What to do after cut back week

MNLittleFinn

Stoshew71 wrote: »

It all really depends. Anywhere from cutting back 25-50% is not at all uncommon. I would cut back on the larger runs first and then make up the difference to the smaller runs or cut a single smaller run by adding in an extra rest day. There really is no science to it. it's more what works in your schedule and what your body needs.

Thanks. I was actually wondering abut just cutting a whole day of running, instead of cutting miles across the board. It's not like I won't be doing anything. i put 2-3 miles a day in walking with my little man and his stroller in the summer. I have a feeling I'll be waiting until I get to the 8-10 mile long runs before I really decide on anything for cut backs. Hopefully when summer rolls around I'll be making that decision. Cutback week next week, then upping to 5-5-7-4!

WhatMeRunning

I typically go with a 25% drop. Last year when training for my first full(s) and I was pushing myself pretty well I took that 25% as more of a guideline and sometimes that down week would be extra rest days dropping my mileage a lot more than 25%. Whatever felt right.

Honestly, I don't think I mentioned this before but checking my resting heart rate when I was first building up mileage was really helpful in determining how I should run each day and helped me decide if I should opt for an extra unscheduled rest day. Once I got a good read on what my rested heart rate was I could see how I was the day after any runs and see what impact each had. The long runs had the biggest impact and sometimes took a couple days before going back down to rested territory. You might check that out in case it helps. I find I make better decisions when I have data to back up how I'm feeling. Some can do better just by feel alone. One advantage to the resting heart rate is you may wake up on a long run day feeling ready to go but find your resting heart rate is quite elevated. That happened to me last year just before a summer cold came on. I ran anyway...wish I hadn't because I had to cut my run short and that cold left me wiped out and off of running entirely for a week.

kristinegift

In February, my cutback was from 58-60 miles down to 52 (13-14% drop).
In March/April, my cutback was from 58-60 miles down to 42 (27-30% drop).
It really depends on what you're cutting back for. The first one was just one less run during the week to let my legs freshen up a bit. The second was to cutback to prep for a race so I'd have fresh and fast legs.

I think for your schedule/mileage, you could cut out one run and that would make for a good cutback week. An extra rest day will get you ready for another bout of mileage building.