The Running Thread—2023

[SheHulk]

ATTQOTD: 5 is all I can do with my work schedule. And body.

 

[azrivest]

ATTQOTD: 4 is my preference in terms of work/life/running balance, but I do 5 when actively training for a race

 

[RuntheMouse]

ATTQOTD: 5 days a week. Gives me 1 to cross train and 1 day off.

 

[PrincessV]

ATTQOTD: 4 is my preference - 1 long run, 2 short runs, 1 extra-short speed or hill work run. But life and my body have taken a differing view and I’m down to 3 run days now.

 

[sandam1]

QOTD: How many days a week do you prefer to run?

Three for me! I might add in a walk day or two as cross-training or if I'm training for a challenge, but my body really responds to only 3 run days.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: Doing 5 days of training per week right now. It keeps me focused on running, manages everyone expectations and makes a big weekly volume but reasonable length per training session. It does leave very little time for strength or cross training. I might reduce to 4 days if I signup for another activity.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

ATTQOTD: These days I do 6 days a week, along with 2-3 days of strength/mobility routines.

 

[striker1064]

ATTQOTD: 5 days a week - 1 long run, 1 quality/interval/tempo run, and 3 easy runs. I wish I could do 6, and once upon a time I did, but my body couldn't quite take it - or at least it couldn't back then. I kinda want to try again with a 6th very short easy pace day and see what happens, but then again I also don't want to get injured. The juice probably isn't worth the squeeze at this point.

I also do several calf/ankle/foot strengthening exercises every day, but they don't take much time at all.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: when the weather cooperates, I’m trying to get into running 4 days a week consistently—2 midweek runs and 2 weekend runs. Can someone please tell Elsa that it’s April and she can calm down now?

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
6 days plus OrangeTheory on a couple of those days. 1 complete rest day.
The double days don’t work very well with a puppy, though.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

ATTQOTD: preference is 3, 4 is my max. My coach had me scheduled to a run a 5th day the last two weeks to prep for the ten miler, and I skipped those and focused on cross training. I know my body, and 4 is the max. Plus I strength train 2-3 days a week with yoga at least once a week. It's a balancing act.

 

[PrincessV]

TTMATTQOTD: (Tangent To My Answer To The Question Of The Day):

I dropped from 4 running days to 3 because a. my aging and autoimmune-riddled body was being pretty clear that it wanted 2 rest days per week, and b. returning to office work 3 days a week (vs. WFH every day) means adding an hour+ of time in my car that I no longer have free for exercise. Add in the stuff that needs doing in a day, and the high priority I place on adequate sleep, and there just aren’t enough hours in the week to do more.

But I’ll tell ya - my brain is having a REAL hard time with this! I’m so conditioned to the idea that I “need” exercise all but one day of the week, I mentally feel like a failure taking 2 days off. Does my body feel better? Is my health improved? Am I getting things done that really need my attention? YUP. Still… feels like I’m failing - and I really do miss the 4th day of running. I’m going to stick with this for a while and see how it goes, but I’m not ruling out the idea of a 2-week cycle in which I get 4 running days one week, and 3 the next. Or maybe a 3-week cycle of 4-3-3 running days? We’ll see.

 

[nancipants]

ATTQOTD: Right now I'm running 3-4 days per week. When I start training for next year's Princess half marathon, I'll probably bump up to 5.

 

[steph0808]

ATTQOTD: 4 days/week. I have done alternating 4 days one week then 5 days the next if training for a PR or for Dopey where more mileage was needed. If I didn't have a job or kids, then I'd do all the days, but 5+ on a consistent basis is hell on my body and time. I'm still doing 4 now but added in 5 strength training sessions a week (about a half hour each time), so I'm seeing how that goes. Just for general body health, I need to do something other than running. I haven't strength trained in probably 3 years - oops!

March Running Totals
Runs: 16
Miles: 69.5
Total Time: 11:51:06
Avg Pace: 10:18
Avg HR: 139

I added California to the list of states that I have logged miles in - was there for work in early March and even got to visit Disneyland and California Adventure one day (first time there)!

Feeling decent again - after Dopey and COVID at the end of January - but no real races on the calendar. Not sure what to do next. I'm thinking a new half PR if I can find a good downhill race. I need a new proof of time for 2025 marathon weekend (skipping 2024). I'm happy just to be out in nature feeling good enough to run at a decent pace.

March Strength Training
Time: 2:09:22
Workouts: 4

I'm doing the Body Beast workouts and 70%-ish following the plan without watching the videos. I did the whole 12 weeks once about 4 years ago, and it was a lot of work, but I saw good results. I just don't want to cut back on my running that much. This is a better balance.

 

[GollyGadget]

ATTQOTD: I’m running 6 days a week right now. I’ll probably drop down to 5 in June so I can get some bike practice in before my 50 mile bike ride at the end of July.

I crave routine. It’s much easier for me to stay on schedule if I’m running most days.

 

[camaker]

ATTQOTD: I run 5 days/week and find that to be ideal for me. I've tried to drop,to 4 days/week in the past and didn't like the experience. I didn't feel nearly as well trained for races and didn't see any reduction in injuries, niggles or pains. On the flip side, I do think 6 days/week would be too many as I do need some time for recovery.

 

[marty3d]

ATTQOTD: 4 days per week (with strength training the other 3) is what I prefer when I'm not training for a race. I'll be ramping up to 5 days a week starting next week as I get ready for a 10k and might stay at 5 all summer - easier to get out because of the weather - and I have 3 to 4 half marathons between September and January (depending on what happens with MW registration next week)

The only time I've gone up to 6 days is during Dopey training - which is part of the reason I'm taking this year off from anything greater than 13.1 miles. 6 days a week is NOT my preference.

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
If I'm **only** running, 5 is a good number, because if I have more than 2 days in a row off I kind of lose motivation/interest/focus or whatever you want to call it.

If I'm running AND trying to do something else in conjunction with it, I have no idea, because I always massively fail on fitting both things in (as an example, even though I found a very reasonable 5-day/wk running and strength training plan, I cannot manage to do both with any consistency. I am always skipping one or the other and then snowballing because now I'm "off" on my plan.)

 

[Jules76126]

ATTQOTD: 5 is my ideal number, but some weeks due to work I only hit 4. I would love to add in some core/strength training work, but early morning workouts are not my thing. I typically run on my lunch break and I don’t have the extra time to devote to that right now.

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: To marginally shift Monty Python........Four shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be four. Five shalt thou not count, neither count thou three, excepting that thou then proceed to four. Six is right out.