I ran 8 miles this morning in 1:04:48, with an average HR of 136 bpm. It was very icy outside, so the effort was harder than my average pace would indicate. It was also very cold outside, as the temperature at the end of my run was -3 degrees farenheit, and at the start it was somewhere between -3 and -8.
Considering the situation, I am not sure if this run would support my theory of good hydration = low heart rate. In comparisson my hydration was much better today than it was on Saturday, but my average HR was only 1 bpm lower despite running my route in approximatley the same amount of time. When I take into account the weather things become even less clear. The positive is that my average HR was lower. The negative is that during the last 4 miles of my run today (run in 32:07) my average HR was about 140 (compared to an average of 133 during the first 4 miles run in 32:41). This causes me to think that maybe (if my theory is correct) I just need to maintain good hydration over a number of days or weeks and that my HR will drop incrementally the longer I maintain good hydration. The other possibility is that my theory is completely wrong, and I am just grasping at straws (although if enough bad "straws" are taken out through trial and error, maybe I will finally figure out what is wrong with me.... I mean, its been over two years now and I still don't know what is causing my issues, and the doctors I have seen can't really seem to figure it out either excepting the pericarditis, the resolution of which only improved but did not cure adverse symptoms).
On another note, I feel like I should post an update regarding how my back and leg are doing. My back and leg have been feeling much better of late as the things I have been doing to relieve the pain have been working. On the other side of the coin, I feel like I am walking on a tightrope and that the slightest thing might set me off and lead to more pain. There was a little bit of tightness and some mild discomfort this morning which extended into the beginning of my run, although I felt better as the run progressed. Overall I have been very happy lately with how this problem has been progressing. I have felt a certain sense of accomplishment from having figured out how to (mostly) get rid of any pain/discomfort without needing to bother seeing a doctor.
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