Recovery Weeks Piss Me Off

On my new and improved training plan (insert sarcasm on the heavy side here) I am not even two months in, still feeling pain in the ole right knee, and am finding it really hard to hold back during the recovery weeks. What's up with that?

Am I not training hard enough in the three weeks leading up to recovery time? (My answer is clearly NO!, but I do think I am training as hard as my body will allow without being sidelined with major injury or injuries.) Or, more likely, is my brain continuing to try and write cheques that my cannot cash?

Don't know how others do it, and based on the running sites and blogs that I've read over the past year or so, taking recovery seriously and actually doing it right is not an unusual issue. That being said, I am trying my best and have laid out a plan for the entire year that has me running three weeks "on" followed by a fourth week "off". And "off" is the right word, because recovery weeks are pissing me off.

Today I walked to work 6.2km, did upper body weights at lunch, and ran 8.2km home (well, to get Owen at school actually). Now that's what I call recovery! Though I must say that these recovery runs, slow and easy as they are, leave me more stiff and sore than I would like. Perhaps it's the leg weights that I've been doing that has led to this because I have not been including weight training as part of the whole recovery plan. Or maybe NOT running isn't particularly good for me, just like running too much.

Anyway, tomorrow I have leg weights on the agenda and I might actually take it down a notch and do an easy workout for a change. Things always seem to change once I'm at the gym and I end up doing more than I'd planned, but I am seriously thinking of holding back a bit. Here's hoping...

Reading and (hopefully) Learning

As I try and get "back" to the type of running that I was doing in the summer I find the process tedious and frustrating. I am not running nearly as much as I thought I would be more than a month into my return to running. My right knee continues to bother me a bit, though nothing like what I was feeling at the end of August when I was sidelined with this ailment as well as calf strains galore.

Anyway, I am really really trying to be more conservative and have set no goals for the year other than wanting to run a marathon next Fall. Even this goal is not set in stone, and I am not registered for any races whatsoever. In between the little bit of running that I have been able to accomplish I have been reading books on running like never before. The two most useful ones I've found are Hal Higdon's "Marathon: the Ultimate Training Guide" and Timothy Noakes' "The Lore of Running".

I am not, at this point, interested in any training plan per se, but I am very much in need of reinforcement of the concepts of not over training, listening to your body, setting realistic goals, etc. Both of these books do a great job of describing the common mistakes that rookies make, which ultimately lead to burnout or injury, and I have found more than a few that either I've already experienced or can relate to. As such, I am continuing to stay positive no matter how often, or how far, I am running on a weekly or monthly basis.

Case in point: Last week I ran 4km on Monday, then took the rest of the week off because I was fighting off some sort of throat ailment. On Saturday I went out for what turned out to be an awesome feeling 6km. It was easy, and I had a great time.

Sunday morning I was hoping to run again, but decided that my right calf was still feeling a bit too sore after Saturday's run and stayed home. Instead, I rode the stationary bike for 30 minutes and did some stretching.

I've also started doing a few new exercises that I found in the Noakes book, especially ones with stretch cords that work the hip flexors in a variety of ways. A particular one that I've never done before works out the front of the hip, where you have to lift your leg up until the thigh is parallel with the floor while having a stretch cord attached to the ankle. It's amazing how weak those muscles are and I immediately feel the difference in my knees after only a few days of this activity.

Anyway, I would love to be out there running 20+ kilometres every Sunday, but it is simply not possible at this time. Instead, I have to think super long term and get back to that sort of mileage when my body allows. I just hope that all of this new found wisdom doesn't leave me as the Spring racing season approaches and I am tempted, perhaps against my better judgement, to enter a race or two. I hope that I can race a few, but will not bank on it just yet.

I have also signed up at a gym around the corner as part of a reduced monthly rate plan through my work. The membership doesn't start until the middle of January, but I am doing this to have access to treadmills again, and to specifically work out my core and legs in order to get rid of these "swimmers legs" once and for all. Must strengthen to absorb shock better!

