Friday, June 19, 2009

Too Much Too Soon?

Last night, I ran my first ever 4 miler. There was a light drizzle as I left my place but I was determined to run. As if on cue, the drizzling stopped just as I finished warming up and was about to go. I was so into my run and before I knew it, I was already at the halfway mark. I only needed a 5-second break to stretch my back and I was off again. It was my best run so far. Don't you just love it when the miles just seem to fly? How do you describe how you feel when you are 'in the zone'? For me, it felt like I was floating.

{Feel Light}

Since I have plans for tonight, I had to sneak in my 2.5 mile run this morning. It was better than my previous morning run but I'd still prefer evening. I guess it might be the heat, the sunlight, or that my body is still not warmed up enough that slows me down. I'll reserve my mornings then for days when evening rains are expected or when I have other evening plans. :)

Last week (Week 2), I ran 5 out of 7 days with a total of 14 miles. After I complete a 3 miler (on either Saturday or Sunday), this weeks' total would be 15.5 miles. I read somewhere about gradually increasing run distance around 10% more than the previous week so I think my mileage is just fine. While I don't feel any pains, soreness, or discomfort I am worried that I may be doing too much too soon. As a newbie runner, do you guys think that running 5 days a week is too much or just right? Should I just follow my natural rhythms to run most nights and taking a couple days' rest? Or would it be better if I toned it down a bit (run 4 days, rest 3 days) to avoid future burn out? Thanks in advance! :D Your words of encouragement and tips on previous posts have been very helpful. Thank you and enjoy your weekend! :D

9 comments:

  1. Yay for your first 4 miler!! That's huge!! :)

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  2. Wow I love your post on Healthy Ashley! You rock!!

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  3. Good job, I remember my first 4-miler, I couldn't believe it!

    I think it all depends on your body. I've always only ran 4 days a week because that's what works best for my body! If you feel good running 5 though I think it's fine! When I was training for my half-marathon I upped my mileage by about 1-2 miles a week. Never more than that! If you do too much, too fast you're definitely risking injury!

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  4. Good job! I agree completely with Amber above. I also wanted to add that if your distance is low (and that is relative to each person), then running 5 days a week is not a bad idea. However, for a new runner, I would worry more about burn out.

    How much are you running each day?

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  5. First 4 miler~! AWESOME! congrats!
    It actually really depends on how much you're running, and how your muscles feel after. If you feel a bit sore, you definitely need to rest. Also, maybe you can try interval training. That is mixing up some hard running with slow running, which really kicks up your work out a bit, and prevents burn out.

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  6. Great job on the 4 miler! I'd say test the waters out for now. See how your body reacts to the same sort of routine next week.

    I'm one of those people that notices physical and mental burnout when I run more than 3 or 4 days during the week (not including my long run). That being said, I also know people that run 5-6 days a week and are cool with that.

    Ditto what Amber says about the 1-2 mileage increase per week. No injuries!! :)

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  7. Val: Thanks! I just read about yours at Healthy Ashley! :D

    Amber: Avoiding injury at this early stage of my running is really a priority so like you said, I'd definitely try not to overdo things. Thanks for your insights!

    Linda: I run around 3 miles per day with a 'long' run I plan on upping half a mile per week. But based on your tips, I think that listening to my body is key. Thanks!

    burpandslurp: Thanks for suggesting interval training! Will try that this week and see how it goes.

    Karena: Thanks! Yeah, this week will be about finding what works for me and also trying out interval training. And booo to injuries! :P

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  8. I got into running earlier this year and now I have "runner's knee" (boo!). I am not sure what kind of difference 4 vs. 5 times a week will be. However, I would recommend doing some serious stretching and leg strengthening exercises to prevent future injuries. I wish that I had done that. I posted my stretches here: http://redsoxcap.blogspot.com/search/label/knees
    But I would definitely do some strengthening too, particularly of your quads. Hopefully you can stay injury free!

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  9. Hi Kelly!
    Yeah, I've read about your knee problems and I hope they get better soon.
    Thanks for sharing your stretching routine. The pictures (especially that of the IT Band) are indeed very helpful. I've only been holding my stretches for 20 seconds at most, now I've got to hold it longer! Thanks!

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