rest, recover and fearing the mileage kings
Week one ended with my body feeling strong, my joints in no pain, but my mind a little concerned. The old saying is that endurance sports are primarily a mental challenge. I agree, especially when you are in the early training phases.
In the early training phases, it can be so difficult to train because you are not able to perform like you could the last time you remember "training." The irony is that the last time you were training was likely the last race you completed. It makes complete sense that you can't train the way you did when you were in peak condition!
This is why a training program is so important. A training plan is not written in concrete and should be flexible when situations arise, but the training should not change because of fear. If you have confidence in knowing how to train and have a program, trust the program. If you are unsure if you are training properly, seek advice from another runner/triathlete/cyclist, find a mentor to help you along or hire a coach. (Shameless self-promotion, I understand)
Saturday's long run - My long run went pretty well, until I entered the info into my workout log. It snowed here in Lexington (KY) for really the first time this year. It wasn't much snow and it really wasn't that cold, so it was pretty fun. I was playing with snow balls and catching snow on my tongue. I imagine that people that saw me thought I was a little odd, but that's ok. I thought it was funny to watch a town get stir-crazy over a couple inches of snow. Some schools are still closed today. I couldn't imagine how many days of school would be missed if the Teller County, Colorado (where I was living last year at this time) school districts adopted the policies they have here.
Around 1:30 into the run, my legs started getting a little tired and at 1:45 I decided to walk for a minute. I walked until 1:46 and ran until 2:00. I felt fairly sluggish towards the end of the run and decided to find out how far I ran. I mapped out the run at mapmyrun.com and saw that I ran 13.5 miles. Which means I ran an 8:54 pace. I'd really like my long runs to get to be 7:45 pace comfortably. (I don't beleive in running long runs at race pace. I just can't recover well enough)
Feeling concerned, I decided to run on Sunday. Which was a scheduled day off. I fell into the "mileage kings" trap. You know the type, the people that like to talk about the total number of miles they run. I do this from time to time. It's the biggest mistake that I make. And why I train by time, not mileage.
Cool heads prevailed and I didn't run on Sunday. Today I have another day off, but will get in a good yoga session today. Tomorrow.... I'll try to get up and run with the group from McGee's. 4:45 is just so early!
In the early training phases, it can be so difficult to train because you are not able to perform like you could the last time you remember "training." The irony is that the last time you were training was likely the last race you completed. It makes complete sense that you can't train the way you did when you were in peak condition!
This is why a training program is so important. A training plan is not written in concrete and should be flexible when situations arise, but the training should not change because of fear. If you have confidence in knowing how to train and have a program, trust the program. If you are unsure if you are training properly, seek advice from another runner/triathlete/cyclist, find a mentor to help you along or hire a coach. (Shameless self-promotion, I understand)
Saturday's long run - My long run went pretty well, until I entered the info into my workout log. It snowed here in Lexington (KY) for really the first time this year. It wasn't much snow and it really wasn't that cold, so it was pretty fun. I was playing with snow balls and catching snow on my tongue. I imagine that people that saw me thought I was a little odd, but that's ok. I thought it was funny to watch a town get stir-crazy over a couple inches of snow. Some schools are still closed today. I couldn't imagine how many days of school would be missed if the Teller County, Colorado (where I was living last year at this time) school districts adopted the policies they have here.
Around 1:30 into the run, my legs started getting a little tired and at 1:45 I decided to walk for a minute. I walked until 1:46 and ran until 2:00. I felt fairly sluggish towards the end of the run and decided to find out how far I ran. I mapped out the run at mapmyrun.com and saw that I ran 13.5 miles. Which means I ran an 8:54 pace. I'd really like my long runs to get to be 7:45 pace comfortably. (I don't beleive in running long runs at race pace. I just can't recover well enough)
Feeling concerned, I decided to run on Sunday. Which was a scheduled day off. I fell into the "mileage kings" trap. You know the type, the people that like to talk about the total number of miles they run. I do this from time to time. It's the biggest mistake that I make. And why I train by time, not mileage.
Cool heads prevailed and I didn't run on Sunday. Today I have another day off, but will get in a good yoga session today. Tomorrow.... I'll try to get up and run with the group from McGee's. 4:45 is just so early!
posted by gary at 10:31 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home