Progress Update

I figure maybe I ought to talk about my actual progress since looking at my past posts there doesn’t appear to be any. The truth is the opposite though, I think I just don’t dare write about it since it might break my stride, no pun intended just can’t think of another word. So far my progress is being measured in heart rate and clothing.
In the heart rate area I have been very impressed with my improvement. When I started this I would get my heart rate set in the monitor somewhere between 60% and 90% of my max heart rate. My course was a fairly level path in the hayfield about the length of a track – 5 laps was a mile. I would start jogging and within 50 feet be maxed out. I would walk about a lap before the rate was down into the middle of that day’s range and then jog again for another 25 feet until I was maxed out again.
I have been walk/jogging about 5 days a week for the last 3 weeks since then and moved from that field to a very hilly course that is just over 2 miles long. The progress I have seen is that my heart rate doesn’t get crazy high anymore. I can jog quite a distance before I max out and then I recover down into the mid-range pretty quickly.
This weekend I went down to “the creek” with Bill. While he was helping put windows in the house his brother is building I went for a run. The road down there is paved, not very hilly, and has almost no traffic. I took off walking for 90 seconds, jogged for 90, walked for 2 minutes, jogged for 2 minutes, walked for 3 minutes, jogged for almost 3 minutes. The almost happened because I saw that my heart rate was at 104%. I could have finished, but it worried me for a second. This had taken me to within a few feet of the first mile. I finished that mile and then walked calmly 7 more minutes out. Turned around walked 7 minutes back and then thought I would rotate again. I sped up the walk and went 90 seconds which happened to be up a slope, then jogged for 90 seconds without going over 95%, then walked until it was down and jogged a bit more a couple of times, then finally I came around the last curve and I jogged the last minute up to the yard. Overall I jogged 10 minutes out of a 43 minute 3 mile course. I feel pretty good about that. Next weekend they are putting the front door in – I will go do it again.
I found out two things during that test – my max heart rate is actually 188 beats per minute and my new running shoes (Asics GT-2120) are great on pavement. I haven’t been able to wear them in the hayfield because they have no lateral support and the hills make it hard to walk when you feet are sliding off the top of your shoes. To solve that I decided I needed some good trail shoes. Sunday evening I found a really good sale on line and ordered a pair, Asics Trail Sensor WR – they are water resistant, which is going to be helpful someday if it rains. I hope they fit as well as the other pair; there are no stores in my local mall that sell decent trail shoes so I couldn’t try them on first.

What I have been able to identify in the clothing area is that there are four different groups of clothes in my closet.
1. Things that I was wearing this summer, but are now actually too big.
2. Things that I was wearing this summer, but now fit better than ever.
3. Things that I couldn’t wear this summer and now I can.
4. Things that I expect to be able to wear in the next couple of months.
I will be weeding the number one items out of the closet when more of the number fours are available. I know it looks a little sloppy, but since I refuse to shop in the Women’s department anymore – and I am not quite out of there yet – people will just have to realize this is a transition period.

That is my current progress. Heart rate is doing better, legs are doing better, and my closet is confused. Things are headed in an awesome direction. Pipestem watch out!