Extra Recovery

Daily Quote: "As you get in better shape, your heart gets more efficient, it pumps more powerfully, with greater stroke volume, and thus your resting pulse gets lower. So low, in fact, that many runners have had the entertaining experience of watching medical personnel get all exercised while taking their pulse or blood pressure. I had one nurse throw away two blood pressure cuffs in a row, claiming that they had leaks. She was wrinkling her brow over the third one when I told her I was a runner, which elicited a sigh of relief and the immediate recycling of the discarded cuffs." --John L. Parker, Jr., from his book, Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot."

My morning heart rate this morning was 49 bpm, still a little high from my normal morning heart rates of 38-41 bpm, which means I'm still in need of another Recovery Run.

Yesterday morning when I awoke my heart rate was a high 55 bpm, and my recovery run had a higher heart rate average of 148 bpm. Today is normally my scheduled Medium Long Run, but decided to run another Recovery Run, shorter and slower, as to assure I'm ready for my next hard run. I'll postpone my Medium Long Run for tomorrow depending on what my morning heart rate.

9:00 a.m. Recovery Run. 5 miles. Time, 50 minutes. Overall pace, 10 minute miles. 24 Hour Fitness at Alta and Rainbow. Life Fitness Treadmill set at a 1% grade, 6 mph. Average heart rate 144 bpm. Cardiac drift 150 bpm. (Note, my maximum heart rate is 190 bpm.) Shoes. New Balance 720.

My average heart rate was barely in the zone, although I had lower my speed and shortened the distance. I hope I'll be ready for tomorrow's Medium Long Run, if not, then I'll do it on Sunday instead. I'll be sleeping in later tomorrow with the hopes that will help lower my morning heart rate.