How has running impacted our resting heart rates?

My husband and I have tracked our resting heart rate from before we started running in April. Many researches¹ have shown that cardio training contributes to stronger and healthier cardiovascular system, and I can say we are the living proof of these researches.

Our resting heart rate has improved by 25% from April 2018 to October 2018. We measure it using an app called Heart Rate Monitor just when we are awake in the morning before getting out of bed. We also measure it several times to ensure the accuracy of the heart rate.

According to the book “Best i Løping”, the resting heart rate of a well-trained athlete is somewhere between 30-40 beats per minute. The lowest that has been registered is 26 beats/minute from an extreme cardio athlete.

Women with resting heart rates of more than 76 beats per minute were 26% more likely to have have a heart attack or die from one than those with resting heart rates 62 beats per minute or less, according to a research in 2010².

At least I can proudly say that my resting heart rate is getting closer to those of well-trained athletes.

¹ Your resting heart rate can reflect your current — and future — health

² What is your heart rate is telling you? 

We did it! Our first ever 10-k race

We did it.

Marius and I finished our first ever 10-k race today. It was never about racing against other people. It was about competing with ourselves and testing what we were capable of. Neither of us are runners. I have to admit we hated it, though it is starting to get better and we have enjoyed running more. We started training for 10-k run four months ago because I had always wanted to experience what it was like to participate in Oslo Marathon.

In July when we were in Vietnam, we were still struggling with running past 5 km. Three weeks ago I ran my first 10-k of which I walked for half of the time. At some point both of us thought we would never make it. The whole process has been a psychological and physical challenge for us and we really pushed our boundaries.

I am glad I was able to do this with my best friend. I wouldn’t have made it without your support and encouragement. So proud of you Marius Strande.

I will share more about our journey through my Facebook page and blog. Follow me for stories later on. And Marius will also share his personal story and experience.

Day 3 – Running 10 km

Yesterday we completed our third day in our training program. I was extremely exhausted afterwards and felt like all the energy in my body was drained out. When I got home, I didn’t feel like doing anything at all, just lying on the couch and sleeping.

I wonder whether I was exhausted because I wasn’t eating enough or eating right. I had two toasts, a glass of chocolate milk and tea for breakfast. After that I taught a one-hour fitness class, and then we headed to a car show outside of Oslo, during which I had one waffle and some potato chips for snack (not the ideal food choice if I were to run afterwards!!!). I should have had some smoothie and workout snacks ready for the day instead. I do not like protein bars and drinks you can buy in the gym because they taste so artificial in my opinion. I prefer something natural and homemade, but this means I’ll probably need to make them myself and not buying from the store.

What are your favorite snacks for pre and post-workout?

Here are our workout program for day 3:

1. Drills: high knees, butt kicks, toe hops: 30 reps for each exercise
2. Strength:
   • Lunge: 15 each side x 2
   • Leg curl with yogaball: 12 x 2
   • Plank: Hold 30 seconds x 2
3. Running: non-stop for 20 minutes. I did a pyramid like last time, starting slow and building up, and then slowing down again.

 

Day 2 – Running 10 km

Day 2 of our practice is now complete :).

Here is the program:

Warm up – 10 min

• Dynamic warm up hips mobility movement
• Running drills: 2 rounds back and forth high knees skipping and butt kicks

Strength training – 30 min – Rest 1 min between set

• Wall sit holding 5 kg weight: 30 seconds x 2
• Push up: 12 x 2
• Dips: 10 x 2
• Mountain climbers: 40 x 2 (20 on each side)

Jogging in a comfortable speed – 20 min: I increased from 8 to 8.5 km/h. Basically I did a pyramid model, starting from 8 km/h and gradually adding 0.1 km/h every two minutes.

This time I tried not to look at the clock but how far I’d run instead. It did help to keep the motivation and kill the time. I also had a blasting music playlist to keep me from boredom. My goal for next time is to increase my speed to 9 km/h. Those placing on the 50% last year had an average speed of 10 km/h so I still need a lot of practices to get there.

Running 10 km – How fast you need to get into the top 10?

I have done a bit of research to see how fast one can do during a 10-km run. Here are some statistics:

• The top 10 overall women in Oslo 2017 finished the race within 34:36 to 37:03 minutes, which approximately transfers to an average speed of 16.0 to 17.5 km/h
• The top 10 overall men in Oslo 2017 did it in 30:16 to 32:02 minutes, an equivalent of roughly 18-19 km/h speed on average

Last year there were 2517 women competing in 10-km run, 736 of which were in age group 24-34 (my age group). If I manage to pull this off with an average speed of 10 km/h I will end up in the top half.

The fastest speed I have ever done was 14 km/h but that was merely a short interval of 45 seconds, after which my legs started to wobble and my body produced lactic acid – not so pleasant feelings!

It is good to have my husband as a training partner with me. We motivate and push each other’s limit. Had I been doing this alone, I would have given up very soon.

We have a lot to work on. We are measuring our resting heart rate to see whether there is any improvement. In June we will do a Cooper test, running as fas as possible in 12 minutes. Follow my blog for updates of our training.