Body not only holding up, but becoming healthier
Stamina rising, heart rate falling
The 33rd annual Vancouver Sun Run — set for Sunday, April 23 — has inspired people of all ages and skills to lace up for SportMedBC’s InTraining clinics around the province, including Jonathan Herbert, who filed this recent report, which has been edited for length:
We are more than halfway there now. And the last time I looked at the countdown clock there were 36 days, 16 hours and some minutes until the Vancouver Sun Run!
Some interesting stats here for you: Since starting the SportMedBC InTraining clinics, I have covered a total of 92 kilometres, and counting.
That’s running three times a week since starting on Jan. 25.
As the weeks progressed, I noticed a marked improvement in my overall stamina. I really noticed it on the ski hills while snowboarding recently. No more stopping part of the way down to catch my breath and rest my legs — I go straight down from the top to the chair.
I’ve also noticed that my average heart rate over the weeks has dropped (even though the ratio of running to walking has increased over the weeks as well). My breathing while doing the running portion of my runs is much slower than it used to be. My heart rate also drops faster during the walking portions of the runs (recovery). My body is adapting to the training.
I can tell you I was more surprised than anything at how my body has been adapting to the rigours of running three times a week.
I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t had any serious issues with my joints, muscles or whatever.
I had experienced a little bit of back pain that has since subsided (probably due to an “epic wipeout” while snowboarding, in the words of my 16-year-old!).
When I did have that wipeout, my first thought was that I’d buggered up my Sun Run training, rather than “I hope I didn’t break anything.” LOL!
All I can hope for is that my body continues to adapt well for the next five weeks until the Sun Run.
I also look forward to my next psychological milestone — the eight-kilometre run.
That has to be coming up soon!