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A Mile A Day
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Where to start? (Read 90 times)
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/10/2008 at 6:52 PM
Hi guys!

I am very interested in this streaking concept as I'm hoping it might rejuvenate my running which has suffered with an injury and poisonous running partners. But I read about streaking on the general forum and it led me to you guys. My dream is to one day run a marathon and after snooping around logs I saw enough proof that it is totally doable with streaks.

So a little history: I've been running off and on for 5 years. Running consistently since last June. Had a half scheduled for March but 3 weeks out suffered a knee injury. Have struggled to get back into the game since then. I am still planning on running a half June 14th even if I need to walk some. Mentally it's the right thing to do.

Streaking sounds like something that would be good for me to try! But how do I get started? Some people mention having minimum runs set, but let's say I set a 2mi minimum would it be too much? Or should i just go for it and see where it leaves me? How do I do this without heading right into an injury?

I need some serious guidance!

Thank you all in advance!
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
Lofcaudio
El Presidente
 posted: 5/10/2008 at 7:01 PM
Quote from ShanHas on 5/10/2008 at 6:52 PM:
How do I do this without heading right into an injury?


Well what is causing you to get injured? Most people who struggle with injuries aren't recovering properly after some of their workouts. For us streakers, we like to recover by running shorter runs at a much slower pace. Recovery runs do wonders at getting blood to the muscles and flushing out the junk that sometimes lead to injury. The slow pace means less wear and tear and will not tax your system.

Does that sound possible?
Running since January 2005

Upcoming races:
Runner's Choice 20K
Nut Race
St. Patrick's Day 5K
Sedalia Half-Marathon

"I train conservatively so that I can race recklessly."
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/10/2008 at 7:35 PM
modified: 5/10/2008 at 7:35 PM
well my injury: is instability in my knee's. Combating it with regluar (2-3x week) strength training and stretching. Have found my knee starts to complain when my quad's are tight so I try to stretch them frequently.

So yes I could vary pace/distance and as far as I know I should be fine.

I guess the question is then should i be varying distance from week 1? Or should I just try to run a constant distance and vary my pace?
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
Lofcaudio
El Presidente
 posted: 5/11/2008 at 3:41 PM
ShanHas, in looking at your log, it appears that you are in essence starting from scratch. For the first four weeks, I'd keep the pace consistent...consistently SLOW. Just work on building mileage as you run every day. For the first few days, I'd run whatever you would like your minimum to be (1-3 miles). I would then begin adding miles so that you can build to a week that looks something like this:

S: 3 miles
M: 4 miles
T: 3 miles
W: 5 miles
Th: 4 miles
F: 3 miles
S: 6-8 miles

That's a 30-mile week of running every day. Like I said, for the first four weeks of running every day, I'd keep the pace slow as much as possible.
Running since January 2005

Upcoming races:
Runner's Choice 20K
Nut Race
St. Patrick's Day 5K
Sedalia Half-Marathon

"I train conservatively so that I can race recklessly."
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/11/2008 at 4:04 PM
thank you sooo much!! that is what I was thinking too I just needed someone else to tell me!!!

is 3 as a minimum reasonable? Guess to a certain extent I won't know till I try it...
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
Lofcaudio
El Presidente
 posted: 5/11/2008 at 4:16 PM
Quote from ShanHas on 5/11/2008 at 4:04 PM:
is 3 as a minimum reasonable?


That's entirely up to you. I personally use 3 as a minimum because it typically takes me 25-30 minutes to run 3 miles which is about the minimum amount of time it takes for a run to actually be beneficial. If you run at a slower pace so that it takes 25 minutes for you to run 2 miles, then 2 miles would be a sufficient minimum. Remember: a minimum is nothing more than a personal goal. The minimum to be considered a streaker is just one mile a day.
Running since January 2005

Upcoming races:
Runner's Choice 20K
Nut Race
St. Patrick's Day 5K
Sedalia Half-Marathon

"I train conservatively so that I can race recklessly."
jeffdonahue
posted: 5/11/2008 at 9:59 PM
I personally am just now building up my rest days. What I did to start "Streaking" was to take my normal running plan (which had 2 complete rest days) and throw in one mile runs on those days. Now, I am working my "off day" runs up to two miles right now, but I say take it slow. This is a long goal anyway, so no need to rush it.
"80% of success is showing up." ~ Woody Allen

"Go that way... really fast. If something gets in your way... turn." ~ Charles DeMar

God doesn't give you what you want. He gives you what you need, the rest is up to you.
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/11/2008 at 10:20 PM
Jeff - well right now there are more off days than on days. Smile I will definitely build very slowly and just go really slow.
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
Young1
q day
 posted: 5/12/2008 at 12:28 AM
modified: 5/12/2008 at 4:03 AM
I agree with my fellow streakers that starting SLOW is essential. You are averaging much less than 30 miles a week, so you will need to build up to that goal slowly! In my experience there are two main advantages of streaking.
First, the more you run, the better you will get. It really is that simple, but the catch 22 is not to get injured. If streaking injures you, then it isn't for you.
Second, for those individuals like me, missing one day, turns into missing many days, or even years in my case. I think that the most disciplined runners can take a day off every now and then without any negative impact and probablly a positive impact. Ryan Hall and Alan Webb are two examples.
Don't hesitate to toss out questions as you have them. I've learned so much on RunningAhead by reading the forums that are filled with advice from runners much more seasoned than I.
One of my good friends (MBurlingame, a fellow streaker on this site), has filled many/most days with 1 milers, and here on day 98 his improvement is dramatic! 3 miles a day works for me, but 1 mile a day is enough at first (on easy days)!
Streak on!
Young1
"If you always do, what you've always done; you'll always get what you've always got."
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/12/2008 at 9:48 AM
thank you guys soo much! your advice has been great!! We shall see how it goes!
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
ShanHas
I'm excited!
 posted: 5/15/2008 at 10:02 AM
So I live in a very hilly area - almost all my runs involve hills of some sort and after 4 days my knees are starting a little achy (I think it's from tight muscles though) so my question is would it beneficial for me to go to flatter ground for my recovery run today?
When's the next one?
2009 Goals - Do it up Big!
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