Registering and Planning

I've decided to change my original plan and register for the 5k during the Ottawa Marathon Weekend races in May instead of the 10k. I figure that variety is a good thing, and my time from this race will also allow me to better use the FIRST Run Less Run Faster program to train for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in September since all of their training paces are based on your best 5k result (I find this a little puzzling because throughout the book they keep repeating that the 5k is the worst predictor for marathon finishing times, for obvious reasons). I also think that running a 5k will be a blast - just giv'r and it's over so quick!

Also, I reworked my training plan based on a Monday-Sunday week. I've always thought of weeks as starting on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday, but apparently running plans do not view calendars the same way I do. Now I have a training plan that is taking shape for the entire calendar year based on this more acceptable convention. If all goes well I will run over 1600km this year, which translates to just over 1000 miles. That will be a good milestone for sure on top of any racing achievements.

And lastly, I am rethinking my original goal for this year (that being to run a sub 45 minute 10k). Now that I am trying to (slowly and carefully) increase my mileage I can't concentrate on both distance and speed all that much as that would likely lead to more injury. If I happen to run that fast in one of the two 10k races I've signed up for, great! If not, I won't worry about it since it is more important for me to run healthy and long this year. I'll think about my goals a bit more, but it's looking more and more like my main goal will be to finish a marathon and not to run fast(ish) in a 10k.

Oh yeah, my wife has registered for the 10k in Ottawa, and I've also registered Owen in the Kids Marathon (which traces the last 1.2k of the marathon route and lets the kids finish in the same spot as the main event, making for some exciting times to be sure). This should be a fun weekend for all of us, though it is still a bit of a ways off.

R'n'R, and it's not cool kind...

I don't mean rock'n'roll, but rather the much more geriatric rest'n'recuperation, and that's what I am continuing to do as I await the healing of the foot to run its course. It's actually quite pathetic the pain that this seemingly simple 10k has left me with, and I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like after running a marathon. I am not yet bouncing off the walls, but I sure am starting to itch to start running again. I am not interested in speed or anything, but rather the slow buildup of mileage that I am looking forward to.

I figure that the winter will be taken up with adding one kilometre per week starting at something fairly short and manageable. This strategy, coupled with maintaining strict heart rate and pacing in the nice'n'easy range (we really should use 'n' more often, don't you think?), promises to keep me on my feet while minimizing the chance of any overuse injuries.

So, I will try and relax and keep this foot on the healing path. I did manage another swim this afternoon, and that is helping to keep me sane. 2000m in 29 minutes. No weights tonight, though, partly because I am writing this week off, and mostly because it is Owen's

7th BIRTHDAY!

... and that kept me busy for the evening, as you can imagine. Now it is late, and I am still to do some stretching and some foot maintenance stuff, so it's time to sign off. I've been so busy this week that I haven't really had a chance to catch up on all of the blogs out there, but things should get back to normal after this week at work, or at least I really really hope that they do!

Rethinking the Plan

Today was spent doing homework, buying a new bike for Monica, setting it up, and rethinking the training plan. On the school front, all I can say is motivation continues to be lacking in this last course of the program. .......and enough about that.

On the bike front, I had bought Monica a bike three and a half years ago to replace an ancient ten speed she had been using for probably twenty years. That old Raleigh was so undesirable that she had left it outside of her apartment in Montreal for a full winter, with the lock through the spokes of the front wheel only, and nobody took it. Montreal, for those that may not be aware, is a major bike theft capital. Anyway, I remember also that when she tried to unlock it in the Spring the lock was seized, so we just took the rest of the bike and left the wheel. I think within two days someone stole the wheel!

To make a long story short, the bike I purchased for her birthday did not really work out. It kept having problems, and finally, after about five flats in the space of two weeks, we decided to replace it. I found her a nice bike, but had to venture pretty far to pick it up. I did so today, and managed to get everything set up except the basket at the back. That's a minor thing... If anyone wants a really shitty bike, let me know! As far as the new one goes, it is inexpensive and rides real nice - perfect for Toronto, where bikes get stolen all the time. Since we both ride year- round to work and back, and pretty much everywhere else, it's imperative that our bikes work well, but are not too nice to be targets for theives. Mine is a total Frankenbike, but Mon needs something more conventional:On the running front, I have been reworking the training plan to take into account the mileage I've missed as a result of my ankle setback. Originally, this week I was supposed to run 11k on Monday, the usual 5k on Wednesday, and then another 10k on Saturday for a weekly total of 26 kilometres. Now, since I missed a week of running my mileage for the last two weeks went down considerably, 14k and 16k respectively. I think it would be unwise to jump straight up to 26k and so I am wondering what to do. I'd like a balance between decent mileage and low risk of aggravating the ankle. For now I plan on 8k tomorrow, 5k on Wednesday, and 10k on Saturday. However, that adds up to 23k, a jump of 7k from this past week's total. What would you do?

