by Larry Eder
This is Wednesday, March 22, 2023.
This is the third day of Week Two in the 2023 RunBlogRun Spring Training for Middle Distances.
Today is a recovery day.
We suggest the following:
Your workout today is a warm-up, including five push-ups, five pull-ups, and five sit-ups. Warm up slowly, 50 minutes of easy running, then a slow cooldown, perhaps adding fifteen minutes of upper body weight work, medicine ball, and stretching.
In my interviews over the last 43 years, athletes have provided various ways to warm up and cool down. I have heard of warm-ups that last five minutes and some that last 45-90 minutes. Find a program that works for you. Remember, warm-ups and cooldowns are about the details of athletics, and competitions are lost and won in the details.
I recall a situation where I was losing 5,000m races to competitors who would catch me over the last 200 meters, as I lost form and my kick. It infuriated me. I asked a serious lifter on how to build my neck muscles and upper body. My theory was that I was losing my form due to muscle exhaustion. I worked for three months with a 25 lb plate and would do an upward rowing motion, building strength in my shoulders, neck and abdomen. The detailed workout helped me finish in shorter races and longer races.
