Austin is one of my favorite cities in the country, along with Portland, Oregon, Missoula, Montana and Asheville, North Carolina. I enjoy the culture, music and food of this special city.
When I visit I start every day with a run on the Lady Bird Johnson trails, a unique venue in the heart of Austin. The temperature @ 6:30 a.m. was 53 degrees and heading to 78. After a great night of sleep I was well rested and ready to run.
I started conservatively and focused on establishing a rhythm of total efficiency, a pattern of rhythmic breathing and a positive attitude. I’m on a quest to rebuild my running foundation so 90% of my runs are at a low intensity. I recently attended a Healthy Running Workshop with Dr. Phil Maffetone and I’m following his recommendation of limiting my heart rate to 121 bpm (beats per minute) average based on the formula of 180-my age (59).
That has been a drastic change to my training approach. I normally average 131-135 bpm while averaging 8:00 minute pace. By keeping my average heart rate to 121 bpm I was running a pedestrian pace of 10:45 per mile. Dr. Maffetone reassured me that my pace would gradually increase while still maintaining the recommended 121 bpm. This morning’s average pace was 9:05 with the same effort…I AM A BELIEVER!
It’s counterintuitive to think I can run faster by running slower. But, this experiment is trending in that direction.
I am in Austin to attend TRE (The Running Event), the premier event for the top running stores and vendors in the country. I’m honored to be on a panel discussion this afternoon with Meb Keflezighi. Meb is the 2004 Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist, and winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon and the 2014 Boston Marathon. He’s the world’s best ambassador for the sport of running.
I’m completely honored to be a small part of this significant event!
The Marathon Solution 
Don’t mess with Texas, Rick.
Thank you, Fred. It’s so nice to hear from you.