The training
schedule said I should run 8 km in 45 minutes today. My legs, still hurting
from sunday’s 15 km run, said otherwise, and flat out refused to cooperate after half
the distance.
Previously when my legs have been feeling less than OK, I have switched from the treadmill
to the elliptical trainer (sort of a cross between a stairmaster and cross country
skiing). Since the movements are different, I’ve tried to adjust by focusing on how
many calories I’m burning per minute: around 11 for low intensity training, around
14 for higher intensity — same for both the treadmill and the elliptical trainer.
Running can be pretty hard on the legs, and so far for me it has. Maybe I should stick
to the elliptical trainer during the weeks, and only use the treadmill on the long
sunday run. Eventually I expect my legs to adapt to the abuse.
One thing about the elliptical trainers, they can be a real advantage when the cold weather strikes. Running can be hard on the muscles in the middle of winter. It becomes so difficult to stretch out that pulling muscles becomes an even greater risk.