Exercise & Fitness: it’s a marathon, not a sprint

[Mudguard]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:37 PM, TormundsWoman said:

You are most likely right about the speed/hill workouts and me not being ready for the pace increase. All those runs are much harder than my regular ones and I’m breathing like I’m a freight train by the time I’m at cool down portion. Makes me sad to think I can’t run faster without this happening. I’ll probably end up like you say with easy runs and keeping form with slower speed. Also I’m going start to work on legs strength training more too. Maybe that will help. Appreciate your take. Thx.

I think the rule of thumb that is recommended is for roughly 80% of your running to be at an easy pace and 20% at the higher intensity.  And it's best to gradually ramp up to the higher intensity workouts.  For example, start with higher pace intervals of 30 seconds followed by a minute or two at an easy pace, and repeat for 8-10 times.  Over time, you can slowly increase the length of the high intensity interval.  Same thing with the speed.  Don't make a big jump in speed right at the beginning.  If 11 min/mile is your easy pace, you can initially do your short intervals at 10:30 min/mile pace or maybe 10:00 min/mile.

I'm just getting over a long layoff in my running due to an overuse injury because of trying to do too much too fast, because I often get impatient and want to speed up improvements in my times.  It's natural to think that if I just run faster and harder for longer, I'll see results quicker.  That is true to a point, but if you do too much, your body can't recover enough between workouts and will begin to break down.  This is how stress fractures and shin splits can develop, as well as other connective tissue type injuries.  Adding in rest days and adding in easy runs in between your harder runs will help avoid these types of injuries.

[baxus]

On 8/2/2022 at 4:37 AM, TormundsWoman said:

You are most likely right about the speed/hill workouts and me not being ready for the pace increase. All those runs are much harder than my regular ones and I’m breathing like I’m a freight train by the time I’m at cool down portion. Makes me sad to think I can’t run faster without this happening. I’ll probably end up like you say with easy runs and keeping form with slower speed. Also I’m going start to work on legs strength training more too. Maybe that will help. Appreciate your take. Thx.

Mix your runs. Do tempo, intervals and distance runs. They all serve different purposes and will add variety to your training. You can find plenty of information about them online.

[TormundsWoman]

18 hours ago, Mudguard said:

If 11 min/mile is your easy pace, you can initially do your short intervals at 10:30 min/mile pace or maybe 10:00 min/mile.

Like you wrote at the end of your comment, I did try to do too much too early. You are right on the money: I went from 11 min/mile to under 10 (tried for 9-9:30 and it sucked bad). Definitely will move upwards to 10:30 or even 10:45 to begin with. I don't know what to tell you, you'd think I know better. I overestimated my ability and pushed because I felt fine. Then I just didn't.

Quote

Mix your runs. Do tempo, intervals and distance runs. They all serve different purposes

@baxus I was trying to!   It's how I got into this problem. I do know it's good to mix it up, I just thought I could do so much more faster.

Edited August 4, 2022 by TormundsWoman

[baxus]

Then just take it easy at first. No need to push yourself to the limit every training session.

[Impmk2]

I always found raw volume to be far more important in running than speed work.

When I was doing frequent, slow (<75% max hr, can easily chat while running pace) runs in marathon training I got damn fast with only 1 interval session a week. Consistency and slowly ramping up (+10% volume per week) is the key. Running is almost entirely aerobic and that's best trained by lots (and lots) of running at low intensity in my experience.

Edited August 5, 2022 by Impmk2

[baxus]

Volume is important, and that's exactly why it's included in mixed training in a form of distance runs. If you are looking to improve your speed and set a new PB in a race, distance is not going to do that in an optimal way. Intervals and tempo runs are going to save you a lot of time and will make the runs more fun through variety.

[Impmk2]

I've tried programs focussed on a mix of faster runs. Never worked for me at all. But as soon as I started putting in high volume with only 10-20% quick my 5k times plummeted by minutes. From my reading that isn't at all unusual.

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Impmk2

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I'm looking to add a rowing machine to my home gym, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for. Prices roughly range from $350 to $1,500 from what I'm seeing, but I don't see a huge difference between machines outside of the digital components. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Tywin et al.

[baxus]

Concept 2 is kind of considered best in class or at least it was when I was rowing. I don't think I've ever seen a rowing erg from any other manufacturer in all my years spent in and around rowing clubs. And it's not as if I rowed at Oxford or Cambridge or some of the big US universities that are flush with cash, so I guess they were reasonably priced as well.

