I ran 7.13 miles tonight, in 1:05:03. The run was damn near perfect, and I think a big part of it was a new perspective I took.
(ignore the 200+ heart rate at the beginning, the monitor wasn't on right and I had to adjust it)
The first time I posted the graph, it was pace and heart rate over time. This time, I changed it around so it is pace and heart rate over distance. So you can see what my pace and heart rate were at each mile. I like this view better... The first thing that hopefully stands out if you look at this graph is the steady heart rate.
For this run, instead of constantly checking my distance or my pace on my watch, I left it showing my heart rate. I really focused on my heart rate, and keeping it steady. I think this did wonders for my run. Any time my heart rate would start to rise above 165, I would focus on my breathing and keeping a steady running rhythm. I found that I could widen my stride and lower my heart rate, even though I was going at a decent pace. It was all a matter of really paying attention to all the aspects, my breathing, my stride, everything.
The way I was able to keep my heart rate so steady said a lot of things to me. One, it tells me that I am training at the right levels. Secondly, my heart is really healthy right now to be able to sustain such an even pace over a long run. (ignore the last mile - it's all uphill) Last, I think I learned a totally new aspect of running tonight. That paying attention to your body and really focusing can make a huge difference between a crappy run and an excellent run.
I'm excited to run the 10-mile race. This weekend I ran into an old coworker who is an avid runner. I mentioned to her that I was doing the Twin Cities 10-miler, and she was really jealous. She signed up but did not get in this year. She said, out of 5 years trying to get in, she has only got in twice. That made me feel really lucky that I got in this year.
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