’m cheating every time I rest at a stop light, my heart rate is still well within the range for healthy cardiovascular activity.  In fact, if you believe this chart, I should be pushing LESS hard when I’m running, especially for a long run.  It’s kind of crazy to average above the high end of the recommended range for that long of a run!  I guess it shows that I am a “very active person” to quote WebMD, because I felt comfortable.

My heart rate was high, but I passed the “sentence” test for effort.  I was working hard, but when I ran off the sidewalk to go around two gentlemen who were talking at mile 7, and they called out to me that they would have moved, I was able to shout back three whole sentences at them that they were very sweet, but it was totally fine, and I was happy to go around.  (That’s literally what I said.  Not just thanks.  And I didn’t sound like I was going to die.)

So, what does this mean?  Depends who you ask.  Runner’s World has actually taken down their heart rate calculator, with an explanation that the formula I cited above just isn’t accurate enough for all individuals to be helpful.  You can read more in detail here.  Another neat article from Runner’s World about heart rates is this one: “Finding Your Perfect Heart Rate Training Zone.”  It points out that runners often don’t run slow enough on recovery runs, and therefore can’t run as many miles a week as they otherwise might be able to.  Since one of my major problems is that I seem to run all my runs at a very similar pace, I think wearing a heart rate monitor and going out for a few “easy miles” is a great idea.  I could try to keep it relaxed, and see if I can run some miles in a lower range in order to add an extra day of running to my week without compromising the quality of my key workouts.

In general, I think these numbers show that I am definitely improving.  I wasn’t hooked up to a heart rate monitor a year ago, but I can tell you for sure that I could not have maintained a high heart rate for an hour and forty five minute run…. because the longest I’d ever run was 33 minutes.

So maybe my pace feels slow when I compare myself to other runners who are running around 20 miles a week.  That’s ok, because I’m working hard, and I AM improving.  To be able to keep my heart rate that high for that long means I’m kicking some butt out there, and I’m proud of that.

Will I run with a heart rate monitor a lot?  Probably not.  But I think it’s a neat tool to validate the impression I had of my own running, which is that I was working at an appropriate level of effort.  Yes, I was above the recommended range… but I was also able to get three sentences out, and keep going.  I even picked up the pace for the last part because I wanted to get home.  Two things are clear: I was working hard, because my heart rate was high, and I was not working too hard, because I was doing fine.

I like knowing that.  I’ll remember it next time I feel like I should be running faster than I am because of how much I’ve been running.  I have proof that I’m working hard 🙂  Not that I needed it… but does it ever hurt to have some numbers for validation?

Next up – I’ll try to wear it sometime for a tempo run, and a recovery run.

I don’t plan to wear the monitor regularly, but I enjoyed doing a run with it to learn a little bit more about whether I was putting in enough effort on my long runs, or had some room for improvement.  From a cardiovascular standpoint, I’m doing great 🙂

Anyone else use heart rate monitors in their training?

I was torn.  I really was.  It felt like bragging, and I’m not a huge fan of bragging, because its purpose is to make yourself feel better in comparison to others.

But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to put that 13.1 magnet on the back of my car after I finished my first half marathon.  Why?  Not because I want to feel better than anyone else.  In fact, chances are decent that non-runners barely notice my car magnet.  Greg had actually RUN a marathon and I STILL DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE 26.2 STICKERS MEANT.

I apologize for all caps, but, seriously?  Really?  I hadn’t figured out what those car stickers were?

So, here’s my thinking.  I believe that almost anyone can run a half marathon… if they want to.  Whether or not everyone can WANT to run a half marathon is the real question.

I think when someone sees the 13.1 magnet on the back of my car, and then sees a short, tired looking woman hauling two kids out of car seats in an effort to beat the lunch rush at Whole Foods, they’re going to think, “Umm, really?  SHE found the time and energy to run a half marathon?  REALLY?!?  If she can do it, I can do it.  Maybe I will.”

Why do I think this?  Because I’ve actually inspired a lot of people to start running, or to run further than they’ve ever run before.  I’ve inspired more runners than some people who are better, faster, and more dedicated runners than I am.  I am an enthusiastic runner, and I am very real, very attainable, and very passable.  I make it look like you could do it, too.  BECAUSE YOU CAN.

So I’m keeping my 13.1 car magnet, and I hope that it earns me a smile of camaraderie from other runners, and a “REALLY? Well geez, I bet I could do that…” from non-runners.  Or maybe, just as good, a “Really?  If she can do 13.1, I can get into good enough shape for a 5K.”  Awesome.  Do it.

Because if you want it, if you look at that car magnet and wish you’d earned one, too, then the best thing I can do for you is show you how attainable it really is.

I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m saying with enough time, patience, and hard work, you could do it.  Don’t ask me, though, ask your doctor.  See the look of happiness on their face when you tell them you really want to step up your cardiovascular exercise.

Just promise me that if you want to, you’ll put a 3.1, 6.2, or 13.1 runbrag on your car, too.  Let’s show everyone how many of us are doing it.  Maybe we’ll get them to join us, and running will improve their lives, too.

