If you've been following along with my Zone 2 running attempts you'll know that I've been struggling with it.
(For my non-running friends, a "Zone 2" run is basically a "very easy run" that's harder than a brisk walk but easier than most people run when you see them out and about.)
Firstly, I was struggling to run often enough to feel like I was making any progress.
Secondly, my watch kept giving me inconsistent readings. I would feel like I was running in Zone 2 and that my heart rate should be about 120 bpm (beats per minute) but my watch would say something bogus like 160 bpm. And when I'd take Brad's advice and check my heart rate manually (by putting my fingers to my neck and counting the beats I could feel as I watched the seconds on my watch) lo and behold it would be about... 120 bpm!
So my first win is that Brad convinced me to join him for a short easy every morning. I get up about the same time I used to, drink a tiny protein drink, pee, get dressed and get out the door by about 6 am with the aim of getting in about 30 minutes of Zone 1 or Zone 2 running (that often starts and ends with some walking). Then he keeps going to round out his usual 5km.
It's going well! The trick has been to make it as easy as possible. We aim to do as much flat as possible. We try to run in the bush as often as possible (because we love it). And I can walk as much as I need/want. I don't have to do a whole 30 minutes; I can stop at 20. But as I slowly do this more and more, I'm finding that the 2.5km has quickly and easily become 3.5km.
Don't tell Brad but I don't think it would take much for it to easily climb to 5km over a few months ;) Still, no promises. I can feel the muscles in my legs saying, "Hold up sister! This is a big increase in mileage in a short period of time. Take it easy, right?!"
The second easy win was something we picked up from a friend of ours who has a similar build to me (i.e. skinny and strong!) who was also struggling with her watch. She said she burned an extra couple of holes into the watch strap so she could make it tighter. Brad and I immediately thought it would be a good idea for me, so it doctored my watch that same day and voilà! my watch is finally tight enough that it records my heart rate correctly far more often.
Gold.
The third win has nothing to do with my heart rate but everything to do with my enjoyment of running and that is, I got a new pair of shoes. And when I say "new", I mean "as new".
See the shoes I love the most for rocky trails that sometimes get flooded and muddy are my chunky Altra Lone Peak's. I really like running in zero drop shoes (i.e. no drop in height from the heel to the toe) with a wide toe box (so my toes aren't squished and out of alignment) but most of these shoes have very thin soles.
This is fine for my (now) strong feet if I'm running on concrete or sand or any kind of even surface. But as soon as there's lots of big sharp rocks or creek crossings they're annoying and so I reach for the same style of shoe but with a bigger 'stack' height (as in, a thicker sole to protect from said rocks and water).
Altra (the brand) Lone Peak (the model of shoe) seems to be the only thing on the market here in Australia that gives me all the things I want. But brand new they're $270! And I just don't think they need to be that expensive!
So, I did a little digging. I asked the Universe for what I wanted and then kept my eyes open for it. And guess what? On Facebook Marketplace I found a pair of these shoes being sold by a woman who lives only 40 minutes away, in a colour I like, for $50!! She'd barely worn them; they looked brand new. But there was a catch: they were a half size bigger than my last pair.
Were they going to be too big? I went to find out. And the answer?
They're great!!!!
This feels like the biggest win of them all. Best of all, I love them. They should last me years. I can wear them running, walking and overseas when we travel. And I got to keep my feet (almost) totally dry when a group of us ran through the very wet bush, doing several creek crossings again this morning.
Win.
I've been finding certain aspects of life quite challenging at the moment, so it feels very helpful to notice what's working, to celebrate my wins - no matter how small, and be grateful for what I have.
Here's to more of that.