Are Podcasts Slowing Me Down or Do I Just Need the Rest?

Am I listening to my body? Is listening to podcasts slowing me down? These questions come to mind when I think about my week of running. I started the week with a five mile (8 km) recovery run, followed by two hard runs, a four mile (6 km) marathon pace run and a set of six hill intervals. I ended the week with an eight mile (12 km) base run, twelve mile (19 km) long run, and a five mile recovery run. All three of these runs felt slow to me. I stayed below the prescribed heart rate intensity of Z2 for the base run and long run and Z1 for the recovery run. I felt I could have run each of these sessions faster, and I had left some heart rate on the table.

I chalked up the slow base run to the preceding two hard workouts. I tried to increase my cadence, but my body wasn’t complying. I thought it was best to listen to my body, but I wonder if I had listened to music instead if I would have run faster.

On my long run, in the rain, I did not want to be forced to run/walk when my heart rate passed the Z3 threshold. Historically, my heart rate spikes around the southern and eastern base of Byxbee Park. I put that section in the middle of my run rather than the beginning and end to reduce frustration. After I passed the troublesome portion of the trail that tends to increase my heart rate, I tried to increase my cadence. Once again, my body did not want to listen.

The recovery run is meant to be run at a low heart rate, but I found this run to be a slog. I wanted to stop running about 60% of the way into the run. I felt tired. This makes me wonder if the podcasts were not slowing me down and if my body was the culprit. I ran 40 miles (64 km) this week and 57 miles (91 km) the week prior. The 57 mile week was the most intense week of training since my injury. I would like to know if my body needed more recovery time, hence my slower runs this week.

My pace tends to be slower when I listen to podcasts; therefore, I find it helpful to listen to podcasts for my recovery runs. To experiment, I will only listen to podcasts on my recovery runs to see if I notice a difference in my base and long runs.

Can you maintain a fast pace while listening to a podcast? I'd like to know if I am the only one who slows down for podcasts. Please share in the comments below.
Location: Byxbee Park, 2375 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA

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