Training the Marsden Way

Just to bring you up to date.  Last year sucked running wise with achy hurty knees with very little cartilage left particularly on the left side.  Past things happening when I ran faster than 10 minute mile pass.  Lots of exercise physiology and home exercises.  Difficulty adjusting to new gait to minimize further cartilage loss and run more efficiently and breathing while doing so.  Still got in two lumbering half marathons but neither really fun.

2016 a lot better so far.  I did a home-made half marathon in the spring and used the summer to finally get breathing in synch with new gait.  Results are promising so far.  Averaging low 9s in both cool, hot or humid weather with long stretches in the 8s and easy sprints in the mid 7s.  Dropped the hammer this morning on a 4 miler and did a short 6:30 stretch.  If this keeps up, this is more 2006, my only double marathon year, than 2016 as my chrono clock approaches 60.  Main challenge is keeping up my long runs since I haven't done more than 8.5 since my home made half.  Left knee isn't perfect but ice, advil and home exercises should get me to the start line for my September half-marathon.

So how to train?  In the past I have sung the praises of doing it the Rocky Way (wear a hoody and run under the el and up museum stairs) and the Hulk Hogan Way (the training, the prayers, the vitamins and the Hulking up for the big finish) but have switched to the Marsden way (no days off). 

Technically there is a difference between the Marsden Way (#Iruneveryday) and the Waller Way (#nodaysoff) besides the distances and speeds involved.  There are days I don't run, but work out in some significant way like my 10 mile mountain bike in Ojai etc.  And ok, I took off a couple of days when they extracted a tooth under general anesthesia.  Plus there seem to be less farm animals on my daily runs than Phil.  But I completed more than 2 weeks of #nodaysoff and really beginning to enjoy the rhythms of my daily toil.  And as I have learned even a bad day running beats a good day associate dean so the physical gains and stress reductions are both major positives.

Thanks Phil!