My legs are starting to complain. They are not sore, but heavy. They are looking forward to next week's lower mileage and 13 mile long runs (as opposed to 20 or 18). I, on the other hand, am game for going long, which is good since I have another 20 miler this weekend, to which I plan to add 2 more miles of walking for cool down and more time on my feet.
I have been trying to take good care of my legs. That may have been a waste of time. Apparently, my ice baths and stretching (OK, I confess, I stretch for like, 1 minute???, have never liked it, have never had patience for it, have never talked about it in the running community for fear of getting the evil eye...) are not supposed to help with the recovery. Maybe the roller is not helping either, since massages are also not helpful and the roller is a bit of a self-massage; in fact, massages are bad, since they "may decrease blood flow and waste-product removal'. Good thing I have never paid for one, since my hub is happy (OK, I am pushing it) to oblige.
So where is all of this coming from? The September issue of Runner's World, pages 58-61. There is more there, like 1) running long without nutrition is good, because it teaches the body to burn fat (but why would I want to do that, when I can always take a gel during training and during the marathon, and have better runs all around? Do I need to burn fat, I like my fat, I would like to keep it, I don't want to be the skinny old lady when I "grow up"), 2) lifting weights is not beneficial for runners (I know, but broad shoulders balance most women's bodies, and make us look and feel strong), 3) quality is more important than quantity for most runners not only beginners (I do like this one, since I am practicing it, but I do think that this is not a one size fits all strategy), 4) cross training, particularly biking is as beneficial in terms of marathon training as non key runs, and more beneficial for injury prevention (I agree with this one as well, particularly since they are citing some research, though I can't vouch because I have no idea how those studies were done), 5) building to a peak from a slow base to speed work may not be as beneficial as year long training, since one loses fitness quickly and would have to start all over, and also because as one gets fitter, one can handle tougher training (I can see the point of this one, as my body is definetly stronger and able to handle more than one year ago) and 6) speed work can have just a few repeats and longer recovery periods (this one did not convince me, since the athlete given as examples trained for 800m races; dah, of course she can rest for 15 minutes in between 800m..).
As far as the icebaths and the roller...I will keep them in my training because: 1) they seem to work for me, and who cares if it is placebo? and 2) it is nice to be able to do "something" to help with recovery, even if it may not help, we all like a sense of control, don't we?
OK, so what are your thoughts on these? Have you looked over the article? I really loved reading about the "good old days", examples of runners who used techniques that we would frown upon now, but had great results in races (like drinking wine, training 2 miles a day and sprinting in place, yet setting records).
****
Onto my training.
Monday I ran 9.5 miles, with 3.5 miles of speed work - 2X1200m at 6:30 and 6:36 with 2min RI, and 4X800m at 6:26, 6:29, 6:26; 6:24 with 2 min RI; average pace for 9.5miles was 8:04.
The run went very well. No vomit in spite of running in crazy hot temps. I think the shorter intervals and the longer recovery periods helped.
Today I ran 8 miles w 5 miles @ medium tempo pace (7:29). I actually run the tempo miles at 7:25. But, I stopped half way for about 1 minute to get water (OK, and to wipe the sweat off of....everything, and because I was burning up, literally, and was a bit concerned about that). So, I guess I sort of screwed up the tempo. Oh, well.
Tomorrow I have an easy 4 miler on trails, and then a 20 miler on Saturday. Exciting!!!!!
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9 comments:
HI!
A few thoughts...
Running without nutrition-every year I go to listen to a very popular/famous runner and physiologist in our area speak about the BOSTON MARATHON and he is an advocate of no GUs, etc. until marathon day. I tried this for three years and then tried GU and electrolytes in training and I felt better and recovered faster. That's just my experience even though I highly respect this man and all of his teachings!
Quality vs quantity: I read the book LESS IS MORE and it worked well(for me)when I was training for 5ks and half-marathons but more time on my feet has helped me tremendously for marathons...and hopefully, my upcoming ultra.
