Good morning!
Check out some of the new Smiley faces that Eric hooked me up with…
:alien: :angel: :blush: :cwy: :biggrin: :kissing: :sleeping: :w00t: :wub:
Good times.
For breakfast, I craved one thing and one thing only.
In the Green Monster: 1 frozen banana, 3 cup spinach, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass Wheatgrass powder, ice.
Engines are revved.
Losing Endurance and How To Get It Back
Last night, I headed out for a run. Since I had my groin pull back in April, I have not been on a long run since the end of March and I have only been on 2-3 runs during all of April. This does not bode well for half marathon training- My race is on May 30th!
However, I knew that I wasn’t going to run as long as I felt pain in my groin area. It just isn’t worth it to risk injury (groins are notorious for taking a long time to heal).
Now that my groin is finally feeling better, I need to get right back in the game for my half training. My last long run was at the end of March in Florida when I ran 12 miles. That was 5 weeks ago. :blush:
Yesterday, I headed out and decided to see where my body took me. Maybe it would be a long run or a short run, I really wasn’t sure. I went out and the first mile, while tough, felt good. I settled into my normal 8:30 min/mile pace and was enjoying being able to run pain free. I finished my first mile, including a large hill, in 8:34 min/mile. I felt good!
However, the next couple miles were a complete struggle. My pace started to drop and I knew immediately that I had lost endurance since being off running for those few weeks.
The symptoms of lost endurance:
- More difficulty breathing
- Cannot maintain normal pace
- Cannot go long distances
- Did not feel as automatic or as relaxing
- Doesn’t feel as fun as usual
My first thought was, OK now I believe the readers who said that swimming doesn’t really help with running endurance! :lol: The thing that gets me is that I feel like I am in amazing shape, but all that work I have done on the bike and in the pool doesn’t seem to translate into running endurance!
The splits:
Mile 1: 8:34 mile/min (ascent- 164 ft)
Mile 2: 9:10 mile/min (ascent- 95 ft)
Mile 3: 9:20 mile/min (ascent- 61 ft)
Mile 3-3.55: 5:06 mile/min (ascent- 57 ft)
As you can see each mile got slower, even though the ascent decreased.
My overall time was 32:11 mins. with an average pace of 9:11 min/mile, which is not a bad pace by any means, however what matters to me is how I felt while running it. It was a complete struggle and prior to April, I could have done that run in my sleep.
I am 19 days away from my half marathon on May 30th and I am going to try to re-build some of my lost endurance without over-doing it. I previously set a goal for myself to beat my last half marathon time (1:56:33), but in all honesty this race may not be the race to do that! And I am ok with that. Not every race that we sign up for will turn out like we hope. Things get in the way of training and there isn’t much we can do about it sometimes. I have also been juggling my try-a-tri training (the race is June 6th) and in all honesty, training for two different events at the same time is not easy.
My goal for this week is to get in another shorter run and then attempt a long run this weekend. I am hoping with some consistency over the next couple weeks, I can get back some of that lost endurance. I may end up running the half with no goal time at all, it really just depends how the next two weeks go!
Today’s question- Have you ever taken time off training (for an injury, travel, or to focus on another sport) and lost endurance? How did you get it back?
I injured my ankle a couple months ago, so I started to focus more on yoga and riding my stationary bike. I got back into running a little too early and now Im having ankle problems AGAIN. But before that, it really helped to run without my ipod. Thats probably the opposite of just about everyone, but it helped me focus on how I felt instead of the music.
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now without commenting, and though I should stop lurking. I really appreciated this post on endurance, as that is exactly where I am in my training goals. (Though I’ve never run more than a 5k!) I’m curious–and you’ve probably posted about this before–what’s your amazing huge GPS sports watch? I’m an info junkie, and would love to get one. Would you recommend yours?
It is a Garmin 305 and I LOVE it!
PS- you can get them at costco!
Honestly the only way I’ve ever been able to build back up my endurance is to treat it like I’m a newbie again. Not to push to hard too quickly. It will come back faster than you think but give it time.
