Reboot runner wrote:
Do you find yourself to be:
A> more sore running every other or once every 3 days versus running 6+ of 7 days.
B> more sore running every or nearly every day versus every other day.
Ken, since I started running fairly regularly again about a year ago (once or twice a week until this summer, two or three times a week since then), I have felt perpetually beat up and sore. I remain reluctant to even increase to four or five days per week.
Part of it may be that my job often requires hard physical labor, so I am often sore and tired from that alone.
Also, as Alan Bennet noted, when running just a few days a week, every run tends to become a tempo run or a progression run ... so EVERY run is a "workout." Except for a few of the long runs, I NEVER averaged slower than marathon pace. Still, that's only two or three "workouts" a week.
Would easy runs on my "off" days actually reduce my soreness? Aid in recovery? In July I was consistently cycling or kayaking on most "off" days, but was still constantly sore. Those were hard efforts, too, though ... as I was prepping for a low-key kayak-bike-run triathlon.
In August, as I incorporated more "long" runs, I was VERY sore for about five days after each.
Even so, if time allows, I hope to try a five-day-a-week running schedule, incorporating some easy days. Maybe train for some shorter, faster races. I was shocked back in June when I attempted a 3 x 1 mile workout. I figured 6:00 was reasonable, but hitting 3:00 at the very first 800m was so difficult, I stopped and changed the workout to half-mile repeats!
A couple weeks later, I attempted to go under six for a SINGLE timed mile ... but only managed 6:05. Is there any hope of getting some speed back at our age? Can an old body respond to speedwork?