1

Run/Walk (Read 588 times)

    I've been running for a while and never needed walk breaks. I did when I first started, but then after my fitness increased I liked zoning out. Now, I have had problems with shin splints on and off. I have started thinking about walk breaks. I would have no problem doing them in training, because they really help with the pain and recovery. The only problem is, my mind is getting so used to them that I'm afraid I can't not do them. I'm not sure if I want to walk every ten minutes of a race. It makes me feel like less of a runner, although it doesn't bother me if others do it. Should I cut them out of training? Only for long runs? Do them in training and then expect to run 13.1 straight? thanks for the help in advance Smile
    Kate ;) "The pain of regret is greater than the pain of self discipline."
    Wingz


    Professional Noob

      Hey, Katie. It sounds like maybe your training intensity has outstripped your body's ability to adapt by just a touch. Taking walk breaks is one way to ease things back down. You might also want to consider leveling out your milage a bit (and at a slightly lower amount). Since you're 18, you get to get away with a lot of things us old fogies don't get to, and I'm intensely jealous. Wink You might want to go back and see if you can figure out when exactly the shin-splints started showing up, and then drop your training back to a little below that level for a few weeks. Chances are pretty good this is just a phase your body's going through as it gets used to the demands you're putting on it. You've not been running consistantly that long - and have asked quite a bit of yourself these past few months! When's your half-marathon? Many people intentionally include walk-breaks, especially in longer races like the HM, and are very successful with that strategy. If you ask, JakeKnight'll give you a bunch of good references for Galloway's methods, for example. Walking through water-stations at a long race is an especially good way to make sure you get to drink (as opposed to wear) what's in your cup... So don't write off walk-breaks in races altogether. Generally speaking, you'd want to plan to race the same way you're training, so if you're *positive* you don't want to walk in your HM then you need to bring your training back down to a level that your body can handle, heal up, and then take it from there. And that includes pace as well as distance, too. Lighten up on them tempo runs! Wink Good luck!

      Roads were made for journeys...

        Thanks for the advice, my HM is May 20 so I've got some time.
        Kate ;) "The pain of regret is greater than the pain of self discipline."
        Wingz


        Professional Noob

          I hadn't noticed you had asthma! Go get that inhaler filled, girl! Big grin There are a number of people here on the boards that have asthma and run as well. Zoom-zoom comes to mind, but I know there are others too. -just checking up on you. Wink

          Roads were made for journeys...

          zoom-zoom


          rectumdamnnearkilledem

            I hadn't noticed you had asthma! Go get that inhaler filled, girl! Big grin There are a number of people here on the boards that have asthma and run as well. Zoom-zoom comes to mind, but I know there are others too.
            Yep...and I am finding that this intensely cold weather makes my breathing almost more difficult than the really humid stuff mid-Summer does. Another thing with the shin splints...running on snow and ice definitely has my shins giving me more issues than plain old asphalt does--my lower legs, in general, must work a lot harder on these slippery, loose surfaces. I'm sure you run into this, too. I also find that my shoes feel a LOT less cushy and I actually found an article on Runner's World website yesterday that discussed different cushioning agents and why some harden in cold weather. This probably adds to your shin discomforts. So I say take the walks if you need them. Your body is telling you it needs the break, even if it's just a brief one. Once warmer weather arrives you will probably find that running gets easier, in terms of terrain as well as your lungs' ability to work well. k

            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                 ~ Sarah Kay

              Thanks Big grin Yeah, I didn't know I had a form of asthma until running, so the doctor said it was "exercise induced." Anyway, thanks for the advice. My shins are getting better now but I don't want to push it. I did a 5m yesterday and stopped twice to walk out my legs, so Im hoping zoom is right and that when spring comes I can take a coupld mid run breaks, but not every 9 minutes like now Smile I'll let ya'll know when the time arrives.
              Kate ;) "The pain of regret is greater than the pain of self discipline."