haha! hey whats a mezzo run? i agree that the different views here are good and discussions are good. getting emotional is tough to stop. we all are an experiment of n=1 and have to find what works for us.
Due to my love of insipid categorization, I invented four categories of run: micro (<1 mi), mini (1-3 mi), mezzo (3-6/8 mi), and macro (>6/8 mi). I haven't decided exactly where the cut-off between mezzo and macro runs is yet, because my conditioning is improving rapidly lately, but basically a mezzo run, for me, is kind of a standard, average run 30-60 minutes or so. Last February while I was rehabbing my ITBS, I tried doing a micro run on my non-running days, to see if keeping my legs loose during my rest days would help. And it did I think. That led me to come up with the concept of 'underuse' injuries. I think running too little can sometimes be just as injurious as running too much.
And don't let my turgid prose and lack of emoticons mislead you. I'm almost never emotionally involved in any of this. I'm from a lower middle class background, so writing didn't come easy to me in college, and since I spend most of my time writing technical academic stuff, I end up writing in that register a lot here as well. I'm not good enough to switch styles. Just read almost everything I write as being self-sardonic and always potentially ironic. I'm a geek trapped in a jock's body, so irony is second-nature.
As for Maf, let me repeat, once again, for the record, that I'm not anti-Maffetone or anything like that. While I don't believe running at a sub-aerobic pace makes much sense, based on my scant knowledge of physiology, and experiences in long-distance cycling and high-altitude hiking, I know you, Chris, Mokaman, Ely Dave, and other runners I respect quite a bit have benefitted a lot from this kind of training. Still, if someone asks about it and expresses their frustration with it, or simply doesn't enjoy running that way, then I feel a certain obligation to tell them there are other ways of getting to the same place, and they should check them out to see if they're more their cup of tea. OK, I promise, that's all I'll ever say about that ever again . . . I hope.
btw. injured means you can no longer function physically. a day off yesterday and i ran 4.69m. today. i always laugh when i see that number. i'm so childish. i forgot i was running downhill after hyper extending my ankle and saw some surveyors on the next trail. i looked at them and saw the root sticking out of the ground from the corner of my eye, but i decided it needed to be kicked anyhow. i kicked it pretty damn hard. thought i broke the skin but nothing. about 30s rest and kept on going. ya, it was the same right foot too.
I was just giving you crap about the injury stuff. If you weren't such a funny guy, and such a free-spirit, I wouldn't take the liberty, because I know how frustrating nagging injuries can be. But I know you have a thick skin like I do, and enjoying giving people sh!t. In fact, I think you're a self-confessed troll, are you not?
my pf is getting slightly better. i know i have a weak post. tibialis. working on that. it's created a lot of problems but doesn't stop me from anything. no stretching for this clown, just rolling, mashing, and drinking to deal with the knots.
I hope the pf continues to improve. I've never had that so I don't know what's involved, but seems like it might not hurt to give stretching a try. I'm convinced I never would've had ITBS if I had been more vigilant about stretching. Right now I'm even working on getting back to doing the splits. It's amazing how good being limber makes me feel.