You may also like: Dear Chad Stafko, OK, We’re Happy to be Runners. Get Over It.

 

I got up on Saturday and joined the mothers forum for another one of their weekly runs.  Last week I wrote a post about getting left behind after less than half a mile because the runners who came that week were so much faster than I am.  This week, it was two mothers who are STILL faster than I am, but a little bit closer to my pace.  It was great, because their conversational pace (and they were making an effort to run slow so I could stay with them longer) was under a 10 minute pace, which is pushing it for me.  (My fastest 5k pace was a 9:34 pace on a completely flat course, and it was NOT EASY.)

I was able to hang onto them for the first mile and a half, and then rest for a minute, and rejoin them for another three quarters of a mile before dropping my pace down.  I finished close enough to their finish time that one of the runners ran back to run me in (also, she’s kind of the nicest person ever, so might have waited even if I’d been several minutes back).

Overall, it meant that I ran four miles in sub ten minute pace.  That’s not something I’ve EVER done outside of a race setting, and it’s faster than my previous attempts at keeping up with the forum.

Keeping up with them as long as I can is helping me get faster.  When I run by myself, I naturally ease into a slightly slower pace because I’m not trying to stay right behind someone.  I’d have to look at my Garmin every thirty seconds and speed up to run a sub-ten minute pace without the help of a pacer like the mothers forum runners.

Saturday pleases me for a couple reasons.

1. I really didn’t want to get out of my warm cozy bed and go for a run before breakfast, but I did anyway.  (Thanks to the encouragement of my sometimes overly cheerful and optimistic husband.)

2. I have run with the group enough times to see myself actually getting faster… I’m cutting seconds off, and little by little, my pace is improving.  Not only do I get to chat a little with other mothers, it’s helping my running, too.  Love it.

Last night, Greg and I watched America the Beautiful, a documentary that asks “is America obsessed with beauty?” and takes a closer look at some different themes within that concept.  The airbrushing and computer editing of models that surrounds us with images of women that don’t, can’t, exist.  Toxins in makeup.  Eating disorders.  Plastic surgery gone wrong, rendering people in pain and uninsurable for life.  A 12 year old runway model.  The usual suspects, but in a fresh and interesting way that kept us watching the full documentary when we intended to go to bed after an hour.

I thought it was a wonderful documentary, and I would certainly recommend it.

But here’s something that worries me.

As we get angry about all of this, it’s tempting to rebel by accepting our bodies and ourselves in whatever state we’re in.  This sends us from the embrace of advertising straight into the embrace of the processed food and sugar industry.

That’s not better… now, we’re jeopardizing our health in order to send the message to others that we’re part of the change, that we believe in our own beauty without wearing pounds of makeup and designer clothing and struggling with our weight.

We need to find a place in the middle.

I don’t believe high school girls should be dieting… but I believe all of us should try to make healthier eating choices.

I don’t believe you have to be thin to be beautiful… but I know that heart disease is a leading cause of death for women in the United States and the fat we have around our middle is an indicator of our risk.

I don’t think exercise obsessions are healthy… but running helped me out of postpartum depression, gives me a positive mood lift and the energy to be a mother of two, and has provided me with a huge feeling of accomplishment and pride in what my body can do.

EXTERNAL LINKS: The Dove videos

If you haven’t seen the Dove Real Beauty Sketches, they’re worth watching.  Although Dove is not exempt from being part of the problem – their “real beauty campaign” started with a billboard of women who were a healthy weight, in their underwear.  Awesome!  Less awesome? It was an advertisement for firming lotion.

To see a time lapse video of a normal woman being turned into an advertising image through hair, makeup, and computer retouching, watch this Dove Evolution ad on youtube.  The images of women we see are so unrealistic that even the women modeling for them don’t actually look that way in real life.

HEALTHY IS BEAUTIFUL

What I would like to see is a shift towards believing that healthy is beautiful.  My healthy, beautiful weight range and yours are probably not the same.  (Unless you’re also 5’3″ with a small bone structure.)

I try to feed my family a lot of meatless meals, limit the refined sugars in our diet, and eat more whole foods than processed ones.  Not because of how it makes us look to you, because it improves our short term energy and our long term health.

You should put down the cookie because the cookie is bad for you, not because the cookie makes you look a certain way to me.  And only set it down if you’re eating cookies every day… I LOVE and look forward to pies, cakes, and cookies… but we enjoy them more when they’re rare or occasional and not part of our regular routine.

I like the way I look when I look into the mirror, because my body is telling me a story.  It reflects back to me the healthy eating choices I have made, the long runs I have gone on, the five bags of groceries I haul into the house in one trip, the two children I brought into this world.

Seeing the changes in my body that reflect the changes in my lifestyle makes me feel good, because it’s a reminder that making a meal from scratch when I wanted to order pizza is paying off.  I’m healthier, I look healthier, and my family is healthier, too.

I like being a healthy weight.  Is that such a bad thing?