big sur marathon training: week 7 workouts + three mentally-engaging elliptical sessions

I’ve acquainted myself once again with the elliptical as Big Sur training carries forth. Truthfully, I wonder if I’m simply not ready, maturity-wise, to tackle the marathon distance. I’ve thought deeply about where I am as an athlete and believe some stages I need to restart: proper easy runs, proper mileage buildup, proper recovery. I figure, after April, I at least for a couple seasons will stick to the 10K-half marathon distances while I work some of these kinks out.

First full week of cross training yielded several quality sessions about which I am quite ecstatic! Because I am an elliptical master by now (self-proclaimed, not an official title), I decided to share with you a few workouts I enjoy that work well as training supplements or alternatives when running isn’t an option. Find them below the log, along with a disclaimer about starting ANY new type of exercise and how to adapt the workouts for your personal requirements.

Monday, 2/10: 2,350m swim (59:44)

Day two of no running, though I celebrate marked improvement in the pain! I still walk abnormally but was able to incorporate some standing yoga postures without discomfort and performed my swim workout sans a pull buoy (minus a few sets where I just felt like not kicking).

• 200 m warmup as 100m breast/100m free with buoy
• Ladder: 1 x 100, 2 x 100, 3 x 100, 2 x 100, 1 x 100, all with 50 m easy breaststroke between
• 200 m freestyle
• 4 x 100m as 50 pull/50 free
• 150m free
• 100m easy breaststroke/backstroke cooldown

Tuesday, 2/11: 50 minute elliptical + 22 minute elliptical & 30 min strength

I didn’t intend for two gym sessions, but I got so overwhelmed by my lack of running and the idea of sitting at the DMV for hours that I cut my strength training until later in the afternoon. I’m glad I went back and got the work in, but I can’t say I enjoyed it.

First elliptical workout was intervals: 10 minute warmup, 10 x :30 level 8 (:90 level 2 recovery), 3 minute easy level 2, 13 minute level 4-5, 5 min cooldown. All hands free minutes a couple of minutes maybe.

Second elliptical session was hands-free easy between levels 2-3, and strength as follows:

• 3 x 15 deadlift
• 3 x 40 banded clamshells
• 3 x 25 calf raises with barbell
• 3 x 20 weighted stability ball bridge
• 3 x 15 Chair toe raises with barbell
• 3 x 20 weighted hip dips
• 5 min cooldown stretch.

Wednesday, 2/12: 3k swim (1:17:04)

My swimming progress enthralls and alarms me both. Perhaps mindset drives my improvements, but this workout on paper was no walk in the park yet felt so wonderful. 3000m is a LONG time to swim for most, and while I’m not an efficient nor accomplished swimmer, showing such endurance takes the sting out of my running hiatus.

I headed out at 5:45a to snag a lane before too many people showed up, and performed the following sets:

• Warmup: 500m as 100 kick/100 pull/100 breast/100 back/100 free
• Set #1: 10 x 100 as 75 free/25 breast recovery
• 200m steady free
• Set #2: 10 x 50m free
• 200m steady free
• Set #3: 4 x 25m sprints
• 200m steady free
• Cooldown: 300m as 100 kick/100 pull/100 easy free

This day I walked mostly normal! Downstairs still bothered my calf and a feeling of cramping exists, but I noticed on my return from the pool that I was maintaining a breakneck walking pace as I normally do with no hobbling.

Thursday, 2/13: 60 minute elliptical intervals + 50 minute strength & mobility

Let myself sleep in this morning since we arrived at our Golden b&b around 1 a.m. and I wasn’t in a rush to go anywhere with a 15 degree morning on my hands. J and I enjoyed oats and coffee together and I strangely relished the later start: I’m normally quite eager to get my work in before J gets up but today this snap out of routine pleased me. Hard to say whether the leg felt improvement, but I like to think it did. I practiced Toppling Tree during morning yoga and it caused no discomfort.

I paid for a 10-punch pass to the Golden Community Center for the week and spent about 2 midmorning hours in the facility. The views of snowcapped hills are spectacular and I was really motivated to get a good workout in, which I did!

Elliptical:

• 10 minute easy warmup, hands free
• 5 x 1 minute hard/1 minute hands free easy (lvl 6-8)
• 5 x 2 minute hard/1 minute hands free easy (lvl 7-9)
• 5 x 1 minute hard/1 minute hands free easy (lvl 8-11)
• 5 x :20 hill/:40 hands free easy (lvl 15)
• Hands free cooldown to 60 minutes

Strength & mobility:

• 3 x 10 curtsy lunges
• 3 x 15 kneeling one-arm press
• 3 x 15 single arm row
• 3 x 12 upright row
• 3 x 15 barbell chair calf raises
• 3 x 12 yogi squats
• 3 x 20 bird dog
• 3 x 20 kettlebell swings
• 1 minute plank
• 10 min cooldown stretch & foam rolling

Friday, 2/14: 60 minute elliptical intervals + 2.2k swim (56:43)

I committed an error this morning by attempting to run on the treadmill – I lasted three whole minutes before my leg said “see ya” and displayed issues supporting my stride. I at least had the logic to listen and halted in exchange for a power hour on the elliptical. I opted for a more moderate set of intervals and followed immediately with a pool workout that catalyzed some intensely demonic red eyes afterwards.

