So I'm on day #10 of iron pills to fix my iron deficiency anemia. I think I'm feeling better every day. Whereas last week I was having to stop every mile and walk to try to catch my breath, and earlier this week my friend Steph practically had to drag me through a 5-mile run, today's and yesterday's runs have felt much more manageable. I'm trying to be smart and build back my speed slowly (I use the term "speed" loosely), by using the Maffetone method, which is basically running slowly enough to keep your heart rate below the answer to this math problem: 180 - (your age). For me, that's 148, and with the South Texas heat and humidity of late May, in combination with my present conditioning, that means 10:15 per mile today. Towards the end of my runs, I'm having to really pull pack as my heart rate creeps into the 150s. I'm practically walking. But I just have to trust that what I've heard about the Maffetone method rings true: that over time, my pace will get faster and faster at the same heart rate. In the meantime, it's kind of a lonely road using this method, as its such an individualized pacing strategy that it's hard to run with anyone else.
Fortunately, I'm getting my exercise-social kick from workouts at the gym -- Explosive Sports Performance, which I heartily recommend -- and from yoga. Tonight is "Friday Night Live" at Southtown Yoga, with live music. I'm predicting there will be a sitar involved.
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