Wow - over 50 days of training. Kind of hard to believe. That's 7 weeks so far (well 6 because of a week I took off due to injury).
Today was a 4 mile run. I've pretty much decided to use these shorter days as HIIT runs - not only for the cardio building but also for the fitness aspect of it. HIIT has been proven to really help in fat burning.
Overall - today's HIIT went really well. I did 3 circuits of 1 minute sprints with 30 second jogs. My right leg didn't fatigue nearly as bad like previous occasions, so there's some hope there.
I may have to lay off lunges though for a week. I don't think I've gone a day yet without stiffness in my thigh - which makes things a bit difficult when stretching. Oh well - no pain, no gain right?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 48, 49 and 50
Day 48 was a workout day again. I've been increasing the weights somewhat, but nothing too crazy. Barbell lunges, while providing many benefits, are still an exercise I'd rather do without. Oh well.
Day 49 - 10 mile long run. Also a day of craziness of getting setup for Craven. Luckily, I was able to get to the gym to do my long run. I'd rather not do long runs on treadmills, but if it's going to save my knees/legs, then it might be a necessary evil.
For the run, I also decided to cut breaks down to 30 seconds, but also increase breaks by walking at half distance between aid stations. So, for example, the first aid station is at 1.12 miles and second one is at 2.67 miles. I put a break in of 1.89 miles. I found that by the end of 10 miles, I wasn't nearly as winded and my right leg and groin wasn't in nearly as much hurt as before. I was about a minute slower than the last time I ran 10 miles, but some of that is because of the treadmill and my watch having a discrepancy about how fast/far I ran. I had the treadmill set at 7.3mph pretty much the whole time, but my watch liked to show 7.1mph instead.
Either way - it was a good run overall. I even did some stretching before and after, which I suspect also helped quite a bit.
This morning I did another strength workout again. Still unsure how I'm going to fit in a 15 mile run this weekend. At least after this weekend, I don't have anything major until we go away in August.
Runs this week will consist of 4 miles (Tuesday) and 7 miles (Thursday) with the long run being 15.
Day 49 - 10 mile long run. Also a day of craziness of getting setup for Craven. Luckily, I was able to get to the gym to do my long run. I'd rather not do long runs on treadmills, but if it's going to save my knees/legs, then it might be a necessary evil.
For the run, I also decided to cut breaks down to 30 seconds, but also increase breaks by walking at half distance between aid stations. So, for example, the first aid station is at 1.12 miles and second one is at 2.67 miles. I put a break in of 1.89 miles. I found that by the end of 10 miles, I wasn't nearly as winded and my right leg and groin wasn't in nearly as much hurt as before. I was about a minute slower than the last time I ran 10 miles, but some of that is because of the treadmill and my watch having a discrepancy about how fast/far I ran. I had the treadmill set at 7.3mph pretty much the whole time, but my watch liked to show 7.1mph instead.
Either way - it was a good run overall. I even did some stretching before and after, which I suspect also helped quite a bit.
This morning I did another strength workout again. Still unsure how I'm going to fit in a 15 mile run this weekend. At least after this weekend, I don't have anything major until we go away in August.
Runs this week will consist of 4 miles (Tuesday) and 7 miles (Thursday) with the long run being 15.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day 36 to Day 47
Well - I decided after that bad run to listen to my body. It was really on the right leg for a few days following. I started doing some stretching, but it wasn't healed enough to do a run on Day 37, 38 or 39. By that point, I figured it was best to scrap the week, enjoy the weekend coming up (Centennial birthday for the town I grew up in) and re-focus.
I also decided to focus on running three times a week. Tuesdays would be the "short" run, Thursday's would be the "medium" run and Saturday or Sunday would be the "long run". To start off the new week, I did a 4 mile HIIT run. I have to say it felt excellent. It felt great to get back to running.
To help supplement my running, I've also started doing strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's. It consists of:
Bench Press
Seated Rows
Bar Curls
Pushdowns
Crunches
Lunges
Let me tell you - that Monday workout hurt. I stretched something in my right leg (imagine that!) doing lunges. I was freakin stiff for the next three days. And I am DAMN glad I am doing strength training again. It just feels good to be doing it.
I've started off at around 50-60% of weights I know I can do and I'm doing 2 sets of each exercise at 12 reps. I'm also doing a set of prescribed stretches during the rest periods.
These same stretches I'm doing on the off days for strength training in addition to some other stretches.
On Day 46, I completed a 7 mile run. My right leg stiffened up a bit, but unsure if it was due to the fact of having 3 pints of beer first (not a smart idea) or from travelling 500km that day. I know that I definitely have to focus more on my hydration during the day.
Long run is to be a 10 mile run. I think that this is a good number to reach this week. My concern is the 15 that I'm supposed to hit the week after (Craven Jamboree Weekend), so we'll see. Any which way, QCM is coming fast. I still believe I'll be ready, but unsure if I'll still be able to hit my aid station distances with 1 minute breaks. I put in some extra breaks last night to help lessen the distance I'm running between breaks, but I also shortened the breaks to. I think the 10 mile long run will be a good indicator if this is working.
I also decided to focus on running three times a week. Tuesdays would be the "short" run, Thursday's would be the "medium" run and Saturday or Sunday would be the "long run". To start off the new week, I did a 4 mile HIIT run. I have to say it felt excellent. It felt great to get back to running.
To help supplement my running, I've also started doing strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's. It consists of:
Bench Press
Seated Rows
Bar Curls
Pushdowns
Crunches
Lunges
Let me tell you - that Monday workout hurt. I stretched something in my right leg (imagine that!) doing lunges. I was freakin stiff for the next three days. And I am DAMN glad I am doing strength training again. It just feels good to be doing it.
I've started off at around 50-60% of weights I know I can do and I'm doing 2 sets of each exercise at 12 reps. I'm also doing a set of prescribed stretches during the rest periods.
These same stretches I'm doing on the off days for strength training in addition to some other stretches.
On Day 46, I completed a 7 mile run. My right leg stiffened up a bit, but unsure if it was due to the fact of having 3 pints of beer first (not a smart idea) or from travelling 500km that day. I know that I definitely have to focus more on my hydration during the day.
Long run is to be a 10 mile run. I think that this is a good number to reach this week. My concern is the 15 that I'm supposed to hit the week after (Craven Jamboree Weekend), so we'll see. Any which way, QCM is coming fast. I still believe I'll be ready, but unsure if I'll still be able to hit my aid station distances with 1 minute breaks. I put in some extra breaks last night to help lessen the distance I'm running between breaks, but I also shortened the breaks to. I think the 10 mile long run will be a good indicator if this is working.
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