How To Deal With A Big Spike In Load

This week I did something rather foolish - I spiked my training load in a big way.

As you can see below on the graph, on the right of the screen was my run on Wednesday - a long 30km run.

That was a big increase from anything in the past few months.

My current training plan does involve building up to include more endurance, and I had planned on running somewhere from 20-25km this day.

But on a very cold winters day, with the sun shining and a nice coffee in my system, the running seemed effortless and I just wanted to keep running for the sheer joy and enjoyment of it - a soul run of sorts.

Yes I realize big increases in training load put you at risk of injury.

So I consciously made the decision to go for the longer distance and then see how the body responded.

The main goal for the 24-48 hours after a spike in load is to create an optimal environment for positive adaptation and growth to occur and to minimize the negative effects.

This is where active recovery can make a HUGE difference rather than just resting and feeling sore and sorry for yourself.

Over the years, I have experienced a few spikes in load - and now I think I am managing them somewhat better, so here are my top 5 tips to successfully manage a big spike in load:

1. Favor heat over cold

Previously I used to head straight for the cold water baths.

Whilst I think that can be useful for acutely painful spots, now I gain much more benefit from warm baths to help increase circulation to the legs. Throw in some epsom salts to help relax the muscles even more.

2. Increase protein and carbohydrate intake

At every opportunity I will add protein to meals and at snack times. I have a shake (30g protein) first thing in the morning and then eat good quality proteins through the rest of the day. Some other examples - hard boiled eggs, high protein yoghurt and protein bars. Mid afternoon I often will feel quite hangry so I add some extra carbohydrates into the mix.

3. Get on the foam roller

This can be hard to do because you know it’s going to be pretty ugly.

But if you can get some pressure onto the legs, it definitely helps with recovery.

As muscles recover you want them to stay pliable.

If you don’t get in there with the roller or some massage, there is a greater chance for muscles to develop knots and trigger points, that can restrict range of motion and put pressure on joints - especially around the knee.

4. Sleep

Try and get a bit of extra sleep if you can by going to bed earlier or stay in bed a bit longer.

5. Light cardio

Some light walking/hiking and gentle core / pilates exercises help increase circulation and helps recovery.

After a big spike in load - you will definitely need to avoid high impact training for a few days or even up to a week.

Things to AVOID after a big spike in load

The things I would recommend you avoid:

• heavy intense stretching

• using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory

• cold baths (although icing hot spots can be good)

• lots of alcohol

Summary

Overall, I think spikes in load are a normal part of training.

Spikes in load can be very useful in fact as during the recovery - you can find out where your weak links are (the sorest spots) and perhaps add in some extra strength work to build resilience and anti-fragility.

Although they shouldn’t happen too often - I think if you can set up the optimal environment - you will come out feeling better than before.

You need to monitor your response to training for the next 1-2 weeks after a big spike as your body can still be a little vulnerable through the recovery period.

I hope that helps with your training and please let me know in the comments if you have any other tips.

Motivation - How to Use it To Your Advantage

With the new year here, we often feel a wave of motivation to achieve our fitness goals.

We head out the door for a run, (the eye of the tiger pumping in the background), and everything feels great with an endorphin buzz generating a feeling of invincibility that flows through our bodies.

A few days later - a niggle pops up and all of a sudden things are looking a little shaky.

This wasn’t part of the script, so we often double down on our efforts, using our willpower to ignore the sensations coming from our bodies.

This can lead to pushing harder than what are bodies are prepared for and ending up in the boom / bust cycle (pain, injury, time off).

I’ve certainly been there - thinking to myself - I’m doing the right thing and trying to get fitter - why is my body always letting me down??

Two ways to use motivation

There are two ways to use motivation when trying to improve running fitness.

First is to push yourself harder physically - focusing purely on longer distance and higher intensity and using your willpower to push past limitations and ignore signals from your body.

The other way is to channel the motivation into creating good habits based on a balanced approach of training and recovery.

The second approach allows you to get upstream of injuries and leads to genuine resilience and anti-fragility.


TIME FOR PLAN B

At first glance, motivation is thought to be a positive factor in achieving success.

But when relying purely on motivation - our focus becomes more on the outcome and less about the process.

This means we often can end up pushing too hard without balancing our training with adequate recovery.

Running is a significant stress on our bodies - a stress that causes muscles, tendons and bones to breakdown in the short-term.

Following the stress, the quality of your recovery helps re-build you stronger and more resilient.

We need to learn to consciously plan and implement effective recovery strategies, based on our current training loads.

In truth, when we are young we can get away with many training errors as our bodies are powerful recovery machines.

But as we get to a certain age (around 30) our bodies don’t have the same recovery capacity.

How to use motivation wisely

When you find yourself with a bit extra motivation - you can use it to increase your training loads, but also channel part of it to plan and implement a balanced training and recovery strategy to support your growth in a sustainable manner.

Setting up good habits from the beginning of your training plan can pay big dividends later on when your training really ramps up.

