Yeah, I know the title of this post is a bit insane. Can one really walk/jog their way back into the best shape of their life?
Ok, to be honest, I'm not quite there yet. But my body has really been surprising me, both positively and negatively lately.
First the negative. Since when does it take so dang long to heal a small strain? I know I'm getting older, but 2.5 weeks! Really??? If I tweak my calf by turning too sharply on a run (and FYI I'm only running 20 miles/week) it should NOT take half a month for the pain to go away! I miss those days when I was 19-20 years old and would twist my ankle stepping off a curb, and have sharp shooting pains and numbness all the way up my leg, thinking OMG I just broke my ankle... and then 30sec later, not only be able to walk it off, but finish the run and have no after effects the next day.
Ok, done complaining. Now the positives. Where did this 19:59 with no training stuff come from? (the sub 20 holds significance that I'll get to in a bit) I was literally "walk/jogging it" back in January. Before that I hadn't run a step since Oct. 31 when I got my knee surgery, and before that my running was spotty because of my Plica pain. The only thing I could do to keep any fitness for the past 5 months was Pilates. I did POP Pilates for hours a day, working on developing washboard abs and buns of steel. 'Cause you know, if I could never run again after my surgery, I might as well still look like I can. My cardio was pretty non-existent. I did a little pool running here and there, but biking and elliptical were completely out of the question before the surgery (see older posts).
Yet, somehow, on March 8th, after working up to 15-25 mpw during Feburary and then 25-30 mpw during March, and still taking some cross-training days in there, and on a max long run of 8 miles, I was able to run the 4th fastest 5K time of my life. Really??? Maybe I've been setting my expectations too low. Now if I remember correctly. I had spent years try to break 20min in the 5K. In college I was on a club cross country team and trained specifically for the 5K. We did both on road and off road 5K's, but I could never crack the 20min barrier. It really hasn't been since 2010 that I got my first legit 5K time under 20min. (I had run one 5K race with a recorded time under 20min before that, but the race director told me after the race that he had measured the course short). I had been training for half marathons that summer and had run a half-marathon PR shortly before my first 19:56. Last year, I ran my fastest 5K time of 19:32 when I was in 3:08 marathon shape. This came from no 5K speed training, but solely marathon training and high high mileage.
So how am I able to run a 19:59 on 20-25mpw, with a long run of 8mi, ZERO speed work, and at the spur of the moment? (Did I mention I came into the race with no expectations other than to run it as an easy progression run?) I thought to myself a mile into the race (of which I hit at 6:20) either this is going to be the best comeback story ever or the biggest epic crash and burn of all time. I pictured my pace crumbling to a walk as all of my athletes sprinted by me. They would say, "Come on coach, run with us! You can do it!" And I would not make eye contact with them, but rather stare at my feet as they shuffled pathetically toward the finish line. Imagining myself dying a miserable death during a 5K footrace is probably not the best form of mental imagery during a race, but believe me, I saw it all.
Yet, that's not what happened. Instead, my hips stayed strong (thank you Pilates!), my feet effortlessly tapped the ground and lifted right back off, and I felt like I was soaring over other runners as I passed them. Where did all this energy come from? To be honest, I hadn't had much energy for running lately. I could blame my new gluten free diet as the culprit, but I really don't think that was the issue. I still get plenty of carbs and protein from other sources. It wasn't until I at a hamburger and had one of the best runs of my life the next day that I learned I was becoming anemic. So I began adding red meat to my diet on a more regular basis and realized I had a lot more energy. But red meat alone can't be the only reason why I went from a sub 21min 5K runner when I'm out of shape to a sub 20min 5K runner.
I've had a week to reflect on last Thursday's race, and I think what happened, is something that I've been preaching to my athletes for years. When you get to a certain high level in your training and then take a break, you don't lose everything and you don't go back to square one when you start up again. My body had adjusted and adapted from that last training cycle. Physiological and chemical changes took place while I was training for my last marathon, and those changes had built off previous marathon training. I kept strength in my muscles through Pilates, and even though I had not done a lot of lactic threshold workouts or high mileage running, my body retained its muscle memory. It did not forget that it can run fast.
Now, there is no way I could have maintained that pace for a 10K or even another mile. Training plays a HUGE role in performance. But, I think I need to realize that I've been putting in the hard work for years now. I've been training at a higher mileage for years, I've been doing harder workouts for years, and I'm not longer that 20:30 5K girl I was in college. By switching from shorter distance, to longer distance over the past 5 years, my body has developed and adapted and is now stronger and more conditioned to this intenser way of training. I'm excited to see what 2012 brings. I feel that I was training smarter at the end of 2011 before my Plica blew up, and the rest and intense core work that I'm bringing into 2012 is just what I needed. I'm listening to my body. How so? Well, so far in 2012, I've had every old injury creep up. Pes anserinus, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, psoas tightness, hamstring pain, calf strain... the list goes on. But most of these ailments disappeared in a day or two after I stretch and strengthen the areas as I have been taught to over the years (rather than running to a massage specialist for help). I feel that running maintenance is a never ending chore, but if I want to stay healthy, I need to keep up with my eccentric exercises, lunges, Pilates, and stretching routines.
Can one PR after coming off of a walk/jog program? Most likely not, unless your PR wasn't obtained during your highest peak of fitness, but sometimes your body can surprise you. I know I just need to remember to listen to it every day and be kind to it so it will return the favor this fall!