Obviously, their models have changed over time so you should have a look into that as well.

[Loge]

3 hours ago, baxus said:

Concept 2 is kind of considered best in class or at least it was when I was rowing. I don't think I've ever seen a rowing erg from any other manufacturer in all my years spent in and around rowing clubs. And it's not as if I rowed at Oxford or Cambridge or some of the big US universities that are flush with cash, so I guess they were reasonably priced as well.

Obviously, their models have changed over time so you should have a look into that as well.

They haven't really changed. I bought mine in 2016 and they still sell that identical machine. The mechanical part has probably been the same for decades, with the only thing changing being the computer. But even that is still the same as in 2016.

[baxus]

I first started rowing at '97 or something like that and they obviously changed since then.  

Edited August 7, 2022 by baxus

[Loge]

29 minutes ago, baxus said:

I first started rowing at '97 or something like that and they obviously changed since then.  

They did, but that change happened in 2003, as I just found out on their web site. Same model since.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

The internet seems to agree with you two. I'll have to go pick one out in person, I'm not ordering something like that online for $1k.

[HoodedCrow]

I was doing well with my physio and then broke my talus doing some aerobics. It was worth it! I like to dance that much. So now I’m doing my boring exercises to Blurred Lines. I love how Miley Cyrus flipped the misogyny. But anything with a bouncy rhythm works. It also gets my brain activated in the morning for sleep much later. I can twerk, do girls push ups, shoulder presses, back extensions and rotations, bicycles, quads and gluteus Maximus:)

[Starkess]

After a few weeks of random chest pains of increasing intensity, which finally got to the point of driving me to tears from the pain, I spoke with a doctor. (To clarify, it was quite clear that the chest pains were not heart-related and so I wasn't just walking around trying to ignore a heart attack.) He thought it was costochondritis, which is inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum. I had been suspecting an intercostal muscle strain so similar idea but there's a reason I'm not that kind of doctor! Anyway, he told me to stop heavy lifting and prescribed me some arthritis medication and to apply a topical arthritis gel 3x a day. That was 2 weeks ago and the pain has finally almost completely gone away except for an occasional minor twinge. So I'm finally getting back into some strength training! (Running was unaffected, luckily.) But still hesitant to start lifting anything heavy, so I'm just easing back in with some bodyweight exercises for now. In fact, since I'm moving quite soon, I think I'm going to stop in and cancel my gym membership here. So frustrating to be limited by an injury but at least it's getting better! My anxiety-ridden self was of course sure at the height of it that the pain would never go away and I'd deal with it forever.

[ljkeane]

2 hours ago, Starkess said:

He thought it was costochondritis, which is inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum. I had been suspecting an intercostal muscle strain so similar idea but there's a reason I'm not that kind of doctor!

Urgh, injuring your rib cartilage is deeply, deeply unpleasant so if it's anything like that you've got my sympathies. Yeah, I'd definitely make very sure not to aggravate it.

[Starkess]

3 hours ago, ljkeane said:

Urgh, injuring your rib cartilage is deeply, deeply unpleasant so if it's anything like that you've got my sympathies. Yeah, I'd definitely make very sure not to aggravate it.

Yeah for a while there it was hard to sleep, random small movements would bring intense bouts of pain that left me breathless...not at all fun!! I seem to be on the mend now but I definitely don't want to go too hard too soon.

[Iskaral Pust]

My wife got costochondritis from Pilates many years ago, and she woke me in the middle of the night to take her to the ER for “a heart attack”.  And my son had it earlier this year as he started lifting heavier.  It’s very painful and is easy to re-aggravate if you go back too soon.

Edited August 11, 2022 by Iskaral Pust

[MeanMrMustard]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TnnBEmmDJU4

 

We don't do marathons.

 

I did crush it at disc golf recently

[TormundsWoman]

On 8/10/2022 at 1:08 PM, Starkess said:

My anxiety-ridden self was of course sure at the height of it that the pain would never go away and I'd deal with it forever.

I hate that feeling myself, when one thinks they are stuck with a pain forever. Makes me irrational. Every once in a while I have what I think is a pinched nerve in the right buttock or gluteus maximus (as the poster above said :P). I can’t really do anything and any topical cream I use medicated or not is providing only temporary relief. I thank the universe every day when that sciatic nerve is not pinched but when it is I always fear that pain will never end. Good to hear yours is getting better.