Women's Training and Recovery Thread, January 16, 2011

Alright sounds good

Sunday- 12 miles

Monday- Am-3 miles

PM- 6 miles and 10x100s

Tuesday- Am- 2 mile warm up

3x2k's w/ 2 min rest in the trails 5:50 pace(threshold workout)

2 mile cooldown

PM- 10 min warm up, Plyometrics, Down hill sprints, uphill bounding.

Wednesday- 9 miles

Thursday- 2.5 miles warm up

10x160meter hill sprints/Jogging down

2.5 mile cooldown

PM-3miles

Friday- 6.5 miles w/ strides thrown in

Saturday- Am-1.5 mile warm up, 3 mile tempo on the beach (6:05)pace, 1/2 mile cooldown

PM- 2 mile warm up

4x400s@ 74 seconds w/ 55 sec recovery

2 mile cooldown.

And,another nice week for you! How steep are the downhills for your sprints? I'm curious.

As for me, this week was 7.5 miles of “real running” and 96 “miles” pool running. The return to running seems to be going pretty well. I'm following the “Pfitzinger Return to Running” schedule, which calls for intermittent walking and running -- I am fudging a bit with the walk times, simply because it's just too freakin cold to walk for 5 minutes.

Monday: In the morning, I first did a “baby run” of three intervals of 5 minutes each on the track, with one minute walking between each – averaged about 8:30 pace for roughly 1.75 miles. I followed this with “12 miles” pool running, including a “track 800s workout” of 10x3:00 at hard effort, with 1:00 recovery.

In the evening, a weights session with a personal trainer, followed by “3 miles” easy pool-running (30 minutes).

Tuesday: In the morning, “12.5 miles” – 2:05 hours easy pool-running, plus leg strength training. In the evening, a yoga class.

Wednesday: In the morning, “test-jogging” on asphalt of three intervals of 7 minutes each, with one minute recovery, summing up to about 2.25 miles of jogging (kept it very easy, since this was my first time on asphalt – averaged about 9:20 pace). Followed by “9.5 miles” in the pool of easy aqua-jogging (1:35 minutes). “3 miles” easy pool-running (30 minutes) at night.

Thursday: “15.5 miles” total – in the morning, “12.5 miles” - 1:50 hours in the pool, including a tempo workout of 40 minutes at tempo effort. Full recovery, and then twelve intervals of 90 seconds very hard/60 seconds recovery. I also did leg strength training.

In the evening, upper body strength training plus 30 minutes easy pool running for “3 more miles.”

Friday: A “baby run” on asphalt of three intervals of 8 minutes each (but did 10 minutes for last) , with one minute recovery, summing up to just under 3.5 miles of running (averaged about 7:45 pace). Followed by “11 miles” in the pool of easy aqua-jogging – 1:50 hours. Also did a Pilates class in the afternoon.

Saturday: “18.5 miles” – 2:40 hours pool running, alternating 5 minutes at tempo effort and 10 minutes easy, preceded by strength-training.j

Sunday: “11 miles” – 1:50 hours easy pool running.

hey they are not very steep, just a slight downhill to get some turnover.

It has been a while since I have posted here. A month ago, I was out for 2 weeks with a really bad illness, but am working on getting back and training for (hopefully) my first marathon.

Goal Race: Eugene Marathon 5/1/11

Goal Time: 3:35-3:40

Other Goals: (first marathon) make it to the starting line, make it to the finish line.

Monday: off

Tuesday: 6 (2 mile warm-up, 4 X 1/2 mile @3:33 with 1/4 jog between, 1 mile cool-down)

Wednesday: 3 easy (8:39 pace) + weights (3x15 of bench press 40 lbs, lat pull-down 70 lbs, hamstring curl 70 lbs, quad extension 70 lbs, leg press and calf raises 90 lbs, sit-ups)

Thursday: 6.5 marathon pace (8:12 pace)

Friday: off

Saturday: 6 (8:24 pace)

Sunday: 8 easy "long" run (8:50 pace)

Total: 30 miles (I've got a ways to go...)

Monday was supposed to be 3 easy and weights, but I was a slacker and watched the BCS game instead.

nice work, both of you. so, darkwave, your foot is feeling consistently good?

before launching into a paragraph of bellyaching, i'd like to share a discussion going on at the old-folks (50+) training thread: last week one person aired disappointment that the once-lively conversation had been petering out of late. the same is definitely true here. as much as i enjoy conferring with you two, darkwave and runner girl, with an occasional comment from someone else, i'd like to encourage any lurkers to pipe up. we're here to share experiences, successes, travails, adventures, and even waterproof pouches and headphones with one another. please, join in the conversation.

not a good week for me. it started well, with the 5:43 mile PR in a local indoor track meet, which had me excited about competing in the hartshorne masters mile this coming saturday, but i tweaked something in my butt tuesday evening tripping on a frozen rut in the snowy trail. i had had this great workout schedule set up for the week and a half leading up to the "big" mile, but have completely abandoned any attempt at running and instead am nearly camping out in my ART guy's home office. (i actually joked with his wife (also a chiro) this morning that i had made up the bed in their spare room and would be moving in.) things began to look up over the weekend, but i retweaked it just walking from room to room at home this morning, and am now feeling pretty reconciled to just watching the other women in the elite 50s race take off without me. there's still a chance i'll experience a tremendous breakthrough at tomorrow's ART session (fifth session in seven days -- ouch!), but i'm not counting on it. *sigh*

welcome back txRUNNERgirl. i guess our postings crossed in the ether. glad you've recovered and are back at it. to be ready for a marathon, the key is to be consistent in your training, so build up carefully and steadily. you have plenty of time to get ready if you go about intelligently.

