Author Topic: Cross Training: Running  (Read 400510 times)

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2200 on: 21 May, 2020, 05:11:51 pm »
Indeed, no injury problems for me (so far) but then I was coming back from a (5-a-side football induced) ankle injury (no running from Aug 1st to Dec 9th) and had been taking it slowly and steadily through the C25K plan and then a 10% max increase plan of my own.

Stuff is progressing nicely. Going from start of lockdown to now:-

5K: 31m45 down to 28m26
VDOT: 28.79 up to 32.87
5K beats per mile: 1645 down to 1482
Weight: 97kg to 92.10kg (today although that's mostly due to getting pissed last night and being dehydrated this morning)
Longest run: 5.01km up to 10.37km
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2201 on: 21 May, 2020, 05:27:45 pm »
Running is more demanding on joints and ligaments, but I think also more protective in the long term. It gives a more all around conditioning - not that getting on a bike is easy if all you do is run. I picked up a slight Achilles tweak so have had a few days of stretching and a couple of bike rides, but if any of us have the patience to get fast slowly running is very sustainable.

Stay well everyone and remember, usually if you can’t run you can still ride a bike;)

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2202 on: 21 May, 2020, 05:59:52 pm »
To be clear I don't think mine is a running injury.

I think it is a yoga injury that makes running painful.

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2203 on: 21 May, 2020, 06:06:19 pm »
Just back from the ultrasound scan.  They found a relatively minor mid-thigh muscle tear which is on its way to healing.  No tendon/ligament damage visible.  Whew!  A bit more r&r and I should be good to go.  Patience  ::-) ;D
The sound of one pannier flapping

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2204 on: 21 May, 2020, 06:53:11 pm »
 :thumbsup:

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2205 on: 21 May, 2020, 10:00:08 pm »
Just back from an exploratory run 7 miles no pain, so relief.

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2206 on: 22 May, 2020, 08:43:30 am »
Just back from the ultrasound scan.  They found a relatively minor mid-thigh muscle tear which is on its way to healing.  No tendon/ligament damage visible.  Whew!  A bit more r&r and I should be good to go.  Patience  ::-) ;D
Good news.  :thumbsup: Take it easy once you are able to do stuff...

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2207 on: 23 May, 2020, 05:13:12 pm »
Really happy with run this morning. 10.5km and was making an effort to hold pace back and while it felt pretty easy I was sub 5 min/k which is normally my pace for 6 or 7km runs.

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2208 on: 23 May, 2020, 05:27:43 pm »
Well I thought I'd have to repeat Week3 of C25K instead of starting Week4 this week. My knees were quite sore last week (probably down to a 90 mile weekend on the bike at the start of Week3) and the total running jumps from 9 minutes to 16.

I was just going to go ahead and repeat Week3 on Monday but decided to try session 1 and see how it went. And it went fine and day 2 went fine again on Wednesday. I even had enough juice to up the pace for the final minute of the last five minute segment. I mean it's just an increase from slow to not quite so slow but I'll take it.

Didn't run Friday as I was hungover and lazy but I popped out today around lunchtime. Apart from it being windy as a windy thing out there it went fine. A couple momentary twinges from the knees and my right Achilles tendon but nothing too bad or long lasting.

Took a good three minutes for my watch to pick up the GPS satellites but that was ok, a longer warmup walk won't hurt.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2209 on: 23 May, 2020, 06:20:51 pm »
I enjoyed sunrise over the local rec this morning as I did a recovery 6k.  Nothing like the pace many achieve in here but that is irrelevant to me.

I worry about knees and calf muscles but in reality I am not suffering at all which is fantastic and slowly but surely I am stretching my distance.  Lockdown has been very good for me.

Next week my long run stretches to 9k. 

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2210 on: 23 May, 2020, 06:45:28 pm »
I enjoyed sunrise over the local rec this morning as I did a recovery 6k.  Nothing like the pace many achieve in here but that is irrelevant to me.

