A steady heart

During the first few months of my pregnancy, I wore my heart rate monitor on every single run and bike ride, intrigued to see how my heart rate was responding now that so much was changing inside me, and, to some extent, to ensure that I didn’t push things too hard. After a while, though, it became apparent that every single workout was much like the last. My heart rate over a 60 minute bike ride averaged between 140 and 145, with peaks around 170 when climbing Harlem Hill; when running, my heart rate hovered consistently around 148 to 152. Combined with the fact that, after five years, my monitor is going a bit wonky and occasionally gets stuck on readings of 193 or zero, I’ve grown tired of wearing it in recent months.

Lately, though, I’ve become somewhat concerned that maybe I am running too fast or too far for a woman who is seven-and-a-half months pregnant. My doctor advised from day one to not focus on my heart rate but rather ensure that I can maintain a conversation throughout my workout. While I often run alone and have no one to talk to, Zdenek and I do chat for most of the time that we run together. This past Saturday, we ran over 11 miles in the lovely autumn weather, taking several breaks, but maintaining a conversation the entire way. I finished feeling much like I have after any other 11 mile run over the past five years.

Still, I’ve noticed that my pace hasn’t really slowed much over the past five or six months, and I’m always running around 9:00-9:30 minutes/mile. I don’t try to run quickly or slowly, but somehow I inevitably end up plodding along at roughly the same speed. Although I’ve grown bigger and rounder and marginally more uncomfortable, lately I’ve begun to wonder if perhaps I am pushing myself too hard. Maybe my heart rate has been up at 170 and I haven't even realized it? This seems hard to believe considering I barely break a sweat on half my runs, but, nevertheless, I thought it was worth checking in just to reassure myself.

So this morning, I strapped on my monitor and headed out the door. It was a picture-perfect morning for an autumn run in Central Park. Not only have the leaves fully turned to reds, yellows, and oranges, but strong winds last night left many of them strewn along the road, making it especially fun to kick through piles of gold under the early morning sun. (Truthfully, I was a little sad that Zdenek wasn’t able to join me this morning, because it was a run I know he would have enjoyed.) I ran an easy 4.5 miles, never pushing myself, stopping to drink water along the way. And then, when I finally hit the “stop” button, I looked down to see the results: 9:05 pace, 148 average heart rate.

When everything from the leaves to my body to my entire life seems to be changing with rapidity, it's somewhat reassuring to know that my heart has remained true.