Working on rebuilding the base

I haven't been training with a heart rate monitor (my dreadmill came with a free one, and I pretty much got what I paid for it - sometimes it's accurate, sometimes it's off by a little, and from time to time, it tells me that I am dead), so I have been going by perceived effort.

It's not a bad idea - I try to do my long runs at a very easy pace, my base runs at a faster, but still conversational pace, my tempo at the point where I can talk, but probably shouldn't, and my real speedwork (or attempts thereat) at a speed where I can't spare the oxygen. Tonight, since I got almost no sleep last night (both kids tempermental, and the smallest up at all hours), my run was much more difficult than it would normally be for that pace.

If I had wanted to, I could have carried on a conversation. I passed on it, however, since (1) it would have been difficult, talking over the fan and the television; and (2) people look at you funny if you make talking to yourself a habit, so I try not to indulge, even when in the privacy of my own basement.