Today is off to a good start! I had a good workout this morning. Once again, I was the only person at the TEAM Weight Loss cardio training. So I had a chance to talk to Meghan more about running, running gel packs vs sport beans, heart rate zones, my planned races this year, etc.
Gel Packs: I have never tried gel packs because you don't need them unless you are running longer than an hour. I also did not know that you need to drink about 8oz of water each time you consume one of those gels, otherwise it can have a detrimental effect rather than a positive one on your performance. She is going to bring me one so I can see what they taste like and how they make you feel.
Heart Zones: I told her that on my Saturday run, my max heart rate was 174 and I wanted to know if that was good or bad. She suggested I get a Cardio Point evaluation to find out what my actual zones are instead of just using the standard calculations. Everyone's zones are different and what might be good for me (based upon my age, weight, health, etc.) is going to be different than anyone else. And then I can get up my watch accordingly and better monitor my runs. She says you should have the zones re-evaluated later because they change as you become more fit. Great idea, but why does everything have to cost money? Ugh!
We talked about whether I should run the Windrunner 10K this summer. Part of me wants to give it a try but the other part is worried about running in the Chicago heat and humidity in mid-August. I suppose I can't live in fear though. And the only way I am going to really improve and move to the next level, is the challenge myself to do a little more and run a little further. Throw out the negative thinking! Meghan says I can do this; Beth says I can do this. "Rick, it is your 'destiny'! Search your feelings. You know that it's true!"
And while we were chatting, she was working my butt off! I power-walked 3 miles today, including several 3-minute runs at 4.5 mph. The runs felt great. But it is always a challenge to walk the treadmill while also doing lat pulldowns, curls, chest presses, and shoulder presses. Lots of arm work today! And when the arms weren't being used, I was doing inclines from 4-12%. Whew!
By the time I was done, I was ready for my protein shake! This time, I brought my own whey protein and had the Cafe guy mix in banana, strawberries, and milk. Tasty and economical because mix-ins are about $3 cheaper than just buying one of their smoothies. Nice!