Where Did My Endurance Go?

I should be happy that my hip seems to be recovered from whatever I did to it running Lawyers Have Heart in May, my foot is recovered from whatever infection I picked up hiking in Ireland, and my calf is almost recovered from whatever I did to it when my foot was hurt, but now I am discovering that I have lost all endurance for running, and even cycling is tough!

Pant, Pant!

I shouldn’t be surprised that so many months without intense cardio took a toll, but it is humbling!

Where Did My Endurance Go?

I am excited to get back to running again, but the reality of my runs is not what I’ve been imagining. I’m usually annoyed when Scooby takes too many “sniff” stops, but this week I’ve been grateful for the chance to catch my breath.

I’m sure the humidity doesn’t help. 🥵

I’ve been taking walk breaks to baby my calf, but as that’s gotten better I find I need walk breaks to bring my heart rate down. Ironically, my walk breaks seem to confuse Scooby—he wants to keep moving on to the next good smell. 😝

Saturday I ended my run with 2:1 run:walk intervals. The first running minute felt good, but it was tough to finish that second minute. In addition to a loss of endurance, I’ve also lost the discipline to push through. I know I’ve got to endure to adapt but the struggle is real.

I’ve noticed my lack of endurance even more on the treadmill—I guess because I don’t have any “Scooby stops” to break up the running. I made up my own intervals during Robin’s 30 min Pop Punk Run and took a break whenever my heart rate got into the high 150s—which seemed to happen quickly.

I thought the 30 second intervals in Andy’s class might be better, but it looks like my heart rate didn’t recover much in the 30 second breaks.

I think they need to recode that “best” to “highest”.

I’ve even noticed a difference on my Peloton bike. I couldn’t keep up with Robin’s call-outs in her 30 min Dolly Parton ride from 2020, and was surprised to see my heart rate get into the 150s.

I dug back into my Peloton history to look at the data from classes I took in March. Then, my cycling heart rate averaged in the 130s, which is what I’m used to. Or used to be used to, at least.

I think this is all a matter of conditioning—or lack thereof—but I’ve got routine check-ups with my endocrinologist and pulmonologist coming up, so I’ll know for sure soon. In the meantime, I need to live some of my favorite Jess Sims’ mantras: put my ego aside, train from where I am not from where I want to be, and, yes, endure some uncomfortable efforts so I can adapt to the challenge.

Weekly Run Down

I continued to baby my calf this week, and it rewarded me by getting better—imagine that! The humidity kept most of my runs indoors, but I did take Scooby out Sunday and Saturday. The rest of my week looked like this.

Monday I gave my legs a break after Sunday’s run and eased into the weak with a stack of short strength classes.

Tuesday I started September with Robin’s 30 min Pop Punk Run. It was a fun playlist and I book marked it to take again — maybe when I can even follow the programming.

Wednesday I paired  JTR’s full body strength class with one of Hannah F’s “rolling hills” classes. This one has a South Asian-focused playlist which was a lot of fun.

Thursday I took on the first running class of the Spring cross-training program I did back in April, which focuses on 30:30 intervals.

Friday was the day I took Robin’s Dolly Parton ride. I also enjoyed Emma’s class filmed at the French Riveria, although I’m not sure what Peloton was doing there.

And that’s a wrap!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.

Is your fitness routine changing now that it’s September?