tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5988469873257504931.post9067782641847473352..comments2023-10-23T12:33:02.203-04:00Comments on Dirty Shoes: Spice things up: throw out the junk milesBrittany Zalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04416266553578362933noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5988469873257504931.post-39944763035024397722010-01-07T15:27:14.087-05:002010-01-07T15:27:14.087-05:00Recovery Runs and Training Schedules are both topi...Recovery Runs and Training Schedules are both topics worthy of their own posts! <br /><br />As Joe Pope said, recovery runs really don't help you recover. In his book, Brain Training for Runners, Matt Fitzgerald goes into great detail about the benefit of the recovery run. Apparently, your body is flooded with a cytokine called Interleukin 6 (IL 6) in response to running hard. IL-6 is responsible both for the fatigue you feel and for the fitness adaptation you get. So, running when your system is still flooded with IL-6 is a way to increase your fitness boost. Fascinating stuff. Plus I feel smart just saying Interleukin 6.Psychehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10111613946462318300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5988469873257504931.post-15430949436788752372010-01-07T13:28:02.799-05:002010-01-07T13:28:02.799-05:00Joe and Alex, I like the 3-5 mile easy runs, and I...Joe and Alex, I like the 3-5 mile easy runs, and I get why those are great for loosening up the legs and recovering. Its the 8-10 mile easy runs that I don't understand. That's taking too much of a toll on your body to be recovery, yet you aren't getting much from it. Why not add a little something to improve upon?Brittany Zalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04416266553578362933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5988469873257504931.post-82130575409053588482010-01-07T12:05:29.722-05:002010-01-07T12:05:29.722-05:00I'm a firm believer in the virtue of the easy ...I'm a firm believer in the virtue of the easy run, especially if you are are trying to increase into bigger marathon mileage (80+). I have two speed days per week, 1 as a track workout, the other as a tempo run. The rest of my miles are mostly all "easy runs". I have found that intentionally making myself run easy prevents injury and allows me to get into bigger mileage training. And I should add, I don't like running easy and I do find it boring. Thought i should chime in to defend the easy run! Your blog is great.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />@alextaylorAlex Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810573409333065633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5988469873257504931.post-69067529924152914972010-01-07T12:01:45.301-05:002010-01-07T12:01:45.301-05:00I like to think of "easy" days as recove...I like to think of "easy" days as recovery days for the next workout or race. They don't stress your body too much and they help you maintain aerobic fitness. Also, I was reading somewhere about a thing called "muscle recruitment" being a key aspect of recovery runs. Running an easy/recovery the day after a hard workout or race doesn't actually help you recover, so much as it helps "recruit" more muscle fibers (presumably the ones that aren't sore/fatigued?). Anyway, just food for thought for a future blog post on muscle recruitment!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01568864165610346311noreply@blogger.com