I headed out to the Unionville HS track this morning for my monthly MAF test. I haven’t posted about my last couple because my HR monitor has been measuring screwy and I haven’t been happy with the results. One of the tests was so bad, it ended up being a complete waste of my time. Well, I did get in a 5 mile run so maybe it wasn’t a complete waste, however the results were worthless and not something I could use to judge my current level of fitness. And it’s not like I really enjoy running around in a circle 20 time. I only do it because it’s the best way to ensure a consistent course mile to mile.
So you can imagine my frustration when my HR spiked to 190bpm (note: it didn’t really) during my first mile today. I eased up a little bit and it settled back down to a more reasonable number (135-142 range) not too much longer. I had the occasional spikes in each of the other 4 miles, but luckily it never lasted for more than a few seconds so I’m fairly confident that I can use this as a valid test of where my running fitness is this week. I ended up about a minute slower than my best times, however still comfortably below a 10 minute pace. This is coming off a solid 3 weeks of training so I’m happy to see that the increased mileage hasn’t worn me out too much.
I was about halfway through my run when the snow started falling. Normally this would pick up my spirits as I love to run during snow storms, however it was barely coming down and only managed to lightly dust the track. This was more than offset by the 20 degree temperature and steady wind that was blowing. I dressed warmly enough so the weather didn’t really bother me too much, but it was still less than ideal conditions. I’m sure it adversely impacted my performance to some degree, however have no way to quantify by how much.
I’m very pleased with where my running is right now. Hopefully it’s enough to get me a nice shiny new PR next week.