TMI Time… aka February Runfessions
Hello there! It’s the last Friday of the month, so Marcia is opening up her “runfessional.” As always I have plenty to runfess! I believe every good runfession should include a “digestive issue…” I know you’re excited. Let’s get started! In last week’s weekly rundown, I reported that I ran four times, ending the week with a “long-ish” seven mile run. What I didn’t mention was that all those runs felt unusually hard. Nothing hurt, but it took more than the normal effort to get those “easy” runs done. During the seven mile run I kept telling myself to slow down, but no matter how slowly I ran it felt hard. About halfway through I stopped at a water fountain for a drink, and I could feel my heart hammering in my chest. I thought “that seems awfully fast” but then finished the run. It wasn’t until later in the day that I thought to check my heart rate for that run, and it was 165- which is CRAZY HIGH. My heart rate is usually around 130, and will get up to around 150 if I do speedwork. I’ve never seen it at 165. Now, granted- I’m getting this data from my Garmin which possibly isn’t the most accurate measure (a wrist measurement isn’t as accurate as a chest strap would be.) But given my perceived effort level, it did seem likely that my heard rate was up there. I looked back at the data from my previous runs during the week, and sure enough- my heart rate was elevated for those as well. Not up to 165, but around 150 which is high for a slow, easy run. ARG! The first thing I did was TAKE A DAY OFF. Back in the good old days, when I was doing long runs on Sundays, I always took Monday off completely. Then I started sneaking in a Monday yoga class, and then a couple other things… a quick core class, maybe some pushups or pull-ups…and I can’t actually remember the last time I had a rest day.. So I took Monday off completely. Not only did I not exercise, but since my daughter had the day off from school I was able to sleep an hour later, AND when I got home from work, I took a nap. I really rested on that rest day. I’m sure the rest helped, but then I read this article on why you may have an elevated heart rate on easy runs, and the one reason that jumped out at me was… dehydration. Remember when I had Covid on Christmas Day? Ever since then my digestive system has been having some challenges. My doctor said it’s normal, because when the coronavirus gets into your gut it can wreak havoc, and it takes some time but will eventually resolve itself. Without going into too much detail, I’ve been aware that this situation could be dehydrating. I’ve been drinking extra fluids and doubling up on my LMNT, but maybe it’s not enough. SHEESH. What in the world is going to happen next? It just seems to be one thing after another these days. But I guess most people feel like that… it’s called “Life.” Still, I wish Life would be a little more like running down a beautiful trail on a sunny day, as opposed to hacking my way through the dense jungle with a machete. But! All we can do is muddle through, right? This too shall pass…. and all that. I’m sure we all have some runfessions this month. Let’s all share over a large glass of LMNT! Or your electrolyte replacement beverage of choice. Do you pay attention to your heart rate when you run? – I probably wouldn’t have checked it if I didn’t suspect something was off. If you had Covid, did it affect your digestion?