Under-trained: Is there a way around it?

supertracylynn
supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I signed up for a half marathon (race day is Jan 19) several months ago. At that point, I was at the peak of my running fitness, having just knocked off 10 minutes from my half marathon time, a total of 20 minutes shaved off within a year's time.

Then I got a job with a rotating schedule...
Under the weight of that and being mom to 3, I took a break from running/cycling for 2 months and did nothing but lift (5/3/1 program, it was awesome!)

I had planned to drop out of the race, but found out I have that weekend off, so decided to do it any way, even if my time sucked. At this point, running isn't fun, it's torture.

Can I get away with getting in my weekly miles with more (short) runs, to make it easier on my body to readjust to endurance running?

(a little background, in the last year, I have run 3 half marathons and 15.5 miles in a Ragnar Relay race; until that 2 month break, the least amount of running miles I did in one month was 50 - and that was because I was recovering from a vein procedure in both legs. The most I did was over 90 miles in 1 month)

Replies

  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Just do a run/walk/run.

    maybe go out for 6 miles and see how you can do that. 1 mile run, 1 min walk. rinse repeat.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    I was running for a couple of years. Then I stopped and started lifting not running at all. One day after about 6 months I decided to run. Ran faster n farther then ever before. I attribute it to the strength training.
    Your going to do fine.
    Go back out today and get warmed up!!
  • supertracylynn
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
    Half marathon June 2012:
    2:28, wanted to die.

    Half marathon Jan 2013:
    2:29, cooked dinner that night, sore, but okay.

    Half marathon June 2013 (incorporating cycling)
    2:18, felt great, went for a 2 mile walk that night.

    Half marathon Oct 2013 (incorporating cycling and strength)
    2:08, felt amazing, even walked an additional 3 miles, and went to a family gathering that night.

    Took a 2 month break...
    Literally, my first week back to running, I did as many miles as the previous month's total.
  • twinmom_112002
    twinmom_112002 Posts: 739 Member
    Hi....I was just in your shoes a week ago. I was doing great in my running and then life interfered but I had a race already paid for. I did a run/walk interval (run 1 min/walk 30) and just enjoyed the experience with my husband (it was his first and his training died when mine did so he was even more unprepared...longest run was 8 miles 6 weeks before the race). We had fun, felt strong all the way through and finished with a 2:26:50.

    The hardest thing was resisting the urge to run the first half of the half. I felt strong and it was killing me to take running breaks but I knew if I gave in that I would hate the back half.
  • bobbijodmb
    bobbijodmb Posts: 463 Member
    I agree with the others about the interval for the half-- you can do it =) good luck!

Categories