Alright northern Michigan runners, let’s all hang in there as the Spring unfolds! We’re seeing lots of indication us year-round runners are ready for the next season. The best way to combat this funk with the slush is to get out and run with friends, or, get out and meet new friends who run! There are many great groups in town to train with, and there’s nothing like fellow runners to help pass the time and create diversion! The theme of this week’s training plan is a reminder to find a buddy!
Annie will hold steady this week with 20-25 minute mid-week runs, but will move up her Saturday and Sunday schedule to 2.5 miles, keeping track of how long this takes to help us establish a 10K time goal.
Annie mentioned some problems with neck pain, and I’ll be asking her some questions about the possible origin of this. I’m sure it has nothing to do with all the Spartan Basketball games she’s been watching!
Week of March 11, 10K beginner:
Monday: walk or XT, Prehab, hip strength
Tuesday: run 20-25 min
Wednesday: Prehab, hip strength
Thursday: run 20-25 min
Friday: walk or XT, Prehab, hip strength
Saturday: 2.5 miles
Sunday: 2.5 miles
Half Training: Lauren Staying Patient
Lauren continues to get to the root of her one sided achy type of pain. Fortunately Lauren is lucky to have a great network that includes both a coach, and a program like Excelerate Run to keep her moving forward with a few adjustments. We will see how this week goes and will do every other day running, and look at possibly using a tethered aquajogger in the pool to keep her running muscles active in case we take her off the roads.
Running through Injury
Sometimes gentle, easy running during an injury is just the thing to help it go away. Decisions about running through an injury should be made in conjunction with a professional like Dena Johnson, an athletic trainer, Stephanie Walton, a physical therapist, or a physician, particularly a physician who is also a runner.
Folks like this can ask the right questions to help you determine if pain is muscular in nature, compared to possible bone, or ligament or tendon pain, all of which respond better to rest or alternative activity.
When muscular pain is the culprit, keeping the runs shorter and less intense may actually speed up the healing process. So, this week that’s what we’ll be trying with Lauren. I’m also suggesting she limits her runs to 3 miles which is when she experiences the onset of her pain.
Week 6, March 11, Half Marathon Training for Lauren:
Monday: Prehab
Tuesday: 3 m run
Wednesday: cross train
Thursday: 3 m run
Friday: Prehab
Saturday: 3 m test run, if not recovered move Sunday run to Monday
Sunday: 5 m run
March 11 - 17 Marathon Training for Marc:
Marc had a great week of training, and had his first ever over 40 mile week. Ever. This is big! Those of you following Mark may know he has done 16 marathons, all trying to qualify for Boston. Having his weekly mileage up is going to be a big boost to his effort. In the next 10 weeks, he’ll be hitting a couple of 50 mile weeks.
An important workout for Marc this past week was his Saturday run, which he did late in the day, then his Sunday run less than 24 hours later. That he experienced some fatigue during his long run on Sunday was just the effect we were hoping for in his plan. This week will be similar. Then the next two weeks we’ll be getting Marc ready for his Spring Break vacation schedule, which includes long travel, and an alteration of his weekly run placement.
Marc’s Training for week of 3/11 – 3/17:
Tuseday: 5 m run
Wednesday: 8 mile at goal pace – not faster =7:26
Thursday: 6 mile run
Friday: Prehab
Saturday: 8 mile run
Sunday: 15 mile run, at about 8:15-8:30/mile
