Since over the next couple months my training will be minimal, in some ways, with the holidays, weather and travel ahead I plan on briefly touching on my training for each week but start each post with some thoughts on various subjects such as: training, diet, equipment, etc.. My hope is this will stir some thoughts on looking at your own training and all it contains as well why you do what you do.Thoughts on Training:
While my focus for the immediate future is Boston in April and The Dirty Kanza 200 gravel race the end of May my training in the grand scheme of things extends past these two events. For this reason I try and keep this in mind even when focusing on a particular event as I am now.
I do have to admit that when it comes to training I find that I like training simply for the sake of training. Are there days I dread going out, sure, but those dreads usually revolve around the time of day I need to get training in, weather or simply just being tired. Due to training mostly by myself , not necessarily the best but the way it is for me, the hardest part usually is just getting out the door and once that is done things get better. That all said I still enjoy training and I know this because even if I did not have a race I was aiming for I would still want to train.
In some ways just training for the sake of training can be easier since then I can just do as I feel on any particular day. Whereas, when training for particular races I try, I say try, and be more focused for the type of race so my training hopefully readies me for what is ahead. This focus can often make training more stressful as I can worry if what I am doing, or have done, is what is best for the event I am focusing on.
There is a danger though in liking to train. That danger is not resting enough as often since there is no particular focus one can find themselves, as I do, continually training and only resting when injury or burnout appears. Due to this I think even if you just like to train you need some structure to make sure you get the needed rest. That rest may come in shorter, but more prevalent, times or simply resting by season since, especially with riding, winter, if that is the season you choose to rest in, is a great time to rest as it is often more difficult to train. Bottom line is that no matter why you train you need rest, even if that rest takes different forms.
I share all of this as when training seems more like drudgery then you may need to stop and reflect on why you train. If you are training for a race or event then that remembrance may help to re-focus and push through the drudgery or rest if that is what is needed. If you train just to train because you like it and drudgery shows itself the easy answer is to just rest or do something different as maybe the drudgery is due to boredom or over during it but either way a change in course may be needed.
So why do you train ?
The Past Week:
I started to filter in some shorter easy runs and worked to keep than at 4 miles or less – you will see that I went slightly over but did keep it close. Also, depending on weather and schedule I wanted to get in a couple rides and to that end I did with rides of 40 and 30 miles.
As far as the run I did they were basically flat and at an easy effort that worked to minimize the discomfort on my right foot/ankle. This was pretty much accomplished with all the runs starting out with my ankle being tight and a little sore but as the run progressed felt better. Still could tell it was sore but felt much better as run went along. I did notice as I ran a little more quick and for more fluid things felt better but need to be careful with that as it can lead to training too hard. But also I have found while this works well to minimize soreness there is a speed/effort that starts to go the other way once done.
On Sunday I can what felt easy and it was pretty cold out at 26F but ended up being a quicker run that felt very comfortable. To me this was good sign as the run was by feel with only seeing my watch as the mile flashed up. Foot was sore later in the day but usually is after sitting some so soaked my foot that night to help out before I did some stretching and massage.
With regards to riding I did a 40 miler on Tuesday that was basically easy but did have a few tempo sections to blow out the cobwebs. Then on Thursday I rode on the trainer due to rain and wanting an easy 30 miles. I had planned on riding long ride on Saturday but it was very cold in the morning and then ended up deciding to go out with the family for the day – a much better thing to do. While I wanted a long ride this is a period of easy riding and running so a long ride was not required but something I just wanted to do.
Overview of Weeks Runs and Rides (Strava Data Here)
Monday: Ride - 41.1 Miles
Tuesday: Run – 3.25 Miles
Wednesday: Ride – 30.5 Miles
Thursday: Run – 4.2 Miles
Friday: Run – 4.0 Miles
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Run – 4.4 Miles
Totals:
Running Miles – 15.9
Riding Miles – 71.6
Total Time – 6:09
Monthly Total:
Running Miles: 102.9
Riding Miles: 227.1
Total Time: 41:00:08
The Week Ahead:
As I start some travel late this week, and into December, I am looking to get in some easy runs and two rides with one ride being longer – all depending on weather. As the month of November is a rest month I just want to keep things moving and do what I can to get my right foot better so that when I start into December I can begin working my mileage up for both running and riding. This way when I get to January I can begin my push for Boston and Dirty Kanza
As always if you have questions let me know in the comments below.
Last Week's Overview #20
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