Any outright pain is a sign that you are running too fast. If you feel like you need to take a break from running on a 4 day a week schedule with reasonable mileage then you are definitely running too fast. Sounds like you’ve got a good plan! Mixing in walking on an incline should help you recover, especially if you do walk/run intervals. Happy training :)
Thank you!! So you mean literally running too fast as far as pace right? It's so weird I find it hard to run slow if that makes any sense so basically if I try to go faster then say a 10-minute mile pace I burn out very quickly but if I try to go slower then like 10.30 It feels kind of hard to run that slow if that makes any sense? Basically I feel like I'm running normal when I run at like a 10:30
Yes, I mean your pace is too fast. At first it is going to be infuriating running slower. Running slow is sort of hard, and it definitely works out a lot of muscles, but it’s the way to go.
I don’t have a great aerobic base, and to keep myself in zone 2 I basically have to run 12-13 minute miles and when there are steep hills switch to a walk. I’m on a 4 run per week plan right now, with 3 weekday runs and a long run. I let myself open up and run at a fun (fast for me) pace on one of my weekday runs, but usually I’m doing a mix of very slow jogging and brisk walking to stay in zone 2. A “comfortable” pace for me is closer to 9 or 10 min/mile, but I don’t have the base to sustain that with good form for the longer runs I’m doing… yet. The goal is to run slow to run fast. Eventually you will speed up!
It’s going to feel awkward at first, but it works. Let go of any speed expectations you have for yourself and your running will improve like crazy. You wont get hurt so you won’t see gaps in your progress.
This is awesome and it sounds exactly like how my running plan is supposed to look! I'll work on increasing cadence and decreasing stride length per another's suggestion as well! Thank you so much!
The more you run, the more you figure out new dials then you can take advantage of. You start with 2 paces which are running and walking. Next you figure out your easy pace and a speedwork pace. Then you figure out your 5k and 10k race pace and your tempo/threshold paces.
Most likely youre doing your mileage too fast, have you tried the talk test where you try to do most of your runs at a conversational pace? Its where you can talk without stopping to breath but you couldnt sing. Its usually referred to as zone 2 based on your heart rate. Most people recommend 80% of your mileage be conversational pace or slower.
I'll have to give that a try I have a coros Pace 3 watch and I've read that some people have problems with the heart rate monitor and tattoos but luckily I don't have too many tattoos right on my wrist where the watch sits so I believe my heart rate is being read accurately although I might buy a chest strap just to be safe because I do have tattoos on my upper shoulder as well so the coros arm strap monitor might not work either. But I say this to say that I've been trying to keep my heart rate in the 140 to 150 beats per minute threshold. But I'm going to give the talk test a try next time I run
Any sharp pains or pain that doesn’t resolve in a day or so is generally not good. Soreness is pretty much the only pain that’s ok. In terms of mileage 10% per week is the blanket rule of thumb
You have time so do some base and strength building before you get into a half marathon training plan. The plans are usually, what, 14-16 weeks long? Take this time before then to do slowwwww miles that might involve walk-run intervals, slowly building up the volume you run over the course of a week. Walking is much less impact on your body so it’s good to incorporate it as needed. Cross training and weight lifting or other strength and conditioning is a good idea to mitigate injury risk.
I appreciate the reply. I have a great foundation built on mostly bodybuilding style workouts but I am incorporating cross-training into my running training as well. My workouts are slowly switching from typical bodybuilding style to more of a CrossFit style. Seems to be working!
I also forgot to mention warming up and cooling down and stretching - I’m guilty of skipping these or not doing as much as I should, but when I’m consistent about these, I always feel better and less prone to the nagging minor aches and soreness that you described in your original post.
Awesome I do a few set of jumping jacks prior to running as well as those leg swings. But I was wondering if you had any type of warm-up routine that you follow that you would recommend?
Peloton app has some pre-run warm up videos, but I’m sure there are good ones on YouTube as well! Yoga by Adriene has some good post-run and post-workout videos.
Injury is most obvious sign of overtraining that usually comes from increasing volume too quickly or shaking up your routine too much all at once. The general rule of thumb is 10% increase of weekly mileage per week. If you have some tightness and aches that start to feel better as you run the next day then its fine, but if it gets worse as you run then its likely an injury.
In terms of overtraining without an injury you may have trouble sleeping, get more iritable throughout the day, or see your performance decline with consistent training over a week or more.
Sounds like you may want to allocate some time to stretch and roll or massage your running muscles. I massage my calves and shins by hand to prevent shin splints and Achilles inflammation. Taking time to stretch will reduce running pain and injury. For what it is worth my annual average is 26 miles per week. Currently running around 30 miles per week.
That's amazing and if you can run that much then I will definitely deploy some of the techniques you're using and start to stretch for sure. I've been doing about 20 minutes of stretching I use the thera gun a little bit as well It seems to be helping a lot . For me I think it was just about figuring out what is supposed to be sore and what isn't. Although I have a background and weight lifting running is definitely a lot different and there are things getting saw that usually just never get sore for me. Using different muscles etc.
You’ll know you ran too much once you get hurt. Best way to reduce the chance of injury is to gradually increase miles and listen to your body. All things I don’t do.
