TR Running Thread 2024

Well… I am dumb… I didnt realized I was on the High Volume plan… woops… Just swap to mid volume! Thanks!!

Not dumb at all! Easy mistake to make! But I think that should work a lot better for you :slight_smile: .

Don’t be afraid of a Low Volume Plan either! That is extremely effective for most people :muscle:.

Let us know if you have any other questions :metal: .

1 Like

Hopefully trainerroad will develop some adaptive running class schedules, similar to stryd’s

@SomeCallMeTim

Only realized now that we never heard about how your race went. ~2mo late, but better late than never right :sweat_smile:

Disappointing 5km effort today, same pace as my overall 10km pace back in April, back then I was a minute faster in the first 5km.

I do have a bunch of excuses, but having tripled my run volume since then, I was expecting more! :sob:

Two months to a steady half mara attempt, then another month to attempt matching my half PB.

2 Likes

I’m getting back to running after a long time on the bike. In 2019 I developed a bad case of patellar tendinitis. Before then I ran a lot including a couple 100 milers. I transitioned to the bike and since then I’ve done some very large endurance rides and I have a couple more on the calendar this year. During my off time I never went to zero. But nearly so. At best I’d run five miles every two weeks.

I’d like to do some ultra distance runs next near. The problem is I’m finding it very difficult to build from zero. My fitness is pretty good from riding so when I run I feel very slow and it’s difficult psychologically. I can manage 5 miles at 8:45 pace or so, but it feels like a death march. And after the run my knees feel stiff.

I guess I’m looking for some confirmation that if I stick with it, do 3-6 mile runs two or three times a week for the next couple months, things will likely improve, and I’ll be able to ramp running fitness more quickly there after.

Anyone have experience with coming back from a long running hiatus?

2 Likes

Been there! The same thing happened to me when I was training for my first marathon.

Mileage is something that’s takes awhile to see the full benefit from. My marathon went well but took a year or two to trickle down to the shorter stuff like the 5k. Keep at it and the eyes on the big (and long term) goal!

2 Likes

I don’t know about this whole volume thing.
I’ve reduced my volume from a peak in April (about 40mpw) continue to do speed work once a week and spend 3 days/wk in the gym doing strength work.
I’m steadily getting faster and faster. No niggles, no discomfort at all, have raced from 1 mile to 50 this year off 30mpw average.

Half mara in Feb 1.17
Mile in July 4.58
50 mile podium in June.
10 mile trail race in July (450m of vert), 65mins and the win.

I turn 50 next week and am prioritising robustness over all else. Seems to translate into good running performances. I see so many high milage runners, hobbling along with their gimpy style thats developed from being in pain the whole time. Seems dumb to me.

It feels to me like the one track session a week which is only 25mins of intervals, gives me proper running form and a VO2 boost.
The strength work which is three separate full body strength workouts, gives me muscles (yay!), and then the rest is such easy running or walking, often with friends, heart rate down in zone 1 a lot of the time, that most wouldn’t consider it training, but it seems to give me a lovely fluidity over the ground.

Appreciate everyone is different, but it’s always worth finding your own path I reckon.

3 Likes

The ‘trick’ is not to stop in the first place - I know I hated hearing that too.

Once a fortnight’s better than nothing but I’ve tried to keep it at once a week minimum. My volume has never gone beyond 4-5hrs really and only held at that for a few months. I’m seeing if I can find a way to be consistent around the 4hr mark without hurting myself again.

@grawp that’s cracking running. Always been a runner or a late bloomer?

3 Likes

It took me about 6 months of 2x per week running after not running for 6 years or so before I felt like my joints and bones were adapted to the effort. I’m was about 54 years old when I started back running.

2 Likes

Late bloomer. Took what I learned from racing bikes to make sure I didn’t overdo it when teaching my body to run.

2 Likes

2.5 years later I’m giving it another go, 6 weeks in so far.

Same story on the magic mile. 7:52 for the mile - although I’m not in PB shape. It seems I just don’t have a non-aerobic pace at the moment.

The really “new thing” this time around will be three moderately long runs a week instead of failing one big long run every week.

