Don't Be a Slave to the Schedule
One of the best things about running with other people is that you are able to avail yourself of the knowledge that they have accumulated through their travels. The title of this week's blog is one such tidbit of advice that I picked up from a training partner, and one I struggle with at times: Don't Be a Slave to the Schedule!
For me, I find having a training schedule and a routine to be key to my success. I take comfort in knowing when I will be running, what type of run I'll be doing, and what distance I'll be covering. I attribute many of the gains I have made over the past two years to my ability to follow a regimented training plan.
So, obviously I find benefits to following a schedule, and I would never deter someone from setting a schedule and following it. The important thing is that you leave yourself some room for flexibility. Some days, it may be fun to just go out and run an unplanned route and distance. Or maybe join a group who you don't normally run with, who may not run the same pace, just to meet some new people and have some different conversations. And sometimes, you'll get the chance to push outside your comfort zone a little, and maybe even improve your running along the way.
That is where I found myself this week. After I wrote my blog last week, I was contacted by a friend of mine to invite me to an interval session Tuesday evening. Now, I had all kinds of reasons to say no. First and foremost, I'm in the off-season, so I'm in no shape to be running intervals. Secondly, my routine has me running at noon most days, which meant that heading out for an 8:00 pm session was a bit of a shake-up. And finally, my friend is faster than me even when I'm completely in shape, so I knew following him around the track when he's been training and I haven't would be a bit of a painful endeavor.
After considering all the reasons why I shouldn't join him and his buddy for the training session, I decided to instead focus on the reasons why I should join them. It was an opportunity to learn from some new running partners who I hadn't run with before. It gave me a chance to jump start my training a little earlier in the season than I intended. And just as importantly, it was a chance to catch up with a friend who I hadn't really seen much of in a while.
Choosing to focus on those positives, I grabbed my gear and headed to the Fieldhouse Tuesday night. It was a great session, but boy did I suffer! We did a brief warm-up, and then followed that with 4x400m and 4x200m intervals, with a jogging rest of equal distance in between intervals. Now, I usually take a complete stop when I rest during my intervals, so the jogging rest was a little tougher for me at first. Additionally, the guys were estimating their 400m intervals. By the end of the session, we realized they were likely closer to 440m, and we averaged out only a little slower than I was doing my 400m intervals at the end of last year. Needless to say, my lungs were gasping for air at the end of each one!
Even with the pain, I left feeling very satisfied. It was an enjoyable hour or so at the track, and I'm hoping to join them again a few more times throughout the winter. All because I choose to ignore my schedule and try something a little different.
So, if you find yourself invited to a run that doesn't quite fit your schedule, maybe even with some runners who will push you a little outside your comfort zone, consider taking the opportunity. And of course, this advice can be applied to lots of other areas of our lives as well; running just happens to be my focus here!
Weekly Summary (January 15-21)
Mon. (Lunch): Strength workout - Chest/Back/Arms
(Evening): 10 minute Yoga - Forearms and Wrists
Tue. (Evening): 2 km warmup, 4x440 (83/94/92/90) w/ 440 jog, 4x200 (36/42/43/32) w/ 200 jog, 1.5 km cooldown (Workout total: 8.62 km, 41:47, 4:50/km pace)
Wed. (Lunch): 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.6 mph, 28:47, 4:47/km pace
(Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hips, Quads, and Hamstrings Deep Stretch
Thu. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hip Opening
Fri. (Lunch): Strength workout - Shoulders/Core
Sat. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Chest and Back Deep Stretch
Sun. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Full Body Stretch
Total: 14.62 km
Very little running for me this week. I was hoping to get out Sunday morning, but I was unable to get childcare so that ended up falling through. Since I got out twice last weekend when the weather was actually nice, and I did a hard workout Tuesday evening, I told myself I didn't have to feel guilty for skipping this weekend. :)
Looking closely at the workout, you can see that we did the first 440m interval in 83 seconds, which equates to a 3:08/km pace. Just what I was looking for after 2.5 months of easy running! Our average ended up just under 90 seconds, or a 3:24/km pace. When I was at my peak last year I was doing 400m intervals at around a 3:30/km pace. No wonder I was hurting at the end of the session! At the same time, it's interesting to see that I could handle that pace when being pushed by others, as I normally do my intervals alone. Definitely something to consider as my training picks up this year.