I worry about knees and calf muscles but in reality I am not suffering at all which is fantastic and slowly but surely I am stretching my distance.  Lockdown has been very good for me.

Next week my long run stretches to 9k.

 :thumbsup: :thumbsup:  :thumbsup:

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2211 on: 23 May, 2020, 06:48:28 pm »
Took the oldest out today to get her moving and we did 2.75 miles run/walk. She started out grumpy but got better as she moved - been the same since she was about 5!

Then 3 hours digging a trench at the allotment for the poly tunnel and now having a cup of tea. Might have a little spin on the mtb or a jog before a glass of wine. Mrs S got a really good mark in her latest assignment so reason to celebrate 🎉

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2212 on: 23 May, 2020, 07:33:05 pm »
That's one busy day Mike.

I put my "lack of injury" down to the fact that these days I do a good 12-15 minutes of dynamic stretching then a brisk 12 minute warm up walk to the rec before I run.  Similarly I have a 12 minute cool down wak afterwards and sometimes manage some static stretching or a post workout 15 minutes of yoga.

I never used to bother with all the stretches and warm ups 30 years ago but these days the body complains a bit more.  🤔

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2213 on: 25 May, 2020, 09:31:10 pm »
Couple of miles with Hannah tonight and then a steady 6 on my own. Lovely evening:)

zigzag

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Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2214 on: 26 May, 2020, 12:45:41 pm »
easy 5k this morning, fullgaz 10k day after tomorrow







Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2215 on: 26 May, 2020, 11:31:32 pm »
5 miles tonight, with a bit of fartlek thrown in. Almost like being young again... but much, much slower

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2216 on: 27 May, 2020, 11:33:37 am »
Missed Monday as Bank Holiday and slept badly so didnt go this morning. Motivation lacking but need to go tonight and Friday to crack 70km for month target

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2217 on: 27 May, 2020, 12:19:43 pm »
9.30am run today instead of 2pm, much nicer but still not as cool as I assume 5am would be (luckily I haven't needed to see 5am for a long time).

Scales post-run showed a BMI of 29.96 which is the first time I've been under BMI 30 for quite a while, but scales post-run don't count so I go with my earlier slightly heavier weigh in (BMI 30.17). So that's still 1/6th of my bodyweight to lose to get down to under BMI 25.

On track for 86.3km this month (assuming I do my one remaining run on Friday) and June will be a bit higher as I'm now up to my usual 10.3km "long" run and I'll look to rejig the week a bit and introduce intervals once I'm down to under 90kg:-

Currently:-

Mon: favourite 10k loop (tricky to fit in as my wife works Monday morning and I work Monday afternoon and we split the home schooling this day)
Wed: 5k (easy-ish, especially if legs are heavy)
Fri: 5k or 6.7k

Should see under 90kg by mid June and so the week will become:-

Sun: favourite 10k loop
Wed: intervals (starting at 6x800m, 90s recover walk between) which is ~7k with a gentle warm-up jog and cool-down walk.
Fri: 5k or 6.7k

Intervals then build up from 6x800m (90s recovery walk between), 5x1000m (100s recovery), 4x1600m (120s recovery) to 10x800m, 8x1000m, 6x1600m where they stay (and the paces just get faster).

The 800m intervals are done at my current 5k pace, so the 10x800m session will have me doing 8k at 5k pace which is why the last intervals are tough and the 90s bits of recovery walking are so nice (and necessary). The 1000m and 1600m intervals are done at slightly faster than current 10k pace (because I won't be covering a full 10k during them). As my 5k and 10k times start to come down then I adjust the interval pacing accordingly, or if my HR is low enough that I can see I've got some spare capacity however being able to finish them is more important than pushing myself too hard. My Garmin Forerunner (935) watch makes it easy to programme in each interval session online and download to the watch, and then it just beeps at me and I just have to follow what it tells me to do on the screen, especially if the pace is below what it should be, and those sweet sweet countdowns of precious recovery time.

These intervals also work well on a 4 week cycle of hard, harder, harder still, and then an easy week. Every 4th week the interval run is replaced with a suitable distance easy flat run so that the body has time to adapt/recover and also so the whole thing doesn't become a spirit crushing endless slog of ever increasing hell.

I'm also relying on plenty of other walking (I average ~50km a week) to act as my 'easy runs' as the plan above does look quite top heavy. It's not ideal but it's the best I can do given the current time constraints.

[EDIT]

For what it's worth, here are my five 4 week blocks of intervals to go from 6x800m/5x1000m/4x1600m up to 10x800m/8x1000m/6x1600m:-

(Distances in brackets but these are based on my 900m warm up jog then running round a ~1350m loop, and then a cool down walk. Obviously I can finish the last interval at any point on the loop so the cool down walk is sometimes longer than normal.) Recoveries are 90s of walking between 800m intervals, 100s between 1000m intervals, 120s between 1600m intervals.

Block 1: 6x800m (7.1), 5x1000m (7.2), 4x1600m (8.5), easy week
Block 2: 7x800m (8.4), 6x1000m (8.2), 4x1600m (8.5), easy week
Block 3: 8x800m (9), 7x1000m (9), 5x1600m (9.6), easy week
Block 4: 9x800m (9.7), 7x1000m (9), 5x1600m (9.6), easy week
Block 5: 10x800m (11), 8x1000m (11), 6x1600m (12.2), easy week

Unfortunately my loop (https://www.strava.com/segments/10929140?filter=overall) isn't quite flat, there's 10m of climb in the first 500m of it, enough to be noticeable, and I can't be bothered to find a different loop I could use that's nearby, without roads to cross and generally OK for social distancing.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

zigzag

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Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2218 on: 28 May, 2020, 08:55:44 am »
another attempt at sub-40 10k today. all went well until i got side stitches at ~5.5km and decided to stop at 7k seeing that i won't be able to continue at the required pace. thanks to adamski for the company and pacing!


Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2219 on: 28 May, 2020, 09:15:45 am »
Went last night. Found it really hard compared to morning runs. Was a couple of hours after dinner but in mornings run pre breakfast which may have been the reason for lethargic feeling and getting a stitch. Now on 64.64k for month so my 70k target should be easy and tempted to run tomorrow as planned then an early longer one Sunday and try and crack 80km for month.

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2220 on: 28 May, 2020, 09:20:00 am »
A bit OT, but times are interesting.

A number of kayaking organisations have been holding 'virtual' time trials around the world. Times are very variable.

Fastest 5km time so far; 17min 30s

Happens to be a very good world level young woman.

'good' club paddlers are hitting 23-24 min (my best 5km is 28min).

17min 30s is absolutely flying!
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2221 on: 29 May, 2020, 01:25:15 pm »
On track for 86.3km this month (assuming I do my one remaining run on Friday)

Did that and forgot that I'd moved my 10k run to Sunday so it should be 96km for the month if I'm not lazy.

Most months from now are 90-100km assuming I don't start increasing the long run towards HM distance (I don't think I will yet, at least not until another 5kg or so lost.)
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2222 on: 29 May, 2020, 01:38:41 pm »
Cv25 this morning. Stiff as old stiff boots with added starch and stiffness but dragged myself round nearly 6km to get over 70 km for the month

Might forgoe a longer weekend run and actually ride my bike

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2223 on: 31 May, 2020, 10:21:07 pm »
Slow by the standards of some here, but by putting a little bit of effort in and picking a flat route I got my fastest estimated 5km today, of 26:48, in a 7km run. Which was nice.

Re: Cross Training: Running
« Reply #2224 on: 31 May, 2020, 10:24:22 pm »
I did the final session of Week 5 this morning which involves a straight twenty minute run sandwiched between the warm up and cool down walks. I think it's been a few years since I've run that long in one go.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1