Elliptical:

• 10 min easy hands free warmup
• 6 x 3 min moderate (lvl 6)/2 min hands free easy
• 10 x :30 hard (lvl 12)/ :30 hands free easy
• 10 min easy hands free cooldown

Pool:

• 300 warmup as 100 breast/100 kick/50 pull/50 free
• 4 x 200m freestyle
• 10 x 50m as kick/free/pull/free/kick/free/pull/free/kick/free
• 10 x 25m sprint
• 150m breaststroke
• 200m cooldown, easy free

Saturday, 2/15: 100 minute elliptical intervals + 1k swim (27:00)

I wrote out to perform 90-120 minutes on the elliptical and wound up meeting myself near the middle. I didn’t eat much prior to my gym trip and thus felt sluggish and ungainly during the final programmed hour of the workout – so, I cut it slightly short but still with a satisfying duration under my belt. My leg felt better this day than yesterday, though the inner part of my knee is the biggest issue currently. I wonder if this is a separate injury that resulted from me walking abnormally the first few days after my calf incident.

Elliptical:

• 10 min easy hands-free warmup
• 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 @ moderate effort (lvl 6)/2 min hands free easy
• 3 minute easy hands free
• 3 x (2 min lvl 4/1 min lvl 7/1 min lvl 2/2 min lvl 6/1 min lvl 8/ 3 min hands free easy)
• Cooldown to 100 minutes

I followed with 10 minutes of foam rolling and stretching prior to hitting the water.

Pool:

• 300m warmup as 100 breast/100 kick/100 pull
• 5 x 100m free
• 200m cooldown as 100 kick/100 easy free

Sunday, 2/16: 35 minute elliptical hills + 40 min upper body & core strength

Post-breakfast foray I enjoyed, though seemed more winded than usual on the elliptical. I relented and took ibuprofen for my knee in the afternoon and it seemed to calm some of the inflammation that has clearly developed. Perhaps it’s a fool’s hope, but I’m hoping and wishing I’ll get one Colorado run in before we leave Friday.

Elliptical:

• 5 min hands free warmup
• 12 x :30 lvl 12-16, 1-2 min hands free recovery (simulated hill reps)
• 10 min cooldown

Strength:

• 3 x 15 side plank hip dips
• 3 x 15 stability ball leg drops
• 3 x 20 plank shoulder taps
• 3 x 20 med ball hip hikes (from two-level step)
• 3 x 20 med ball Supermans
• 3 x 12 hammer curls
• 3 x 15 single arm, single leg row
• 3 x 15 dumbbell snatch
• I think I’m forgetting something here
• 5 min cooldown roll & stretch

Total training hours: 11.1

Pretty useless to log my mileage considering I had 0 this week. I am pleased with my workload, however!

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Elliptical Workouts for Injured Runners

Despite its reputation among some, the elliptical is a fantastic tool for maintaining running fitness during forced hiatuses or to amplify “mileage” without the impact. Last year I trained exclusively on the elliptical for two months while rehabbing a hip injury during my Big Sur cycle, and though I did not receive the time I at first desired, I finished respectably on a VERY tough course. Of course, if you are nursing a malady, clear any activity with a doctor first and make sure the elliptical will not aggravate the condition. All that considered, these have been my go-to workouts in several stages of various recoveries. They work me hard and increase my heartrate without bothering the healing area.

As with any workout program, I suggest inserting easy days in between if you are using the elliptical 5-6 days per week. These may either be shorter in duration and lower in effort, or leastwise lower in effort. I like to do 40-60 minutes bouncing between levels 1-4, which usually keep my heart rate in a casual range. If you need quicker sessions, subtract some reps and truncate the warmup and cooldown periods. You can still get some awesome work in for a 30-40 minute span!

When it comes to a marathon-length long run, I’m not entirely sold on matching the hours and minutes required of the longer bouts on the elliptical. Of course, you can expand this workout as needed if you desire to pass 3+ hours on the machine! I prefer on the efforts to allow greater recovery during the intervals and ensure I’m not overworking myself to the point of being unable to finish the repetitions – hence, I myself err on the side of lower resistances.

I practice A LOT of hills during my elliptical workouts since Big Sur is laden. :30-:90 is usually ample for short repetitions, and effort-wise I keep them akin to what 5k-8k would feel like running.

This is one of my favorite 5K type workouts. For the final set, wheel as slowly as you need to to recovery – the period is short so take advantage of it!