With the [nice] weather, I decided to occasionally push on the gas a bit today. Not too hard, and so maybe not hard enough. I was chewing on this today during one of the push sections of this fartlek. I used to be able to really make myself hurt. I mean, I could drive myself to a point of really breaking. Not actually breaking but really leaving myself worked over. I recall track workouts where I sat in the car for a 45 minutes afterwards unable to do anything. Probably too much (I had races like this too). Now, it seems that I have forgotten how to do that. Not only that, I seem to avoid it, and get a bit scared when I even get within 5 zip codes of it. Or HR zones of it.Man, where do I go with this? I have always been a very intense person. My intensity has been both a strength and weakness in terms of how I live (just ask my wife) and how I run. I am rarely "relaxed." I love the feeling I get after a super hard workout, when I'm totally wiped out and depleted. Like GZ, I'll push it hard now and then. In races, I'll go deep into the pain cave. And like GZ, I can remember some vicious workouts where I pushed myself to the brink. Mile repeats at the Chagrin Falls High School track back in Cleveland come to mind. Here in Parker, I've put in my fair share of envelope-pushing tempo runs and track sessions. I've tasted blood going hard up the Incline (last summer's 26-minute effort comes to mind) and climbing steep mountain trails. But, over time, the number of intense sessions I put in has gone down--and for good reason. I am afraid of injury. I've been injured enough to know that it sucks big time not being able to run!
These days, as I'm now 40 and only a few months from 41, I know I can still perform at a good level (relative to my abilities) but I have to be judicious about when I put it on the line. Unlike when I was 35 or 36, it's hard now to get in a really intense workout on Tuesday and then again on Thursday (my old formula), on the heels of long runs on Saturday and Sunday, without some recovery issues piling up on me over the course of a training block. Whereas I used to be regimented and force myself to do certain things on certain days (which isn't smart!), these days I keep my running a bit more fluid. When training for something, like now as I'm beginning to ramp up for my spring and summer races, I try to do at least one tempo run and one long run a week. If my body is up for it, I'll squeak in some fartleks or intervals on other days. But, for me, the key now is listening to my body--there are days when I feel beat up and so I run at MAF or even slightly below MAF. These days, I don't even need a heart rate monitor to know I'm at MAF; I just know.
I know that when it counts I can bare down and go into the pain cave. I just can't go into the pain cave as much as I used to because it'll land me on the injured reserve list. And then there's the even bigger issue: What will this do to me in a few years? I want to be able to enjoy life and be mobile. At some point, I know I'm going to have to really scale back my training and start mixing in lower-impact stuff like cycling (I was obsessed with my bike as a kid). The last thing I want is to be a broken down old man at 50! So I have to be smart and avoid risky training practices that could take me down. It's taken me a few years to figure that out. I'm glad I did!
Here's to a healthy 2014 racing season!
Interesting post Wyatt. I am definitely in the camp that prefers the easier workouts (MAF) these days. In fact, I feel like I rarely do anything hard anymore, less than 10% of miles are in Zones 3 - 5. And I agree that the injury factor is part of it. (I also tend to tinker too much with diet and cross training which sometimes leaves me depleted for running.)
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting though is that this concept may be entirely backwards. Brad Hudson believes that masters runners, particularly those with running backgrounds, would do better to run less often, but run hard when they do. Skipping "filler" or easy workouts helps to alleviate the relentless pounding that the connective tissue takes. And, he theorizes that masters athletes have a relatively more developed aerobic system and need to spend less time honing that. And, they can use the additional workout days to do more cross training for injury prevention.
I definitely ran fewer, but harder miles heading into my Old Pueblo 50 last March and I felt like it paid off for me. I wrote up a blog post about my experience doing that. I know there are advantages to volume, but I don't know that they offset the negatives (injury, burnout, lifestress, etc...).
