Ask The Penguin: Doing less and getting more

Dear Penguin,

I became inspired by my step daughters when they ran a Marathon in Delaware in May of this year. I have run and completed two marathons in my 20’s and 30’s. I also did a triathalon (1.0 swim, 10 run and 10 bike) in my 20’s. With that said, I stopped running at age 35 (no desire)……but, continued to go to the gym taking fitness classes and working out on machines.

Since the Delaware Marathon, I run 3, 4 or 5 miles daily. No Run on Fridays, run long on Saturday and off Sunday. I went from a long run of 13.5 on one Satruday to this Saturdays run of 17 miles. There were many hills for the last five miles, at the 15 mile mark, my legs felt like lead, I walked the final 2. My goal is endurance no speed.

The Marathon is November 21….any suggestions…am i overtraining.

Bernadette

The short answer is, yes, you are probably overtraining. But, it’s not that simple.

It sounds like your enthusiasm is getting ahead of your ability. And, it sound like you are increasing your long run by too many miles. Most training programs, including the ones in my book “Marathoning for Mortals”, only increase the long run by a mile or so each week.

AND, [and I am 61] when we get a little more – well – seasoned – it takes more time to recover. After age 40 it takes close to 48 hours to fully recover from a workout. A younger person can recover in 24 hours.

So, it’s a matter of doing less so that you can do more. Try adjusting your training schedule to include more rest and see it that helps. It should.

Waddle on, John

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Competitor Magazine columnist Author, The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals.

Have a question for John? E-mail it to thepenguin@johnbingham.com.