Okay.....I've been doing lots of biking & swimming, it was finally time to dial in some running to my routine. My knee injury is better and so I've begun running! (on a treadmill)
A bit of background. I've always said of myself "I can't run"....what generally happens is that my shins start to burn, my heart starts pounding and I run out of breath....BUT that was 1.5 years ago when I was 45 pounds heavier and not doing all the riding, spinning & swimming I do now.
So this is what I'd like to confer with you guys about....
When I started biking, I remember how grueling hard it was...I was in my lowest gears, sweat pouring from my helmet, being out of breath....but it quickly got easier and I got faster and could go much further.
Same thing with swimming...I remember going 7 laps and thinking my arms would fall off....but today I can go 4 miles non-stop! (my record)
So here's what is happening now. I've run on the treadmill about 3-4 times now. Oddly enough my heart-rate is looming around 135-140...a mere fraction of the 150-165 I can churn while riding the bike, BUT my legs are sorta hurting, particularly the calves...they feel tight. My first run was about 8 minutes (then I had to get to class), then my next run was 12 minutes and today I went a mile+ in 15 minutes. I'm running at 4.3 mph....not very fast I realize, but I just don't fit the profile: I look like a stalky weight-lifter.
So I guess, what I'm getting at....is this going to be just like my biking or swimming where I'll just get better, faster and be able to go longer?
I'm also suprised at why my HR is so low and yet I'm feeling the fatigue like I'm reaching the last rep of an exercise. What I have to do is really focus on relaxing my calves as I run on the treadmill...if I really focus on keeping things loose, then I tend not to feel that burn sensation. Any thoughts on that?
What speed should I try to run at? What about the incline? I'm a complete newb to this...so don't presume I know anything. Honestly, I never thought I'd be running...so this is all mind-boggling to me...but if my goal is to do a triathlon, then this has to be integrated into my routine.
What I'm doing is taking a spin-class and then jumping on the treadmill between the 15-20 minutes before the next spin-class, and then I swim a mile. I'm doing this 2-3x per week and it takes about 3 hours each time. Is this what I should be doing to train for a tri? Each time I hit the gym I spin/run/swim. I may evolve it into run/spin/run/spin/ swim....I want 2 miles total run, 1 miles swim and 2.25 hours on the bike. Along with good diet, I seem to be making progress again!!!
My secret? Whe friends & doctors tell me I'm "excessive"...I just replace their words with the phrase "Keep it up!!"
