The FastDay Forum

@RunningOlsen Thankyou very much! We run around the same time, are you planning any races in France

@Franglaise, I would love to run Paris Marathon and combine it with a short vacation
http://www.schneiderelectricparismarathon.com/index_us.html
But that would be in April 2015.

Do you guys have a plan for maintaining running fitness in the off season? I'm wondering if my knees could use a break and maybe I can do more HIIT on the elliptical instead of running so much. Or would that be crazy?

I think if you run a longer run (10k plus) every two weeks you won't lose much endurance, if any. Especially not if you do more "other stuff".
Why do you think your knees need a break?
Strenghtening your quads (strength training) and core would help your knees. I think the general trend nowadays is towards more "athletic" well rounded runners, versus skinny and high mileage year round. That might give slower times, but who cares? The primary goal should be to keep activity up, whatever makes you tick!

Im just poking my head into here as I dont know if I can call myself a runner. Im just on week 9 of c25k. I have a question: I have ended up doing 2 consecutive fast days this week. I am due to run tomorrow morning and usually go before breakfast, however after the 2 fasts I dont think I can run. Can you suggest something I could have for sustenance before the run? Would a protien shake do it? Should I just have breakfast and delay the run a bit.

See how you feel. If you're hungry, I would say eat a banana. Save the protein for after.

Oh, and our mantra here (if I can call it that) is: if you run, you're a runner!

But I still believe that everyone faster than me is a 'real' runner! (Sorry Olsen!!)

Oh boy did I jump the gun with that question. I probably can't run on Sat. Suddenly in agony. It may be sciatica.

Do you guys have a plan for maintaining running fitness in the off season? I'm wondering if my knees could use a break and maybe I can do more HIIT on the elliptical instead of running so much. Or would that be crazy?

Mary Ann, just what I was going to bring up! My coach has put me on enforced "rest" from Friday for 10 days. He is adamant that after a lot of 10k races and the half marathon I did on Sunday, with training 4 times a week I need a rest to prevent over training, and therefore a greater risk of injury. He also says I won't progress unless I have rest. I don't understand! I'm not even supposed to cross train in this period. I'm terrified of losing my aerobic fitness But 10 days isn't long....
Worse is the summer - I saw the surgeon yesterday and have scheduled an op for 8th July for my knee. After that I won't be able to run for at least 6 weeks and I'm terrified about this. I've read that after 7 to 10 days you start to lose your aerobic fitness and after 6 weeks all muscle as well as the V02 max aerobic capability will have disappeared.
Plus I'll probably get fatter with no exercise.
I'm tempted to just carry on running with my knee and not have the op as 6 weeks without running is unthinkable, it is like a drug for me

I don't know how my coach can say I risk over training when I only train 4 times a week - some people run every day, don't they?

Hello @Franglaise
1. Your coach is right.
2. You will not lose all your progress from knee surgery.

Let's walk it through!
Competitions are stressful and after a period with more intense training you need rest. Have a look here: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/give-it-rest

As for getting back to your shape before the surgery, many athletes are injured and do comebacks. You still have a lot of advantages from your training and you will quicker gain your previous form back. Losing fitness from a break is much worse for beginners and with a half marathon sub 1:45, you're surely not a beginner.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/anatomyandphysiology/a/Deconditioning.htm
What we might believe is when we started out and had a break it "felt like starting over", even after a short break. And while this may be true for beginner exercisers, it is little known that we get better at keeping our fitness during breaks. The body is really smart, isn't it?!

About the possible weight gain: I think what and how much we eat is the major factor in weight loss or weight gain. Since that is controlled by our minds, we better plan for it, since we can't trust our flimsy sugar craving brains to take the right decisions unless we help a bit. Why not make a plan for your surgery recovery? I'm not a fan of too many rules, but I think the key to not gain weight (fat) during injury break is to control food.

And who said you couldn't exercise?
You could find a new 6 week challenge you could still do while recovering your knee.
Best of luck!

PS: You can actually jump right here: With the results you have and the body type, track record and BMI you have, you can do whatever you want in the 6 weeks break. Any fat will fly off and you will quickly get your shape back, it's just the truth in your case.

@RunningOlsen
Thankyou so much Olsen, you have reassured me a lot! I love running so much, and not just for competitions and the thought of not having all those lovely endorphins for 6 weeks is a bit grim. But you are right, I should look at it as an opportunity for new challenge with a new activity. I think that cycling is OK after a fortnight as it uses the thigh muscles more than the knee.
As you say, I agree that weight gain and loss is far more to do with food intake than exercise. I'll probably lose weight if I lose muscle tone. It is just a question of regulating intake and theoretically if I'm not running, I won't want to eat so much.
You are a star, thanks again!

Thanks @Franglaise
But wait, there's more!

http://fitknitchick.com/2013/01/23/workout-ideas-while-recovering-from-a-knee-injury/

Also factor in @Franglaise that having the surgery will allow you to run injury free afterwards. A few steps backwards is a small price to pay for dramatically increasing your running career. With the experience you have gained getting to the level you are at you will be able to get back to fitness quickly.

A few steps backwards is a small price to pay for dramatically increasing your running career. With the experience you have gained getting to the level you are at you will be able to get back to fitness quickly.

Yes, you are right, 6 weeks is a small price to pay for pain free running - as long as the op works (I've heard some horrible things about knee surgery and it's success rate!)

Oh boy did I jump the gun with that question. I probably can't run on Sat. Suddenly in agony. It may be sciatica.

I'm having to come around to the fact that I really shouldn't run on Sat even if I feel better on the day (which is looking unlikely).