Over the last 90 weeks I ran an average of 57 miles per week, which got me in physical condition to set multiple PRs this year. Over that time-span I also trained hard for three marathon PR attempts. In between those three marathons - I took only a handful of days off before ramping up once again for the next one. All the while, I stayed injury free, so I started to feel somewhat invincible and impervious to whatever training load I demanded of myself. However, during my post 2016 Chicago Marathon break, aches and pains surfaced that had been previously masked by daily doses of endorphins over the last 90 weeks. What also became apparent - without those daily runs to get my blood pumping - was that I was physically exhausted. Not only did I not have the energy to run, but forcing myself to jump back into my old running regimen so soon, seemed counter productive to my long term running health.
So, as much as I don't like running blog posts about people who aren't running, here I am with one of those posts. This break may last a week or it may last three weeks. I may do a spur of the moment turkey trot "just for fun" in a couple of weeks, but will be going in without any expectations or training for that matter. So far, I have even resisted signing up for a spring marathon and also for signing up for the 2017 Chicago Marathon. Not having any pressure of getting ready for a race is a welcome break after so many weeks with one looming on the horizon.
I know when I'll be ready when I feel my legs start to hunger to sprint again, and the fog has lifted from lots and lots of sleep. In the meantime, I still plan to continue to eat "healthier", catch up on sleep, do some yoga/stretching and strength training. My long term goal will be to resume training at some indeterminate time in the future, hopefully before my endurance fitness fades. I'm not going to let myself go completely, but just enough to get back "that feeling".
It's the wise runner who knows when it's time to take a break. I haven't always been that runner, and I've paid for that. I'm trying to be smart about my running now, which is why I've said no to any and all Turkey Trots (fortunately, work helped me with that decision). I want to line up for my December half healthy. After that, I'm going to scale back on my mileage until I start training for Grandma's in June. I've kept my PF down to a twinge and I want to keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that your PF is down to a twinge. I think that is where my PF has been over the last few years and I just live with it! Yes, it is of utmost importance to get to your race healthy by not overdoing things. It's easy to jump from one training cycle to the next without thinking about how we feel, so I am trying to be a "wise runner" and listen to myself for once! :)
DeleteYes, you are right that we all need an off season to recover with no pressure of a race. The last two "off seasons" for my only lasted a handful of days as I was itching to get back at it. That's probably why I'll need a prolonged one this time around - to make up for not taking enough time off in the past!
ReplyDeleteHi, Pete! Your post could not come at a more appropriate time for me. I have had six marathon training cycles in a row, and I too set a PR at my spring marathon (Boston). I headed full-on into Chicago training with dreams of greatness, but I ended up fading badly and did not have the race of my dreams. My post-marathon running has also been super sluggish. Blood tests confirmed I'm overtrained and I'm on a week so far of no running, with more to come to reset my body. I have been fortunate that I haven't had injuries that have made me take a break, so I guess my body had to say "enough" in another way. I'm hopeful we will both come back stronger than ever, since we are giving our bodies what they need. I will be following your progress - best of luck!!
ReplyDeleteSara, it sounds like we had similar Chicago Marathon experiences. Maybe both of our fades were due to over-training? In the past for me it was always injuries that forced a break in running, but since I remained injury-free for so long, I was unaware that I even needed to take a break and would have been reluctant to do so. Luckily, this post-marathon break opened my eyes to the fact that I needed some prolonged R&R. In any case get some rest and I'm certain we'll both be stronger and better off in the "long run"! Best of luck to you! :)
DeleteThanks for the kind words, Pete! I will never know for sure whether I was overtrained going in to the marathon, but I was feeling symptoms of it before I hit taper (I just assumed it was because I was training hard, and if I reached the taper, it would do its magic and all would be well). I work with a coach, and she said that since my CPK levels (a muscle-repair enzyme) was still so high three weeks after the marathon (and I've only done a few miles super-easy on each of my runs), they are probably coming down from even higher levels. I am with you that I only took a handful of days completely off of running between my marathons. That may have worked after marathon #1, but as the cycles accumulated, I ran into trouble. Lesson learned for the future, and I hope we will both be on the mend soon! :)
DeleteI just read a thing by McMillan on this very topic earlier today. He said it seemed to be a trend to keep plunging back into training. At one time I was guilty as charged but I've been pretty good about changing it up lately. That said, I am taking a post-marathon rest right now.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for the McMillan article, thanks for the tip. Enjoy your post-marathon time off! :)
DeleteI 110% support this. If nothing else -- if it works for the pros, it's gotta work for we minions, right :) enjoy your downtime.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm enjoying it, and am trying to find other activities in my downtime to keep my mind off of running! :)
DeleteYour body is telling you it wants a break and it's good you're listening! I bet you are already starting to get a pep back in your step!
ReplyDeleteYes, I guess you could say my body was not giving me subtle signals any longer and I had to listen. Still feeling sluggish and legs are loosening up a little. Still away to go though, but I'll get there! :)
DeleteTaking breaks from running is HARD - I hate going through the process of losing the conditioning, especially after working so hard to get there. But I've also learned that it comes back quickly when you do get back on board. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing. And our bodies are not machines. The break is a true investment in the future!!! In the meantime, definitely take advantage of the opportunity to do lots of yoga/stretching/strength training and sleep. After all the recovery, watch out - you'll be a fighting machine!!!
ReplyDeleteAgree that taking breaks is hard especially when my daily run(s) are so ingrained in my routine. I look out the window and say, "sure is nice out, maybe I could do a quick 3 miler without a problem", but I have to stop myself since I don't want to set myself back. Yes, we are not machines. On the bright side - the human soreness has made me aware of what parts of my legs/hips I need to strengthen for long term fitness. We'll both be fighting machines after our breaks! :)
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