Onto other subjects I am struggling with my running. Occasionally I kick a**, I run fast and free and end my journey in a grand flourish. But most days I huff and puff through my first 2 miles, and then I drag myself to the end of mile 3 and practically lay down on the driveway. Or, if I'm on a 4 mile run, the first 3 miles are miserable and the last mile is great. What is this? Am I doomed? I've heard that people who run get 'high'. What am I doing wrong? Running too slow? Too fast? Walking too much? Not enough? Not running far enough? Running too far? I guess the next week is going to be all about trial and error while I noodle with my schedule to make it more restful and efficient all at the same time.
My schedule, I confess, has been a bit, um, full. I've been doing SS 4 days, running 4 days, and often those days overlap. I also still have to walk my dogs, so even on my rest days I'm walking 2 miles. And about one day a week I walk 2 miles, run 3 miles, and then attend SS at Maymont of all places. I like Maymont. I like the social aspect, the hills, the beauty and nostalgia. I like that B-ridge and Liz B like Maymont too and enjoy the "dogdogs", also known as "pigs". But... sometimes I wonder if I'm becoming a little addicted to being out of my house. I mean, avoiding laundry is practically a hobby of mine, but maybe I've carried it a bit far.
I have questioned if maybe I am cross training too vigorously and that I should lay off one of my SS days. Maybe I need a different social outlet... I probably drive the SS trainers mad with my talking anyway & they'll be glad that I'm going to take a day off per week until I get through my funk.... Na, they love me. In the mean time, I'm going to try to continue to come to SS, but I won't push as hard on my run days. Maybe....
Of course we LOVE having you in class! You brighten my day everytime I see you! I want you to remember the importance of rest. It sounds counter-productive but resting gives your body (and muscles) time to heal. When you heal, your muscles heal stronger so you actually get better by resting!!
ReplyDeleteI personally think you can scale back to running 3-4 times per week and SS 2-3 times per week. Less is More!! You don't want to risk injury. I also really believe in rest WEEKS. That means building your mileage on your runs for 3 weeks and then backing down for 1 week to let your body rest. I also find you don't get that mental burnout that way.
I would be happy to help you however you want!!
you rock!
Thanks R, I always value your input. I did exactly that this week, & I took an "honest" rest day on Wednesday. I ran so much easier yesterday. Today is a light Cross day, so I might see you later at SS but I will be "slacking" a bit. Tomorrow is a "long run" for me at 5, which I'm nervous about! It's my first 5. My training program has 2 weeks where I go from 6M one week to 5K the next, and from 8M to 10K a few weeks later. I would like to bring it to you to view sometime soon so you can see what I'm doing, etc.
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