Friday, December 28, 2007

I am running!

Dr. Andy remarked in a comment that I should be running. I am. Sort of.

This week was scheduled as a last easy week before I start my real training. Because it's a low mileage week, I decided to push the pace a bit last night when I ran. I did a 10 minute warm-up and then did 5 minutes on, 5 off for the next 50 minutes. I wasn't going all that fast, but each repeat got faster, dropping eventually to a 7:00 pace.

By the time I went to bed last night, my glutes were screaming. I hadn't done squats for over a week and then did 3x15 yesterday morning to start my weight workout. I was only using 115# for the squats, but I worked on good form for all the reps. Add the faster running at the end of the day, and my legs were a bit tired.

Today, I'll do an easy hour of running before I teach skiing all weekend. Right now, I'm scheduled to teach skiing on Tuesday, but I think I might get out of that and start the new year with a 20 miler. I've only run longer than 12 once since Labor Day, so a long, slow run to start the year sounds like a good idea.

2 comments:

Harriet said...

This is interesting; I want to add weights but am worried that they will aggravate that old hip injury.

But I need to do something as my legs are too weak for a hilly trail course.

Julie Berg credits weights for her significant progress in her ultras.

Damon said...

Ollie,

I really feel that the weights have helped me a lot in the past 8 months. I feel amazingly strong while skiing and running. Even when I'm tired when I'm running, I find that the extra strength seems to really help.

At VT100 last year, Julie and I were together for a number of miles, including some long uphills. It was in the early part of the race and the pace was reasonable. But, sometime around mile 20 or so, she started hiking uphill faster than I was willing to go and she beat me by 90 minutes or so. She is strong and tough, but she also runs way more miles than I run or than you walk. She did 3600 miles this year.

I'll also admit that I've really learned to love lifting. Given your background in lifting, I'm sure you loved it as well.

You might find out that carefully chosen lifts could provide reinforcement against further injuries rather than aggravation. Perhaps a visit to a PT or a chiropractor could get you advice on which lifts to use or avoid.