Making great strides

Duration = 50:03
Distance = 4.06
Calories = 485
Max HR = 181
Avg HR = 157
Running Index = 39
Max Cadence = 111
Avg Cadence = 87

I came up with a protocol for strides on the treadmill. I'd do them as 30 second intervals. I picked 8.0 mph (7:30/mile) for the speed as it is a single button on the control panel. My E-pace is currently 5.0 (12:00). This is a slight increase in pace for this week. The plan calls for 6 strides with a 1 minute rest at E-pace between them. I did the first five with little difficulty. The treadmill takes a bit of time to build up (and slow down) which works well with the intent of strides. I wasn't sure about the last stride and decided to drop it and finish the time at E-pace. I then did a 10 minute cool-down from 4.5 to 4.0 and 3.5 for a minute each and 3.0 for two minutes. I then dropped the speed to 2.5 for 5 minutes. 30 minutes at E-pace ended at 82% of heart rate reserve (HRR). Peak for the strides was 93% HRR and the end of the 5.0 after the 5 strides was 85% HRR. The end of the cool-down was at 55% HRR.

While I didn't do all the strides, I'm still happy with this session. I looked at a previous session that was shorter, slower, and had fewer bursts to a lower speed. That session developed at higher heart rate and peaked at the highest heart rate I've yet seen (which I'm currently using as my 100%, or HRmax). This shows definite improvement. I'm going to stay with the slight increase in pacing.

Today, I hit a milestone in my weight loss effort. My weight this morning was 170. This is the first time I've seen this weight since September 2003. This is 9 pounds since I started this effort last month. Short term, I need to get through the holidays without going crazy, but the extra calorie burn form the training helps. I'm keeping a eye on things to make sure I don't lose at too fast a rate as that way lies injury.