Monday, 6 February 2017
Monday - Just nice to see everyone... 3.5km
Woke up not knowing whether I should run or not. As a runner, I choose the former. And I was slow! At least the chest discomfort I had all yesterday had gone. Shuffled past Mr. and Mrs. Highnam early on, then saw Ben (saying 'looking strong' to me, I know he must have been lying). Then it was Clive (who I could really see as the sun was pointing straight into my eyes). Ran back past Pine St and I was really hesitant as to whether to continue on or stop. Thankfully I bumped into Erika (yes, she did win the Sun Run after all) who convinced me to stop before I do anymore damage. I'm so thankful for that, as I wasn't being rationale before that. On my walk home, I bumped into Dennis (a Manly local who I see most mornings) and he asked me why I wasn't running. I told him my story and he urged me to see someone immediately (he had similar issues years ago, and ended up finding a blood clot in his leg which had slowly caused an accumulation of fluid in his lungs). So he sounded very concerned. He even gave me a business card of the place he most recently went to (what a legend). Then bumped into Tim (a lifeguard I used to work with) so had a chat with him on my back home. So a very social morning, although not much running. 3.5km in 5:16's.
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Lewis I have thought you have been over training for a long time and particularly doing too many high intensity workouts and not enough easy stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis is well worth reading in my view along with the follow up articles. A lot of what they talk about fit your symptoms.
http://www.irunfar.com/2013/09/overtraining-syndrome-part-one.html
If you look at the way Hoey and Tom train you can see they are completely different with Tom favouring much more intensity than Hoey. Not everyone (hardly anyone) can train like Tom and maybe you should seriously reconsider your training plans to incorporate more easy sessions and lower mileage weeks every 4th week or so.
Good luck mate
Charlie
Thanks so much for the comment Charlie, I really appreciate your input. In retrospect, I totally agree with what you have said. I really just have to rest now for however long it takes for my body to recover and start to feel normal again. I went to the sports doctor yesterday, and he said the same (pending one last test to rule out vitamin B12 deficiency). What you have suggested is the plan moving forward once I am recovered - reduce the mileage, probably try to maintain some of the high intensity sessions (I definitely feel I am more similar to Tom than Hoey in that regard), and of course periodise my training more with a downweek every 4 weeks. Thanks so much for taking the time to offer some advise, I really appreciate it! Overtraining is something that is obvious to see in everyone else except yourself. Hopefully I'll see you back out there sooner rather than later!
ReplyDeleteHi Lewis
ReplyDeleteDid you ever read Scott Westcott's blog about his Rio prep? This entry reminds me of you via reading your blog
http://www.runnsw.com.au/2016/05/95-days-rio/
I always found your training fascinating given it contrasts so greatly with Hoey's. And I wondered whether you could keep it up. Please don't stop posting because I think all runners go through ups and downs and it's good to hear what other (much better) runners are going through.
Anyway I hope you recover and find your love for running again.
Cheers
James
Hi Lewis,
ReplyDeleteWe've not met, but I've followed your training for a few months now. I'm sorry you're going through this tough time. I was talking to a friend, a very serious competitive cyclist, who has postponed his PhD as his cycling is becoming his main passion, and it reminded me of your circumstances -- doing a doctorate and running seriously. I finished my doctorate in 2015, but can't imagine performing at my peak in both the academic and sporting worlds. It may well be different for you though, since your work is in sports itself (mine is in the humanities). At any rate, I really enjoy reading your blog and, like the last commenter, I would love to see you keep blogging, even if you're not running -- but, of course, you must do what you have to do to recover at the moment. Best wishes to you! Chris
Hi again Lewis,
DeleteI also was wondering how you calculate the watts of your runs?
Cheers,
Chris
Hello Chris,
DeleteI've got a Stryd power meter. Ordered it from their website ($300 AUD once the conversion and shipping costs are added in). It's a small device like a foot pod that you simply tie into your shoelaces. I was curious, especially seeing how powermeters have revolutionised cycling training over the past decade. I must say that I am extremely impressed with the runner's power meter so far. It's a great metric that appears to be a very valid and reliable measure of effort, and is not confounded by hills, surface, wind, etc. I am also curious to see if it adds any value as a diagnostic tool for some of my patients. By that I mean does it have the ability to detect changes in running technique when fatiguing (such as asymmetries, increased stride length, etc) that I am unable to detect when I assess their running technique over a 50m demonstration. But so far I am very impressed, and couldn't recommend them strongly enough
Thanks for the response Lewis -- I saw these online, and wondered whether you might be using one. The various mathematical calculations I tried myself weren't pulling up any tidy figures at all. C.
DeleteHello James and Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the messages, I really do appreciate the support.
James, thanks for the link, I will have a read now. I also enjoyed reading Scott's blog in the leadup to Rio (although I have heard rumours that it was actually written by Dave Robertson), the guy is an absolutely legend and just defies what we are taught that the human body can achieve.
Chris, that is really interesting to hear RE: your friend the competitive cyclist. Yes, it definitely can be tough juggling academia with sport, but I also like the way that they can complement one another. For example, you can't beat a good solid run after analysing data all day. Conversely, written up manuscripts appears less tedious after doing a solid run. But the key is getting the balance right, so that one doesn't dominate the other. I agree that sometimes I have been guilty of this, and is something I want to address moving forward.
Currently, I am in a period of enforced rest. Went to the sports doctor on Wednesday and we came to the conclusion that I am currently experiencing quite a severe state of overtraining syndrome (pending one last test for vitamin B12 deficiency). As annoying as that diagnosis is, I am more than thankful that it is nothing more serious (such as a heart issue, which got ruled out thanks to an echocardiogram on Monday). So the remedy at this stage is NO running (or planned exercise for that matter) for a couple of weeks (minimum), followed by some more blood tests in a few weeks time to see to ensure that all my markers are back within normal ranges. Oh yeah, and to eat lots of good food! Moving forward, it's a matter of being more mature with my training approach (more and harder is NOT always better) and really listening to my body.
Thanks once again for your support, I really do appreciate it. I'll be back in a few weeks time (hopefully) and will definitely keep blogging! Good luck with any races you two have coming up!
Cheers,
Lewis
Sounds like a great plan. Good luck Lewis and take care. Have you read John Parker's novel Once a Runner (1978)? I recently finished it -- it's great -- and it might make for a nice diversion while you're not training. Take care! Cheers, C.
DeleteNo I haven't, thanks for the recommendation. I'll be sure to check it out!
Delete