“I’m 39 years old”
We left the last post with me putting in some more miles for Manchester and this week has gone nicely in that sense. Perhaps however those miles have taken their toll? It was my 50th Park Run (I’m not certain how many I’ve actually ran or arrived on time for, but this was my 50th at which I had remembered my barcode and that is worth celebrating).
Recently I’ve enjoyed doing my long run on a Saturday and my workouts on a Wednesday. I used to try and get in a couple of workouts a week - Tuesday, Thursday or Friday and long run Sunday. Wednesday and Saturday feels much more sustainable. My belief is consistent, challenging training gets results and if the less time you can spend out injured, let’s be honest, the more enjoyable it is. I realise there are people who like to ‘Win at all costs’, this is coincidentally a really good book about some of the negative culture of the Nike Brand, over the years and Lance Armstrong and his ‘LieStrong’ I mean ‘LiveStrong’ campaign… tangent.
Where were we. That’s correct, I was running Park Run after an hours warm up wearing a tiara and a sash that said ‘fabulous at fifty’. The plan was to run the Park Run at Threshold - this is the fastest pace at which you think you could sustain an hours running, not all out 5k and not so relaxed that you’re taking in the views and having a good chinwag with your pals. As I ran and tried not to get sucked into racing I received a few birthday wishes. Had they read the 50 part?? To one Marshall I replied “I’m 39 years old”, I think she said “I thought you looked good for it” but that might have just been my brain making up comments to soothe my battered ego.
This is me at 38 (ONLY LAST YEAR!) wearing a Tiara again… that’s my Mum
At 39 years old I’m no longer a spring chicken within the running world but I also haven’t reached the magical half century. What I have learned and what the science suggests, is that as we age it takes us longer to recover. However with age it isn’t just a few grey hairs gained or a few brown ones lost but also wisdom is gained. I recently found an old training diary. In 2017 I was thrashing myself in a bid to improve. Racing hard, training hard and wondering why I had this tight calf or that sore shin. I look back now and think “you hadn’t recovered from the last race or hard workout”. I was chasing progress while running speeds that may well have been the fastest I will ever be. It’s a shame I wasn’t celebrating my success but pushing harder for more.
So here is today’s thought piece. Fatigue is cumalative. Recovery is important, not just to avoid injury but also to adapt to the training that you are doing. Imagine it like this. Your phone has a battery and if you’re one of the people who likes to see how much you might even have a percentage. Well so does the human body.
Let’s start our training at 100% (optimistic I know)
Then we run on Tuesday at the end the battery is on 88%.
Wednesday it’s 94%
Thursday it’s 98% before our next run, then back down to 90%.
Saturday comes around and we get a bit carried away at Park Run (intensity costs a little more battery) so it drops from 94% to 80%.
Sunday we get out for our long run at 82% and finish on 68% (achey legs, a hungry tummy) no worries, we eat well, we get a good nights sleep, we have no life admin or emotional distress (my battery dropped from 99% to 76% when I was wished happy 50th)
On Tuesday we are back up to 88% and we start the process again
High quality art… a battery
This is why it’s important to vary your training and take proper rest from time to time. Volume and Intensity take different tolls on the body so sometimes a change is as good as a rest (not racing park run every single week but sometimes having a chatty one, a moderate one). If life is putting extra stress and stain on you outside of running your battery might not be recharging the same or running lower. It might be that you have just absolutely smashed training week on week and you’re feeling invincible but that fatigue could be hiding under the hood.
I’m not trying to spread fear. All that I am putting forward is that people train sensibly and listen to their bodies. The silver lining is that the human body is amazing. Unlike my iPhone, the battery won’t necessarily get weaker in the next few months and years (I am only 39 :-) )
In fact if you train well as a runner; over months and years you build a bigger battery - a stronger engine. Your bones and body gets better at absorbing the impact, your running becomes more efficient. Things that used to be so hard become easier.
With a bigger battery you can run further and maybe even faster. I appreciate age will catch us all one day but when we see people at Park Run, older than most of us expect, pushing themselves we all feel inspired. It is amazing that park run is free, even if the ‘fabulous at 50 sash’ carries a hidden cost…
