Weekly Training Wrap - 10/28 - 11/3

After my workout on Monday, I wrote: "The good news is that this is the first time since June that I can honestly say my knee was a non-factor in a run (a real run longer than a mile or so). I am not sure how to explain that, so I'll just be happy about it for now." While that no pain situation continued through the week, I am still not ready to call this thing complete. It has been eight months since I first experienced ITB-like symptoms and I want to continue to rehab smartly and gain a high-level of trust in the process before I change things up. I will continue with my current plan for another month or so and see how things progress. While I plan to continue to be guarded in my recovery, Saturday's trail run was quite demanding, and the fact that I did it with zero pain was by far the best news I've had since at least May.

A huge part of my plan right now is strength training, and not just walking around the gym doing 3x10 of any available machine. I have have believed for sometime now that endurance runners should train like "athletes", not just runners. The demands we put on our bodies are intense and it will eventually break down. I finally found a book -- Men's Health Power Training by Robert dos Remedios -- that is a quality guide to strength training as an athlete. The programs are presented in a way that covers the entire body and ensures that you are training functionally (as an athlete) and not in isolation (like a body builder would). Many of these exercises are the same exercises that CrossFitters do. However, this is not CrossFit. This program is designed for strength, there is a concerted effort to go slow and recover in between sets. My belief is that runners should get their high intensity training running, not lifting weights. I am not competing against the clock or any other athlete. My goal is to be a stronger version of me; a version of me more prepared to handle the demands of training 50-70 miles a week. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will happily share the details of my plan. Or, buy the book, it is worth the money.

Day	Miles	Notes
Monday	Off	Yoga
Tuesday	5	Mile Repeats (6:59, 6:59, 6:59) Full Body Strength Training
Wednesday	Off	Rest
Thursday	4	10 x 200 meter on 6% grade (average was about :57 secs) Full Body Strength Training
Friday	Off	Yoga
Saturday	7	Trail Run at Deer Creek (1500 ft of vert, technical)
Sunday	Off	Full Body Strength Training
Total	16