3 Races In 9 Days
This can go one of two ways; let's aim for the good ending
3 race is 9 days. It's certainly not ideal, but in 2021, I'm trying to get out and race more often. It's fun to race and I miss it, so I went a little overboard...
What I'm currently doing:
A Friday night track mile for fun. I'm aiming for around 5:20.
Sunday 5k in Vineland with Second Capital Running.
Saturday 7/3 Haddon Heights 5k.
I'm currently running around 115 miles per month, usually on 6 days a week. After my recent running break, I came down with some soreness in my knee. It didn't help that I also went beserk trying to run 100 miles for the month and had to crush 9 straight days of running to make it happen. During that crazy stretch, I also had some knee pain and got a new pair of running shoes, hoping it would go away. It did. But now my shins are acting up.
I'm trying to balance increasing my fitness with decreasing my pain. I'm not doing a great job, but I'm working on it.
What I could be doing differently:
I know for sure I should be adding in some cross training. School is over and we have access to a pool for swimming and aqua jogging. I will be adding that in starting Monday or Tuesday.
I know I should also be doing strength training more often. That's also something I'll be adding in come next week. I do some strength work - mostly balance work to make sure I'm activating my smaller muscles - but now that teaching is done for the year, I'll be adding in more. Do you have a favorite routine to do? Do you recommend anyone?
What you should do if you are going through a similar situation:
Pause and think about what is really important. I should have held off signing up for one or both of these 5k races until I prioritized my health and long-term running. This week, I've purposefully cut back on my miles and strategically given myself 48 hours in between my workout and next run and then another 30+ hours before my Friday night race. This is definitely helping and I encourage you to think about how you can "manipulate" your training to maximize your recovery window.
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In other news, I hope you've been able to watch the Trials. The coverage is 'eh' but the racing is on point!
What's been your favorite event so far? What stories can't you get enough of? Leave a comment or reply to the email.
What’s Got My Attention:
Popular Articles on the Blog this Week:
30 Days to Get in Shape: What to do and why
Strength Training and Base Mileage
Popular Newsletter Sessions:
Olympic Trials Picks and Insights
Quote of the Day:
Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but, because of lack of commitment.
Connect with me:
Here’s what I’m working on and what I’d love you to check out:
Thanks for following along on the journey! Have something you’d like to add? Have suggestions or comments? Email me: TrainwithMarc@gmail.com
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Marc is a middle school teacher and coach but also works with distance runners online. I help distance runners around the globe by providing support, writing customized training plans, and designing workouts to help them reach their racing goals. I write for my blog every Wednesday morning and newsletter every Friday morning.