Hi Angela:
I took 3 months off to give my ankle a rest after I did something to it (still don’t know what!) during a 5k in October. Until that point I had been on track to do my first 1/2 but, like you, am finally learning that it’s not worth it to push it so I dropped out of that race! Fast forward to the middle of March – back on the t-mill for 3-4 mile easy runs, STILL no long runs, and the 1/2 I signed up for in December one month away! I ended up squeezing in 1×11 and 2×9 mile runs in the weeks leading up to the race and finished in just under 2 hours. However the race was not what I expected. It had hills (had done no hill training at all), it rained and was cold the entire time and my whole warm up/mental prep (strides, motivating iPod music) never happened. I just had to jump from umbrella to corral and start running. So I thank you for the reminder that races don’t always go according to plan. :)
I think what enabled me to maintain my endurance during my off time was getting to the gym 5 days a week and either cycling, working out on the elliptical, some strength, taking a kick boxing class, and some spinning classes. It didn’t make getting back into running any less harder mentally, but it helped to know that even though I wasn’t at my fastest, I could still compete and finish (though in the days leading up to it I was struggling to even believe that!). One thing I have been doing (that unfortunately finishes in 2 weeks b/c my insurance won’t pay anymore!) is physical therapy for my ankle at a local clinic. Initially I resented doing this, but decided to be proactive about it and maybe learn some strengthening exercises and ways to be preventative of injury. It has been very helpful!
You might surprise yourself on your 1/2 with your time. :)
I definitely know where your’e at right now. I first took time off of running a little over a year ago in the middle of marathon training. I was doing 40-45 mpw, and was up to 18 mile long runs. I could whip out 8-10 mile runs during any normal day during the week. I originally took time off thinking that it would be a temporary thing. I could cross train and maintain most of my fitness. Fast forward a year, and I’m just now starting to get back into running. 3 and 4 miles runs are HARD. I went on a 5.5 mile run the other day, and it completely felt like a 20 miler. I even take multiple walk breaks now which is something I never did before! I know it’s possible to build the fitness back up, but it’s going to be a long journey. And as excited as I am, I’m also really discouraged that it’ll never happen! But gotta keep chuggin :-)
yea HIIT training is all i can think of.. oh and hiking.. those two are what helped me. in terms of supplements id like to recommend coenzyme q10… i did a ltitle trial with it and totally saw an improvement in my running distance and pace. but yea, hopefully u’ll find what works for you. i think thats awesome that u noticed a pattern in ur speed by tracking it. thats awesome1
Wow, what a perfect post for me to read. I literally JUST got back from my first run in about 2 months since my stress fracture! I only did 15 minutes at a very slow pace, but I’m sure if I had pushed myself it would have been tough. We can get our endurance back together! I’m impressed you’re doing a race so soon!
Hi Angie,
Do not worry about your timing. Like one of them said, it’s all ‘Muscle Memory’. It will come back to you soon. In the meantime, just train for what you can…but be consistent. It’s amazing how consistency can make one better at whatever we undertake!
If you have to train doing a walk/ jog- run, pls do. Our body knows best. With time our performance will only get stronger. And don’t worry about time etc, stress can only worsen things.
At the same time ‘honor your body’…the human body is the most complex, intricate machine…and it does an excellent job of letting us know how its doing…we just have to listen to our bodies.
Good luck on your races. You a person with amazing strength and integrity. You will do well in all your endeavors. Good Luck!
(I’ve been following your blog for a while now, but haven’t commented much). :)
Here’s what worked for me:
Walk during warm up (at least 5 minutes)
Mile 1: Decrease normal pace (for you maybe try running 9:00 to 9:30 mms)
after 5 minutes take a walking break (30 seconds – 2 minutes) -whatever is needed
Mile 2: Repeat, even if its easy
Mile 3: Increase pace slightly if you feel good and try a shorter walking break
Mile 4: Hold pace or increase slightly if you still feel good
Cool down: Walk at least 5 minutes
YOGA TIME!
The recipe for running longer is starting out slower, possibly much slower. Making peace with that is probably the hardest part. You seem to have a great attitude and sometimes that’s half the battle. After a few slow runs you’ll probably regain your endurance pretty quickly. Good luck!
I was sick for the majority of the time I was training for my first half. It was miserable, but the race still went well. I think racing is mainly a mental game, and I was just in a really good frame of mind so it all worked out.
