The LS Research Continues.

So there I am at 5:30 this morning, toddling along at 50% HRmax, thinking "If anybody sees this old guy moving down the street like this they're likely to stop to see if he needs CPR."

Do you know how slowly you have to move to keep your heart rate at 50%? Heck, my resting HR is at 30%. To be honest, I wasn't even able to keep it at 50 this morning. I felt good to keep it under 60.

Tiny steps. To make it different from walking, rocking up on my toes just slightly with each step. Checking my HR monitor every 60 seconds or so, to keep the rate from creeping too high. Even the slightest uphill grade was enough to push it up five or more points, and I thought I was going to fall down if I had to go any slower.

Long, slow--I guess! In 40 minutes I covered just over two miles.

So this is what they mean by jogging? This is the way ultrarunners cover a hundred miles? What? I doubt it.

On the plus side, it was relaxing, I'll give you that. I never once came even close to breaking a sweat. Heck, I can wear these running clothes more than once without washing them--a dozen times--if I run like this.

Breathing? About like I do listening to ETown, certainly not even close to what it's like when I watch 24.

Easy on the knees? With the gentle, rhythmic momentum, maybe even easier on them than walking.

In fact, it was relaxing enough, and quiet enough at that time of the morning, I found myself slipping into a real meditative state. Maybe this is a running meditation like the walking meditation we use in the labyrinth. But do I really want to multitask my physical and my spiritual disciplines?

Since beginning my running practice I've limited my outings to three per week, wanting to maximize the benefits while limiting my exposure to injury--at my age that becomes an issue, you know. But today's "run," which will give me a fourth time out this week if I stick with my regular schedule, makes me think I can go out daily. It's difficult for me to imagine a run at this pace could contain any danger of injury, unless it's going to sleep in the middle of the road and getting run over by a car.

As well and for the same reason, I've limited my runs up to this point to trails only, not wanting to subject my body to the harsh effects of gravity on concrete or even asphalt. This morning I ran in my neighborhood, pavement all the way. Smooth and silky.

So I'll try it for a while to see what develops.

(And the research shows this as a pathway to weight loss as well? This I've got to see.)