What a difference intensities make..

I've posted before about base training, keeping the heart rate and intensities low, in order to build up an aerobic base. In the Working Your Heart article (a link can also be found in the Training Links on the right side of this blog), it shares how getting into the higher HR zones can leave you not just tired, but worn out, and feeling a step away from injury. How true is that...

About 5 or 6 weeks into my base training, I have felt very good. Except for not enough sleep, the increased mileage on the road and cycle have not negatively impacted me. That is until today. In a Spin/Jog class today, I push my intervals into the anaerobic zones. that is to say into Zone 5+ in which the HR gets to MAX. For my, Max heart rate is about 190 BPM or so. After 1 hours of this combination of biking/running in zones 3-5, I feel like I ran into a brick wall. My joints are sore, I'm exhausted, and in fact, I'm having a more difficult time getting my heart rate down and relaxing.

As i think back to prior years training, this is how I felt normally. That's because I used to train only in those higher HR ranges. So when I joked it felt like my heart was going to explode, perhaps it was not as far fetched as I thought. So the moral of the story here? This stuff works. Take care of yourself, and your body will take care of you.

Inspirational Song for the Day:
As we enter into the Lenten Season, I found these lyrics from the Jeremy Camp song "Tonight" interestingly relevant, in personally inspirational. Tonight, by Jeremy Camp is from the Beyond Measure Album.

...In this time,
You draw me by these words you've spoken,
I feel inside,
This never ending hope,
I've placed all that I trust in knowing one day I will see you,
The only thing worth holding onto is holding onto me...