Local Marathoner Likes to Do Long Runs on Saturdays So She Can Keep Sundays Free for Doing Nothing, Being Sore
/
depositphotos.com
A local marathoner prefers to do her long runs on Saturdays, Dumb Runner has learned, freeing her Sundays up for things like lying in bed, lying on the couch, and being sore.
Marathon training plans traditionally call for Sunday long runs, perhaps with a short, easy run or total rest the day before.
“It’s nice to get it done early in the weekend,” Abigail Van Buren, 33, a longtime runner and veteran of five marathons said by phone last Sunday. “When you know you have a long run on Sunday, it sort of kills your Saturday nights, because you have to rest up.”
“This way, I’ve got my long run in the bank by noon on Saturday, which means I’ve got all day Sunday to do whatever I want.”
That typically means sleeping late, gingerly getting out of bed, limping around her one-bedroom apartment, and ordering food, Van Buren said, with breaks to massage her sore calves and quadriceps muscles.
“Also, I watch TV,” she added.
Van Buren, who vowed she’ll “never go back” to Sunday long runs, said she feels sorry for friends who insist on running long on Sunday mornings.
“While they’re out on Saturdays having brunch, taking walks, catching movies, shopping, or whatever, I’m getting my long run in,” she said. “It’s so liberating.”
At last report, Van Buren was preparing to take a second nap on her couch.
