Soreness is your friend

Wednesday February 1, 2012  1:20 single speed mountain bike at night 

Really fun ride as usual, despite the fact that my riding partner bailed on me again.  Was still sore from the weekend run, and the bike ride helped, as usual.

 

Thursday February 2, 2012 -- 1:00 trail run, with 3 X 2 minute pickup intervals

Went out first thing in the morning -- I was at the trailhead by 5:30 am (yes, I know I'm not normal).  I did the three intervals and actually felt pretty good during them, but then on the jog home, I tightened up again, and was pretty sore the rest of the day.

Friday February 3, 2012 -- Day Off

I needed it.  Legs recovering nicely.

Saturday February 4, 2012 -- 2:10 trail run

Went to the Lunch Loop, ran up Pet-e-Kes, up Prenup, and Gunnector up to the top of Gunney Loop.  Doubled back on Gunnector to Little Park Road and went up to the Eagles Nest and then down the Eagle's Tail back to the parking lot.  Felt surprisingly good, even with all the climbing and descending.  

I'm always reminded of how strong and "soreness-resistant" my legs get after I get them really sore from a race or a lot of downhill running.  Eccentrics, like plyometric jumps and downhill running, can significantly enhance our muscle and soft-tissue strength.  I've experienced about a 4-6 week grace period after one of these strenuous workouts/races, where I almost can't make myself sore from a hard run, even with a lot of downhill.

Sunday February 5, 2012 -- 1:30 Single speed mountain bike ride

Got up early with lights and rode as the sun came up.  Used to do this a lot when I was training for 24-hour races.  As usual, the hardest thing is just getting out of bed....

Thanks for reading, now go out and run.

John