Getting slower? (Read 954 times)

Looking at your log, it looks like you usually have 1-2 days off between runs, sometimes 3. But that number has ballooned recently (holidays are bad for running -- look at my December ). I think your best bet is get back to more consistent every other day or every two days running. I don't think you need any more rest -- if anything, I think your legs will be fresher if you get back to your previous schedule and run a little more.

The reason you are burned out is that your long runs are averaging a whopping 60% of your weekly mileage, pretty much double what they should be. Add more runs during the week to increase your overall weekly mileage or cut back on the length of your long runs and you'll be fine. Tom

Hey, Willamona! Easy, big fella... While you are absolutely right, there is a certain "rate" to get there. Azredbirds052; are you trying to follow any training schedule or plan? If you are, and if you are just simply skipping some of the shorter (easier) runs in between, you've got to know that there are certain reasons why those shorter, easier runs are there. Unless you've built a solid foundation over the years, 10 or 12 miles is not something you want to casually do on weekend only (I know you run more than that). I've seen far too many people nowadays just simply follow some cookie-cutter schedule regardless of their individual growth rate. I'm sure many have never even heard of the name, Kenny Moore??? Pre is different because Nike still uses his name to make money. Pre was a kind of a runner who can train hard-hard-hard-easy-hard-hard... On the other hand, Moore trained like hard-easy-easy-easy-hard-easy-easy... They were both coached by the same guy; Pre finished 4th in 5000m in 1972; Moore, 4th in the marathon in 1972. Cookie-cutter schedule just ain't cut it for everybody. Far too often, people follow schedule for the sake of following schedule. They don't even listen to their own body. If you're tired and sluggish, you should take it easy. If you don't, your body will get into a stress situation and now you just can't run as freely as you did before. And the same goes to racing too. If you don't feel right, why race? Yes, you should probably run more; and yes, you should run more often....IF your goal is to get to the next level (like running a marathon) and get fitter. But there's a time for everything. When you try to push your body beyond its comfort zone, your base fitness level will go down a bit for a while. That's a natural training effect--you're actually stressing your body. As you recovery adequately, the base fitness level will come back up again; in fact, it actually surpasses where it once was before. This is called "Super Compensation". THIS is a real training effect and this is what you really want. This "wave" can be a day-to-day thing; but this could also be a little more broader way as well. In other words, you may have some barrier you'd need to overcome to get up to the next level. You may feel sluggish for several days; yet you need to get out and push through. The real key is to figure out whether you're overdoing it (by stubbornly continue to push) or pushing the envelope (reading the signs and "training", not "straining") or simply pampering yourself (take it easy too much). It sounds to me, though, that you've been stressing your body too much too soon. When your legs feel dead and heavy and you're actually slowing down, to me, that's a sign that tells you to slow down. I'd cut down those long runs and, if anything, include a few easy fartlek type of workout--this tends to freshen up the dead legs. By all means, I would NOT cut back your running (happy, Willa? ;o)). But just go slow and easy and try not to push the pace or anything. I'd even wear extra jacket and pants (even if you're running in Cancoon) to slow down. Contrary to any scientist might suggest, there's no such thing as "junk mile". Any of these easy jogging would actually help. Easy jogging works as a gentle massage to your legs as well as bringing extra oxygen to your system (though some people may not believe in oxygen... Sorry, this is ex-Cool Running peolpe's insiders joke!). Moving forward, I'd suggest you check your morning pulse. I don't necessarily check heart rate during the workout (not particularly against it either though) but I think checking morning pulse rate is quite useful. It has to be taken under similar conditions every time--laying down position and sitting down position would give you a different reading; absolutely no-no to do so AFTER your morning capccino! If your pulse is up by, say, about 10% for more than a couple of days, it's a pretty good indication that you should take it easy a bit. I use this as an excuse to take it easy--if I feel sluggish, and if my morning pulse is higher, I'd take it easy without any guilt! ;o) One time, my pulse was about 56~58 for 3 days (it's about 50 now) and I was feeling sluggish. I took 2 days off (I pretty much run every day; about 10 times a week) and just walked for about an hour in full sweats--it was during the summer (about 88 degrees)! This way, I'd sweat enough; that it makes me feel like I've "worked out". On the other hand, just this past weekend, I felt sluggish but my pulse was normal (52). I went for a 1:40 run with this yound lady I'm coaching (as an 800m runner) and she was in her groove and was running well. I was strugling at first but, since I didn't have a legitimate "excuse", I've decided to keep pushing. We ended up pushing the pace all the way through but, in the final 1/4 or so, I fell into the groove and felt quite good. This was a classic case of "pushing through" sluggish feeling and actually came out stronger. I would have taken it easy had my pulse been higher than normal. Do we still talk about heart rate (not during the runs) and hard-easy any more? I feel like we talked about that in the 80s more... Today, it seems, everything is schedules and if-you-can't-actually-run-a-marathon-then-walk kind of "pushing through" principles instead of listening to your own reactions... I tell ya, I see sooooooooooo many times people coming to the message board and asking, "I'm dead tired but I'm 'supposed' to run 12-miles this weekend... What do I do?" Who told you you're "supposed" to run 12 this weekend; your "inner coach" or the schedule? C'mon, be reasonable!

We need a Lydiard user group on running ahead... someone should start one. (Nobby or Kim, hint hint).

Now Nobby, you know me. I am not asking him to up his miles and days. Same miles, more days. Then after he is ready, well he can do more. And with the books, who cares what the schedules say, just read the parts that define what the worouts do, what they develop and how the body develops over training. This is what you need to know in order to develop your own plan. This way a person can understand what needs to be developed and work out the kinks. The problem is that most people skip the important stuff and go straight to the training plans. They have no idea the the author wants you to have xx mpw base over yy weeks. I think that is probably part of the case here. Higdon wants 50% of your mileage to be long runs? Holy crap. Read a new book. Your body doesn't like this one.

This week on the Higdon HM novice plan, I'm supposed to run 4-2-4-6, after running 3.5-2-3.5-5 last week. Since my HM isn't until September 21, though, I'm going to cut the 6 down to 5.5. I think increasing by a half mile every two weeks makes more sense for me, so I won't get discouraged.