Tuesday, 01/24/12 LoBo Run

7.09 miles/98 vert./54:16/7:39 pace/138 avg. HR  Garmin Data

As is usual for this type of run (what I typically regard as flat and boring, or, anything that is not up a mountain or across a Grand Canyon), I spend the first .5-1.0 miles contemplating just bagging the whole thing.  The only thing that keeps me going is a good line up of podcasts and the fact that I went through the effort to get dressed into my running clothes (and it is good to get a little fresh air in the middle of the day).

I feel like I am laboring a bit, but look at my watch and I am hovering at a sluggish low 8:?? pace and feel like I am working, yet my HR is in the 120's.  As the minutes tick by, I slowly transition from "maybe I should turn back..." to "maybe 4 miles?" to "6 will be appropriate for an easy day that I would normally take off" to "maybe I could squeeze in 8 or 10?" to "would I be in trouble with the boss if I ran for 20?".  I compromise with 7 and imperceptibly ratchet the HR up 10-15 beats higher, but it all feels surprisingly easy.  The urge hits to rip a few miles at the fastest pace I can muster, but I refrain, as my intent now is just to stay active and maintain a decent base level of fitness.

These flat runs I find more and more interesting as I progress, as I see my economy improve a little bit each time, faster pace at lower HR and less perceived effort.  What I am doing seems to be what I imagine to be a loose (and mostly coincidental) form of MAF and I might be starting to think there is a little something to it.