Steady away

So after attending the running workshop it’s fair to say that this has impacted how I think about training and nutrition a fair bit. I’m trying to do more of my shorter runs (up to one hour) before eating to kick start my body into burning fats, making it more efficient in preparation for such a big physical effort. The other big difference is checking in on my heart rate a little more often than I have done before. The result of this is that I am actually working less vigorously but for a longer time keeping my heart rate in that all important zone two.

I managed an 11 mile run last weekend which was better than I’d anticipated after really struggling with my back all week so I’m pleased to get a few more miles in my legs. My longer run was mainly solo again which I wasn’t looking forward too but my lovely husband agreed to keep me company for the first half an hour which was a welcome novelty. This time for the first time I tried navigating a more interesting run on my own (after a frantic google maps session the night before and scribbling a vague plan on a piece of note paper)- my current watch doesn’t have a navigation tool which hadn’t been an issue until now. It felt good running at a slower but strong pace and I even managed to get some dreaded hills in, keeping my form in check rather than being bent double and almost crawling up some of the more aggressive inclines. I’d had 10 miles in mind for this run but as I approached home I was at around 10.6 so in true runners style I just had to run around the block to hit 11. Everything had gone well and although my hips and lower back were pretty tight (standard practice for me) I felt ok. Lesson learned AGAIN- cool down properly. I got home and we were rushing to go out again so I was showering, cooking some quick scrambled eggs (whilst simultaneously doing some token kitchen stretching) and tidying up so after being sat in the car for an hour immediately afterwards I felt like someone had locked my knee joints. You really can’t overlook the importance of a good dynamic pre run warm up and taking time afterwards to properly cool down and stretch out your body you won’t escape the after effects.  The effects have been longer lasting with the back of my thighs being really quite sore at the beginning of the week so bouts of yoga and back to the despised foam roller to help alleviate things.

I didn’t let this hold me back though as I managed an early morning spin session at the beginning of the week and although the instructor had devised a new, tougher routine I felt really strong all the way through so hope this is signalling a real upwards trend in my fitness.

I’m hoping to make it to my second outing with the athletics club tonight, this time armed with a friendly face who I did quite a few of my longer training runs with last year. Wish me luck!