*My calves are still crap from the boot. I wasn't using one leg for 3 weeks and that was just 2.5 weeks ago.
*I'm still hitting the pool and bike moderately.
*I could be "tired"
*I didn't run for 2 months, this happens
*confirms that running is the most bad ass sport out there.
I think I need to gain muscle back in my calves and gluts. I didn't notice it until I went on my first run. The power wasn't there. So my focus is on rebuilding those areas via running and strength training.
Last week I ran 27 miles in 7 days. starting with 3 milers and ending with a 6 miler. I never increase more than 1 mile a day.
This week so far I've run 6 milers on Monday and Tuesday. 7:23 pace and 7:18 pace averages. I HATE stopping but I promised my ortho I would stop and stretch at the midway point. Technically, I am over doing it but I know my body. I have zero stress fx pain but overall soreness and feeling like I want to lay down and take a nap. Then getting home and taking a nap. lol
As I was sucking air today and my legs were burning and sweat was dripping in 55 degree weather I thought of my running partners over the years. The ones that never talk on a run just so they can keep up or the ones who stop and stretch mid run. The ones who wouldn't run with me. Or those in a group run who whisper, let her go. NOT saying I was ever fast but I GET IT NOW!! Running is hard work. I will never take it for granted again! But this sucking air bullshit will be coming to an end SOON!
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| Mini me holding down the podium. Good job kiddo! |
Later Peeps!
Laura
I know what you feel like, 8 weeks ago I was running 30km at sub 4min/km pace (6:25 mile pace) and now 10km at the pace is an effort. (but I am carrying 2.4kg extra!!!! need to shake them off.
ReplyDeleteBut the fight back has started, and we will win... you and me together.
is that really you on the podium?
I want to get back there, so I'm running a lot of races from now till the year end...
have you got any lined up as a come back target?
I know right coach dion?! I'm used to running 7 pace at any distance without really trying. 6:45 pace with get some effort out of me. But now I'm actually breathing heavy at 7:20 pace. UGH!
ReplyDeleteWe'll get back there!
That's my 7 year old daughter winning her age group in a 5k last weekend. 26:30. I paced her but she dropped me at the end. lol!
it's just from the lack of running for two months. give another week and you'll be back. not to worry.
ReplyDeleteI think you are going about this wrong. This is where a coach's advice is important. If you have a coach they have it wrong.
ReplyDeleteOnce I had to quit running for one month for medical reasons (cancer). I was at a very high level, in high school, running 70-85 mpw as a junior.
I was not allowed to do any exercise, which for me (like you) was very difficult because I had run for six years at that point and had run 1-2 times per day for three years by then. A lot of other stuff hung in the balance as well, setting course records, making it to indoor, outdoor and XC State Meets, and earning a scholarship among them.
Anyway, 4 miles a day had been the easiest run I let myself do as a sophomore, and 5 was the shortest I had done for about 9 months as a junior. So I felt that 35 mpw was what I should start out at when I was allowed to run again.
My first week was a couple 7 mile runs with all the rest 3-4-5 miles at 7:00 pace. 36 total, about 1:00 per mile slower than I was able to a month before.
Next week was 40. Next was 47. Next was 52 and by then I was doing 3 weight workouts and two-3000yd swimming sessions a week. After that I moved up to a more usual 60 per week and then up to 70. The point is that it took FOUR weeks and I just ran at the pace I felt OK with. My five milers were 33:00 instead of 28:00. We didn't have Garmins, but we didn't need them.
I also didn't have any fractures to worry about, but you say yours is under control, so that should not be a factor.
My point is (and I do have one!) that you can't run the same pace you did before the injury, you need to run at the same effort. Once you understand how aerobic conditioning works you will be able to appreciate that building up your minutes/hours per week will take care of the conditioning and your training pace will improve back to the old levels.
My advice would be to ditch the Garmin and use a HR monitor. You need to stop training at such a high effort. Anytime you are running under 7:00-pace you are running at AT-pace or LT-pace (lactate threshold), people call it different things. But it is 10-mile race pace or very close to half-M race pace. Your half-M race pace is very close to 6:50 whether you like it or not. You can't be running THRESHOLD-effort nearly every day. That is why you are tired and why you find high mileage difficult and probably why you got injured when you did.
Did you notice that you made it ALMOST all the way to your goal before running too hard each day broke your bones?
Not trying to be a dick, I am trying to help you. You will probably delete this, but at least read it before you do :)
Your coach should already have discussed this with you, but I know you are strong-willed and want to keep on training for the sake of training. It should not be like that. You should keep on stacking up "bad-ass" training for the sake of running a 5:30 mile, 18:59 5k, 39:30 10k and a 1:25 half-M.
Then the next step would be 5:15/17:59/37:30/sub-1:20 half-M.
You may think these things are out of reach, but I doubt they are. You just need to stop racing everyday in order to please yourself with a Min/mile post.
Think seriously about it.
To be more specific, I would do this:
ReplyDeleteW1: 3 mi every day, 5 on Sunday. If you normally take one day off, do that. Keep the effort to easy-moderate. Which for you, is probably ~8:00 right now.
W2: 4 mi every day, 6 on Sun. Do as much Cross-training as you want. Keep the effort the same and don't keep checking if you have improved to 7:45 or 7:30 or whatever you feel has to be maintained.
W3: You guessed it. 5 mi every day, 7 on Sun.
W4: 6 a day with 8-10 as a LR. At this point, you should be able start training with varying intensity and distance. You will also prob be close to your old paces. However, I would STOP trying to hit that pace except on hard runs that you are doing as L-Threshold sessions. These should be 20-70 minutes and the short-ones should be about 10k-15k pace and the longer ones 35-65 minutes for you should be 15k-21k race pace.
Best thing to do would be to wear a HR monitor in a race (half-M for example) and just use that as your training intensity for the hard runs. Then make sure you don't approach that intensity in your other basework runs.
W3:
David, no thank you. I appreciate your time responding. I agree completely. But....it's never so easy once I have my running shoes on. I was running 70 miles at basically 7:00 pace. Track faster and long run maybe 10 seconds slower. So I know it's wrong and I struggle not to get stuck in a pace rut. It's just what my body feels comfortable at.
ReplyDeleteI am really trying to not increase more than a mile every 4-5 days or so. I am hanging around 7:30 pace avg on all my runs. I stop and stretch at least once.
Your not the first to tell me to ditch the garmin. I've gotten to where I won't look at it but that's the best I can do. lol.
Thanks again, I hope to get back out there smarter this time : )
Well, I am glad that you considered it and have weighed those ideas before. FWIW, I think if you can stay healthy you will see a big breakthrough if you can maintain the mileage that you were doing before.
ReplyDeleteI would say you could reach the times I posted above, and while there is nothing magic about them, you would likely be fighting for the win in all small races and most regional ones. That is a whole different level of satisfaction than winning or placing in your age group.
If you don't have a coach, I have found that the best way to keep from over-doing it (my problem too) is to have a definite framework to your training. Tony Benson's book Run With The Best is the best and most accessible book I have read on the subject, and I had run for 7 years before I read it, so I am not easily impressed.
I have no idea how you find yourself on the side of a country road, in high heels and a lei, but your latest bikini picture ... c'est magnifique.