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25: Evolving while Rebuilding

Writer's picture: charlesjromeocharlesjromeo

Looking north on the Bridger Ridge from the 1st knob near the south end of the range


Last year my focus was learning zone training and assessing how much it improved my fitness and my performances.  The distances I ran in training and my performances in races were satisfying.  So, is this year more of the same?


Yes and no.  I will be zone training again, but I plan to add more variety into my training.  In part, as self-coach, I’m looking to add activities that increment my fitness a notch.  I have been weightlifting for about 6-weeks now, doing 2 to 3 30–35-minute sessions each week.  It’s not my favorite activity, but I expect adding lean muscle will have benefits in giving me more energy to draw from in my runs.  The core strengthening effects also seem clear.  Most of the exercises I do involve either free weights or machines that require me to engage my core, giving it an element of functional strength training.  I also do regular PT workouts that are focused on the core.


Beyond weightlifting I am also planning to climb more mountains, backpack and mountain bike more.  The purpose of all this conditioning is in part to be able to get out and play.  My first plan is to backpack across Zion National Park in late April then bike at Gooseberry Mesa.  Racing starts in mid-May, but I plan to continue to intermix my training with with play throughout the summer.


This week is my third week of running.  Things are going well.  My aerobic conditioning is well ahead of my start last year.  I am able to run 5-7 miles in Zones 1 and 2 without walking.  Last year, I was more than 100 miles into my training before that was possible, and then only on good days.  So, from this measure, I am off to a good start. 


As part of my evolution in training, I had hoped to start adding in speed work almost immediately.  This is not happening.  I am starting to get tired after only 4-5 miles.  Running in Zones 1 and 2 is proving enough for now.  The first hump, it seems, is getting my body readapted to running 5-6 days a week.  My current thinking/hope is that after about 100 miles I will start feeling strong enough to begin adding in speed work.

 

Snow has finally arrived this week.  It’s not really enough for skiing as there are still rocks sticking up everywhere, but both roads and trails are snow packed and icy.  Spikes are now part of my ensemble on both road and trail.


As I rebuild my body for the coming season one thing that has quickly improved are the stats my Garmin reports.  My resting heartrate is down about 3 points in the morning.  My stress levels are dropping further at night, which allows my body battery to recharge more while I sleep.  My body battery is still only around 50 when I wake up, but that’s better than the 30 it was topping out at during my break from training.  I’ve also quickly shed a few of the pounds I had gained.  Training, though challenging, does have some elements of a magic elixir.  It consumes a lot of my energy, but it gives me more.


Overall, I feel that I’m off to a good start.  I’m focused first on building consistency into my training, and I’m doing 2 workouts a day 3 days a week, and 1 workout on 3 other days.  I’m still hoping for some good snow storms to throw a wrench into my training plans for a month or two, but I’ll just keep rebuilding until that happens.

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Janet Kasparian
Janet Kasparian
Jan 17, 2024

I really enjoyed your encounter with Rune!

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Janet Kasparian
Janet Kasparian
Jan 17, 2024

Keep it up, Chuck!

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