#long slow run

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RUN: I Am A Marathoner!

NEW POST: I Am A Marathoner! #ukrunchat

It’s not even sunk in yet that yesterday I ran 26.2 miles. Even as I was running, I found I had to keep reminding myself that this was it, you’re running a marathon, this is what you’ve been training for over the past few months! Clearly I thought my life would change dramatically after completing a marathon, but it’s sort of like when somebody asks how you feel being another year older on your…

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EAT: Post-run Piña Colada

NEW POST: Post-run Piña Colada.. delicious and really aids recovery!

On long run days I’m finding that I’m reaching the end of the day on a big calorie deficit. You might think this is a fortunate position to be in – just go eat a few Big Macs! – but realistically I’m absolutely bushed after my run and am not feeling hungry at all. If I don’t even out my calories for the day, it means my glycogen stores aren’t being replenished and my body might start eating away…

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[madmudder]

8 week marathon training, week 5

This week I was told, by my brain, many an interesting thing. First, that maybe I didn't like running that much after all, and I liked walking; and that maybe, I could lie down on that lawn over there and just rest a little. My sneaky brain was wondering, very much aloud, whether the race numbers are transferable and that, for sure, somebody might want it.

It appears to me that I am entering the long-distance weirdness mind-space. Once it is combined with the actual "hitting the wall" physiological effects, it's going to be just hilarious, I can promise. Well, here's the training:

Monday Rest was very welcome after the Sunday's half, plus it rained throughout the day and I was easily able to keep my motivation to run well in check! Tuesday  Recovery slow run 11K Wednesday Rest. Had to go to London so did some walking (does that count?). Had very little sleep and went off my strict diet a little, I hope I'll be able to bounce back. Thursday Another slow run of 11K OK, body, I am ready for you to recover now so that we can run again! Got dehydrated to the point of shivers and muscle pain, had to work on recovering from that the whole evening. Friday Meant to do intervals here with a mate, but that didn't work out, so rest. Saturday Hill repeats x5. I found a long shallow hill in the Purdowns (aka the Stoke Park in Bristol). Although I don't think I improved tremendously in a physical sense, I did learn, in practice, a more efficient way to tackle hills. The first time around seemed impossible, but after I figured that more frequent, shorter strides really motor me upwards, the following 4 times were not bad, actually! Sunday Long Slow Run 26K. I increased my distance by 4km, and did it right after doing the hill repeats. The result was so very slow but at least steady. The thorough exploration of the mind-space came as a bonus. Well I still have 2 effective weeks before I need to taper, and I am guessing I will do 30K run-walk next week and maybe a 32K run the week after. The marathon date is getting excitingly close!

I am running Loch Ness Marathon to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society. Please donate at the following link:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vadim-LockNessMarathon2014/

[trainingarunner]

Training: Easy Like a Sunday Morning

Training: Easy Like a Sunday Morning

A nice, thoroughly enjoyable run this morning in the Purbeck countryside. The best thing about a run paced at ‘able to have a conversation’ speed, is that you can talk the whole way round – and the miles fly by. Personally, I much prefer this to the chest aching, gasping for breath speed of, say, a Parkrun 5k.

Meeting on the seafront, rain clouds jostling for position on the horizon, we set off…

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[haphazardist-blog]

Definition of Insanity....

"Instanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." --Einstein

When my alarm went off on Wednesday for my morning workout I turned over and silenced it.  I was so exhausted that I am not sure I even woke up to turn it off.  I awoke again 20 minuntes before I had to be at work and began a scramble to get ready.  This set the tone for the rest of my day. 

My normal rest days are on the weekend.  Last weekend I ran the Baltimore Half Marathon on a whim and flew back home on Sunday.  I figured that would be enough rest...

Monday and Tuesday, as noted, I did Crossfit Endurance with the sprint workout on Tuesday.  I felt slower than normal, but attributed it to running late in the afternoon with heavy humidity (rain was in the air). 

So as I went to work on Wednesday, in a slightly salty mood as I missed breakfast, I realized that I had forgotten to shave in my panic.  I worked for a little bit, then raced home to shave quickly.  As I was driving back to work, I decided that I needed a long slow distance (LSD) run with my audio book to clear my head as soon as work was over. 

As I took off down the trail, albeit very slowly, my legs felt very tight.  I attributed the sensation to the power cleans and KB swings.  About 1.8 miles in it felt like I got hit by a bus.  Despite eating every couple of hours I had nothing in the tank.  I begrudginly stopped running and just walked for a few minutes.  I tried to hug my knee to stretch out and felt a sharp hot pain in my left knee.  Great...

Luckily it is just a minor tweak.  I applied the ice/heat treatment and took some ibprofen as soon as I got home.  Overtraining and lack of rest once again punched me in the face.  I never listen to my body.  I get so set in a rythem of working out during the week that I seldomly pay attention to when the machine needs to go down for maintenance.  The last two days have been difficult.  My brain is so used to working out that it has a hard time figuring out what to do without the couple hours a day moving weights, doing cardio, or doing my once-a-week yoga. 

Listen to your bodies, people.  They may be telling you something.