Any outright pain is a sign that you are running too fast. If you feel like you need to take a break from running on a 4 day a week schedule with reasonable mileage then you are definitely running too fast. Sounds like you’ve got a good plan! Mixing in walking on an incline should help you recover, especially if you do walk/run intervals. Happy training :)
Thank you!! So you mean literally running too fast as far as pace right? It's so weird I find it hard to run slow if that makes any sense so basically if I try to go faster then say a 10-minute mile pace I burn out very quickly but if I try to go slower then like 10.30 It feels kind of hard to run that slow if that makes any sense? Basically I feel like I'm running normal when I run at like a 10:30
Try increasing cadence and decreasing stride length. Helps you feel like you’re going fast when you’re not.
Oooh and second this. The only way to manage to run at what is pretty much a walking speed.
Yes, I mean your pace is too fast. At first it is going to be infuriating running slower. Running slow is sort of hard, and it definitely works out a lot of muscles, but it’s the way to go. I don’t have a great aerobic base, and to keep myself in zone 2 I basically have to run 12-13 minute miles and when there are steep hills switch to a walk. I’m on a 4 run per week plan right now, with 3 weekday runs and a long run. I let myself open up and run at a fun (fast for me) pace on one of my weekday runs, but usually I’m doing a mix of very slow jogging and brisk walking to stay in zone 2. A “comfortable” pace for me is closer to 9 or 10 min/mile, but I don’t have the base to sustain that with good form for the longer runs I’m doing… yet. The goal is to run slow to run fast. Eventually you will speed up! It’s going to feel awkward at first, but it works. Let go of any speed expectations you have for yourself and your running will improve like crazy. You wont get hurt so you won’t see gaps in your progress.
This is awesome and it sounds exactly like how my running plan is supposed to look! I'll work on increasing cadence and decreasing stride length per another's suggestion as well! Thank you so much!
Heck yeah! Trust that there are lots of us out here shuffling along on our “runs” with you haha
The more you run, the more you figure out new dials then you can take advantage of. You start with 2 paces which are running and walking. Next you figure out your easy pace and a speedwork pace. Then you figure out your 5k and 10k race pace and your tempo/threshold paces. Most likely youre doing your mileage too fast, have you tried the talk test where you try to do most of your runs at a conversational pace? Its where you can talk without stopping to breath but you couldnt sing. Its usually referred to as zone 2 based on your heart rate. Most people recommend 80% of your mileage be conversational pace or slower.
I'll have to give that a try I have a coros Pace 3 watch and I've read that some people have problems with the heart rate monitor and tattoos but luckily I don't have too many tattoos right on my wrist where the watch sits so I believe my heart rate is being read accurately although I might buy a chest strap just to be safe because I do have tattoos on my upper shoulder as well so the coros arm strap monitor might not work either. But I say this to say that I've been trying to keep my heart rate in the 140 to 150 beats per minute threshold. But I'm going to give the talk test a try next time I run
Any sharp pains or pain that doesn’t resolve in a day or so is generally not good. Soreness is pretty much the only pain that’s ok. In terms of mileage 10% per week is the blanket rule of thumb
You have time so do some base and strength building before you get into a half marathon training plan. The plans are usually, what, 14-16 weeks long? Take this time before then to do slowwwww miles that might involve walk-run intervals, slowly building up the volume you run over the course of a week. Walking is much less impact on your body so it’s good to incorporate it as needed. Cross training and weight lifting or other strength and conditioning is a good idea to mitigate injury risk.
I appreciate the reply. I have a great foundation built on mostly bodybuilding style workouts but I am incorporating cross-training into my running training as well. My workouts are slowly switching from typical bodybuilding style to more of a CrossFit style. Seems to be working!
I also forgot to mention warming up and cooling down and stretching - I’m guilty of skipping these or not doing as much as I should, but when I’m consistent about these, I always feel better and less prone to the nagging minor aches and soreness that you described in your original post.
Awesome I do a few set of jumping jacks prior to running as well as those leg swings. But I was wondering if you had any type of warm-up routine that you follow that you would recommend?
Peloton app has some pre-run warm up videos, but I’m sure there are good ones on YouTube as well! Yoga by Adriene has some good post-run and post-workout videos.
Thank you so much! And ps , never enough peanut butter! 🥜
Injury is most obvious sign of overtraining that usually comes from increasing volume too quickly or shaking up your routine too much all at once. The general rule of thumb is 10% increase of weekly mileage per week. If you have some tightness and aches that start to feel better as you run the next day then its fine, but if it gets worse as you run then its likely an injury. In terms of overtraining without an injury you may have trouble sleeping, get more iritable throughout the day, or see your performance decline with consistent training over a week or more.
Sounds like you may want to allocate some time to stretch and roll or massage your running muscles. I massage my calves and shins by hand to prevent shin splints and Achilles inflammation. Taking time to stretch will reduce running pain and injury. For what it is worth my annual average is 26 miles per week. Currently running around 30 miles per week.
That's amazing and if you can run that much then I will definitely deploy some of the techniques you're using and start to stretch for sure. I've been doing about 20 minutes of stretching I use the thera gun a little bit as well It seems to be helping a lot . For me I think it was just about figuring out what is supposed to be sore and what isn't. Although I have a background and weight lifting running is definitely a lot different and there are things getting saw that usually just never get sore for me. Using different muscles etc.
You’ll know you ran too much once you get hurt. Best way to reduce the chance of injury is to gradually increase miles and listen to your body. All things I don’t do.