15k training: week 4 workouts + the beauty of down weeks
A down week, at last! I cut my mileage back 20% for week 4 to give my body a bit of time to adapt to the previous trio of weeks’ training and to ensure these jumps in intensity don’t cause a hip flare up. So far, so good, however: my niggling right side holds its temper of late. This period also marks the halfway point to my 15k race, insane considering we’re slipping into the final official month of summer and wane into a tremulous Floridian autumn. Though perhaps indulgent to some, I took extra care of my body during this subtle recovery phase, and encourage anyone to do the same when given more time to relax and restore. Further down I give some tips to pamper the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems!
Monday, 8/26: 2.21 miles, 9:32 pace (AM) + 30 min strength (PM) & 30 min restorative yoga
I derped a bit on scheduling my workouts by planning back-to-back strength days, but it worked out since Sunday I focused entirely on squatting and today I brought the upper body into play. A two-mile run felt glorious, even with smarting quads – not something of which I oft get the luxury. I strangely love my double days, perhaps because I enter the workday feeling accomplished, and exit feeling relaxed.
Gym day lowdown is as follows. I considered moves to benefit my swimming, which in turn help running since during longer events, strange and inconvenient muscles tend to fatigue. This is more prominent in marathon training, but can happen with any distance during which one pushes him or herself towards an endurance limit.
- 10 min elliptical w/u
- 3 x 12 plank rows, each side
- 3 x 12 chest fly
- 3 x 12 reverse fly
- 3 x 15 triceps dips, 20#
- 1 min Russian twists
- 3 x 18 pushups
- 1 min plank (left side)
- 1 min plank (right side)
- 90 second weighted bridge hold, 20#
In the photo I know it looks like I’m straining my neck during the hold, but I was just wearing a low bun that kept my head upraised.
Tuesday, 8/27: 6.44 miles, 9:19 pace – 20 min tempo run + 5 x 1 min intervals & 1 hour gentle yoga
By far my most involved workout yet, and I’m rather pleased it fell in a lower-mileage week. Increasing time on one’s feet while simultaneously amplifying intensity is a surefire route to injury or overtraining, so plugging this harder effort now helps me work on speed while not piling too many variables at once. I ran the tempo portion at an 8:40 average, and the intervals at 8:05, 7:53, 8:06, 8:05, and 7:56. I surprised myself somewhat since my body felt sluggish and sore from the copious weight training. I realistically don’t think I’ll clock an 8:40 average for the 9.3 miles I face ahead, but it’s nice to witness the return of such paces.
A good part of the morning I experienced strange fluctuations in body temperature, fatigue, and an overall restlessness. I slunk in the yoga studio in such a state, but thankfully walked out much livelier and nourished. At least, enough to bake a half dozen vegan blueberry scones.
Wednesday, 8/28: 3.27 miles, 9:41 pace + 30 min restorative yoga
I missed the rain by maybe 10 minutes this morning, but not the soppy, goopy air which preceded it. My body slugged along and my legs did not want to move, hence the higher pace was much easier to maintain. I didn’t fight this urge to slow up (which I should be doing anyway), instead giving my body the grace it needed.
I practically collapsed on the floor after work from sensory overload and high stress. I stilled my heart with a half hour of extremely light yoga, mostly on my back and focusing on the ujjayi breathing technique (slight constriction in the back of the throat to create an ocean-like sound effect on the inhales and exhales both). I’ll speak more to this method of breath control in a later post, but the practice helped ground me so much and I was able to function more properly after.
Thursday, 8/29: 1,680 yard swim + hectic day yoga
I welcomed this break from running. Cumulative fatigue is very real and in past training cycles I’ve felt less energetic during the down weeks than in the most intense periods leading up to race day. Straightforward interval sets with lots of easy stroking between, though I’m miffed I missed one mile by merely 20 yards.
- 300 warmup, easy freestyle
- 8 x 60 yard as 30 fast/30 easy (:10 rest between 60s)
- 120 yard easy
- 2 x 120 yard, build to fast (30 yard easy between)
- 300 cooldown, easy freestyle
Performed my yoga for a hectic day for about 15 minutes later to relax after yet another trying day.
Friday, 8/30: 3.03 miles, 9:16 pace – 7 x :30 strides
I’m thinking I need to make “Friday Stride-Day” a thing as much as I’m able in my training plans. Not my fastest mini-intervals, but enough to give my legs a good pop and it felt much better moving faster than it did on the slower segments – I took it VERY easy during the recovery intervals. Strides are quick flashes of speed meant less to exhaust and more to improve foot turnover and stride efficiency – more like drills than an entire dedicated workout. I like to squeeze them in midrun since I usually don’t have two elaborate, dedicated fast days in my plans, but many people plug them in after the run is complete as an independent set.
Saturday, 8/31: 30 min elliptical (AM) + 35 min strength (PM)
Often when I undersleep, my body is functional but my brain is questionable in its efficiency. The elliptical felt really nice before work: the session was performed at a low intensity with 5 x :30s intervals at level 6. The bout of exercise woke me up enough to render my first few hours of work tolerable, but by midday I completely crashed. Managed to fit in my second set once I left my shift, and napped practically all day thereafter.
