I did some research on what exactly heart rate zones are, and at what level I should be training at. I mainly did this to help support my wife who again overdid her run today. She's very competitive, which is a bad thing sometimes and nearly killed herself again today. Well, that's twice in just 8 days now.
Anyhow, we each have our own Forerunner 305 now, which does have a heart rate monitor accessory. I really didn't have an interest in wearing that chest strap monitor, and thought it would be cumbersome and uncomfortable. But, today, I decided to give it a try, and also to try and keep myself in the right zone. I got off work at 4pm, and even though it was only 30 degrees, with 5" of snow still on the ground, I suited up to head out for a trail run. I wore a pair of tights under my running pants, and just a normal shirt under my running jacket, along with a pair of lightweight gloves. I have to admit, I really wasn't that cold. I decided to run on the West Papio trail. It was very icy for the first 1/4 mile, but then it was apparent that the city of Omaha had already cleared it past that. So, I ran out 2.1 miles, turned around and came back. Even though I had already run my long run yesterday, I just wanted to run. I love to run now, and that's just after 4 weeks of training. Strange.
The heart rate monitor worked great. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I had imagined, and I can now see how beneficial it could be to train in the "right" zones. It also was helpful to control my pace, to know whether I could go faster or slower.
So now, I intend to run with the heart rate monitor attached. I'm shooting to do most of my training in zones 3 and 4, with periodic bursts into zone 4, and occasional zone 5 speed work. I'm becoming a fitness freak.
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