First, the good news! I finished Week 7 today. Just 2 more weeks to go. Coincidentally, I'm finishing the program on the day of my first 5k. Couldn't have timed it better!
Now, the not-so-great news. Today was the fourth time in a row that I ran for 25 minutes. So you think it'd be easier (or at least I did. Or hoped it would be). Not so much. For the past week or two, my legs have been taking a beating, and they've been getting progressively more tired and achy with each run.
I've been confused about how to handle this. My first instinct is that I need more rest than I'm currently allowed/giving myself on the Couch to 5k plan. But then my brain kicks in and I remember that I'm still slacking on my PT exercises, and that if I do them, my muscles will be strengthened and supported and that also sounds like just what I need.
So instead of resting or strength training, I'm reverting to my old bad habits and doing nothing. Not good Amy, not good.
Here's what I'm sure the issue is: before I started running, it was an incredible mental struggle for me to exercise even once a week for 15 minutes (in my living room, using video games). Now, I'm going out consistently 3 times a week. I'm so thrilled that I've been able to do that regularly, but that might be my max at this point. Having to do strength training on my non-running days means some kind of exercise 6 days a week, and that is a huge leap for me at this point.
When I shared this with my PT a while back, she suggested that I do my strength training on my run days (right after my runs). Until now, I've been too zonked to do it, or promise myself that I'll do it the next day, but that hasn't happened. So tonight, after I got home from my painful, painful run where all I wanted to do the whole time was quit, I got out the ankle weights and did my little routine, including my core exercises.
I'm going to try this for the next week or so and see how my legs feel.
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It's great that you're staying in tune with how much rest your body needs. Doing strength training right after runs can be great, but as you've already noticed, it can take some extra mental effort. Like the runs themselves, sometimes the hardest part is just the first step, and then it gets a bit better.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to consider is that your legs might simply need a recovery week. Everyone deals with the ramping up of time/distance differently, and it might be that your legs need a bit of a breather after a couple of long/tough weeks. That doesn't mean no running, just shorter ones, or maybe ones with more/longer walk breaks. Basically, you could dial it back to an earlier week in the program for one week, and then keep going with the rest of the plan. Since you're currently on track to finish up the program on the date of your 5K, I understand why you might not want to do this, it's just an idea. :)
Meanwhile, hang in there, and use that rolling pin! :)
Can I ask...have you changed your diet??? ( I am just catching up on your blog...so forgive me if you have covered this). I am currently doing Crossfit (google it...it's crazy) and I have to tell you, my workouts have gotten so much better now that I am following (roughly) the Zone. If I don't eat a mixture of fats, carbs and proteins at each meal, it really throws me off. Just a thought. By the way, I'm so proud of you! Rachel Raskin
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