It takes time to get fit. Work hard, recover, adapt. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
I know all of this. I coach dozens of runners according to this philosophy. Yet when it comes to my own training and performance expectations, I find it hard to accept. Part of the problem is that for many years, I was able to get away with doing a lot more (and recovering a lot less) than just about anyone else I knew.
I'd run long races at the end of 140 mile weeks, and sure, it didn't feel great, but I could do it and perform reasonably well. Whether it's a bit of aging, the somewhat prolonged period of being less focused on running, or the collective scar tissue I have accumulated through the years of pushing the envelope, I don't seem to be quite as capable ignoring the recovery aspect as I used to be.
Last weekend I ran the Mpls 13.1, a half marathon from downtown Minneapolis to Lake Nokomis. I had modest expectations and goals, given the missed time due to the back injury, and the hard training I've been piling on for the last couple of weeks. I thought I'd go out and run about 70 minutes, and my aim was to start pretty easy and pick it up as I went. I repressed my racing instincts as best as I could at the start, letting five guys get away from me, but I still came through the mile in 5:13, much faster than I intended to run. I settled back to 5:20s, and mostly held that, but I paid the price a little bit later with some 5:30 miles in the second half.
The positives are that my breathing was easy and controlled all the way. The challenge is in my legs, which were heavy and not feeling very fluid. I've been working to get my glutes firing a little more, to take some of the strain off my back. I definitely feel that I'm using them more, but they got fatigued pretty early in the run yesterday. So...1:10:59, that's my jumping off point. I have a few weeks until the TC 10 mile. I'll be starting some serious track workouts soon, and racing Victory 10k on Labor Day and the City of Lakes 25k the following week.These are some of my favorite local races, so it's exciting to look forward to being out there and competing.
I know all of this. I coach dozens of runners according to this philosophy. Yet when it comes to my own training and performance expectations, I find it hard to accept. Part of the problem is that for many years, I was able to get away with doing a lot more (and recovering a lot less) than just about anyone else I knew.
I'd run long races at the end of 140 mile weeks, and sure, it didn't feel great, but I could do it and perform reasonably well. Whether it's a bit of aging, the somewhat prolonged period of being less focused on running, or the collective scar tissue I have accumulated through the years of pushing the envelope, I don't seem to be quite as capable ignoring the recovery aspect as I used to be.
Last weekend I ran the Mpls 13.1, a half marathon from downtown Minneapolis to Lake Nokomis. I had modest expectations and goals, given the missed time due to the back injury, and the hard training I've been piling on for the last couple of weeks. I thought I'd go out and run about 70 minutes, and my aim was to start pretty easy and pick it up as I went. I repressed my racing instincts as best as I could at the start, letting five guys get away from me, but I still came through the mile in 5:13, much faster than I intended to run. I settled back to 5:20s, and mostly held that, but I paid the price a little bit later with some 5:30 miles in the second half.
The positives are that my breathing was easy and controlled all the way. The challenge is in my legs, which were heavy and not feeling very fluid. I've been working to get my glutes firing a little more, to take some of the strain off my back. I definitely feel that I'm using them more, but they got fatigued pretty early in the run yesterday. So...1:10:59, that's my jumping off point. I have a few weeks until the TC 10 mile. I'll be starting some serious track workouts soon, and racing Victory 10k on Labor Day and the City of Lakes 25k the following week.These are some of my favorite local races, so it's exciting to look forward to being out there and competing.
Hi Lundo,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I am leaving a comment, I can't find your email. I am writing you in the hopes that you want to participate in an e-book we are writing about ultra runners.
We want to tap into the collective craziness (we mean that as a compliment:-)) of this community to challenge and inspire other non-runners to make their own life an ever-greater creative expression of their own goals and dreams… without limits.
Progress so far: We have currently contacted more than 250 ultra runners and received more than 60 answers.
We would ask you to answer a question about your experience with ultra running. Please note that these questions are related to your mental state and require that you are able to explain quite specifically what is going on mentally when running.
If you'd like to participate please shoot me an email at dreamit@juliossol.com.
Thanks!
All the best,
Jannick