As a long distance runner myself, I agree that you should slow down the pace. Even if you are hoping for a sub-2 hour half, you don’t need to be training at an 8:30 pace! Drop it to 9:30-10:00 and I think it will be easier on your body, allow you to run further, and help your endurance by increasing time on your legs. If you want to work on your speed a little, do some interval sprints at a faster pace (if you feel up to it). Increasing your distance and time spent running will do more for your endurance than running fast for short runs (in my opinion). Good luck!
Good tip!
I actually noticed a big change just in the 10 days that I was away for my honeymoon this past January. When I came back and tried to get back “into the swing of things”, it took me another good week to actually start to feel like I was before I had left. I’ve really just started running at longer distances over the past 6 months or so, so I’m still working up my own endurance. Just increasing a little bit intermittently helps a lot!
P.S. – I LOVE the smiley faces! I gotta see if I can find some of those for my site! :)
Oh, Angie I feel for you. Why does it seem running endurance falters even after a short time off when we put so much time and effort in building it up? I am just getting over a head/chest cold which took me out of my marathon training for a week….My race is May 30th too! Of course I felt the affects of missing those days but my biggest obstacle is my mental attitude. Trying to stay positive, not letting the feeling of defeat or fear set in all the while trying to be smart about proceeding with the few weeks of training I have left. With an injury or illness we need to be so careful not to go out too fast (either in speed or distance) that we end up right back injured or sick. Stay positive, girl!
LOVE green monsters! I’ve never put PB/AB in it though…maybe tomorrow! I have had tons of injuries…after training at a high level for so long you just get used to the pain but this past summer I had to sit out the entire summer due to a leg injury and then had to jump right into 3-a-days….I made sure I was eating as well as I could so that I could provide the right energy at the right time, and then the best recovery foods during my recovery time. It was very specific and time consuming but totally worth it :-)
Your question makes me laugh because sometimes I won’t run for a week or week and a half and then I feel like I have no endurance at all. Then I kick myself for taking a break!
because you dont drink alcohol and shit foods
I totally know what you mean, this morning was my first run (3 miles) since my 10 mile race which was 10 days ago, and it felt like the hardest run ever. I wanted to take a few days off running after the race because I was having some tightness/pain and it turned into 10 days. I’ll never take that much time off again! I am hoping it comes back quickly!!
I did loose endurance when I took off some time running, but I think you will find that it does come back quickly. Within a few weeks, I felt like it hadn’t even left. Just give it a little time and you will be back to where you were.
I have to agree that I think swimming is actually great for when you need time off from running! I had a foot problem about 6 weeks before training camp last year, so I switched entirely to biking and swimming and was just amazed at how well I was able to take those gains into running, once my body was ready for impact again!
Having said that, it’s been almost 9 months since I’ve been able to exercise at all (only recently re-introduced running) and I really believe that the longer you are at it (in terms of your overall commitment to active living) the easier it is to rebuild your work capacity. I don’t really have any desire to run anymore – 15 years of non-stop pavement has not been ideal for my joints – but I have total faith that my fitness and strength will come back as well as ever as long as I follow my body’s feedback. Use that pain as a guide, and I know you will do great. It can be discouraging, but just try to remember that it’s not always about what you can “get back” but how you can move forward. I wish you, above all, good health!
Oops – I meant that I re-introduced walking!
I’ve been slacking on running the past few weeks due to a bad race, erratic weather, a short vacation, and (like you) triathlon training. I’ve got a 10K on the 29th so hopefully it won’t be too hard.
First of all, I’m just now catching up on my blog reading and so I have to say — I love your new site layout!! The header is gorgeous and it’s apparent how much hard work you’ve put into it! So glad the site is finally up and running! :)
Secondly, I can definitely commiserate when it comes to losing endurance. It’s amazing how fast it goes away. I’ve been plagued by countless injuries throughout my running career and after each one, it’s so frustrating to have to work my way back up to my previous level of fitness. But honestly, the hardest thing is those first couple of runs back. Once you get over the hurdle of getting back out there, I find that things start to come back fairly quickly. My only little tidbit of advice is to not do too much, to quickly. Sometimes I can over-do it, because I either a) get excited about starting to feel better and so think I can make it a whole 10 miles instead of sticking with 5; or b.) just get impatient “waiting” for my body to catch up to what my mind thinks it should be able to do. Obviously this is counter-productive and can only lead to more injuries in the end!
Good luck with your training as you build up to your Half!!