RunningAHEAD - Topic: Post-marathon fitness loss?

PowerOfQ

Think Whirled Peas

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:06 AM

How much fitness do you "lose" from a race? Or do you at all? I guess the question comes from how I view running as compared to filling a bucket of water, one spoonful at a time. Every day I run, I add some water to the bucket using a spoon. The more I run, the faster it fills up. Blah, blah, blah. You get the analogy. Come race day though, is when it's time to empty the bucket. Is that what really happens? Or are you actually just taking a bit of water out (based on how hard you raced) and it ends up allowing you to upgrade your spoon? So the race in the longer term view actually helps to INCREASE your fitness level, as opposed to cashing in all of your work. Does this make sense, or am I all wet? (sorry, couldn't resist) Q

Just because running is simple does not mean it is easy.

Relentless. Forward. Motion. <repeat>

Ileneforward

#artbydmcbride

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:10 AM

I've always assumed that only long recoveries from injury (i.e. not running) caused a fitness loss. A race will cause some muscle (and other types ) damage, but a proper recovery from that should cause a fitness gain.

Runners run

spaniel

Feeling the growl again

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:44 AM

Racing INCREASES fitness. It's long layoffs for recovery that reduce it. I know of nuumerous instances where people have taken the minimum recovery needed to get rid of muscle soreness, then go out and set shorter distance PRs within weeks. Racing does not empty the bucket. You don't "spend" fitness. You spend fitness by not training. I typically take several weeks completely or mostly off after a marathon, which does result in fitness loss. But I take a long-term perspective on things and figure complete recovery from a race and long period of hard training is better than pushing it.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

mikeymike

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:49 AM

What spaniel said. It's the time you have to take off after that causes you to lose fitness. But in the long run it's negligible, unless you use the marathon as an excuse to take the next 2 months completely off from training.

Runners run

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:51 AM

but dont be surprised if for the next 3-4 weeks you FEEL like you emptied the bucket. Tongue

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

C-R

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:56 AM
modified: 10/23/2008 at 10:57 AM

<inverted> - I took off Sunday after my marathon and was back at it on Monday with easy runs. No soreness or anything. Seemed like a regular training day. Does this mean I didn't race hard enough?</inverted> Smile

"He conquers who endures" - Persius
"Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

dgb2n

Dave

posted: 10/23/2008 at 10:59 AM

I think it just means you had a great recovery. Unless you have another reason to question your effort but I read your race report and I don't think that's the case.

I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

dgb2n@yahoo.com

runnbyu

posted: 10/23/2008 at 11:18 AM
modified: 10/23/2008 at 11:18 AM

Quote from C-R on 10/23/2008 at 10:56 AM:

No it does not mean you did not race to hard just that you are in perfect shape. Smile

PowerOfQ

Think Whirled Peas

posted: 10/23/2008 at 11:31 AM

Quote from Ennay on 10/23/2008 at 10:51 AM:

but dont be surprised if for the next 3-4 weeks you FEEL like you emptied the bucket.

I guess that's where it all started. I tried to do a recovery run last night on the dreadmill and made it all of about 5 minutes before I had to stop. I think my bucket has a hole in it.

Just because running is simple does not mean it is easy.

Relentless. Forward. Motion. <repeat>

Craig S

Menace to Sobriety

posted: 10/23/2008 at 11:40 AM

Quote from Ennay on 10/23/2008 at 10:51 AM:

but dont be surprised if for the next 3-4 weeks you FEEL like you emptied the bucket.

Or kicked it.

Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go f*** himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus.

mikeymike

posted: 10/23/2008 at 11:42 AM

Quote from PowerOfQ on 10/23/2008 at 11:31 AM:

I guess that's where it all started. I tried to do a recovery run last night on the dreadmill and made it all of about 5 minutes before I had to stop. I think my bucket has a hole in it.

You made it farther than me. I made it 2 minutes and 55 seconds this morning.

Runners run

zoom-zoom

rectumdamnnearkilledem

posted: 10/23/2008 at 11:46 AM

Quote from PowerOfQ on 10/23/2008 at 11:31 AM:

I think my bucket has a hole in it.

2.5 weeks after my big race and I still kinda feel like my bucket has no bottom. I had planned to do 8 miles on Tues, but my body said 7.5 was the limit...and those last 2-3 miles were rough. Tongue

I'm back to feeling like double-digit runs are really daunting. Undecided

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.

~ Sarah Kay

midwest runner

Giants Fan

posted: 10/23/2008 at 12:12 PM

I have been feeling the same way. Today is 24 days since my marathon, this morning was the first run where I felt like my old self again! Pace was better, energy level, legs weren't dead...so there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. However, I really had no clue how much my running would be affected after the race. Surprising to me....maybe I was just in denial.

"I think I've discovered the secret of life- you just hang around until you get used to it."

Charles Schulz

mrakers

posted: 10/23/2008 at 12:16 PM

The week following my marathon I didn't run until Wednesday. I think I did like 15 miles that week. But the week following the post-marathon week, I decided to run 50 miles for the first time ever. Don't. Ever. Do. That.

Mvitale24

posted: 10/23/2008 at 12:30 PM

Quote from spaniel on 10/23/2008 at 10:44 AM:

Racing INCREASES fitness. It's long layoffs for recovery that reduce it. I know of nuumerous instances where people have taken the minimum recovery needed to get rid of muscle soreness, then go out and set shorter distance PRs within weeks. Racing does not empty the bucket. You don't "spend" fitness. You spend fitness by not training. I typically take several weeks completely or mostly off after a marathon, which does result in fitness loss. But I take a long-term perspective on things and figure complete recovery from a race and long period of hard training is better than pushing it.

Spaniel, Define off? No running for a week? Nothing but easy's for a while? 50% of MPW for a few weeks?

Post-marathon fitness loss? (Read 1303 times)