The Heart

Through this Ironman process (and having a multitude of hours to kill on my flight(s) this week), I have put a great deal of thought into the signficant role the heart plays throughout this journey.
I am not just speaking about "having heart". Having heart merely consists of pushing oneself and staying focused and taking on the many challenges that will appear through the process. The journey is more about the actual heart function than the "idea" of the heart.
So, that being said, I have listed some tips I've been learning over the past few months about my heart and what I can do to ensure it is just as ready as the rest of me for August 29th. (source: Fink, D. (2004) Be iron fit: Time-efficient training secrets for ultimate fitness.Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press).

1. Effective heart rate training prevents us from training in the wrong zone, and it ensures that all of our training is beneficial and time-efficient.
2. There is no such thing as "my pace" - a pace where you feel comfortable. Training by pace can lead to junk miles and inefficient training. Pace is simply not a reliable indicator of how hard you are working. External factors such as heat, hills, wind, altitude, insufficient sleep etc., can affect the effort level required to maintain a certain pace.
3. If not pace - what is effective? Heart rate. your heart rate doesn't lie. It will tell you how hard you are working.
4. Forget about miles, run for a specific time and focus on your heart rate during this run.
5. Running for time also allows you to manage your training more easily because a 60-minute run take 60 minutes.
6. Calculate your heart rate by substracting your age from 220. The number is your maximum heart rate (z4)

• Z4 = 90-95% of BPM
• Z3 = 86-89% of BPM
• Z2 = 75-85% of BPM
• Z1 = 65-74% of BPM

(BPM - beats per minute) (example: 220 - 33 (age) = 187. The maximum heart rate is 187 (Z4 = 90-95% of 187 = 168-177)

March 23-March 28

• 3-23-10 - Swim 4,000 yards/Bike :45 - After a week of "unique excercise opportunities, I am finally back to it and whoa did my arms feel weak in the swim today. After I swam, I biked :45 and could tell my body was freaking out and wanted for me to go slow. However, despite my body going into shock after my week off (due to my trip for school), my workout wasn't "terrible" (define terrible right . . .).
• 3-24-10 - Bike 1 hour (trainer)/Run 1 hour - I am feeling better today. I am curious to see how my body responds to the time I took off. The bike felt better today (much better than yesterday), but I still don't feel as strong as I did when I left for Spokane. The run was "ok" - I couldn't find my monitor so I had to "wing it". I made it an hour and felt fine, but before the trip, my "brick workouts" were almost amazing and I felt really great. I will keep an eye on this for sure. Great things to come.
• 3-25-10 - Swim 4,000 yards/Bike 1 hour (trainer) - The rainy weather kept me inside today on the trainer. I swam 4,000 yards (2,000 yards in sprints - YIKES) - not exactly the best thing after having some time off. However, I did it, yet while doing ALOT of mental "bitching". I don't regret the week of (I have been pain free all week and am really happy to be training again). The bike is getting stronger. I feel better every day I ride and hope that trend continues. (WATER NOTE: - consume approx one 16 oz bottle of water per hour on the trainer/sweat like a pig).
• 3-26-10 - Swim 4,000 yards - the swim today turned out to be a "filler" since my extreme Friday workout was replaced by getting my hair cut and colored (I have held onto a little vanity through this "mess of a process").
• 3-27-10 - H.O.P. 3 hour trainer ride - I felt strong! I felt strong! I felt strong! The week off may have indeed been a little benefical (I am not paranoid about taking a week off or anything). I think the biggest accomplishment of the day was that I didn't need a nap after this 3-hour "killer of a trainer ride". Perhaps I am getting in better shape (again, define "better shape" . . .).
• 3-28-10 - Run 1 hour - I was a tiny bit sore today, but considering the events of days past this week, I feel great. Dodging a rain shouwer, I pushed through the leg soreness and stiffness (that did get increasingly worse as the day progressed) to complete the run. It felt great after the first 15 minutes had passed. I guess at the end of my first week back after the week off it is fitting to share that my legs are telling me (right before bed) that I did in fact have a week of. Physically, I feel awesome, but my legs may need a jumpstart tomorrow.