The approach this season is guided by Garmin/Galloway half mara plan again as run/walk represents the closest thing to success I’ve had at the marathon distance. Rather than a steady/sluggish pace, faster intervals with walking gives me better form when I am running.

  1. Workout into easy club run on Tuesdays.

  2. Two or three half marathon distance runs per month, running to work will be the long run day in Thursdays.

  3. Moderately long run at the weekend.

Rest of the week to be bike days, one lift and one swim. All in all I’m aiming for two hard days and one moderately hard per week which I think is within my wheelhouse and seems to have raised no Red Flags as I’m ramping up.

The measure of success will be consistency, and if I can get my half time down to 1h50 again and my 70.3 run leg down as well.

Then I’ll consider a 4h30 marathon attempt at the end of November as I’ve failed my 4hr targets and hit 5hrs twice in the last five years.

Then, then if I can get near 4h30 this year then I’ll consider 4hrs in 2025 after some kind of weight loss winter.


Mile times and 5k times seem to be in sync though I’m a bit faster than the ten k times I tank at 24km. Hydration and fuelling will be a focus.

1 Like

Anyone ever deal with a metatarsal stress fracture? I hope I don’t have that, but signs seem to be pointing that way. Things have been going so great too in my HM training (5 weeks out). That bony area in the front outer part of my left foot is painful to the touch, and there was pain upon impact when running. But decided to test it today and while there was some pain warming up, it wasn’t a problem during the actual run (38 minute tempo). The pain is not worse after the run and there is no swelling, but the pain is there. I made an appointment to see my doc in a week, but debating if I should continue running and see how it goes.

Is there an actual risk of making things a lot worse? As in, would I start to feel more pain before I’m making it worse? I’m thinking if it just stays at this level, it’s tolerable. I guess I could replace some runs with the bike for now but I’m in the midst of all the workouts in this training plan (Pfitzinger 11/47)

All I can tell you is what I would do. And that is definitely, 100% keep running on it.

Conversely, I’d definitely stop. (There’s the Internet in a nutshell for you. :smile:)
It’s just a blip in the road. Either you’ll have to stop anyway if it’s a stressy, or you’ll be able to train with confidence if not. Besides, if it’s hurting then give yourself a week off anyway. The net effect of being pain free will far outweigh any perceived loss of fitness.

1 Like

Running my second full Marathon this coming weekend. Tunnel Light in WA State on the 8th. Training was not nearly as much as I would have liked, though I was prioritizing a cycling event that took place mid July and really only gave me 8 weeks to focus on running. 2 of those weeks were spent traveling with sub optimal diet, sleep, and training. I’m targeting a sub 4:00:00 finish. My first marathon (nov 2023) was 4:12:xx and I was having insane GI problems causing me to stop 4 times. Those stops combined were 10 minutes of time lost, so fitness being equal, i’m 2 min out from my goal time.

After this marathon i’m planning to incorporate 2x days of swimming per week, prioritize strength training, and focus on getting at least one cycling and one running vo2 effort session each week. I expect my Z2 days to basically fall off which usually happens in the winter months anyway.

1 Like

:scream:

On a broken metatarsal?

You decided to do a 38min tempo run to test a broken metatarsal?

Good luck! The first win is getting to the start line without injury, the second win is getting to the finish line.

Only you care about the time it takes :slight_smile: :slight_smile:
Well and me, but only because I’m jealous

1 Like

typically tendon issues won’t get worse throughout the run where whereas bone issues will.

I’ve had medial tibial tendon issues in the past and they would always be a bit sore at first, but warm up during the run and then be sore the next morning. I felt like as long as I could get through the workout things were fine, but you really need to take time off to let tendons heal. :sleeping_bed:

If this is something that has lasted more than a few days, it might be worth seeing a doctor. You don’t want to make things worse by running now!

It’s probably not “broken” from the sound of things

That said, I would be more willing to run on a metatarsal stress fracture than, say, a really bum Achilles tendon or a femoral neck stress fracture. It’s not one of the really scary injuries in my book.

If it hurts a lot, I stop. If it hurts a little, I don’t. Often it just passes.