A reduced running schedule the week of Thanksgiving is a difficult thing. On the one hand, recovery from the marathon requires a certain amount of compulsory inactivity, on the other hand, apply/blueberry crumb pie. Achieving balance is tricky. This year I made it through Thanksgiving week without stuffing myself fuller than the turkey, but I was also less active than usual. By Thursday morning I was trotting down the road at a 10+ minute mile pace, happy to be moving forward on healing legs, however slowly. Four miles seemed quite enough. Friday was more of the same. Saturday found me in better stead, and I bumped up the speed a little and added a mile. Sunday was a 5 miler at a nine minute mile.Getting there.
This week I plan on making use of the elliptical for a few days and perhaps doing an 8 miler towards the end of the week to aid recovery and keep up my fitness while I try to decide on a new goal. I have a suspicion that things are going to be busy at work and home for a while, so I think I’m going to stay on point and focus on bettering my time in the ½ marathon as well as taking to the trails at the nature preserve near the house for some cross-country running. By mid-January I’ll probably be thinking about a spring marathon, but I’m not going to make any commitments right now.
The week-end was restful and full of family activities. We took the boys into the City on Friday to see the Samurai exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I got all the exterior Christmas lights up. We also cooked a big pot of stew and a chicken and olive tagine. The weather has been perfect for outdoor activities, but I know the deep freeze is lurking somewhere around the corner. Fortunately, I think work is going to take me to San Diego a couple of times over the next few months so I’ll get to enjoy some southern California
I find that throwing some elliptical work once or twice a week (in replacement of a short recovery run) has done wonders on getting my conditioning up and helping me recover faster. Whenever I seem to get away from throwing cross training into my routine and just run 5-6 days a week, my body falls apart and I've suffered minor injuries. But with the cross training, despite building on the miles, my legs feel fresher.
ReplyDeleteI used the elliptical for a few months in 2008 when recovering from a bout of knee tendinitis brought on by a poorly trained and run 1/2 marathon. I was surprised at how much it helped the recovery process and yet still felt like a running work-out. Although I ran on the treadmill yesterday, I think today I'll hop on the elliptical for 45 minutes or so and maybe try to mix it in a few times a week all winter.I know the six day a week running has been wearing me out and at age 41 I have to cool the jets a little or things are going to start breaking.
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