What just improved my running??

empaloalto

empaloalto

Cathlete
Hi Cathe ~
I am about to start week 8 of STS mixed with Shock Cardio, and loving it all! While I'm not seeing the beautiful definition that you all have, I feel stronger and more energetic than any workout program I've ever done. This past weekend it was 45 degrees & sunny in the Boston area (Weird, I know, because you were getting many FEET of snow in NJ!!) - so I decided to go out for a run, after a long winter inside. Since I haven't run in more than 4 months, I anticipated a horrible first run - that would only last 2 miles, and a lot of pain in my legs and chest and knees. That is what I've learned to deal with, and once I've run a few times, I feel much better. THIS time I went out & just kept going! 4 1/2 miles later I felt fabulous! I went right up a hill so steep I could have kissed the ground, and felt better than I ever have. I even sprinted the last 3/4 miles to my house! My chest/lungs didn't hurt and my quads felt soo strong! The only body part that ached was my feet! (which isn't due to being out of shape)

So what did it??? I've NEVER had such a great first run. The only way I've ever increased my running endurance has been through running.

One other point - normally my IT bands are super sore, so upon recommendation I picked up a foam roller and painfully used it 2 days. That's it. Normally my first run of the year ends at mile 1 or 2, with me limping because my IT bands are soo sore.
NONE of that.

Was it the STS? Was it those fabulous HIIT interval workouts? Could it really have been the foam roller? (which MAY have helped with the IT band, but certainly did nothing for the lungs or quads...)

I am so amazed, I want to make sure I can repeat whatever it is that I did to help me improve. I want to do MORE of whatever it is, because I'm not a natural runner, and to feel so fabulous on day one was almost like an outer body experience!

It's something YOU did for me, so I at *least* have to say Thank you!!

Thanks for helping me feel soo great! All over! (moods, demeanor, strength... the whole package!)

Thanks thanks thanks! And if you know what you did, let me know! :)

Erin
 
Hi Erin! So great to hear you had an awesome run. That’s the best feeling isn’t it? I think it was most likely due to a combo of all three elements. But I will tell you for me personally after about three weeks of HIIT rehearsals I found almost ANY CARDIO WORKOUT I did a breeze. I was able to go harder and longer for my steady state workouts. As you know foam rollers are excellent for enhancing muscle recover so I’m sure that played into it too. And as you know the STS workouts are focused on enhancing your muscle endurance in more of an aerobic manner so you are scoring big points with all three done together. Keep up the great work…and running too!


empaloalto said:
Hi Cathe ~
I am about to start week 8 of STS mixed with Shock Cardio, and loving it all! While I'm not seeing the beautiful definition that you all have, I feel stronger and more energetic than any workout program I've ever done. This past weekend it was 45 degrees & sunny in the Boston area (Weird, I know, because you were getting many FEET of snow in NJ!!) - so I decided to go out for a run, after a long winter inside. Since I haven't run in more than 4 months, I anticipated a horrible first run - that would only last 2 miles, and a lot of pain in my legs and chest and knees. That is what I've learned to deal with, and once I've run a few times, I feel much better. THIS time I went out & just kept going! 4 1/2 miles later I felt fabulous! I went right up a hill so steep I could have kissed the ground, and felt better than I ever have. I even sprinted the last 3/4 miles to my house! My chest/lungs didn't hurt and my quads felt soo strong! The only body part that ached was my feet! (which isn't due to being out of shape)

So what did it??? I've NEVER had such a great first run. The only way I've ever increased my running endurance has been through running.

One other point - normally my IT bands are super sore, so upon recommendation I picked up a foam roller and painfully used it 2 days. That's it. Normally my first run of the year ends at mile 1 or 2, with me limping because my IT bands are soo sore.
NONE of that.

Was it the STS? Was it those fabulous HIIT interval workouts? Could it really have been the foam roller? (which MAY have helped with the IT band, but certainly did nothing for the lungs or quads...)

I am so amazed, I want to make sure I can repeat whatever it is that I did to help me improve. I want to do MORE of whatever it is, because I'm not a natural runner, and to feel so fabulous on day one was almost like an outer body experience!

It's something YOU did for me, so I at *least* have to say Thank you!!

Thanks for helping me feel soo great! All over! (moods, demeanor, strength... the whole package!)

Thanks thanks thanks! And if you know what you did, let me know! :)

Erin
Click to expand...
 
I had a similar experience recently, being from the Boston area too, getting to run is SOOO much harder in the winter! My last couple of runs though, on the TREADMILL no less (which I hate), were awesome. I managed almost 5 miles in both cases and felt like I could've kept going and going! If I didn't have to go to work, I probably would've kept going! I definitely attribute a lot of that to STS and Shock Cardio, that stuff kicks butt!
Once again, THANK YOU Cathe for continuing to find ways to kick our butts!!!
 
Hey Cathe! Thanks so much for helping me sort out the reasons for feeling great! (always a fun problem to have) And No, I had no idea that the foam roller assisted with muscle recovery. I had only heard about it for those touchy IT bands, but recovery is a nice added benefit! Knowing this will help me roll through the pain! And hearing how great you felt after HIIT, makes me want to add it into my routine even more! I think this combo of STS/HIIT & rolling will be the perfect winter recipe for a great summer of running!! Thanks so much for the fresh ideas! You are far better than a gym membership!
 
Congrats on your run! I know what you mean. I haven't ran since I was 5 months pregnant (May 09) and I'm on my recovery week b/w Meso 2 and 3 of the STS/Shock Cardio rotation. I went this morning for the first time. I was hoping to just be able to run at a slow steady state for 15 minutes and I did 30 minutes of tough intervals. I never imagined that STS would help my running too.
 
Kind of a cool bonus huh? It makes me want to sign up for a summer race! because I know I am having the best training ever! :) (Ok, I won't go that far!)
 
Me too

Just want to be one more to chime in and say that STS is also giving me increased ability in my cardio workouts. What a great bonus.
 
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