OHR vs. Adding a Day (Read 1168 times)

Just an opinion. Base on your log and what you described......I think both. IF......you feel you've given yourself sufficient time to heal. I would most definetly start increasing some of your runs beyond 30 mins. Adding in an extra day with just a short 15 - 20 min run is a great way to increase your volume. Good Luck !

You MUST proceed from a position of caution....you're coming off of an injury and so you definately dont want to jump into it and get injured again -- BAD BAD -When I started back (after an injury), I ran every other day.....for a few months (normally 2 and sometimes 3 miles)...so some weeks I ran 3 times and some weeks 4 times... -After a few months (I think 3 full months), I changed to 4x per week.....Tue, Thurs, Sat and Sun.......again 2 to 3 miles per run.... -Waited a few months and then added Wed.....Tue, Wed, Thrus, Sat and Sun (still 2 or 3 miles per run), and then slowly started adding one mile per week (every other week) as I would rather error on the side of caution..... Additionally, if you are adding a day....then dont add mileage -- if your adding mileage, then dont add any days (either/or here at first) and be careful not to try to run too fast...make sure its an easy managable pace (easy an managable pace means slow enough that when you are finished, you feel like you could to it again and you look forward to your next run -- no race pace, intervals, tempo run or any of that fancy stuff for a while) cause you want to get toughened up enought to take the pounding....tempo runs, intervals and all that stuff will come later (when you're up to about 30 MPW or so)... I recommed that when you get up to 5 days per week...you guard your two days off religiously for about a year or so, to make sure you are getting some rest and taking some of the stress of your legs......but you should be able to continue to slowly add more miles... This may not directly answer your question, but it's what worked for me, so if you decided to proceed something like I did, perhaps it will work for you also.....

It may depend on what floats your boat and *your* recovery times, but I increased duration before increasing frequency. I went from 3 days/wk to every other day to very briefly at 4day/wk (didn't feel right) to 2 on/1 off. But I didn't start increasing frequency beyond every other day until my normal runs were 1-2 hrs long. BUT, I like to go long and get away from the trailhead. Longer runs enable me to mentally escape and have fun playing on different trails. More freqent, shorter runs keeps me closer to trailhead where the trails aren't as much fun and likely to be muddier or icier. I feel chained with short runs. The way I increased from no consecutive days to sometimes 2 days together to sometimes 3 days together tended to be something in life forced a minor change. I then found that 2 days in a row was tolerable, but didn't do it often, then ultrmately changed to 2 days in a row almost all the time. I'm going through the same thing with 3 days in a row now. I've found I can handle it - occasionally - but not at the point where I can make a steady diet of it. I'm working toward the idea of 5days/wk - 3 on / 1 off/ 2 on / 1 off. My "off" days may include xt or trail building or whatever, so may not be rest days all the time. Again -it's at least partly what fits your life style and interests. Some folks like the regularity of frequent runs. Others like the idea of playing for longer times rather than getting kicked outr just after entering candy store.

I just recently started running 3 to 4 days a week. I use to run 6/7 .......go figure . I increased the length of my runs, I now try to run 20km at a time everytime. Rather than the avg 10 a day I use to do. It's an experiment I'll try over the winter and I'll re-assess in the spring. I figure there is more benefit to running longer and resting a day in between. I am over 50, and I think I just can't recover as quick as the younger people. By the way I see you're from Ontario. Consider joining this group http://www.runningahead.com/groups/GTA/ for local info. We could use the new blood. Anyone Else want to pretend you're from Ontario is welcome as well

I would like to reiterate what John A said... in a slightly different way. Running breaks the body down... you get stronger through repeated cycles of stress and rest... the body adapts... gets stronger... Now this is a balance because if you provide more stress than the body can repair then eventually it will break. Even if it is just a little bit too much, over time it will take its toll. So how can you break yourself. -- in no particular order -- 1.) Too many miles in one day 2.) Too many miles in one week ok that is the simpler version people can agree on.. but look at two other factors: intensity and frequency. Increasing intensity (running faster) arguably does more damage so would require more healing time. Increased frequency reduces the time for healing. 3.) run too fast ** not run easy enough ** 4.) run too frequently 5.) not rest enough All that said... if you adding another day is stressfull in itself... and you should be carefull about increasing milage by adding another day! My experience is that when I added another day... (going from every other to 4 days a week.... from 4 days a week to 5... ) that it worked best (without injury) to do so by dividing my weekly millage across the added day... Ex... 15 miles per week in 3 days (4,5,6).. perhaps when you add a forth you go to (3,3,4,5) then work back up to (3,3,4,6)... (3,3,5,6). So the whole thing IMHO boils down to this.... How much training can you do and fully recover from it?

IMO as soon as you can wake up the next morning and have no soreness from the previous day. As soon as you can finish your normal easy workout and FEEL like you could repeat it right there on the spot.

I couldn't have said it better myself (and in fact, I dont think I did). From simply a personal point of view --- In my case, I like to run at least 5 days per week, even if its less miles (per day). I'd rather run 3 miles 5 x per week to equal 15, then to run 5 miles 3 x per week to equal 15 cause I feel like I make more progress if I run more days (and it makes me feel good too). Other people surely feel differently......and I cant/won't argue their logic or thoughts....there are lots of ways to do it.....I only offer my approach because it has worked so well for me.

I would recommed the back to back days being a 3 then a 4...or a 3 then a 5... T-3 T-4 S-3 S-5 or T-3 T-5 S-3 S-4 or something like that........but a full rest day after your longer run -- like if you add a 6 and eventually a 7