So far I’m loving the difficulty of the Hanson’s plan. It’s what intrigued me in the first place. I’m the type of person who sees something that’s hard and says, “If it’s been done, why can’t I do it?” I don’t know if that’s the best mentality to have, lol, but it’s gotten me to try a lot of fun, crazy stuff.
Anyway, when I decided to take a break from teaching and become a stay at home mom, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try the Hanson’s 6-days-of-running plan. In my other training cycles, I’ve done 4 days a week with an occasional sprinkle of an extra run or cross training day. I figured, if I was going to try a plan that had so much running, I might as well go for it now that I don’t have a job to worry about (I take care of my kids which is the toughest job ever but you know what I mean).
When it came time on deciding between the Beginner or the Advanced, I leaned towards the Advanced because it got to business a lot quicker than the Beginner. In the Beginner, the first 5 weeks are “Easy” runs which for my goal pace is between 9:45-10:45. I just couldn’t see myself adhering to that for 6 days a week for 5 weeks. The Advanced plan started with the fun stuff– speed work at Week 2 and tempo at Week 3–earlier and I liked that.
Fast forward to Week 5 and I’ve been doing great, nailing the workouts and feeling really confident. Except….my shin is starting to hurt. The shin where I had my stress fracture.
I’m so frustrated because I’ve been doing so well with this plan; I actually like it, and I feel like I’ve improved so much as a runner. And I’ve been stretching, rolling like a good girl and I just don’t understand why my body won’t cooperate. It’s not even fatigue, because I don’t feel tired (miraculously), it’s just the gosh darn shin that’s sore.
If I’m honest, I worried that going from 25-30 miles a week and 4 days of running, to 40-50 miles a week and 6 days of running was going to bring about something. I did my best to transition, to “pre-train,” but I think there’s no avoiding some type of injury-likeness with a jump in mileage like that. Which is what I think is happening with me.
Anyway, what did I do wrong? I think I should’ve stuck with the Beginner plan–modified it, or done something, but starting right away with the Advanced, even though I’ve done “well” with it so far, probably wasn’t the best idea. This is only my 4th marathon, after all.
So, I’ve decided to go to the Beginner’s plan Week 6, which is the week I’m on now. I’ve already passed the 5 weeks of “Easy” running I wanted to avoid, and I’ll get the speed and tempo workouts but just with less mileage. It’s still a shit ton of miles, but less so than the Advanced. I’m hoping that this will help my cause and still keep me happy. I really want to try this plan all the way through.
Of course I’ll continue to stretch, roll, ice, compress the hell out of my shin and if I see that things aren’t getting better, I’ll have to reassess everything. I’m hoping it won’t get to that. I’m proud of myself that I’m addressing it now while it’s simply soreness and not when it’s a full blown I-can’t-run-pain.
There’s the update. Mistakes happens and all you can do is just keep on, keep on.
–Are you good at admitting you were wrong?
I hope your shin recovers quickly. I tend to suffer from plantar fasicitis, so the moment I feel any tenderness or soreness I go into hyperdrive. I found that the sooner I take of small niggles, the quicker I recover and it stops from becoming a full-blown injury.
Good luck to you (and your shin) for the rest of your marathon training.
I’m hoping by being proactive now, I can finish the plan. I typically keep going and not care and I’m trying something different this time, lol!
I am bummed to read this, you were kicking ass! I made it to week 9 when things went to hell. I used the beginner plan and changed Friday to a rest day because I knew it was a lot of running for me and my shins still rebelled. I loved the speedwork. I hope your shin is just sore and that it heals quickly!
I think I just need to accept I’m prone to shin injuries 😦 Here’s hoping things get better!!
Oh God, I feel your pain! Currently uncertain what to do about my knee pain, in week 5. Was doing so well, but the jump in milage has proven hard for my knees to handle, regardless of how well I thought I was doing, both before my training plan and so far in it. All I can do is wish you a very speedy recovery! I think taking a step back, and moving forward with a different plan is very clever. Catching it early on and making adjustments is the best you can do right now. Take care of yourself, please! xxx
I hope your knees heal up quickly too!!! Ugh, why can’t we just run??!!
I know, right?! 😕
I think the adjustment sounds really smart. I’m glad the plan is working well for you, and it’s so important to keep the long-view in mind. I hope your shin pain is just a flicker on the radar and you’re able to keep using Hansons and killing your workouts!
Thank you! I hope so too! I really like this plan and see it working–I just hope this shin can stick it out!
I’m so sorry your shin is feeling off. I was kind of surprised you jumped right into both high mileage and increased intensity speed work together so soon after your stress fracture, but you were nailing it even with the summer heat, so I was rooting for you. I hope the step back is just the thing you need to stay on track. I definitely see a huuuuuuuuge marathon PR coming up for you soon!
