The heart of a runner

I wish I looked that good running. Source: http://pearsports.com

I did a max heart rate test today. It was painful, and didn't really tell me anything I didn't know already. So, after 3 miles of running, I felt like I was just as spent as if I had done a 12 mile run. My legs don't feel so bad. Actually, everything felt so great physically during one of the sprints that I felt like I was flying for a few seconds. I really like that feeling, when everything is working in sync, and your legs are stretching and pushing and pounding out a nice beat while you're breathing in rhythm. It's a beautiful thing. My watch said I was running below a 6:00 mile pace during that glorious moment. That was a nice ego boost. Anyway, my muscles feel fine (right now about an hour after the test and while I'm drinking my Starbucks latte). But, my lungs hurt. My heart feels fluttery. I feel yucky. I didn't drink my recovery drink because I felt nauseous. Which means I'm going to be sore later. The only thing that sounded even remotely decent was a hot chai latte from Starbucks. I need to eat, but I still don't feel up to it. I suppose that means I did the test right, but it wasn't fun. I kind of wish I had just done a normal workout. I think I would feel better about the run, more productive and less yucky.

So, what I already knew but proved with this test. My max heart rate is 165. According to the heart rate calculators and formulas online, it should be 186. I don't know what that really means, but for the first time since I set my heart on Boston, I feel pretty discouraged. I find myself wondering if I am physically capable of running that fast that far. Do I have the heart, like the actual blood pumping organ, for a goal like this? I have my heart set on running, but do I have a runner's heart?

To further discourage myself, I started thinking about my heart and this goal a little too much. I'm obsessive. It's what I do. Anyway, I have a common and relatively unthreatening heart condition called Mitral Valve Prolapse. Most of the time people who have it don't even know they have it. I wasn't diagnosed until my first pregnancy. It doesn't really bother me. I don't have symptoms except that my heart does not beat a normal rhythm. It's more like the waves of the ocean on the shore, up and down with my breath. This heart rate test, though, makes me wonder if that might have something to do with my heart rate not showing as high as the internet says it should. I'll be having a conversation with my doc husband later to discuss if this means I'm completely hopeless or just making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I don't like failing, especially before I even really try. So, I will recalibrate my watch and my training plan, and I will give this training by heart rate a go. If I can't get my pace down to where it needs to be, I might have to let go of this goal, and that might just break my heart, the proverbial one not the actual one. Although, if I keep pushing it, I might break that one, too.

On another note, I learned that my resting heart rate while drinking a caffeinated beverage and typing a blog post is 72 bpm. I'm sure that's super valuable information I'll need to file away somewhere. Off to the shower with my slow heart.

Happy running. :-)