8/20/2007 13 easy/hard 3am/10pm MP run in pm, [email protected]
8/21/2007 10 easy 3am/7pm
8/22/2007 10 easy 3am/7pm
8/23/2007 11 hard 2k/4x1k/4×400
8/24/2007 5 easy grind ’em out
8/25/2007 15 moderate good run; tempo in middle; finish strong
8/26/2007 7 easy slow
wk total 71
Oh, you want more than numbers? By Thursday I felt like a big, smelly worn-out turd. I was tired of seeing the Dalai Lama on Riverside and wringing out my socks in my driveway. The Thursday afternoon Gazelle workout was a hot kick in the face which I mentally battled through and felt good about afterwards (the mental aspect). I don’t care who you are and how much you’ve been running, the Gazelle workouts are tough as nails. Friday sucked sweaty camel snot, but Saturday was rejuvenating. Running with Fletcher and Dick Beardsley at tempo, even for just 12 minutes, re-inspired me. I felt strong, ran proud, and was “in the moment.” It’s sort of like golf, you take 100s of swings in search of that one sweet shot that keeps you coming back.
Not sure what’s on tap this week. It’s back to school, back to work, back to t-ball and soccer and cub scouts and piano and all that, so we’ll see what I can squeeze in. I don’t see how any non-professional runner with a job, kids, wife, yard, fridge, etc. can run more than 70 miles a week for any length of time.
Question of the week: all else being equal, when you’re struggling physically and mentally on what’s supposed to be a recovery run, is it better to shuffle, walk, stop or not run in the first place?
Well, that’s kind of embarrassing.
last week I did a couple 3/6 minute walk/run efforts because my calves felt like crap. I felt like a wuss doing them, but I figured it was better than skipping the run entirely. I’m better this week….I think it helped….
I do recovery runs at a very easy tempo. I think last time I asked him, Entraineur Gilbert said to do 40-45 minutes worth. Faster than a shuffle, but slow by your normal standards. If you can find someone slower than you to run with, that helps.
Of course if you don’t run in the first place, you miss out on both the “run” part and the “recovery” part.
You have to run. But check your resting pulse rate (before you get out of bed in the morning). if it’s elevated you need more recovery, not necessarily fewer days of running.
When you are doing that much mileage with quality, you should be tired all of the time, really tired. When you start a run, you might feel like there’s no way you can complete it but after a mile or two warmup that feeling should pass and you should be able to do a hard workout. If you’re going to really improve, you have to operate up to the edge of breakdown. You’re ability to wear yourself out should increase and you might feel like death but if you are recovering and can complete the hard workouts you are on a rocket sled to glory.
Impressive mileage. That’s a pretty big jump from one “season” to the next. Some would say, after seeing your famous baseball picture and then seeing you now, that you are only 1/2 the man you used to be, but we know better.