AJ: Hudson is a genius and I agree with him. There are top ultrarunners like Jay Aldous who are living proof of what Hudson says about aging athletes needing quality more than quantity. I love to run and I've come to realize that life's too short to overthink things. Don't get me wrong; I love quality and I do quality and I want to be the best I can be, but at the end of the this is supposed to be fun. I love running--it's fun to me. So I'd rather get out there every day and enjoy the gift and run as much as possible without putting myself at great risk of injury. I'll still be pushing it hard in some of my workouts going into Leadville, and the mileage will get up there, but I also know that I'll be 41 by then and I need to take care of the body and mind. In my post, I didn't touch on what overly intense training can do to the working man's/woman's mind. Last summer, when I was out of work, I realized that when I'm able to get 8-9 hours of sleep at night I can train very hard and not get hurt. Anyway, the toll of intensity on the mind of a full-time worker with a family may be the topic for my next post. Good stuff!
DeleteWyatt
Yes, I totally agree. This is what I do for recreation, adventure, and fun. I train the best a can within what makes it fun and enjoyable to me. I do not enjoy big volume more than on peak training weeks. And, lately, I only really enjoy MAF/aerobic running. Hopefully I'll find the will to hit some hard workouts as Spring comes around and the weather warms. But I value sleep a ton and am not willing to get up at 4:00 am to run 10 miles everyday. I just wouldn't enjoy it and I would be a worse runner for that reason alone.
DeleteInteresting. I actually think I am less concerned about injury and more just scared of hurt as in the kind of taste the blood sort of hurt. I used to get to that place a lot more. My appetite to get there has dried up to some degree.
ReplyDeleteTranslation: I am getting soft.
George: You are not soft. You're experienced and we both have jobs that keep us busy. It's hard to be at your best at work, at home with your family, and with running. Something's gotta give. For me, if I train too intensely, my brain kind of goes into a fog and it can affect my ability to focus at work. I know that about myself and so I guard against letting it happen. At the end of the day, work and not running pays the bills!
DeleteI agree GZ, and great post Wyatt. I think its all in my head and I just can't make myself care anymore. A couple times at the end of the mile in high school, I couldn't walk for several minutes...couldn't even stand up. But now I don't go find that gear. I am trying and feel like I am hunting for it, but I'm really not.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff, Brett. I think at some point we just kind of decided deep down that, even though we love running, we're kind of done with pushing ourselves until we puke on the side of the track (yep, been there, done that). I can still hit that gear in a 5K. But it's hard while training.
DeleteI can't believe how much I can relate to this post. During my Marine years I used to have a pretty high pain threshold and could really push myself. My body is in pretty good shape for how hard I've been to it over the years, but I do often get injured when I start to push it.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to do more tempo than I do, but it usually does lead to injury. My lower calves and upper Achilles are my trouble areas and it's always in the back of my mind. I can be feeling absolutely great and without warning, BOOM!
So, even when I am feeling good I don't have it in me to really push myself (when it comes to speed) because I'm always scared I'm going to injury myself.
And as for being soft, put me in that boat as well. :( I'd much rather run 10 miles at a decent pace than to run say a 5K all out. It hurts way too much anymore. :)
Mike: My calves are a trouble spot for me, too. I've had a few injuries that came out of nowhere, as well. Back in the fall of 2012, I got metarsalagia out of nowhere. I'm sure there were maybe signs, but none that felt. I still do a good amount of quality but only on days that I feel good. I don't force anything like I used to do.
DeleteWyatt
Good post, I love reading what runners 20 years younger than me (62) think about aging ;-)
ReplyDelete30 years ago I was running marathons in the 2:40's, just ran one in El Paso in 4:40 (won my ag which is pitiful). I hope to get this to 3:40 by the end of the year. Back then I was running over 100 mpw, now it's more like 40, sometime 20.
I now don't need that one obligatory day off, I need a day off when my legs are crying for it, min 2 days a week. Long runs are gentle MAF runs in the forest with my wife, anything fast on the roads and I'm toast for the week.
This past Saturday at Salida I went out like I always do, but faded within the first 2 miles...of course I've been on Cipro the past few months for a prostate infection....welcome to old age. I ran a 38 min personal worst there.
After finishing Hardrock for the 3rd time last Summer and finally getting the other direction, I'm retired from 100's....my goals now are a sub 20, 5K and a sub 3:30 marathon. Guess I'll be doing lots of speedwork and less miles!
Best of luck, guys! ...and like I say to all my 50 something running friends, come on up!
That GZ quote is me to a T.... I back off too easily nowadays. But I'm still enjoying my running and I guess that's the main thing.....
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