I have been getting frustrated with my running. I can't manage to get my mileage up without injury. I have decided to go with the minimalist approach, the idea that "small deposits still fill the bank." I wish I could be running 8 to 10 miles on a regular basis, with my long runs reaching 15 or more miles, but my body just can't withstand that kind of beating. Last year I pushed myself too fast and too hard without a proper build up and I paid the price later in the season with over-strained muscles that cramped easily. Starting next week I am going to start running a few miles before work. I know, mornings are not really my thing when it comes to finding the high motivation I need to run, but it is the best time slot I have for a shorter workout. My plan is to get to work 45 to 60 minutes early and take advantage of the great pedestrian pathways that are all around the neighborhood. I had been planning on running these pathways after work, but I have so many pressures for time in the afternoons as it is, and I have been fretting over how to fit in regular, shorter runs. With my earlier work schedule I couldn't quite bring myself to get up early enough to get in solid bike time, but I think that if I run right before work the drive time will give me the chance to digest breakfast and get Brain and Body awake enough to function. Ideally I would run monday, wednesday and friday, but I really don't want to have to get up any earlier on monday than is absolutely necessary. So, tuesday, wednesday and friday will be my morning runs (hopefully) I will really have to commit to this because it will mean getting to work by 6:30 at the latest. But, I can wear my running tights under my jeans, which will keep me warmer on the motorcycle anyway, and all I will need is my running shoes, and a dry shirt to change into after. I think this is a do-able plan, with some serious effort anyway. This will give me daily double workouts, which I need, and keep my afternoons free for swim and bike endurance. I still plan on doing bike to run to bike workouts, as well as short runs after my long bike workouts. It is essential that I practice the bike to run transition. Not just essential, but vital.
This all brings into play the Fourth Discipline: Nutrition. I am going to have to tweak my eating a bit, but not much. My first breakfast is a smoothie with pea protein, which has been shown to be excellent fuel for long workouts. My second breakfast will have to be tweaked a bit, maybe larger (currently it is a Clif Bar and a banana) and earlier. Hell, This might have me fitting in an extra meal between second breakfast and pre-first-lunch snack (yes, I eat 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches with a snack between). Of late, I am trying to reduce my sugar intake. No, I don't eat a lot of sugar, mostly it is in the form of my daily Clif Bar, fruit juice for smoothies, fruit, yams, and my evening dose of very dark chocolate, but I do worry that maybe I need to cut back somehow.
Everything needs to be dialed in. More and more so as the season progresses. For now, I will keep pushing my swim and bike as hard as my body allows, since these two disciples are more gentle on the body, and I am having an easier time building time and distance. And my run I will gently build, one small deposit at a time, to fill the bank without breaking it.
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