Fatigue And Recovery

I guess I can't complain.

When I started on my present training cycle, I knew there was a decent chance of me getting injured. The mileage was unprecedented and the long runs even more so. I heard the words "you are mental" on several occasions, including from guys who have run very long races themselves and I always knew I was pushing my boundaries.

Well, I never got injured. Just tired.

Magic happens only when you go outside your comfort zone, and that was very much what I was trying to do.

The last few runs the legs have felt reasonably okay (apart from Monday morning), but goodness gracious me, the pace had slowed down to such an extent that a snail on Prozac might be tempted to charge past me.

A few things since Portumna have been a bit confusing; I have mentioned my weight already in a previous post, which has now almost returned to pre-Portumna level (maybe still half a pound heavier). The HR data is even stranger, initially my HR bounced back quickly, just like after all the other long races I have done recently, only to all of a sudden slump again. I'm not sure why that would be the case. Overtraining could obviously be a factor, but I can't rule out my hayfever either, which right now is very bad but hopefully the worst of that will soon be behind me, partially because it always recedes around that time of year, partially because the weather is about to worsen again. One thing of note is that the values were improving as long as I did only 5 miles each day but dropped as soon as I ran a bit longer, though correlation does not imply causation and I'm not convinced that running 8 or 10 easy miles would cause such a slump.

Anyway, this morning (Thursday) all seems to have changed and running felt so much easier, it's hardly believable that we are talking about the same runner here. The legs felt fine, the effort was easier, the pace faster, you name it. Maybe it's because it was raining - it certainly helps the hayfever.

I'm running the Waterford marathon on Saturday, which will be my last long run before Belfast. As I'm not pacing, there is no pressure whatsoever. I have no idea how it will go, until yesterday I thought even 3:30 might be ambitious, today this is looking a lot better already.

23 Jun

am:10 miles, 1:20:29, 8:03 pace, HR 135

pm: 5 miles, 38:41, 7:44 pace, HR 141

24 Jun

10.8 miles, 1:38:12, 9:06 pace; trail run up to Windy Gap

25 Jun

8 miles, 1:04:38, 8:05 pace, HR 134

26 Jun

8 miles, 1:01:44, 7:43 pace, HR 138