In the weight room I focused on hip mobility, core, and glute isolation. I took something of a yogic approach to these exercises by translating common postures into more repeatable workout-esque movements. I think I may dedicate a whole post to this workout since I found it beneficial and interesting both. And difficult to describe.
- 10 min elliptical warmup
- 3 x 10/12/12 Warrior 3-high knees, each side (these are like floating single-legged deadlifts, for lack of a better explanation. I held a 10# plate and extended my leg behind me, foot flexed, as if entering Warrior 3 pose. Then I used my glutes to power my extended leg forward and ended upright with my thigh at hip level and parallel to the floor.)
- 3 x 12 standing clamshells with weight
- 1 min plank
- 3 x 16 weighted squat with lateral raise
- 1 min Sunbird hold, each side
- 1 min plank
- 3 x 15 weighted elevated bridge
Sunday, 9/1: 7.13 miles, 9:32 pace – long run
A phenomenal kick off to the new month. After mile 2 my legs found confidence and rhythm, and the long run ended before I felt ready for it to. I cherish days when more miles aren’t daunting, but instead invigorate and reaffirm my enjoyment of striding outdoors to greet the morning.
20 minutes of light recovery yoga followed, mostly targeting my hamstrings since they grumbled at me most upon rolling out of bed.
Total Mileage: 22.07 miles
The training involved with a 15K race is not usually as strenuous as with a marathon for the everyday person, but I maintain that strenuous is a matter of perspective, and any distance warrants bodily respect. Thus, I in this cycle am concentrating much more on recovery protocol. Being a very injury-prone runner, who adapts quickly but also breaks down just as fast, taking extra effort (some may even claim bordering on excessive) to destress my systems is worth it long term, even if that means my training isn’t as overall stimulating as it could be. I work hard and am gaining fitness and strength with my current program, I incorporate tempo runs and fartleks and time in the weight room, but right now ensuring my hip ailment and other stress-related niggles stay tamed is priority until I figure out more long-term fixes, and then I can see with a wider lens what my body is capable of. Gazing beyond the present is important in this regard, particularly because I want to properly prepare for the Big Sur Marathon this year!
This week I treated my body to some luxuries I don’t give it every day, or even every month. Some of them are performance-based, some are mentality-based. Some have heavy science to back them up, some I added simply because they eased my mind and felt good. Either way, I try to explain well the why as well as the what.
1. Restorative yoga is your best friend
Any person in a high-stress environment should bring into their practice this style of yoga. Classes I attend are frequented by those who work in emergency rooms, clinics, the police force, and high-volume firms, for good reason. Restorative yoga – which encourages heavy prop use, long holds, and muscle relaxation – resets the sympathetic nervous system and in turn switches on the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest and digest” mechanism. Runners often boast high cortisol levels thanks to the stress and adaptation cycles of a training regimen, and such piles atop any other triggers our outside lives also contribute. Restorative is a step milder than even gentle flow yoga, since movement is limited and the postures are done on the floor. No standing, no balancing inversion. Some really wonderful poses to start with in a restorative practice include Resting Pigeon, Deer, Child’s Pose, Happy Baby, Reclined Hero, Legs on the Wall, and Corpse.
Gentle yoga is also available to those who wish for a bit of movement. Need some inspiration? Yoga for a Hectic Day is a wonderful way to release the entire body, and Gentle Heart-Opening Yoga includes fluid movement patterns to soothe the nervous system and reduce cortisol levels.
2. Epsom salt baths
Science largely debates whether Epsom salts are truly effective at repairing muscles, but few can deny that they feel wonderful. In my personal experience, the mind and muscles relax and I usually wake up the next morning less groggy and less stiff. If nothing else, I feel that I’ve done something beneficial for myself, which likewise strengthens my self-image, translating into better performance via greater reverence for my body.
3. Oils and aromatherapy are worth a try
During my restorative yoga sessions, I applied lavender oil to the insides of my wrists and around my chest and throat. The first day, I fell asleep during Savasana. Lavender has a gentling effect and is shown in some studies to improve sleep and decrease spastic activity in the muscles. * As sleep is a critical element of repair and growth, anything to increase its quantity and quality is a plus. I am not a doctor or licensed professional, so my experience is purely anecdotal, but so long as you’re not allergic or at risk of adverse effects and a doctor clears you to do so, I’d give lavender oil a try to deepen a restorative yoga practice or level-up a day-to-day destressing routine. Bonus points for adding a bit to an Epsom bath.
4. Foam roll extra
No athlete enjoys foam rolling, but my runs following hard workouts feel loads less gunky if I take a few minutes that afternoon or evening to loosen up any adhesion in my legs. During a down week, though, I try to foam roll daily rather than just after speedwork or a long run. 5-10 minutes is ample, and goes a long way in flushing toxins and speeding recovery.
What do you do to recover during training?
