Cardio and you!

I've been hearing a lot of buzz words dealing with heart rate and exercise terms like VO2max, Target rate, aerobic, anaerobic, etc. The terms are vague and ominous sounding, but without a decoder I was not understanding them beyond knowing that target rate is best for fat burning. In this post I hope to remedy that. Click on the chart below, find your age across the top and directly below will be your heart rates associated with the various "buzzword" zones


Lets take it from the top down VO2Max this is where your body can no longer provide the muscles with the required oxygen to metabolize nutrients that provide energy. You can keep this rate for a while, but you will be feeling it in a day or two!

Next up is the almost as hardcore, but infinitely more sustainable Anaerobic zone - you still are running an oxygen deficit but you can keep this up for quite some time. While in the anaerobic range don't plan on holding long drawn out conversations or singing - your lungs have better things to do - you will also be feeling this the next day, but it's not too bad, once you get used to it.

I will combine aerobic and weight control zones into the same description - this is where your body burns fat most efficiently. it is also where you can actually hold conversations and concentration on running is not as essential.

The last zone Moderate I can only think that you can get here via walking to the fridge for pumpkin pie - to increase the burn of that workout pile the whipped cream high!

I spend most of my workouts in the anaerobic range. I rarely hit VO2max except when doing stairs or running while listening to Pantera. All this information and more can be found on wikipedia, I just thought I'd save the reader (and myself) additional hassle by posting it here.

Into the wind

"In the main Puget Sound area and lower Chehalis Valley, a Wind Advisory is up again with potential gusts to 40-45 mph, maybe a few to 50 mph this evening."

- Snipped from KOMONEWS.COM's forecast

I run a 2.6 mile north/south course in the Auburn/Kent valley. Todays run came as a low pressure system was moving across Washington. Correspondingly the wind was out of the south and strong there was no rain besides a spritz at the end but the wind really affected my time!


Note the drop off in speed around the half way mark - yet my heart rate actually went up. Wind resistance made for a great return leg workout and although many times I sunk below 5mph I was working it!

The Storms Just Keep Coming!

4 "storms" in 5 days is quite unusual for Washington. Now northwest storms are not usually thought of as especially impressive in terms of wide spread physical destruction. Our mountain ranges help to break up systems for the most part and systems tend to move through quickly. That said we do have lots of power outages, fallen trees and chaos. usually the morning after you'll notice debris strewn about in the streets - mostly leaves, branches, pine needles.

Previously, I would spend my time inside during the storms and play video games or watch movies, which I still do, but now I also grab my gear, head out into it and go running. Running in storms is a mixed bag - wind can be a friend or foe, rain is the same story. Running with the wind to your back can impart a feeling of being pushed along, but I have found that cooling suffers. I'm sure this is not scientific, but I feel running into the wind is better at cooling. Running into the wind does feel like more work, but mix some rain up with it and it's very refreshing.

That's my plan for today, I'm hoping to hit interurban around 3:15-3:30 and do either 5.2 or 6.3 miles - not sure which, all depends on how the legs feel. I do know that the choice of music will help dictate how long of a run. I'm thinking I'll be listening to the World of Warcraft soundtrack as the music is made to accompany long journeys. I have my gear in the truck - I'll change before I leave work to save daylight.

Saw the Domain, had to grab it!

10k in the rear-view!

Besides the new domain, much has been happening in my life of running. The rain continues to fall although last Saturday was cold and partly cloudy when I started the run the temps were just above freezing - luckily I have long "Tech" pants and a long "Tech" shirt - which I layered a "tech" T-shirt over the top.

I'm not quite sure why folks call them "Tech gear" but I guess there is still a stigma attached to the word "Polyester". Polyester does a great job of wicking away moisture where cotton soaks it up and stays wet

Running in the rain is easy, running in the cold take a little getting used to. I convinced my nose about two miles into my run that it really did not need to run as well. Around the same time my hands started warming up as well. the run felt great and I set a personal best distance of 6.47 miles - over a 10K (6.24m) which was one of my goals now achieved! Since I was all puffed up about reaching 10 miles I registered for the "Kent Christmas Rush 10K" my goal is to finish, not sure if it will be last or not, but finishing will be a win in my book!

No run Monday, Metal Tuesday

Business kept me from running Monday, I really look forward to rain-running now and Monday would have been perfect - warm temperatures in front of a system blowing through and pretty good rainfall. Yesterday the temps dropped to 45 degrees and the precipitation waited until about half-way through the run. I recently found that my Blackberry 8310's headfone jack is not meant for a typical celphone headphone but for media player ear buds. Yesterday I packed my 1G microSD card with all the music it could fit. and decided to listen to different music. I chose Pantera for the workout. Normally I'm one for jazz/blues but in my past have been known to head-bang on occasion (Actually attended a Pantera concert in the mid 90's) Upon reflection I should not have been suprised at the affect it had on my workout my heart rate and speed were both up and I completed the 5.2 miles at a best average speed of 6mph . When I was about a quarter mile from finishing the run the skies broke loose. the rain was coming down - a squall line was passing overhead and it was dumping. Even with the temps in the mid 40s I was not cold at all.

