I haven’t written for a few weeks. Here are just some quick updates on my training:
First, I started my 18 week training program last week with a 65 mile week. I decided to go with Pete Pfizinger’s 70 to 85 mile training program. The program starts at 65 miles and peaks at just short of 90 miles a week.
The first week went fine – though I was a bit tired after doing a 9 mile tempo run followed by a twelve mile run the next day. I was also perhaps a little aggressive on my 17 mile long run over the weekend, paying for it this week… It happened yesterday on what was supposed to be a moderate-paced eight mile run. It wasn’t the eight miles that did it, though, but running those ten 100M strides towards the end. I followed the run with a 12 mile run (was supposed to be 13) this morning during which I experienced some extreme tightness in my hips and throbbing pain in my right hip and groin area that spread into my lower abdominals.
Which leads me to my second point: I’ve come to realize that doing any sort of fast speed work or intense hill running is probably not in the cards for me. I suspect this is because my hip flexor muscles and muscles in the groin are way too tight and I probably have some unhealed muscle strains from this winter and my crazy snowy trail running adventures.
Fortunately, I seem to do fine on tempo runs and aerobic pace runs – which leads me to my third point: namely, that I now realize just how much I hate following canned training plans like the Pfizinger plan that I **was** following. Come to think of it, I was injured last year after starting a Higdon 5K training program… could there be a pattern here?
My new plan is to train similar to what I did last year, only add an extra intermediate long run (12 to 15 miles) mid-week, some longer tempo runs, and maybe the occasional long marathon pace run (all ideas I am taking from Pfizinger).
Here is hoping I feel better tomorrow.