I still love reading and discovery what works for me since we are all so different and unique in what our bodies need!
meg
I was pretty disturbed when I read that article. I too am in love with ice baths and my foam roller. Those will not be leaving my regimine just because of this article. I am also a natural cynic and rarely belive anything I read. It will take a lot more than an article in RW to convince me of some of this. (I'm also a major cynic of testing and studies).
Whatever I'm doing is working for me at the moment and I don't plan on making any changes.
Great job on the speedowrk, and NO you didn't mess up the tempo!
wow some of those points seem really point-less to me!
umm stretching/icing/etc is good recovery! until this article, everything i've read was that those things were all GOOD, not bad. so i too will continue stretching and taking ice baths. well, my stretching is about as dedicated as yours ;)
i do think you need to train the body to 'live off the land' (your own fat) during a run, but just every now and then. definitely not on every long run! you also need to practice nutrition-on-the-go and check to see if your stomach can handle the gel/chew product.
i don't think lifting is not-beneficial... i don't do it myself (no gym) but i don't see why a little extra strength-training would hurt. none of us would do body-building lifts anyway so it's not like we'd "gain" a lot of muscle weight.
i do agree with quality > quantity. better to run 5 solid runs/week than 7 crappy ones. not 5 speed days of course, but 5 good runs (or however many).
i also agree with your point that everyone is different. there is no set formula to becoming an olympic athlete afterall.
...just my personal thoughts of course.
i just got my RW in the mail yesterday and will be reading this article tonight!! very interesting points they and you make. i definitely agree that everyone is different and finding what works for you is important.
i think one of the philosophies behind running slower during long runs (vs closer to race pace) is the whole fat burning thing right? or maybe i am just making that up :)
good luck on your 20!!
oh and you know i will never give up my ice baths/bucket :)
ice bath ... so cold and uncomfortable yet so needed for recovery.
I trained and ran 3 marathons without ever once taking an ice bath or using a foam roller. When I started using both as part of my recovery, I could tell a MAJOR difference. I'm not sore the next day, like at all. So I have to believe they help.
While I love reading RW, I take everything in it with a grain of salt. They often contradict themselves from article to article. They also don't site their science very well. While they name the study, they rarely give a full citation. Also, we seldom read about the studied group, the control group etc. Often they use information about elite athletes who often have different body types, history etc.
I also think the ice baths helped me recover faster after super long runs. I know that my foam roller helped me avoid an ITB issue. Why is it that physical therapists recommend it and stretching to treat and avoid injury?
I think women, in particular, who don't strength train are doing themselves a disservice. It might not directly affect running performance, but definitely affects overall fitness. Women who strength train are far less likely to have osteoporosis in later years, for example.
Like I stated earlier. All of this needs to be taken with a grain of salt. There is a reason that something is conventional wisdom. Like another poster, I am not going to change my routines based on one article.
I haven't read the article. I don't have a subscription to Runner's World. Gasp! I know...blasphemy! I did at one time receive the magazine, but after a few years it seemed to be repeating the same information. I did look online, but wasn't able to find it. So my opinion is solely based on your references.
1) No nutrition during long runs. Personally I believe you should practice the way you race. If you won't be taking in nutrition on race day, then don't train with it. If you'll be drinking and taking in gu on race day, then it's probably good to practice taking them on long runs.
2) Lifting weights isn't beneficial for runners. Well, my college coach would emphatically disagree. He had us on a very specific weight training regimen. Me, I prefer push-ups and planks for my strength training. (And I do believe it makes a big difference for me.)
3) Quality is more important than quantity. I do agree that running a 5 mile tempo run can be more beneficial than an 8 mile jog, but it's a lot more complicated than that. A good training schedule has hard runs, easy runs, and recovery runs.
4)Cross-training is good. I'm a huge fan of cross-training, but I'm just one runner. I know some runners can't stand it, and do just fine with high mileage.
I think it partially comes down to that every runner is different, which is why there are tons of different training philosophies out there. I try to do what makes sense for me and what seems to work best. That means I do, ice baths, use a foam roller, take in nutrition during long runs, and cross-train (because it works for me).
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