Hey Ladies,

Never have posted but I always read yours. I am ready to join though I am not as ambitious as you.

Training goals: Fitness and sanity. My job is my life and running is my time away. I will do a half marathon over the summer, but I run to be happy (hobbyjogger).

Sunday: 8 miles

Monday: 8 miles, 6 strides

Tuesday: 4 miles

Wednesday: 9

Thursday: 3.2 (not enough hours in the day...)

Friday: 8 miles, 6 strides

Saturday: 9

Very cold week here so most of my time was spent on the treadmill, as it will be until March. Feel good, trying to shed some pounds. Calorie tracking began this week which is a whole new world...

thanks for joining in, setting the world on fire. you have some solid mileage happening. there's room for all kinds of training here, including just plain getting out (or staying in!) and running happy.

your comment about the roles in your life of work and running raises an interesting point -- one that surely bubbles up for all of us. i am particularly fortunate to be able to approach life with a bit of holism. for my work i have to listen to many lectures, so i do this while i'm out in the woods running, thereby combining running and work. also, my husband runs, so on occasions (typically once a week) when we get out together, i am able to combine running with the other primary facet of my life these days (all my kids are grown and live elsewhere, so they don't figure prominently on a day-to-day basis).

how do the rest of you either blend or separate running with/from the rest of your existence? darkwave, given the huge number of hours you put in, i'm particularly interested in your response (if you wish to share, of course).

no longer stressed wrote:

how do the rest of you either blend or separate running with/from the rest of your existence? darkwave, given the huge number of hours you put in, i'm particularly interested in your response (if you wish to share, of course).

Other than recovering from illness/injuries, I don't really have an excuse not to run more, but I think that's the problem. Sort of a supply and demand thing I guess. It seems like when I was busier with school, etc., it was easier to get out the door because running was my escape from that. Now I am just working part-time and have no kids or other responsibilities, plus my boyfriend runs too. I do run nearly every day, but I often find myself unmotivated. Too complacent.

Welcome back to TXrunnerGirl, and welcome to stwof (hope you don't mind the abbreviation. It's particularly good to see you back, TXRunnerGirl -- I was one of many who was concerned about you.

NLS, I am so sorry -- I can truly emphasize with that "rug pulled out from under you" feeling of sudden energy. Here's hoping the ART works for you.

As for your question -- running (or pool running) is very much an escape for me. My job generally has me working about 55-60 hours a week, and I'm checking my blackberry frequently at all hours and on weekends (there is a presumption of my availability). Additionally, I work from home. Thus, running/working out is both my escape from my blackberry and my chance to get out of the house.

When those two hours in the pool aqua jogging are your only two hours away from the blackberry, it's very easy to get your rear in the pool. :)

As for making the time to train as much as I do -- it's easy in some ways. My prior sport was hunter-jumper horse showing, which demands far more time out of the day. Compared to that, it's pretty easy to find 2-3 hours out of the day to train/foam roll/etc. This is made easier by the facts that a) I never watch TV, b) I have no commute or need to dress "professionally", and c) I've got a ton of running routes starting from right outside my door, and my gym and one of my local pools are less than 10 minutes walk from my front door.

Darkwave, I can relate 100% to your post. I work long hours and my running time is generally the only time of the day that I have that is completely for me. It is the only time in my day when I don't have my Blackberry with me, like you, I am available nights and weekends.

That being said, the amount of time you have put in the pool is amazing. During the point in my life when I was training more seriously, even 90 minutes in the pool seemed tedious.

What is hunter-jumper horse showing?

Hi ladies. I am injured but starting back, so just ran an easy 5, 4 days last week. I've been injured for 3 years, almost no running for 6 months, still dealing with injury (long story kind of not worth talking about), but I'm hoping to get back to serious mileage soon and this thread is inspiring. I had built up to the Pfizinger 50-70 mpw plan but I'm slow .. . hard to believe a slow person could build up to that mileage! Anyway actually I wanted to do the 80-100 mile plan but I'm so slow that would probably take me literally half the day!!!

Anyway, I used to work crazy hours and be attached to my job even when not working, but those days are done. We accepted a simpler lifestyle in exchange for time to train/eat healthy/read/and enjoy each other, this being my former runner husband and I. I would just say try to set boundaries with your job or consider finding a new one unless you really really love it!!

3 years of injury is a long time. I respect your tenacity. Keep getting after it LALALA! good things will come.

lalala wrote:

Anyway, I used to work crazy hours and be attached to my job even when not working, but those days are done. We accepted a simpler lifestyle in exchange for time to train/eat healthy/read/and enjoy each other, this being my former runner husband and I. I would just say try to set boundaries with your job or consider finding a new one unless you really really love it!!

I agree. A lot of runners tend to be overachievers. When I was in college, I hardly slept because I was running 70-80 mpw and racing on top of a heavy school workload. Something had to give, and I ended up injured and completely burned out from running. Once I stopped running, I discovered that the rest of my life was kind of empty. I was injured off and on for about 3 years as well.

Now I may not be running as much or as fast, but I am much happier and take a healthier approach to training (and life). I feel like I am in control of my running instead of running controlling me.