Daily Archives: January 23, 2022

popcorn and beer

The thing about strength for running is that if you do it right, nothing happens.  If you do it wrong or not enough, you’re injured.  I was feeling somewhat smug about my strength and stretching routine going into the marathon, since I’d managed to work up to 50 miles per week relatively quickly without any injuries.  However, my hip problems during the last six miles suggest I didn’t do enough.  I think all the running on snow and ice the couple weeks before the marathon bothered my hip, but it’s hard to say how much of a factor that was.

My strength routine, which I spent up to an hour a week on, was:

  • 3 x 20 squats w/ 30 pounds or 3 x 6 squats w/ 60 pounds
    • To prevent knee injuries
  • 3 x 20 calf extensions
    • To strength calves and prevent Achilles injuries
  • 10 Pushups (trying to build up)
    • For core strength and stability at the end of long runs / hard runs.  Plus pushups are awesome.
  • 2 x 20 Leg lefts on each side
    • You know, the 80s / 90s aerobics thing where you lay on your side and lift your leg?  Magic for preventing/fixing IT band injury.
  • 2 x 10 single leg deadlifts on each side
    • For hips

I only added in the single leg deadlifts in the last six weeks or so, but that should have been plenty.  I could feel the weakness in my left hip as I was doing them.  Anyway, a little research is required.  Maybe more of the same.  Maybe something different.  We’ll see.  What I was doing was good for 20 mile training runs, but not enough for a 26 miler at race pace.

In the meantime, just for fun, I got a free trial for the Peloton app.  It’s $13 a month for access to all their workouts that aren’t attached to the apparatus, like the Peloton bike or the Tread treadmill.  You have to pay $50 / month for the apparatus workouts plus the $2000 or so for the equipment itself.  I’m all about investing in your health and fitness, but I despite treadmills and I’m not ready to try the bike just yet.  Maybe some day.  But $13 a month for all their fitness classes seems like a pretty good deal.

After a moderate amount of grumpiness, I figured out how to share my screen to my TV so I could watch the class on our new 50″ TV.   I tried a 10 minute stretching class and a 20 minute arm strength class. It feels very 1980s doing workout videos in front of the TV, but I kind of like it.

I should really start running again if I don’t want to lose all the fitness I worked so hard for.  But I’m feeling lazy.  Currently on the couch eating popcorn and drinking beer.  Which frankly feels pretty good right now.