From Running Times online…
Maintaining Fitness When Life Gets in the Way
Life is short, don't let it disrupt your running goals
By Tim Gargiulo
As featured in the JanFeb 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine
It's happened to everyone: Just when your running really starts to click, life intervenes. Work unexpectedly gets crazy, there's a family crisis, or something else suddenly surfaces that means your running is going to be significantly compromised for the next however many weeks or months. How are you going to maintain adequate, although likely reduced, fitness so that when things return to normal you're not back to square one with your running?
Fortunately, it can be done. A temporary reduction in your training doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have to scrap whatever goals you were working towards. The length of time that your training is going to be limited will determine the best way to preserve your fitness. Studies have shown that endurance athletes can reduce their training volume by as much as 50 percent of their average normal weekly total and still maintain roughly the same level of fitness for up to three weeks. This is what allows you to taper before a key competition yet still be in peak condition on race day. So if your interruption will last three weeks or less, you should be able to reduce your mileage even in half and still not see a noticeable drop in your level of fitness if you include the right types of workouts.
Read on here.
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