I didn’t feel like I jumped into it crazily soon as I tried to transition with my May and June mileage, slowly building up. Sigh, but it is what it is and I’m clearly/definitely no expert. I really hope that I can see a PR–I don’t know about huuuuuuge, lol, but thank you so much–your confidence in me makes me smile ❤
Umm, no I can admit that I’m not good at admitting when I’m wrong 🙂 I think you’re doing the smart thing by adjusting your plan, and really, who doesn’t have to adjust their plan at some point?! Hoping the adjustment is enough to ward off any further issues. You are doing great and I know you have a great NYC Marathon coming your way!
Thank you so much. I hope so!!!
I hope that the new plan works! Girl, you know I feel you here. But good on you for being self critical in a productive way–that is the best possible thing that you could have done. We all go a bit awry some times–can you say Chicago Marathon? Even when you “win” you can still lose!
Ugh, yes. Thank you, my friend ❤
Dang sorry to hear that but I think you’re making a good transition. Watch that shin carefully.
I am really good about holding myself accountable and admitting when I’m wrong….except when it comes to the wife lol
Right?!! I hate telling him I was wrong, lol!!!
Aww that’s a bit of a bummer, but assessing the situation and making changes now is a smart move. It could be so much worse if you stubbornly tried to just keep pushing yourself forward. Hope you are able to stay injury free for the remainder of your training 🙂
Exactly and the “old” me would’ve just run through it but I really want to make it to the start line and have a relatively decent marathon.
I’ve always said that the hardest part of marathon training is avoiding injury. It is almost inevitable, regardless of what plan you follow or how smart your training is. I’m sorry to hear that you are dealing with shin issues. But I like the transition you have made. I hope that it provides you with relief.
Thank you! I really want to make it to the end so I’d rather make adjustments now
Aw, Helly I’m so sorry about the shin pain. I will say that before it gets worse, just keep listening to your body and adjust the workouts. Better to still be able to run (even if you have to keep it easy) than to push yourself to get all the miles and all the workouts in and then be sidelined for awhile. Trust me, it sucks. (And I know you’ve dealt with major injury before too so I’m sure it’s not something you want again!) I didn’t think that pushing through some minor twinges would force me into a month off of running right in the middle of my marathon training, but it did and now I’ve had to make tons of readjustments to my fall goals. I don’t think I missed a single workout before there was no more denying I actually had a full-blown injury. I don’t want that for you! Following a plan to the point where you don’t want to listen to your body is not good; injury prevention > the plan. I can completely empathize though with finally having that extra motivation and dedication and feeling so ready to take everything on – live the dream, right? I don’t know why these issues come up for some of us, but just keep your chin up and be smart. Take a few days off if the pain gets any worse. I promise it won’t hurt your PR chances. It will only improve the chances of you getting to the start line without injury. Good luck, hun ❤ xoxo
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. It really means a lot to me. I think you definitely know how I feel in that we want so badly to get a good run in and our body just doesn’t want to cooperate. I’ll send you a message later ❤
Bummer, Helly! But I’m VERY proud of you for being responsible and level-headed enough to take a small step back and do what’s right for you and your body. Hanson’s is insane (to me), so even if you might feel badly about going back to the Beginner plan, I still think you’re a badass!
Aw, thanks Rae! Yeah, I don’t downgrade the Beginner at all but at the start, I knew I wouldn’t follow the 5 weeks of easy running–total rule breaker over here, lol! In retrospect, I should’ve modified it in some way…oh wells
CRAP! You sound much calmer than I’d be in this situation. Take care of that bod and I hope your shin settles about soon. XO
No dude, I’m not well, lol! I’ll probably send you a message later ❤
Sorry to hear your shin is bothering you again but it sounds like you have a good plan ahead of you. Hope the pain eases up.
I’m training for my 5th half marathon and stepped back to 2-3 days of running since I’m playing soccer, going to yoga, a little cycling and lots of stuff with our girls. I just felt like I needed a break from running 4-5 days a week. I’m sure I won’t get the results I truly want but I’m running and that’s what matters.
Totally, and I have to remind myself that that’s exactly what matters most. Thank you!
Hooray for making modifications now! I got PF at practically the exact same time as your shin issue (Week 5) and after taking 1 week off and trying to slowly add mileage back up, my body said HELL NO. I tried to push through but was so unhappy. Week 12, I quit marathon training. Hansons was NOT for me. I should have modified more OR just did a different plan all together. I am so not a 6 day a week runner. I got my current PR with 4-5 running days per week. I should have known myself and stuck to that. Keep being in tune to your body as you continue this plan. It’s smart to modify now and not wait to the last minute like me. Because you are still marathon training and I am on the couch drinking sangria. 🙂
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