Do you think the miles you’ve run over the last three weeks are important for your recovery and preparation for a fall marathon or whatever is next on your schedule?After reading his question I immediately thought of a couple of things that I’ve read in the past. First, with this sport you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. Second, it takes twice as long to re-gain what you lost.
I know it’s important to recover from my last marathon before jumping into training for my next marathon. However, it’s hard to imagine taking 3 weeks completely off between a spring and fall marathon, especially if you believe that it’d take 6 weeks to get your fitness back to where it was. Doing that would only leave me 7 weeks until TCM.
I’d be much more inclined to take 3 weeks off after a fall marathon because my next marathon would be at least 5-6 months away and 8 months away if I were doing the ever-popular TCM/Grandma’s combination.
With all that said, I was basing my Grandma’s recovery off of my Chicago recovery. Last fall I took 5 days completely off and then bumped my weekly mileage from 40 to 80 in 4 weeks. I’m not sure why that strategy didn’t work this time, maybe it was the heat or maybe I beat my legs up a little more.
So to answer Bart’s question, I don’t know if those miles (or lack of) will be important for TCM or not. I’d guess that if I put together 12 more solid weeks of training, I won’t care what I did the 3 weeks immediately following Grandma’s. However, if I’m fatigued and sore the rest of the summer, I’ll be kicking myself for not waiting until I was fully recovered before beginning to train again.
Anyway, based on how I'm feeling this week (another, quicker 7 miles this morning), I'm pretty confident about the 12 more solid weeks of training.
Today’s quote of the day may be my new all-time favorite;
“Speed is relative, effort is universal.” – Paul Giannobile
4 comments:
I see no problem rolling right back into training at this point. Again your training, not busting right into the European circuit.
Though the way your going maybe next year.
Hey Double, I wanted to respond to your comment on my other post from a day or two ago, but I didn't want it to get lost. Great insight. I can't even imagine how tough it's been for you, but I'm so glad to hear that you're still out there just because you love it so much. And I'm excited to hear that you're moving in the right direction.
Maybe you'd be up for an interview? I know you're from WI, but I'll let that slide. You have a vast array of experience, great quotes and have been through a lot. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for the answer, Chad. I ran a marathon in 2001, 2003, and 2006, so an extra three weeks or three months off wouldn't have made a big difference in preparing for my next race.
If I can stay healthy, I'd like to double up on marathons one year. The more info I can gain about balancing recovery and preparing for the next race, the better.
Bart
Heck Zeker I'd be honored. To be honest, your one of my closer inside friends when it comes to running. I've always just kind of strapped on the shoes and ran what felt necessary. I've tried about everything and the results are about the same. I'm just excited about starting over...again. I ran 8 this morning and the last 4 were under 8s, so I'm not sure why the hell things are turning around so quick. A couple weeks ago I was in the mid 10s range. I can't wait to run the next day, but as you know when the alarm goes of at 5 AM it's a hassle. This stuff is work. Setting goals and hitting it everyday is harder than the average Joe can imagen. I thought I'd give up this boot camp mentality, but without it I feel like I'm on the outside looking in. I don't think I'll blast into anything until next year, I'll just concentrate on getting some miles in and see were it takes me.
Post a Comment