In reality it can be a little tricky to plan and implement recovery.

Scheduling in recovery as well as a sensibly planned training program can help you lay a solid foundation for a successful year of running.

To help you bring clarity and intentionality to this process, I’ve created a free Weekly PDF Running Planner.

This will help you focus on balancing training loads with adequate recovery and say goodbye to the boom/bust injury cycle forever.

FREE DOWNLOAD - 

WEEKLY RUNNING PLANNER PDF

*Important disclaimer

Admittedly Plan B is a boring route. You won’t get the highs and lows of the rollercoaster ride (otherwise known as the boom/bust cycle).

Only follow this path if you want to develop into an athlete with a solid foundation. Ironically this takes more willpower and discipline than the first path.

And if you’re keen to learn more about setting up habits to improve the quality of your life - then check out the book Atomic Habits by James Clear - game-changer!

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe”

“Long term consistency trumps short term intensity”

“Don’t chase fitness, let fitness come to you”

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Hip Stability For Runners

The more stable your hips and pelvis are when you run, the less chance you have of getting injured

Here a four essential hip stability exercises for every runner (best performed straight after you run x2 per week)

1. Crab walks. Knees extended fully, feet pointed straight and pelvis tucked gently activating core. Slow steps work best 💥
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2. Single leg bridge. Try and keep your hips level as you extend one leg straight. Remember to keep breathing!
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3. Single leg squat with theraloop. Sit back into your hip (like you’re going to sit down & then straighten up, tucking your pelvis under and squeezing the glutes
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4. Monster walks. Maintain pelvis tucked under with core activation and push back and diagonally
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Please tag any runners you think might benefit from this workout & please let me know if you have any questions at all.
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Happy running 😎

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Other Blogs To Help You Move and Feel Your Best:

Running Might Protect Against Knee Arthritis

This study reported that runners had roughly half the incidence of knee osteoarthritis as walkers.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23377837

"Recreational running at any time in life does not appear detrimental, and may be protective in regards to developing knee osteoarthritis”, the researchers concluded.

So why is there such a deep rooted belief that running causes knee arthritis?

Maybe it's the runners with a poor foundation (poor flexibility, core strength, hip strength) that give running a bad rap and find their knees getting overloaded.

But it is clear now that the biggest risk factor for developing knee arthritis is being overweight and having a high BMI.

The clear message from the research is:

Being inactive and over-weight poses a much greater risk of developing knee arthritis, than if you keep fit (especially with running) and maintain a healthy body weight.

Having accurate beliefs is so important, and understanding that running plays an important protecting role against arthritis forms an important part of keeping your joints healthy.

For runners who have experienced some joint pain, it’s about building a solid foundation of muscle strength and capacity to offload the joints.

Want to learn about about how to build your foundation for running?

PRE-hab is the new rehab

When it comes to building your running capacity, putting together consistent training weeks / months is how you reach your potential.

Sounds simple in theory, but the most common set-back is niggling injuries that force you slow down or take time off all together.

You can find yourself in the the land of 'boom-bust' where you reach a plateau of performance that can be frustrating, dis-heartening and confusing.

And it's easy to blame the running, saying that you're not meant to run.

The truth is, running is one of the most challenging, high level activities you can ask of your body.

Running efficiently and pain free comes on top of a foundation of adequate flexibility, core strength and movement efficiency.

After 20 years of studying human movement, I can say very few of us have the natural foundation to run efficiently.

In the modern age, due to pain, injury, stress and too much time sitting and driving, we are losing touch with our bodies and what it means to have a good physical foundation. Movement compensations and imbalances have become the norm.

The thing is, in the short term you can still get by with a less than ideal foundation.

You will be able to run because your amazing body works out a way to get the job done. The problem is, the compensations have a limited time span before they burn out and pack it in. Then you are really stuffed - you're in pain and you can't keep running anymore.

Now you have 2 choices:

(1) Accept that "running is not good for you" and avoid it the rest of your life; or

(2) Learn about how your body works and set a plan to achieve your goals.

The good news is that you can learn to fine tune your body to prepare it for running. You need to be smart and listen to your body - and have patience and dedication. You can overcome your weaknesses and actually turn them into strengths.

The idea behind The Resilient Runner Workshop is to teach you the strategies and skills you need to safely build your capacity, BEFORE injuries and niggles set your training back.

Full disclosure:

This process does take an investment in time and energy. You may not see improvement straight away. But with discipline and dedication, all a sudden you start seeing results that may surprise you.

The hardest part is getting to base-camp.

It can be a steep learning curve.

But once you've got there, you have a rock solid foundation, that nobody take away from you and will set you up for a lifetime of pain-free and enjoyable running.

Are you interested in attending The Resilient Runner Workshop...

Currently we have 3 spots left in Fullarton (next Saturday 9th Feb) and 5 spots left for the Murray Bridge (March 9th).

Hope to see you there & if you have any questions please let me know :-)

Dan