Time to Up the Running Pace
The clocks have gone back, the nights are getting longer and there is a distinct chill back in the air. Maybe not the ideal time to resume speed work, but it is time to pick up the pace again.
Over the last few weeks the steady runs have become more fluid, the stride has lengthened and the troublesome knee has stopped complaining. I feel I am actually running again. It has been a very gradual, unrushed process and that is the way it will stay.
Faster running will be introduced in a similarly gradual way with patience the byword of the day. I have become a more patient runner as time passes. Impatience has led to too many unnecessary weeks off running resulting from training too soon after niggling issues.
Experience counts for now if you are not prepared to learn from it.
Is upping the pace even a good idea?
Some people may be saying, “Come on now mate, you’re 55 years old with an arthritic left knee, perhaps it’s time to accept your lot. You are running again at a nice steady pace, enjoy what you have.” They may be right of course, but time will tell.
However, once a competitor, always a competitor. That does not mean you can not be a wiser competitor. I always knew that once I started running again I would want to race again, even if that was limited to 5k Park Runs.
It’s now about setting realistic expectations, whereas when you were younger your expectations often had no ceiling.
There is the argument that controlled speed work with the appropriate rest intervals can strengthen muscles. This would indeed be a useful outcome if upping the pace helped build up the muscles supporting the knee. But in all honesty, I just like running at pace and that is the primary motive.
Running fast
There is a joy to any running, whatever the pace. Yet the sensation when everything clicks into place and you glide over the surface is hard to beat. It is freeing and a moment of borderline elation. It doesn’t happen often, but boy when it does!
Of course, pace is subjective. Everybody’s faster pace will be different and it takes graft to achieve. This is the point where we bring this article back to the present.
Last week saw the re-introduction of something akin to speed work, adding some short bursts into a steady run. It felt good and the knee showed no signs of any adverse reaction. So far so good, albeit one session in.
Introducing pace when the temperatures take a turn for the worse is not ideal. Cold muscles can exacerbate arthritis and running too hard can lead to inflammation. Therefore, more attention needs to be placed on warming up compared to what I may have done, say, 30 years ago.
Did I even warm up 30 years ago? We certainly did not do much when playing football in the local leagues. Wellying the ball at our goalkeeper was the standard pre-match warm-up as I recall.
Anyway, I digress. As well as a decent warm-up routine before heading out, a steady mile at least is run before any pace is introduced. Afterwards, it is all about monitoring.
If any reaction anywhere, any pain anywhere, I do not run until it’s all clear. Once again, this was not a rule that was readily observed even three years ago let alone 30.
The sessions breakdown
In days gone by, my preferred speed work sessions were 6×3 minutes at sub-race pace with 2-minute recoveries when preparing for a 10k, and 3×10 minutes with 5-minute recoveries when training for a half marathon. Again, we all have our favorite sessions, but these worked best for me.
A realistic aim for now is to build up to 8×1 minutes with equal time recoveries, and then 6×2 minutes with equal time recoveries. Striking the balance between progress and overtraining when coming back from injury is always a tricky tightrope walk. You need to concentrate hard on what your body is telling you and abide by its needs.
Rest becomes just as important as running. Planning the rest days is as key as planning the training sessions. Just as you did not like to skip a planned run when younger, don’t skimp on your rest days as you get older. If you need any reminders, your body will soon let you know.
A 5k just around the corner?
So, where is all this leading to? Well, initially the aim was to be back at a 5k parkrun by the end of the year. Although that is possible, I am not sure it is entirely sensible.
Although I could run 5k comfortably now, without building up my pace a little I feel my competitive head would place me in danger of injury.
However much we may think we can just go to a race and run and not be bothered about times and placings, this verges on fantasy land if you have raced for a good part of your life. The instinct to chase and compete is strong however hard you try and control it. Call it pride, call it stupidity depending on your outlook, but it is real.
I don’t expect to go to my first race in nearly two years and take up where I left off. Yet, sensibly, I know I need to be not too far away from that to satisfy the competitive instinct that will kick in as more and more people start to pass me. The risk then becomes placing additional stresses on the body and being back at square one with an unnecessary injury.
Just run, man, run and enjoy the event I hear some of you shout. If only I could. I enjoy running when fit and healthy. Otherwise, the frustration of not being able to run freely can be a little overwhelming and saps the pleasure from the experience. We are what we are, and after all these years I know how my running brain operates under a race scenario.
Therefore, if a little additional time is required, so be it. Patience is a word I use a lot when talking about running. Impatience has gotten me into a lot of niggling injury bother over the years. I have ended up losing more time out through injury than the time I should have taken off to prevent the injuries in the first place. A lesson harshly learned, but one finally received.
