I was supposed to do Strength Training on Wednesday but I stayed up way too late on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. So I decided it was better to get some sleep and not to go work out with only 3 hours of sleep. I will pay for that decision next Monday when the trainer will kick my butt on the circuit!
Assessment Time
Tomorrow is a re-evaluation of my cardio heart zones (the first one was back in early June). This test will assess how efficient my body is at processing oxygen and distributing it to my muscles under stress. Tehy put a breathing mask over my face so I take in oxygen from the system and then breathe out into the mask so that the system can measure the amount of oxygen going into my lungs and how much comes back out. In this way, it can see how much oxygen gets absorbed by my lungs and theoretically transferred to my blood cells.
This is all happening while I am jogging on a Treadmill at a constant pace, with the incline increasing over a 20-25 minute period of the test. The whole thing is being monitored by a computer which is also taking the readings from my heart rate monitor in real-time. So it is getting all kinds of data: my heart rate across the entire test, my oxygen intake/outtake, and the pace and incline of the treadmill.
After the test is finished, I get a report of how well my body was performing at each stage, how well my heart was working, and how effectively oxygen was being distributed. I can then use the results to reset my sports watch to my five heart sports zones, identify my Vo2Max value, and determine the most efficient fat burning heart rate for me. All of which will help me to be more effective in my training runs as I prepare for the Disney Half Marathon. Yay!
Long Slow Run
After my test and evaluation meeting with Meghan, I will grab a protein shake and relax a bit before starting off on my LSR for the week -- 6.5 miles. Usually, I do my LSR on Saturday, but this week is going to be so jam packed with activity, including a Diabetes check with my doctor, that I won't have time to do any running whatsoever. (And I cannot do any exercise prior to my Diabetes check since it involves bloodwork). So Friday it will be.
I haven't decided if I am going to run on a treadmill at the club, since I will already be there, or if I am going to find a nearby bike path and run it outside. If the weather is nice and the sun is out, the bike path will likely win out. And if I can make the loop end at LifeTime, I can at least shower and everything right after the 'post-run' stretch and foam rolling.
After my run, I need to jump in my car and drive 3.5 hours to pick up my daughter and bring her and her stuff back home. She is moving to San Diego so we have to help her get everything packed and shipped on Saturday, and then put her on a plane on Sunday morning. I am very excited for her (and very sad at the same time). But I know this is going to be an awesome experience for her and that is what is important.
Guess what I will be thinking about during my run.... :)
New Watch arrives!
This is going to be a game changer for me! I really like the way it works, the screen is pretty easy to read (for an oldtimer like me), and it even has an altimeter and thermometer. I cannot wait to run with it! Now my only question is if I can download all the data I have accumulated on PolarPersonalTrainer.com and download it into the Pro Trainer5 software that came with the watch. Then I can do some really awesome analysis and reporting over the past 7 months.
Thanks, Polar, for sending me such an awesome gift!