my definition for "Junk Miles" (Read 1107 times)

My definitin for 'junk miles' - Often people are so into running every day that they refuse a day off. so my definition is the day after a really long run and your tired, a little sore and need to be off, but you run 2 or 3 anyway (just so you can say you did it), but hate it and it feels bad....you should have simply rested. To me these are junk miles because you are better off on those days just bagging it and recovering...

I agree with Mikey and John. On a day when I have no excuse not to run and sit on my ass instead of running--those are lost miles and junk. But running when my body really NEEDS the rest (most of the time a few super-easy miles make me feel better, but not always) and risking injury...yeah, that's junk, too.

So far I agree with Jeff's definition the most. Chris - I've had what you are feeling. Running slow day after day and it just seems getting harder and harder. If you pick it up for a little bit and then let the body relax and drift back to the same effort you felt you were giving before and it stays faster, then faster is probably good. but if it drifts back to slow, slow is probably good. When it is more the HABIT of slow, then the need to recover.

Junk miles are the miles you thought about running but didn't.

bingo.

Miles that I run with my junk hanging out. I do a lot of those.

Oh no...not another one of "those" threads...

Junk miles do not exist.

Either you're training /running properly or you're not. If you're doing something in a run where the losses outweight the benefits, then it's not that these are 'junk miles', it's that you're not doing the workout properly, you're doing the wrong workout or you're just doing something plain wrong. I don't quite get the notion of running so slow you're increasing the stress on your body. If you're making some peculiar adjustment in stride or mechanics that you have to force in order to go that slowly and it's uncomfortable or it hurts, then you're doing it wrong...it's not the going slow part that's the problem. Running slowly a-la recovery run should be pretty comfortable. An easy run should feel like more of an effort but neither of these should be stressful. It really sounds like you're forcing an unnatural stride pattern. When I do a recovery run, I don't try for anything in particular like a short stride or slow turnover, I just slow it way down so it's very easy and very comfortable. To run easy I just move it up a little into an easy breathing pattern but again I'm making no conscious adjustment to stride or pace or turnover, it's all about feeling the effort and being comfortable. And, yes, there's no junk miles, but there sure is junk training.