It's been a couple of weeks since I updated my run blog. I've been running pretty regularly around 8-10 miles per week and about 3 times each week. It was a great afternoon to run, sunny and about 55F. Not bad for the end of November in Ohio. Nat went with me & we ran on the bike trail.
Today I completed week 6, day 3 of the 10K trainer but added a new twist to it: after some research into interval training I learned about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and an especially extreme version of it, Tabata interval training. Tabata is a very intense 4 minute workout that research has shown to be very effective in increasing both aerobic and anaerobic efficiency. It's also been shown to be quite effective in increasing fat burn for accelerated weight loss. After a warm-up, the Tabata interval is 20 seconds of VERY INTENSE cardio followed by 10 seconds of low intensity cardio or just resting. That 20+10 second interval is repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. Those 4 minutes are said to be equivalent of at least 60 minutes of steady-state cardio.
So here's how I incorporated Tabata into my run for the first time today. Knowing that Tabata is at a high level of aerobic intensity & that I'm not quite ready for that yet, I set up an interval timer on my iPhone for 2 minutes warm up, 2 minutes of Tabata (4 - 20+10 intervals instead of 8), and 2 minutes cool down. I plan to increase that gradually to work myself up to being able to complete a full 4 minute Tabata. :-)
My regular run for today was to be 5m warm-up, 15m run, 3m walk, 5m run, and 5m cool down (total-33 minutes). After 5m of the first 15m run interval, I paused that app and started the Tabata itnerval timer. For the 20 secs of intense cardio, I sprinted as fast as I could. For the 10 secs low intensity, I walked. The 20 sec intervals seemed long and the 10 sec rest intervals seemed like they were only a couple of seconds long! By number 4 I was feeling pretty much beat. I even started to feel a little nauseous, but I made it. After a short cool down, I went back to the 10K run plan and resumed running at a medium intensity level. Following the 3m walk interval, I again paused the 10K app and did a second 2 minute Tabata. It felt worse doing it the second time, but I kept after it anyway. I again resumed the 10K app but instead of stopping at 5m of running for the second run interval, I ran about 10 minutes, then did my 5 minute cool down walk.
All told, I did 4 miles (bringing my weekly total mileage up to 10.8 miles) in 42:40 for an average mile time, including warm-up and cool-down walking, of 10:39/mile. I felt pretty good afterwards other than a moderate headache from dehydration just as I finished my run. My legs and feet were a little sore but nothing unusual or too bad. I did notice that it seems to have ramped up my metabolism for some time after my run. It took about 3 hours before my heart rate dropped significantly below 100 bpm. That would seem to line up with the research that showed Tabata to have an after-burn effect (I saw it labeled as EPOC, although I don't know what that stands for), keeping the fat burning furnace going for hours afterwards.
I like the idea/concept of Tabata intervals and plan to keep using it from 1-3 times per week either incorporated into my running or stand alone. As its coming on towards winter, there may be days when I won't be able to run, but I can do Tabata intervals inside using exercises like burpees, speed skaters, jump squats and jump knee tucks among many other choices.
I should mention that, along with the apps I'm using on my iPhone to help me with and track my running, I also use a Sportline multiple-function heart rate (HR) watch that I bought at Wal-mart. It can be used by itself or with a chest strap that gives a continuous HR reading. I've set it with a heart rate zone between 135 and 155 for my steady state cardio. I came up with those figures using the Karvonen HR formula which factors in resting HR along with age. The watch beeps to let me know when I'm outside that range. Of course when doing Tabata intervals my HR is well above that.
I currently have a resting HR of 49! Not bad. It's the same as my age! And I've lost 5 pounds from my max weight of 198 & I'm down to 193. Woohoo! Only about 30 more pounds to go.
Till next time...
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