Rerunning in the Rain

If I was hot and female, I would have looked somewhat like this while running in the rain. Unfortunately for you I'm an overweight and balding old guy. :D

Friday I ran the 5 1/4 mile Interurban Trail course, the weather was as wet as I had ever seen while running. The wind was out of the south at 5 to 15 miles per hour with occasional gusts higher. The rain was coming down like a sideways soaker hose. With the wind from the South my back received a good dousing on the way out. The temps were in the mid to upper fifties so it was still comfortable if you keep moving.
At around the 2 mile mark the rain let up briefly and a rainbow appeared - one of thos "double rainbows" with two separate arcs. the first arc glowed brilliantly - it scintillated. The second arc was more subdued, but still quite visible. As the rain resumed I was concerned that my electronics might be damaged - as I jog, I am a veritable nexus of electronic regalia - Blackberry, Garmin, and Zune. well no worries, my back is to the rain. At about the 2.5 mile point I realized that that would not be the case for the last half of the run (dur!)
I turned at the 2.6 mile point at Willis Street in Kent and was met by a wash of rain to the face - not the large pelting drops that hit with a "thwock" but a full and gentle wall of droplets that soaked you, but did so in a most civil manner. I began to theorize on the amount of current that the headphone were carrying and considering the shock hazard , but the two electrodes would need to arc across a large vacuum so I deemed myself safe. my electronics for the most part was covered by my shirt and in either a holster (Blackberry) or pocket (Zune) but my Garmin bore the brunt of natures wrath sitting, like a mighty bulwark upon my wrist.
The wind from the south which for the first half had been pushing me along ever so gently, had become a fierce adversary pushing back at my progress. It also served to keep me cooled down and I completed the rest of the run with good pace.

The weekend was spent chilling at home and church (Saturday is my sabbath as Sunday is a very busy day!)

Monday I repeated the run, but had procurred new running shorts - no room for Zune! The weather was cloudy and the rain was minor and spotty. Now I am settling in to the whole "5 miles is normal" routine and feeling quite happy with myself. my pace is adequate at 5.5 mph. I'm sore after the run it's a "good" sore, and no injuries yet (knock on wood!)

I found out that my wife is going to need some help Wednesday unloading hay, so I move my next run up to Tuesday - I've been trying to get my church friends to join me on a run and the Aviator agrees and makes it out. Although the pace is slower, I like having a partner to run with - conversation while running is difficult, but it helps build endurance. No rain Tuesday at all during the run, it's a bit brisk though. Today (Wednesday am) I'm feeling a cold coming on so I'm going to take it easy for a couple of days and let this run through. I'll have World of Warcraft and a new level 80 to keep me busy while I get well!

Running in the rain

If you want to blog at least blog about goals.



The past few weeks I've been dealing with foot pain - particularly on the outstep of my left foot. After doing my first 5 mile run, my foot ached enough to cause limping. I went to the running shoe store owner, he got me on the treadmill and said YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG! and told me to change up my running style completely I tried what he said, but it was uncomfortable and my heart rate was near max the whole time. Then as luck would have it my wife was thrown from her horse ( I'm a funny guy!) I took her to the doctor and while we were discussing the wifes broken thumb in the Xray I asked him about my predicament. He said in essence "YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!" and told me that the way I run is ok - for now. I should expect some pain as my foot gets used to being in the proper geometry in these most expensive shoes,. I originally bought the shoes to help with Achilles tendon pain and the releif was instant. The Doc said "Sam, you have to expect that those portions of your foot that are being used for the first time may be a bit tender, but they will get in shape in time.

So Monday I did a 3 mile run and felt awesome - my zune was dead so I had to entertain myself - I whistled the tune "Take me to the River" (8 weeks at number 1 on the MP3.com Christian rock charts back in the mid 90s) now my pulse was in the 150-160 range, but the run was very do-able.

Today I made it almost 5 1/4 miles non-stop. I ran the way I normally do, maybe a bit better posture but not any big change. My zune was fully charged and I chose to run with Diana Krall (The Girl in the Other Room and Live in Paris)
This is the farthest I have ever ran in my life, and although it's a monumental occasion I could have kept going! I'm hoping to do my first race in December - a 10k and although I have no illusions about finishing in the top 10 (or 20, 30 etc) I am very confident that I will finish it, and that will be a win for me.

Autumn is Setting In

Leaves are falling all around, Its time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged For such a pleasant stay. But now its time for me to go, The autumn moon lights my way. For now I smell the rain, And with it pain, And its headed my way. Ah, sometimes I grow so tired, But I know Ive got one thing I got to do

My beloved Lake Fenwick will be wet for the foreseeable future as the rains moved in last night. The trail isn't bad, but the boardwalk is treacherous when wet. So I think I'm going to start track running, although I may do some neighborhood runs, I really dislike breathing exhaust from vehicles while running.

Yesterday's run saw my fastest sprint time on the boardwalk - 14.8 MPH which if I could keep it up would be a 4:02 minute mile - how anyone could run a mile at that pace is beyond my comprehension, after 1/10th I was at the end of my rope.

A Hike During The Break


Last Friday my church's Music Director and I went hiking up in the cascades to a little place called Snow Lake. The locale was some of the most beautiful real estate in Washington. Approximately 4000 feet up in the Snoqualmie Pass area - just above Alpental Ski Area. The terrain was not too intense lots of forest with old growth, lots of boulder strewn hillsides. and most often a pretty good rise in altitude. The weather reports called for morning clouds until around 11:00 am so we thought that the hike would be nice and cool - we were surprised to find blue sky from sunrise on and the hike was warm - cool breezes were interspersed along the ever upward switchbacks and we made excellent progress. I was so thankful for the stairs at Fenwick, if it were not for those I might have had a bit of an issue with hike. Maybe the altitude was a factor, but wow, those switchbacks were a killer!

Lunch at the lake consisted of some energy bars and a package of beef jerky - a true hiking lunch if ever there was one!

Sitting at the lake, surrounded by the beauty really was the most relaxing time of my entire two week vacation. There were other people about but the lake seemed to emanate a peace force field that suppressed anything but a palpable sense of well-being and serenity. It was nice to see ground squirrels - not the large grey ones, but the little brown ones - showing up in goodly numbers along the trail.

A full day of hiking, we met at the church at 10:00am and returned at 4:30pm. I really thank Dean for the time and look forward to more exploration of the beauty this state holds.