I am on ongoing BloodPressure and Cholesterol medication, have been for 5 years (unchanged) - like many Baby-Boomers.
- had HeartAttack 5 yrs ago, but both my Doctor and Cardiologist are happy with my current fitness and workout routines
Offsetting the medication, I jog (4.6-4.8mph) for 5-6 miles typically 4 times per week
- no cold/flus/illnesses in a couple of years.
I suspect there may be lots of Baby-Boomers who recreational run, but who are on BP and/or Cholesterol medication, so your comments would be appreciated as to the formula to determine a rough starting target for Aerobic endurance exercise. I am using 180-62=118 as my Aerobic Target, with 108-118 as my Zone-2 (assuming several years without medication change means no decrease is required due to medications). Typically I choose a starting pace (after separate 5min warmup) that will get me into the bottom of zone-2 in a mile or so, and then keep that as my HR slowly rises throughout the run, and I dont drop the pace unless my HR gets above the top of zone-2 (typically I drop pace if HR passes 120bpm). I want to maximize building my aerobic fat-burning endurance, so want to try to chose the optimum HR range.
Example-1: I started a bit too fast, needed to reduce pace at 3 miles: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29561093
Example-2: Started 0.1mph slower, could maintain that pace for full run: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29845465
I am hoping by continuing to build my Aerobic endurance so I can continue to reduce my pace-HR decoupling and hold speed+HR more constant (over time).