I mentioned in a previous post that I have swelling in my legs (especially in the left leg) and that I would be reducing my goals so I would have fewer minutes running and walking. My new goals are as follows:
Rest run of 30 minutes, usually on Monday or Tuesday
Medium run of 50 minutes, usually on Wednesday or Thursday
Long run of 1 hour 10 minutes, usually on Saturday or Friday
How many days a week do you run? And do you do any cross training on the other days? I'm currently walking instead of running, thanks to various issues that seem to crop up when I run. But I need to start doing cycle class or something that gets my heart rate up. My resting heart rate that used to be 55-60, is now 72. :(
ReplyDeleteHi Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI'm currently running 3 times per week. In my younger years I ran 4 times per week and 5 times per week before that.
I've never consistently done cross training, although there were a few years when I cycled to work. During the days when I'm not running, I mow my lawns, rototill my garden, and do other yard work. I keep busy even though I'm not running every day. I do encourage runners to cross train to bring variety into their life and to keep their motivation up.
You said you're walking instead of running. That's great! Just do a faster walk to get your heart rate up. When I ran marathons (in my mid 40s) my HR was in the low 40s. It's now in the low 50s. The thing that really affects my HR is lack of sleep.
Whether you run, walk, cycle, swim, or something else, do the thing that really excites you. By doing this, you'll be motivated to keep it up.
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI don't know what the literature currently says, but it used to say to get your heart rate up to 70-75% of your max. Assume your max is 220 - age. That really is just an approximation, but it is close enough for this purpose. A fast walk for half an hour should be possible with walking.