In positive news, I procrastinated a bit today looking back at the last month of training and notice that I've progressed quite a bit. No longer does a 5:30ish pace per kilometre spike my heart rate into the mid 90% range! It's getting pretty close to the point where my training runs will be going over the 1 hour mark, and given that when I started 10 minutes was a workout in and of itself I am simply amazed. Of course, I realize that the marathon runners out there do a heck of a lot more, but still it is gratifying. I've never been able to run for that long a period of time before, both due to physical limitations and, for the better part of my life, mental blocks. I used to hate running! So weird to think that now...

Sugar Sweet Weekend, and 9k LSD

So, this weekend was definitely not of the nutritionally sound variety. Malcolm's birthday brought many treats, not the least of which was his Geo Dude cake, and then on Sunday my Mom brought us a huge slab of my favorite cheesecake from a Polish bakery across town. It's a good thing this place is across town or I'd be partaking of the cheesy goodness much too often! In short, Monday was much more sluggish than usual, and with my 9k run set to go in the evening I was wondering what the after-effects would be. Of course, there is still a decent piece of cheesecake left in the fridge with which to drown my sorrows...


Mid-day training thoughts:

I am still not sure how to proceed with this week's training. The plan calls for the 9k tonight to be LSD-ish (6:00/k pace, or about 9:39/mile). Tomorrow I'll be swimming, but may miss my usual weight workout on account of a conference call that is scheduled (in)conveniently at 8pm. Wednesday I will do another 5k "maintenance" run, but may back off a little and keep the pace slowish, somewhere in the 5:30/k (8:51/m) range. Thursday is another swim day, and weights. Friday is off. Then Saturday... Saturday calls for a 10k at a fast pace, and that is what I am considering modifying. I may do this as an easier run just to get the distance in, but I am afraid of pushing myself again. Cardio-wise the gains from these tempo type runs can't be discounted, but my leg muscles are feeling the effects. I may have to decide day-of rather than plan to slow it down in advance. I'd love to be able to do this 10k under 50:00, though!


Tonight's 9k:

Back to the business at hand - what would be the consequences of my sugar intake over the past two days? I thought that I would most likely feel sluggish, especially as the run progressed. However, and I have no experience to draw from when making this conclusion, the result was something else and totally unexpected. Instead of feeling sluggish I felt fine, except for the bowel pains I began to feel at about the 2.5k mark and only got worse. Yes, I've finally got something of this variety to post about. I've read more than a few things in the blogosphere on gastrointestinal issues as they pertain to running, but have never experienced anything negative until tonight. As I ran I wished a toilet had been strapped to my ass and it became harder and harder to keep going and maintain my pace. Although walking would have likely relieved some of the "discomfort", this was not an option since running meant I was getting closer to home and the bathroom contained therein. What the hell did I eat? I don't remember anything funky, but it sure feels like I drank a quart of curdled milk or something. I really hope this is a very temporary thing, but sitting here I am not exactly totally recovered, and this is now two hours after my run!

As far as the run went, I was quite pleased. I kept my heart rate under 150 for the most part and on the perceived effort front I'd say this was pretty easy, perhaps a 5 out of 10. My pace surprised me a bit since I was aiming from something in the 6:00/km (9:39/m) range, or maybe a tad faster. Instead, I managed to hold 5:30/km (8:51/m) pace for the entire run and it felt really easy. I'll have to re-evaluate my training since this type of pace was supposed to be more difficult... It was a bit chilly out, and I'm thinking that had something to do with it.

Garmin don't lie.

The google image of my route.