Friday, September 25, 2015

Getting used to running on tired legs- This weeks training updates

I've survived another week of training.  I know that sounds dramatic.  But, I am feeling tired.  My 18 miler went well, but I'm dealing with the aftermath and I'm trying to decide if I will run a tempo run this weekend or swap it out for easier mileage....

This Weeks Training Updates
Saturday 9/19 7.9 mile tempo workout.  I   woke up thinking that I was just going to run, something short.  But, at the last minute I decided to get my Tempo workout out of the way.  I ran 1 mile warm up, and 5 miles 10-15 seconds faster than goal marathon pace, followed by 1.9 mile cool down.  The temperatures were finally cool enough that I didn't have to bring my handheld water bottle with me.

Here's the data:




Sunday 9/20 7 miles easy.  I averaged 9:06  per mile for 7 miles.  My piriformis is a little sore… I'm fine when I run, but sitting down for long periods of time is becoming a pain in the ass.. lol.

Monday 9/21 5 miles easy. I ran this at lunch time, instead of circuit training.  I also celebrated 19 years of marriage!

Our one and only marathon that we ran together back in
2004.

Tuesday 9/22 Rest

Wednesday 9/23 18 miles...  Well I wasn't as nervous as the week before.  It was also much warmer than the week before.  This run was hard, but I'm glad that I now have an 18 miler under my belt.

Because of the heat, I told myself to take it easy the first hour. I also carried water and started taking in fuel early on. I bonked twice once around 1:20, then again at 2:25. I thought that I would finish the last couple miles with some tempo pace, instead I found a side street with mature trees and I just tried to hide from the sun.
I stopped twice by my car to fetch bottles of water and Gatorade. I didn't stop my Garmin either time. My Garmin stats for this run 2:38:35 for 18.14 miles 8:45 average pace.
Here's the data


After the run, I was all pscyched up to take an ice bath.  When I got home I realized that I left the house without house keys..... I had to drive across the valley to get keys from my husband.  I ended up stinking up my car from my run funk.. ewww. (sorry for the TMI)


Thursday 9/24  I did some circuit training.  I was really sore in my piriformis. Weight Training has become a necessity for me now.  In order for my body to not get injured I have to diligently do my squats, lunges, and deadlifts.  I don't lift very heavy, but I swear it helps to keep my running form in check.  Heres' the circuits that I did.

I used a 25 EZ curl bar for the for the 1st set and a 35lb EZ curl bar for the 2nd and 3rd set. I dd the following exercises as a circuit. I tried to quickly move from one exercise to the next to keep my heart rate up.
Bicep Curls
Shoulder Upright Rows
Shoulder Press
Good Mornings
Squats
Single Leg Lunges
Hamstring Deadlifts
My 2nd Circuit (3 sets)
Flat bench press w/bar to warm up and two sets at 65lbs.
Back rows with bar
Single leg Bulgarian split squats (body weight only)
My last circuit (3 sets)
Shoulder Taps in a plank position
Mountain Climbers
Wall Sits (30sec)
Handstand up against wall for a minute
Then I stretched my very tight hamstrings.
I also ran two recovery miles on the treadmill.   I ran this mostly to try to get some of the stiffness out of my legs.
Friday 9/25  Two a day.  A short 2.4 mile run to shake out my legs.  They felt really tired this morning.  At lunchtime I ran another 5 miles.  I noticed at the very end of my morning run, my legs were finally starting to come around.  And at lunchtime I noticed that after two miles of heavy legs, the feeling started to go away.

In the past I was more likely to take a rest day if I was feeling tired.... I realize that my legs are going to feel tired with the additional mileage.,.. I need to get used to running on tired legs because miles 23-26 are when the wheels start to come off during a marathon.  I am erring on the side of caution because of my piriformis niggle.  It seems that harder pace workouts/long runs will aggravate it.  I don't think this is an actual injury... It's just something that I need to be aware of.

It stinks because when I was younger I had more natural talent,and I could muscle my way through marathons...  Now I actually have the drive to put in the work... But, my body breaks down easier. Que sera sera...
8 weeks out!!!
As always thank you for reading.

4 comments:

  1. Happy anniversary! You must've been a child bride ;)

    The whole tired legs training thing really seems to work, but I have to say, it is making me really want to nap all the time. Being old sucks.

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    1. Yes I definetly got married young (18). Plenty of ups and downs over the years, but I'm so glad we have stuck it out.

      I'm so impressed with your weekly mileage. If I didn't already know you I would have assumed that you were a runner your whole life. Its amazing how much you have accomplished in a few years..I think you always had an old running soul. :)

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  2. Aw, look at you guys, so cute! Happy anniversary! Interesting thoughts about circuit training keeping form in check. I don't usually link the two - I think about running form as something you do while you run. But it makes sense that you can build up the muscles that help maintain good form.
    Nice 18 miler. I'm impressed with your pace, especially not stopping the watch.

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    1. I have a huge pet peeve when someone brags about hitting a certain pace for their long runs, and they provide a snap shot of their garmin of the time spent running, but they don't mention that there is a 15 minute difference between time spent running and the elapsed time. Don't they realize that they are skewing their data?
      But, then again maybe I shouldn't care about other runners stats? *shrugs shoulders*

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