No more pain...
Through most of this spring and summer, I've been running sporadically at best - maybe a run every couple of weeks. And every time I ran, I'd be sore for days after.
With my decision to do a couple triathlons, I increased my running frequency and - guess what! - no more pain.
I should have known better.
If you're coming off one sport and getting ready to get on your rollerskis, or start weight training, or begin ski walking, plan on being sore the first few times you go out. But don't let it get you down - the soreness will go away with frequency of exercise.
Weight training always kills me when I start out after a long delay. No matter how easy the first session, I'm sore for days. But after three or four sessions, the soreness lessens. After a month, I never get sore. Instead, my muscles get pleasantly tired.
And how about you? Kids, work and family been keeping you busy? No exercise whatsoever? Still planning on skiing this winter? Get out for some short workouts - a half and hour here, a half an hour there. You'll be sore, but the more frequently you get, the sooner the soreness disappears. A single big session once a week is going go be much more painful.
The key? Frequency. Your body gets used to something if you do it two of three times a week. It adapts and expects the stress. If you wait too long between similar exercise, your body loses any adaptation, and you have to start all over again.
3 comments:
Mike -
Great post. I went through the same thing back in May when I started running again, too: every run was followed by several days of ache. Now, nothing but some nice tiredness.
Your last paragraph raises a question that I've been meaning to ask other nordic skiers for a long time: how many hours should a "regular guy" (full-time job, kids, other responsibilities) be training if he wants to complete a 30 or 50k race this winter? I'm getting about five or six hours a week in now, but I fear that without a big, race-length workout each week, a marathon will be beyond me. Thoughts?
Great question! I've been averaging 6-9 hours per week since summer hit and will do a ski marathon this winter. My friend Ryan goes in spurts of huge hours followed by none when he needs to catch up on projects around the house. (His wife has been running marathons lately, so they take turns training and go running together. He's been known to do a quick workout while his kids are doing some organized activity).
I think the key is to focus on quality sessions every week - they will increase your fitness. Then plan a longer session once a month. That session can be planned well in advance so every in the family knows it's your time...
I agree with Mike. Our EMAG group skis, rides, and rollerskis early in the morning for an hour to an hour and a half at most. We go very hard twice a week and at least some members try to get out for a 2 hour less intense session once every week or every other week. I find that I can complete a marathon ski race easily with this program. I can race hard for about 40k on hilly terrain, but if I want to finish strongly at longer distances, I have to find time for some more long distance training at a pace well below anaerobic threshold. It all depends on family needs, and work and community commitments. Some years are good athletic years, and some are less successful but all are always enjoyable. My kids are now 20, 16, and 11 and they are less dependent on Dad in the early mornings so I can now get out for weekend training more readily.
Keep it fun, and monitor for signs of overtraining even when the total training hours are low. If you are crabby, drinking nothing but caffeine, sleeping poorly, and not feeling strong or refreshed after your workouts...back off the intensity. Our real life responsibilities do affect our athletic ability. Good luck with the training. Go ahead and sign up for your event. That will solidify the goal. I'm sure you will complete the event with a smile on your face. Jamie Mannion
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