6 weeks into the Big Vert plan: tough on my lower limbs

My body has handled the workouts OK — they’ve felt easy — but my training’s been stop-start as I’ve been plagued with niggles and minor injuries: three calf and two knee tweaks that have each meant taking off at least a day and adapting the plan (removing workouts).

This is probably because I’m trying three new things at once:

1. more elevation
2. muscular endurance (ME) workouts
3. steep hill sprints

I didn’t think the increased elevation would be a problem. It doesn’t feel tough when I’m doing it. My long runs now are much easier than the flatter ones I used to do. But it’s tougher on my lower legs especially.

Should I drop the ME workouts for a while and just concentrate on getting the elevation and miles in?

The thing is, I’m improving in the ME workouts — I’m doing the exercises noticeable faster. But any small niggle going into these workouts gets exasperated into a flow blown tweak in a way that just going for a run never does. And then I have to take a day off.

I could also just plug the ME exercises into a strength workout in a watered down fashion. Just to get used to them.

Either way, I have to listen my body more when doing ME workouts, like I used to when doing heavy squats and deadlifts, stopping at any hint of out-of-place pain.

The other day, for instance, I noticed my left glute tired and sore when doing step ups. I ploughed on, though, and shortly after the inside of my knee was hurt. Was this caused by the glute being restricted and not working properly? Perhaps. Perhaps I should have cut the workout short at that point.

The hill sprints are OK. But they’re adding fatigue. The other day on my long run a day after the sprints I tweaked my calf. I can’t help but think that the load of the sprints from the day before contributed to this injury. I was also pushing the pace into Z2 on the uphill. Something unnecessary if I’m trying to do the bare minimum to stay healthy.

Perhaps in future I should have an easy day in between hill sprints and the long runs. When I get used to the sprints, they may be an activation type workout, but at the moment they are still too new. I feel good doing them and can go at full pace, but it might be too much. I could also go them at 70% for a while.

Anyway, my idea for this first cycle was to get used to the plan and try out the workouts. I’m doing that at least. I’ll try to persevere with the new stuff, perhaps at more spaced out intervals.