Friday, December 2, 2011

What do you do for your first WINTER WORKOUT?

Runners are often in a bit of a dilemma about when to start workouts and what harder workouts to begin with after their fall marathon or half marathon. These first few workouts should be used as springboards into winter training and should be positive experiences to build workout confidence. A couple of questions you have to ask yourself before beginning that first winter workout is, "Do I even feel like doing the hard workout and am I ready mentally and physically?"  That extra pressure to rush back into structured workouts leads to a lot of long faces and questions after the first few workouts.  Runners usually end up with sad faces after those first few strict workouts where they are trying to hit specific times end badly. Don't fall into that timed workout trap.

Would love to hear about some of those first workouts that allow everyone to ease themselves back into training after their marathon or key 1/2 marathon.  It is pretty much a given runners do not need to go to the track for that first workout so let's look at some ideas for workouts for the roads. A progression run is a simple workout based solely on effort, you do not have to be tied to or pressured to running a certain time - just try to run a solid effort to finish off the run with each mile getting faster.  Or what about just running a negative split on your LONG RUN for the week. Another example of a safe first workout idea might be to do 5-6 (3) minute faster pickups within your 6-10 mile run every couple of minutes of the run.  After the confidence is there from these mini-harder workouts it is time to really get down to business, but skipping over these first few EFFORT workouts and confidence builders gets many runners into trouble.

If you keep things simple and take the pressure off of yourself in those first few post big race workouts you will be more happy with those first few weeks of training. Until that time comes for timed workouts listen to your body and just go the workout route that is all effort based until you have the confidence to really get after faster workouts or moving them to the track.
Posted by ThunderDome Running at 7:14 AM
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1 comment:

  1. ZupDecember 13, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    I like doing fartlek runs when returning to training. Hard is a feel and not knowing the exact distance (or time or both) is a great way to not be pressed to go harder. I am always pleasantly surprised when I return to the track or other regimented workouts after a couple of weeks of fartlek runs a couple of times per week. Being competitive I am always pushing these fartlek runs because of the uncertainty. I do play games with it along the way: run hard until the next car, recover to the next car (do this in the country) or run hard up all the hills or run hard to some specific cross straight of unknown distance or make recovery parts longer....whatever I feel like doing that day at that time.
    When on vacation somewhere I always do fartlek runs for a variety of reasons. One never knows where a track is located and it is a great way to run with Deb in a strange location. I go hard for a segment and run back to Deb as a recovery as she continues her workout/run. In a strange location if something happens to you will anyone even know where you are or who you are?

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