Day 48: Skin Deep

In reading all about VO2 Max yesterday, I realized I hadn't tested my resting heart rate in a while; so today, when I headed to the gym, I strapped on my trusty Polar Electro. My resting rate was 72 bpm, which was a little bit high for me. I've usually got a resting heart rate of 68 bpm. Not sure what that was about but I'll keep an eye on it.

Next, I walked to warm up. My heart rate hovered around 86 as I increased my speed, and then shot up to 174 when I first broke into a run. After about 5 minutes of running, my heart rate dropped down to 146 bpm. So, I guess what I'm noticing is that I get used to a new speed, and my heart can slow down and just maybe push harder and more efficiently? I really have no idea. I'll track it a few times and see if I notice a pattern.

Isn't it amazing that as a human being, I might understand certain external physical and social systems in the deepest, most granular way, and yet I am stone dumb about how my own anatomy works? I don't know how the body grows stronger, in a literal sense; and yet here I am committed to this very end goal. I am thinking I'd like to chip at this block academically, and sooner the better. I've recently gotten the names of several good running doctors; one for orthotics, one for injury, and then a fancy one for name-dropping. I will do some research on these, set appointments for January, and then read up on the mechanics of training. My days of living skin deep are over!

I ran 1.4 miles tonight, quite weakly. There was another girl at the gym with me and she was flagging too. I didn't plan my day well around running. I skipped lunch and instead ate three Ricard flavored macaroons, an apple and coffee. Since I am not actually French, and did not accompany said repast with a cigarette, my nutritional needs were not met. So, I just had to eat a really quick dinner before working out tonight, and didn't leave enough time for my food to digest. The whole time I had a ball of salmon and avocado brown rice sushi roll and seaweed salad bouncing up and down in my belly.

Ugh... I look forward to the next two weeks when I will have more time for sleeping, more flexibility to make running a priority, and a chance to study up on my new favorite topic, "the body!"

Finally, a note about my damn new shoes: I tried running in them again tonight but the results were discouraging. My front toes got numb again, and the tops of my feet are burning from rubbing against the inside of the shoe. I can't imagine how I will ever fit into these shoes and train with them! I wish now that I'd kept the box and the receipt! I *heart* my Flash Gordons!