Previous Issues:
- Plantar Fasc.
- ITB
- PF syndrome

I'm coming off a very long (>5 year) hiatus. So, I'm still a work in progress, but I haven't had a FORCED injury time-off in 6 months. But, what's (mostly) working:

- Slow long run ramp up (less than 5% / wk...)
- Don't take all the pace: My pace (at fixed HR) ramps up faster than my connective tissue can support. So, I'm holding pace "constant" and letting HR drop week over week. If I increase pace one week, I decrease volume to compensate. This is a new rule, as pace has been ramping up very quickly recently (>10s / mile / week) and is clearly ahead of my connective tissues, now.
- Use the treadmill for half my runs.
- Static stretches post run (hamstrings, quads/psoas, calves, soleus)
- Always cool down on the bike (15-20 minutes of high-cadence at IF < 60% really seems to help with tightness and soreness)
- I don't run more than 3x in a row...typically 2x (Tue, Thu, Fri, Sun)

- I rarely run in a fatigued state---too much risk. This has had more impact on my bike than the run...it forces the discipline to keep the bike in check (still per plan, but it keeps me from overdoing it, as I'm wont to do) to ensure I'm no too whipped to run with good form in 12/24 hours.

- occasional RUN-recovery weeks: I replace all/most of the runs with more biking/swimming. Volume/TSS increases as planned, but I just do it all with the bike (mostly). I don't "plan" these per-se, but if I'm feeling on the edge one week, then I can tell its time. Seems to happen about every 6 weeks or so.

I'm not afraid to scrap a run, if I don't feel "right" (twinge in the ankle, foot, knee, too fatigued to run with good form, whatever). I'll just replace it with a bike of equal TSS.

Thanks again.

Re: conversational pace. I have two problems ("challenges") with using this metric:

1. I have an uber low HR - just under 40 resting, mid 130s running Z2 pace (in cool weather). Therefore, I can very easily deceive myself into thinking that I am going at easy pace, but in reality my work rate is quite high. BTW, ditto on the bike.

2. I run fairly often by myself. Not much conversation going on there!

More pace thoughts. All winter, I was chugging along at 5.15 - 5.30 ish pace with a 172 - 176 cadence... Then in mid Jan, I experimented with higher cadence (184 to 188) which was WONDERFUL for joint impact. However, my pace increased to 4.50 without trying. I made an effort to slow it down but the pace just seemed to gravitate to the 4.50 pace. Based on the feedback here, seems like I should make even more of an effort to slow down...

I was/am having a similar problem. I went from 9:30 / mile to 8:00 in 6 weeks, at the same HR (154...run threshold is 174). So, I'm actively using pace (garmin footpod) to govern my runs as mentioned above, because HR and RPE result in my running "too fast" for my tissues at this stage. Last night I slowed down to 8:35 / mile and HR is down to 147 while singing along with the Radio (:-)...if it felt any slower I'd have to run one-legged.

I used to get injured pretty much anytime I ramped up bike or run training. IT band issues, plantar fasciitis, achilles pain, tight hips, etc. While I still get niggles every now and then I'm much better able to handle increased volume. Things that appear to have worked:

1) Yoga Sculpt 1-2 times a week which I believe has really strengthened a lot of supporting muscles.
2) No more stretching before runs or after runs.
3) Doing most long or super intense runs on the treadmill.
4) Really focusing on increased cadence on the bike.

I have no personal experience with it, but heard it is another way to get the correct alignment of muscles to function how they are intended to?

So basically to fix compensatory patterns, get correct activation (firing, contracting, etc.), and have the body function from a biomechanics standpoint the way it was designed to be used? Have the primary movers of certain movement patterns become the primary movers and not secondary or tertiary movers.

It's similar in goals to what stability work does perhaps in a gym setting with strength training just another avenue to get the same result?

Agreed on this too.

Too often athletes try to go all out all of the time. When really, building you aerobic base with minimal (but focused) anaerobic workouts. That's when it all really started to click for me.

I'm not an expert and sure there are folks that can explain better than I but in general yes, but as I understand it it's not a strength training program. It's more about re establishing the CNS communication between the brain and the muscle you want to work. That connection ,at have broken down and MAT seeks to find those communication breaks and restore them so that muscle can do what it is supposed to. There is a complementary strength training element but it's not traditional types of ST If the muscle is not firing (communicating ) doing stability stuff is still asking the wrong muscles to compensate

How do you convert a 6x800m workout to a hill workout? What are some good hill workouts that are beneficial for a 5K?

I don't. I step back and look at the problem (often injured) then think how can I solve that so often not injured is the new solution then do the steps that solve the problem


use a treadmill. run uphill, run a bit on the flat to recover run uphill run a bit on the flat to recover then do it some more.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Do you keep it at an easy pace still on those inclines? I have been doing 4-5% incline intervals at the same pace. Initially, I could maintain my form for maybe a couple 45 seconds stretches, I've worked up to about 5 minutes. After a couple years of run injuries, I'm finally feeling consistent from running 6-8x a week easy, a treadmill Hill set like that, and a day with strides. Unsure if I should eventually keep increasing Hill time, increase the incline, or the pace.

You can manipulate the variables. Speed, duration, incline. But I'd increase 1 at time, maybe 2. ie add 2 min and add .1mph or add 1% and 1min but I'd rarely do something like add 1% add .3mph and add 5 min

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta