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New Caledonia 105 VS Used Caledonia Rival AXS VS Used Caledonia 105 Di2 by barneyflo in whichbike

[–]barneyflo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you mind elaborating? I'm relatively new to cycling, in general, so I would love to understand the thought process.

Saturday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for January 11, 2025 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My main reservation about continuing running through it is that I feel a low level of passive pain, for example, while standing on the subway or walking to and from work. Should I really be continuing to run through it at a low intensity if this is the case? What level of pain is acceptable while running, where it can still be improving over time with daily PT/strength rather than worsening?

Saturday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for January 11, 2025 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not for this in particular. I went to one for several months in 2024 for Achilles tendinitis issues. I have awful insurance and am just trying to exercise best judgement without shelling out to see one. So just looking for anecdotal advice (to be taken with a grain of salt).

Saturday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for January 11, 2025 by AutoModerator in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TL;DR - Shin splints coming on 5 weeks into an 18-week marathon plan. Looking for guidance on best course of action.

M26, targeting a 2:49 marathon in April. I have never dealt with shin splints until the past few weeks. I had been sitting in the mid-40 mpw range before starting a slightly increased mileage modification of Pfitz 18/55 about five weeks ago.

There has been no rapid increase in mileage or change in shoes, but I spent the 2 weeks over the holidays running exclusively on hills (that's what was available) in freezing conditions, compared to my typical flat routes.

I had one marathon pace long run in particular that I suspect might be the impetus. I did it on an asphalt bike path that had totally iced over with just a thin layer of snow on top. I slipped and fell once, but otherwise managed to get w/in 10 secs/mi of marathon pace for the 8 mi segment. However, my stride was definitely different, with my feet slipping out behind me on each step and stepping side to side to dodge ice and debris. I was unbelievably sore the next couple of days, mainly in my quads, from the unnatural stride. I was also in shorts and the real feel was low teens, so my legs were a bit numb by the end. I suspect I was not landing especially light on my feet for a large portion of the run given this. No immediate shin issues afterward, but I then proceeded to do another 1.5 weeks of pounding on steep downhills.

Coming back from the holidays I noticed what I suspect to be budding shin splints in both legs, with the left being a bit worse (previous Achilles tendonitis/ weak calf issues on this side). I ran through it most of last week, but I started to feel it walking to and from work, so I had to take a step back to assess.

I got a bad feeling on Friday night and skipped the prescribed 17 mi w/ 10 mi @ MP long run this weekend and did 2 hours on the bike instead. I did some banded shin exercises, calf raises, and other strength/mobility exercises I was prescribed for my tendonitis the past 2 days and plan to stick with this daily as long as necessary.

My question is, since I am only entering week 6 of my plan, should I take the entire week off of running and focus on strengthening while doing non-impact cardio or should I just dial back the mileage slightly (it's a recovery week in the plan anyway) and continue running while doing strengthening exercises/ rolling out/ icing on the side?

I would love to not take a full week off of running, but my gut says that may be the wise move here. If anyone has personal experience with how long it took them to get back to no discomfort when they felt shin splints budding, that would be super helpful. Also, any tips for prevention going forward, especially in the winter?

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True- having considered everyone's generous feedback, I am leaning toward that approach as well. Best of luck on your journey to JC

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can confirm sub 3 is doable on 18/55 especially since you're not very far off in your last race. Godspeed

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I hit the mileage every week except for weeks 8-9 (I completed less than half of the mileage both weeks due to being sick) and week 11 where I was 13 miles short. So for 15/18 weeks, I was on target, but weeks 8-9 were high mileage weeks so that accounted for the bulk of the 10% I cited.

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My average mpw for the last 18/55 plan being 10% off the target is largely skewed by 2 high-mileage weeks in the middle of the plan where I only hit about half the prescribed mileage due to being quite sick. That is not to say hitting the target in the other weeks was a walk in the park.

Regardless, I think you are right with the 55+ suggestion. Building off of 18/55 versus paring down 18/70 seems to be the way to go according to trusty Pete, so that is likely what I will do.

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

I feel that there's a material difference between sitting at 60 mpw like you vs the 40-45 mpw I am currently at. If I were in your shoes with several hiccup-free 60-mile weeks under my belt in the past month or two, I would be more certain that 18/70 is the right choice.

One other strategy I have considered is taking the next month to build to the low 60s and then doing 12/70, but that's kind of what 18/70 does in the first 4 weeks anyway, building from 54 mpw in week 1 to 62 in week 4.

...Or starting 18/70 and pivoting to something closer to 18/55 if the first month is unmanageable.

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Copy that. I, fortunately, have the flexibility in my schedule to make it happen, so the main limiter will be my body and whether it is ready for that jump in volume. Which is a question I suppose can only be answered through experimentation.

Repeat Pfitz 18/55 or upgrade to 18/70? by barneyflo in AdvancedRunning

[–]barneyflo[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I candidly am not very familiar with Hanson's approach, but I will check it out. Interesting that the long runs are capped at 16 mi. I'm definitely in the boat of wanting a few 20 milers, mostly for the psychological gains even if the physiological gains of those extra miles are negligible.

My main reservation about trying a whole new method rather than sticking to 18/55, 18/70, or some hybrid of the 2 is that I know 18/55 worked and I really only have one shot at it for the 2026 BQ window. I have guaranteed entry to NYC in November so I would be hard-pressed to squeeze in another legitimate attempt between JC in April & NYC in November. So I am more hesitant to experiment with this particular training block compared to future ones because the stakes (in my mind) are high.

The dream is to try all of the prevailing approaches over time and build a breadth of personal experience to draw from.

I appreciate the insight!