WHY I RUN | CONTINUED | PART 2
"...While jaunting down the trail, heartrate controlled, I was asked "Why do I run?" I could have stopped to explain. I should of stopped to explain. Instead, I started rambling. I must have bored the listener. But I talked through a seried of long diatribes in my head before I murmured a few short burst of explanations.
For you, I can recall and recount my two most basic answers.
1) I RUN FOR MY HEAD'S HEALTHSee Day 26 for this answer: www.jasonharper.cc CLICK BLOG
2) I RUN FOR MY HEART'S HEALTHNotice the above statement again, "...heartrate controlled." The key to a successful run comes down to having control of your heartrate. The heart pumps blood to the extremities. The faster it pumps, the more energy it consumes. To get energy, it relies on two sources. First, body fat. Second, muscle. The two are called
Aerobic vs Anarobic, respectively.
When the body has ENOUGH OXYGEN, it is operating in Aerobic Status (With Oxygen). When there is not enough oxygen in the body, the body operates in Anarobic Status (Without Oxygen). When there is not enough oxygen, the body uses muscle for fuel.
So how do we figure out which zone we are operating in. The heart operates in five Zones, the lowest, Zone 1, is everyday activity and Zone 5, Maximum Heartrate.
For most of us, burning fat is optimal. Therefore, the best endurance work out is when we run most days in with our heart in Zones 2-3 (Endurance Training), and add a day where we seek to yo-yo our heart from Zone 2 up to high Zone 4, up and down (Interval Training).
What is Endurance Training? ZONE 2-3
This zone is from 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate. You will be breathing heavier but will still be able to speak in short sentences. You burn more calories per minute than in the healthy heart zone because the exercise is a little more intense - you are going faster and therefore covering more distance. The calories burned depend on the distance you cover and your weight more than any other factors. In this zone, your body fuels itself with 85% fat, 5% protein, and 10% carbohydrate.
What is Interval Training? ZONE 4-5.
Interval training is built upon alternating short, high intensity bursts of speed with slower, recovery phases throughout a single workout. I tend to call these days "FIFTIES." My term, it is when we seek to push runners to have a swing of 50 beats per minute (BPM). Example, 130 BPM for 4 minutes, then crank it up to 180 BPM. Hold 180 for 90 seconds, then slowdown the pace, so the heart settles back to 130 BPM for 4 minutes again and keep repeating.
Four variables you can manipulate when designing your interval training program include:
•Intensity (speed) of work interval
•Duration (distance or time) of work interval
•Duration of rest or recovery interval
•Number of repetitions of each interval
Running is not for lazy minded people. All of the above is valuable for the heart. I run for my heart's health.
Regardless of what zone, getting your heart moving and pumping is the best thing ever. It adds life. Ironic, the more you use it, the longer it lives.
Odd how it plays out. On a day when I feel horrendous, how is it that a minimal run can bring life back to the body. Lazing while trying to power through an early morning, I still wanted to get a run in. Brief as it was, a the minimum to qualify for a Running 365 Entry of 2 Miles, I ran.
January's Final Score: 29 of 31 Days. 
Who ever owns the information, owns the power of direction. I own the direction of my runs based on the information I need to get stronger and faster. Sometimes, it is great to forget everything and just run. But more than that, your ability to think, learn, assess, and calculate can change everything.
I have loved running. My goal is to run everyday this year- or as many as feasible, and in the mean time write about it. In the running community, I am learning very little is shocking. From distances people run to how approachable kind and gracious people are.
