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Recovery Weeks (Read 645 times)


Cool as a Cucumber

    So I was doing 40-40-45 mi/week recently and then decided to take a recovery week, because, ya know, I need to rest. However, because I'm 19 and invincible and I know everything there is to know already (duh), I figured I would do a recovery at 40 mi/week. I am feeling my "recovery" week coming back to bite me in the ass. My times have just utterly dropped this week and I frontloaded it too much (12 miles on Monday of true NH hills at a solid pace; hill bounds/springs/sprints on Tuesday to recover, which generally makes me feel great; tempo on wednesday). In retrospect I was batshit retarded to think that 40 mi/week would be a recover week for me. But you live and you learn.

     

    So my question is this: what makes a good recovery week? How do I not do too few miles? How do I not do too much? Any theory/advice you have to offer about that?

    The pavement fears me.

    Hannibal Granite


      At 40-45 miles a week and 19 years of age you don't need a recovery week.  However you do need some recovery days.  You said you ran 12 miles at a solid pace on Monday, bounds/springs/sprints on Tuesday and a Tempo on Wednesday.  For someone doing only 40-45 miles a week a 12 long run may be a tad too long and doing harder workouts two days in a row after a long run will take it out of you regardless of your mileage level.  Also, it could just be really hot where you live, the heat really slows a lot of people, just about everyone in fact.

      "You NEED to do this" - Shara

        So I was doing 40-40-45 mi/week recently and then decided to take a recovery week, because, ya know, I need to rest. However, because I'm 19 and invincible and I know everything there is to know already (duh), I figured I would do a recovery at 40 mi/week. I am feeling my "recovery" week coming back to bite me in the ass. My times have just utterly dropped this week and I frontloaded it too much (12 miles on Monday of true NH hills at a solid pace; hill bounds/springs/sprints on Tuesday to recover, which generally makes me feel great; tempo on wednesday). In retrospect I was batshit retarded to think that 40 mi/week would be a recover week for me. But you live and you learn.

         

        So my question is this: what makes a good recovery week? How do I not do too few miles? How do I not do too much? Any theory/advice you have to offer about that?

         

        So you've been doing 40-40-45 and want to do recovery week with 40? 

         

        We just received an inquiry about "recovery week".  Do as you wish; I have asked Arthur Lydiard and Peter Snell about this so-called "recovery week".  Both of them basically said; "if you had to take a recovery week, you're doing too much."  What people should do is to check day-to-day recovery rate to make sure you ARE recovering from workout (morning heart rate is a good start).  I know some people are getting sick of me saying "crap-shooting" but the more you can eliminate crap-shooting, the better.  When you are "thinking about" recovery week, you're guessing. 

         

        You live in NH (yeah, I know about your rolling hills!!); go seek advice from Jeff Johnson.  He knows about the sport.


        Cool as a Cucumber

          We just received an inquiry about "recovery week".  Do as you wish; I have asked Arthur Lydiard and Peter Snell about this so-called "recovery week".  Both of them basically said; "if you had to take a recovery week, you're doing too much."  What people should do is to check day-to-day recovery rate to make sure you ARE recovering from workout (morning heart rate is a good start).  I know some people are getting sick of me saying "crap-shooting" but the more you can eliminate crap-shooting, the better.  When you are "thinking about" recovery week, you're guessing. 

           

          You live in NH (yeah, I know about your rolling hills!!); go seek advice from Jeff Johnson.  He knows about the sport.

           

          Whoa, small world! He coached my track team for a while. He just now left after one kid, Aaron Watanabe (now running for Harvard), graduated. I had been corresponding with Jeff while I was at college, but we decided that for now I just need to crank out more miles and let my body rebuild itself, so I'm out of contact. I'll probably write him a letter though (hopefully he won't mind). Maybe I'll bake him something as a peace offering.

           

          How do you know Jeff?

          The pavement fears me.

            How do you know Jeff?

             

            Not to answer for Nobby - BUT, he knows everybody thats important in running.....

            Champions are made when no one is watching

              Whoa, small world! He coached my track team for a while. He just now left after one kid, Aaron Watanabe (now running for Harvard), graduated. I had been corresponding with Jeff while I was at college, but we decided that for now I just need to crank out more miles and let my body rebuild itself, so I'm out of contact. I'll probably write him a letter though (hopefully he won't mind). Maybe I'll bake him something as a peace offering.

               

              How do you know Jeff?

               

              Mr. Johnson is one of the most humble and nicest people and the biggest fans of the sport that I know of.  We have discussed about training many times.  When I said I know about the undulation of NH, I was thinking about the rolling hills when I visited him.  Please give my warmest regards to him when you talk to him.

               

              By the way, my name is Nobby Hashizume.  Just tell him "the Lydiard Foundation guy" and he'll know.