What d'ya know... I was doing it wrong

I've been wondering why, when I've been doing as much physical stuff as I have, I still couldn't run 2 miles. Just a simple out and back.

Mystery answered.

I borrowed Chris' heart rate monitor for a jog. Started going out, was maybe 200m out. Looked at heart rate monitor: 170. Hmm... That's the upper end of my "workout" range. But I was barely feeling it, like I normally do when I go running. But, I followed the exercise via heart monitor advice and slowed down a tad so that my heart was staying around 160. It almost felt uncomfortable to run that slow. My leg muscles felt completely underused. I felt like I was barely using my lungs and heart.

Get to my turnaround point, roughly a mile out, and I realize that I can still run. When I'd been running before, I was completely exhausted by this point. It was a struggle to take each step. When I got to about a quarter mile left, I decided to let my legs "run". I sped up, brought my knees higher, etc. After a few blocks of that, I checked the HRM: 195. No wonder I hadn't been able to keep it up if that was what it took to run at that speed right now. I was just hurting my heart instead of building it up. I finished my run and stretched out. I realized that for the first time in weeks I was still able to function after the workout.

So, I bit the bullet and bought an HRM. I need to get my heart stronger. And because my legs are stronger than the rest of me, I cannot trust "how I feel". I've probably been doing this for years. It explains why it took me forever to improve my cardio shape and why I slipped out of shape so easily. I've been pushing myself too hard too fast. And I never realized it.