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Goal: 3h30 at @KingShakaRace. Training starts now. Will be blogging my progress as we count down to race day....
1 May 2020 day 0. Lockdown level 4. Went out for a run like everyone else. I'm extremely unfit but still managed to put up a decent time. Last time I was on peak fitness was Aug 2019, I've been injured since.
We can't cry over spilt milk nor can we make up for lost time by doing everything at once. Weight = 83kg. Heart rate zone = 5. Ligaments and tendons extremely weak. Hip flexibility only gives me 1m stride length. For sub 4:20/km pace, cadence goes over 200spm
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I will structure a programme that I want to use to demonstrate what it takes to improve times. I will be running and doing cross training exercises. I will will be working on a 3 week block to assess improvement.
The training will be structured around:
1. Aerobic Fitness
2. Power
3. Speed
4. Strength
5. Flexibility
Combining all these should make me fitter in order to run faster.
1. Aerobic Fitness
2. Power
3. Speed
4. Strength
5. Flexibility
Combining all these should make me fitter in order to run faster.
Day 1. Still doing damage assessment. Woke up my my legs slightly stiff from yesterday's run. Decided to do 10km on a relatively flat course at a comfortable pace.
Plan: easing into it then maintain and slightly increase pace towards the finish. The goal was to maintain rhythm and still run comfortably. I've come to terms with my heart rate being high coz of lack of fitness and having to breathe through a mask
I downloaded a metronome app, locked it at 180 beats per minute to help reinforce my rhythm. Endurance is born from being able to maintain an energy efficient rhythm. On the last km, it got pretty annoying that I switched it off, hence the peak at 190.
After the 10km run I did a 500m cool down and a 15min walk. Got inside and did 100 reps on the ab roller and 20 push ups. Took a shower and stretched for about 15min. End of day 1 feedback.
Day 2. The aim today was to do a route with a climb. Tackled Jacaranda in Olivedale. At peak fitness I can hit the hill sub 5/km. Today I managed to hit around 6:20 - 7:00/km. The aim was not going flat out bt see what pace was manageable. Ave cadence 181spm Max 190spm.
With the change in the route, the start was downhill and the plan was to take it easy and just get mileage. Tried maintaining a low heart rate...
The pace wasn't too bad at all, although I felt fatigue kicking in towards the finish. Came back home and stretched and foam rolled for ~ 30 mins and had a recovery meal. Currently wearing compression socks to speed up recovery. Tomorrow's run will be even slower than today's...
My VO2 Max is extremely low at this point. I'm expecting a significant improvement when I start incorporating anaerobic training planned after completing the first 10 days.
The grind continues. 5 days of continuous running. I'm definitely getting stronger but still not in a position to grind hard just to make sure I stay injury free. Took on Republic Road from Malibongwe to Multichoice. Crazy climb and was not as difficult as I thought...
Today is rest day... All I'm gonna do is take out my yoga mat, stretch, foam roll and wear compression clothing. The one thing I'm trying to avoid is muscle overuse and getting injured again because of rushing the process.
One of the most important things to do as a runner is understanding the kinetic chain & the role played by the different muscles groups when running and strengthening every weak muscle. The soleus gives me issues and on a daily basis I work on doing exercises to eliminate them.
Today I ran the route I did in day 2. I must say there has been a great deal of improvement. The first 3km were a breeze. My stride was comfortable. Without much fighting, I was cruising along nicely. But today's training run was not focused on the 1st 3km but km 4 and 5....
Today's goal was to fight along the climb but still reserve enough to carry me home. As hard as it was I still felt very strong in fact my mind was strong. I'm now getting more and more motivated to keep training. Guess yesterday's rest helped.
Just realised that I have not updated on how things are progressing... Still taking it easy Mon: easy running... Muscle memory is really starting to kick in the only problem now is being overweight which increases the force exerted on the lower legs thus causing some pain...
Tomorrow will mark the end of a 2 week cycle of establishing the base. The third week is where I will be doing 1hr + runs to burn fat. Hoping to sneak in about 2 1hr 30 runs. Current weight - 82kg. Next weigh in date - 22 May, target ~ 79kg
Today's run was great. No stress about pace. Dedicated to all those runners who feel that they can't post their splits coz they may be ostracised because they are not good enough. Comment with your latest splits and let's celebrate your achievement
We run for different reasons
We run for different reasons
Now that we have dealt with the refund issues, let's get back to regular programming. Today I ran with a resistance band. It was great training without the hectic pounding on the legs.
I've been experiencing quite a lot of pain when I run because I overpronate and the chamber on the road makes it worse. So this morning I tried adding additional support for my arch and I must say, it felt a lot better.
Having felt better I was able to effortlessly go back to running comfortably at what I regard as my comfortable pace, around 5:30/km. There is plenty to be learnt in this journey...