That's it for this entry. After three weeks, the blog seems to be settling in at around 250 views per post. I'm happy to see that people are checking them out, and feel free to share them with anyone else you think may be interested. Cheers!
For me, I find having a training schedule and a routine to be key to my success. I take comfort in knowing when I will be running, what type of run I'll be doing, and what distance I'll be covering. I attribute many of the gains I have made over the past two years to my ability to follow a regimented training plan.
So, obviously I find benefits to following a schedule, and I would never deter someone from setting a schedule and following it. The important thing is that you leave yourself some room for flexibility. Some days, it may be fun to just go out and run an unplanned route and distance. Or maybe join a group who you don't normally run with, who may not run the same pace, just to meet some new people and have some different conversations. And sometimes, you'll get the chance to push outside your comfort zone a little, and maybe even improve your running along the way.
That is where I found myself this week. After I wrote my blog last week, I was contacted by a friend of mine to invite me to an interval session Tuesday evening. Now, I had all kinds of reasons to say no. First and foremost, I'm in the off-season, so I'm in no shape to be running intervals. Secondly, my routine has me running at noon most days, which meant that heading out for an 8:00 pm session was a bit of a shake-up. And finally, my friend is faster than me even when I'm completely in shape, so I knew following him around the track when he's been training and I haven't would be a bit of a painful endeavor.
After considering all the reasons why I shouldn't join him and his buddy for the training session, I decided to instead focus on the reasons why I should join them. It was an opportunity to learn from some new running partners who I hadn't run with before. It gave me a chance to jump start my training a little earlier in the season than I intended. And just as importantly, it was a chance to catch up with a friend who I hadn't really seen much of in a while.
Choosing to focus on those positives, I grabbed my gear and headed to the Fieldhouse Tuesday night. It was a great session, but boy did I suffer! We did a brief warm-up, and then followed that with 4x400m and 4x200m intervals, with a jogging rest of equal distance in between intervals. Now, I usually take a complete stop when I rest during my intervals, so the jogging rest was a little tougher for me at first. Additionally, the guys were estimating their 400m intervals. By the end of the session, we realized they were likely closer to 440m, and we averaged out only a little slower than I was doing my 400m intervals at the end of last year. Needless to say, my lungs were gasping for air at the end of each one!
Even with the pain, I left feeling very satisfied. It was an enjoyable hour or so at the track, and I'm hoping to join them again a few more times throughout the winter. All because I choose to ignore my schedule and try something a little different.
So, if you find yourself invited to a run that doesn't quite fit your schedule, maybe even with some runners who will push you a little outside your comfort zone, consider taking the opportunity. And of course, this advice can be applied to lots of other areas of our lives as well; running just happens to be my focus here!
Weekly Summary (January 15-21)
Mon. (Lunch): Strength workout - Chest/Back/Arms
(Evening): 10 minute Yoga - Forearms and Wrists
Tue. (Evening): 2 km warmup, 4x440 (83/94/92/90) w/ 440 jog, 4x200 (36/42/43/32) w/ 200 jog, 1.5 km cooldown (Workout total: 8.62 km, 41:47, 4:50/km pace)
Wed. (Lunch): 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.6 mph, 28:47, 4:47/km pace
(Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hips, Quads, and Hamstrings Deep Stretch
Thu. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hip Opening
Fri. (Lunch): Strength workout - Shoulders/Core
Sat. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Chest and Back Deep Stretch
Sun. (Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Full Body Stretch
Total: 14.62 km
Very little running for me this week. I was hoping to get out Sunday morning, but I was unable to get childcare so that ended up falling through. Since I got out twice last weekend when the weather was actually nice, and I did a hard workout Tuesday evening, I told myself I didn't have to feel guilty for skipping this weekend. :)
Looking closely at the workout, you can see that we did the first 440m interval in 83 seconds, which equates to a 3:08/km pace. Just what I was looking for after 2.5 months of easy running! Our average ended up just under 90 seconds, or a 3:24/km pace. When I was at my peak last year I was doing 400m intervals at around a 3:30/km pace. No wonder I was hurting at the end of the session! At the same time, it's interesting to see that I could handle that pace when being pushed by others, as I normally do my intervals alone. Definitely something to consider as my training picks up this year.
That's it for this entry. After three weeks, the blog seems to be settling in at around 250 views per post. I'm happy to see that people are checking them out, and feel free to share them with anyone else you think may be interested. Cheers!
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