Run training - durablity/recovery issues

[mustriharder]

Hi all,

After receiving great advice from this forum I thought I would post a question/problem being faced by a training partner of mine to see if you guys could input.
Stats - guy age 36,  6ft 2, 75kg, good AGer i.e. a few podiums at sprint and Oly distance, 5K run time low 17 mins
The problem is that he is trying to improve (arent we all!) and races sprint and occasionally Oly distance.  He is naturally fast (good sprinter at school) but struggles more on the endurance side and in particular with run training durability.
i.e. it takes him a long time to recover from run training. 
He will get very sore calves/quads and be unable to run and sometimes bike properly for 2 days following a training run.  It doesnt seem to matter if the run is speedwork or just easy - it still seems to hurt him.
At the moment due to this his weekly volume is low - probably one speedwork session, and a couple of 30-40 min runs a week but he doesnt feel like he can do more than that as when he does run it seems to wreck him! 

Do you have any tips to help recovery from runs - he is thinking of icing his legs which I dont think is a good plan (I am more a fan of heat).  He wants to be able to run more as he wants to get quicker but maybe thats not the way forward for him.  At the moment he heats his calves with a wheat bag and uses the foam roller to roll them after running but that seems to produce very little relief.
I wonder if you guys have worked with people with similar issues?  Any tips i.e. changing shoes/running very short distance i.e 20 mins every day/or anything he can be doing swim or bike wise that could help?

Thanks again!

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey mustriharder!

This is the type of situation where there could be several factors involved that you did not mention.
And to help, lots of questions would need to be asked.

Anyway, here goes:

Considering his size and sprint back ground.
He maybe OVER-striding and have a poorly efficient run style that just falls apart when going long.

Including some walk/run workouts is also a sure way to gently build endurance.
As you can be sure the pounding is less consistent and broken up.

Running every other day can help as well to do hill repeats versus traditional "speed work"
As it will reduce the impact of the ground.
And force a shorter/faster turn over.

It also be a good idea to include short/ez recovery workouts after his key runs.
And I mean really EZ and SLOW to get the blood flowing and help with the recovery process.
Versus sitting around or going out and trying to get fit some more.

And then of course some athletes are just not built for long distance or for short distances.
The STALLIONS versus the DONKEY scenario...

[mustriharder]

Thanks Matt

Actually yes I realise I ommitted some other info that might help...and without seeing the person running its difficult to judge what the issue might be!

Other info;
Background before tri - lightweight rowing for 15+ years (high level - i.e.went to world champs), started tri 3-4 years ago when gave up rowing - so has a good engine!
Shoes - he wears lightweight racer style shoes i.e. not cushioned/supportive for all runs

I wonder if sometimes there is a similar situation for ex swimmers who move into tri - i.e. good engine but legs cant cope with the pounding of running.

Stride length wise he doesnt 'look' outwardly like he is overstriding - in fact based on his size I would say almost the opposite!
In terms of easy sessions post running - would a short spin on the bike be appropriate or even just a walk?
I like the idea of hills vs speedwork - I guess doing offroad stuff might also help as at the moment all his runs are on road.
Shoe wise - how about moving to a more stable/supportive shoe? 

Thanks for the ideas so far!

[doc]

only run every other day
drop speed work  and just run  as he feels when good pick it up when average just hold when terrible and its run day just shuffle
he soon be fine

[DamienC]

Try rolling a hard rubber ball (about the size of a tennis ball) with the sole of his feet, 30sec each side.  Do that 3times for each side, 3times a day, and again before and after every run and cycle session.  I suffer from very similar issues, and have found this to help.  I bought a "B4Play" ball, which is dimpled, and this has helped even more.