Date: 3/10/21
Training Day: 47
Miles: 3.8
Time: 45 min
Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 21
Weather: N/A (indoors on a treadmill)
Strength Training: Legs

How It Felt: Took it easy on the run today, and it felt really good. I added a few extra leg exercises, and it felt fucking fantastic!

Commentary: I’ve started listening to The Science of Ultras podcast. Professional coaches, pro ultra runners and folks with PhDs talk about different aspects of ultras and training. Seemed like an appropriate podcast to listen to.

Because of my hip and knee episode, I’ve been listening to the episodes focusing on injury prevention and biomechanics. And I’m learning some pretty useful shit!

Insight #1 – Stack your leg strength training on high intensity run days. This keeps your recovery days as recovery days. As soon as I heard this I felt like a dunce. It seemed so obvious, but I’m also not known for my common sense. Starting next week leg days are Thursday and Sunday. I do speed work on Thursday, so this makes sense. And although I do my long run on Saturday, which means Sunday should be a recovery day, I take Monday off, so I feel okay about it.

Insight #2 – Continuing on with recovery… It’s important! There are recovery days when you run easy, and there are recovery days when you should rest. It’s during these times that you’re actually getting stronger, not during the workout. The workouts tear you down, and the recovery/rest days are when your body builds itself back up, hopefully better and stronger. From now on I plan to do better at this.

Insight #3 – Leg day exercises should be heavy weight and low reps. This helps to “harden” your tendons, which helps prevent injury.

Insight #4 – Stretching doesn’t really help with injury prevention, but foam rolling does. I always thought my 5-10 minutes of stretching after a run was helping. But after foam rolling fixed my knee pain yesterday, I’m a believer. From now my stretching will happen during yoga, and post-run I shall foam roll.

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