Back in high school our long runs for cross country would always be 20% of weekly mileage. It took a lot of time (and an injury or two) for me to get that idea out of my head. 100 mile weeks were not only a lot more than I've ever run, but not happening within my ~10 month training plan 😅
Oh! So you were working backwards from needing to run a 20 mile long run and calculating your total weekly volume off of that? Yeah that's a massive undertaking. I've only ever maxed out at around 60 mpw and that was a massive achievement for me. I always feel really fit at about 45 mpw and a 13+ mile long run with some quality in it.
Yessir! My long runs were just focused on time/distance then, no focus on quality, but I started running with a group of guys trying to BQ as well eventually and then I learned (did not follow) the importance of putting some effort into long runs 😅.
I've been scared off from the NYC Marathon ever since I heard how early you need to get up just to make it to the starting area.... shuttle buses and all that? Nooooo thank you! haha
The logistics are by far the worst parts of major marathons! I’m lucky to have Houston nearby, which has great course support and feels like a big time event, but you can get a hotel for like $250 a night six blocks from the start. Cannot recommend it highly enough.
Oh I do all sorts of stuff for recovery/prehab. I have a massage gun that I use to keep my calves loose and a lacrosse ball I use for glute/hip/plantar rolling. I’ve got some Rapid Reboot compression boots that I still think are mostly placebo but feel really nice, especially after a long run. I use resistance bands for clamshells and other similar exercises to keep my hips strong and I do pushups, planks, and sit-ups regularly for those muscle groups. I’ve got some stretches and exercises that I try to do a few times per week when I’m training heavily that I’ve cobbled together from various PT visits and YouTube videos that target weak or painful areas too.
My lower calf/achilles area ACHES so bad throughout the day after running consistently. Haven’t really found anything for that. Everything else I manage pretty well, but my biggest enemy is consistency with maintenance (rolling, stretching, icing, etc.).
I’m sure I’m just telling you stuff you already know, but eccentric heel drops have been absolutely effective with all of the Achilles issues I’ve ever had. And working the massage gun on the soleus and gastroc muscles help attack the tightness further up the chain for me too. I’ve got a tad bit of insertional Achilles discomfort right now from rugby and those two things are helping me resolve it. Tight calves are the bane of my existence.
Back in high school our long runs for cross country would always be 20% of weekly mileage. It took a lot of time (and an injury or two) for me to get that idea out of my head. 100 mile weeks were not only a lot more than I've ever run, but not happening within my ~10 month training plan 😅
Oh! So you were working backwards from needing to run a 20 mile long run and calculating your total weekly volume off of that? Yeah that's a massive undertaking. I've only ever maxed out at around 60 mpw and that was a massive achievement for me. I always feel really fit at about 45 mpw and a 13+ mile long run with some quality in it.
Yessir! My long runs were just focused on time/distance then, no focus on quality, but I started running with a group of guys trying to BQ as well eventually and then I learned (did not follow) the importance of putting some effort into long runs 😅.
I love quality long runs! My most sustainable training week is Easy/MLR with quality/Easy/Strides/Easy/LR with quality/Rest
I've been scared off from the NYC Marathon ever since I heard how early you need to get up just to make it to the starting area.... shuttle buses and all that? Nooooo thank you! haha
The logistics are by far the worst parts of major marathons! I’m lucky to have Houston nearby, which has great course support and feels like a big time event, but you can get a hotel for like $250 a night six blocks from the start. Cannot recommend it highly enough.
I was scheduled to run the Queens marathon in early 2020. Had a hotel right near the park! But unmmm… yeah, COVID and all that 🙃
Any tips on recovery or what you do maintenance-wise? Maybe you’ve written something about this already? I’m Intrigued!
Oh I do all sorts of stuff for recovery/prehab. I have a massage gun that I use to keep my calves loose and a lacrosse ball I use for glute/hip/plantar rolling. I’ve got some Rapid Reboot compression boots that I still think are mostly placebo but feel really nice, especially after a long run. I use resistance bands for clamshells and other similar exercises to keep my hips strong and I do pushups, planks, and sit-ups regularly for those muscle groups. I’ve got some stretches and exercises that I try to do a few times per week when I’m training heavily that I’ve cobbled together from various PT visits and YouTube videos that target weak or painful areas too.
My lower calf/achilles area ACHES so bad throughout the day after running consistently. Haven’t really found anything for that. Everything else I manage pretty well, but my biggest enemy is consistency with maintenance (rolling, stretching, icing, etc.).
I’m sure I’m just telling you stuff you already know, but eccentric heel drops have been absolutely effective with all of the Achilles issues I’ve ever had. And working the massage gun on the soleus and gastroc muscles help attack the tightness further up the chain for me too. I’ve got a tad bit of insertional Achilles discomfort right now from rugby and those two things are helping me resolve it. Tight calves are the bane of my existence.