Olympics

I have been following the Olympics along with many sports fans and have been inspired by Team GB's performances. I am particularly interested in running, so it was amazing to see Keely Hodgkinson win gold in the 800m.

I have been dedicating a lot of time and effort to my own training regimen. Balancing training with work and home responsibilities can be challenging, and I often feel tired and sore for days after intense workouts. However, I am fully aware that my training efforts pale in comparison to the immense dedication and sacrifices made by Olympic athletes to reach the pinnacle of their sport and achieve success on the world stage.

I will never become an Olympic athlete, but I can still learn some valuable lessons.

1) Consistent training leads to improvement over time.

2) Not everyone can win gold, but every participant adds value to the competition.

3) Persistence is key - never give up on your goals!

#Olympics, #KeelyHodkinson, #Gold, #800m, #Goals, #Training, #Running

New start

This week I started a new training plan, new shoes, new insoles, new socks and a new strength plan at the gym. I also have a new running vest which I will be trying out soon.

My new goal is the Run Through Carsington Water Half Marathon on Saturday 16th October. 

I've also booked to do the The Malton10k  - "Le Sans Arret" on Sunday 15th September. This race starts at a very civilised 10.45 so no early start required. After the run there is live music, Sunday market, street food and entertainment. There is also a fun run option with food and drink stops along the way!

My new Topo shoes, combined with toe socks and supportive insoles are working well so far. I haven't done any long runs in them yet, but so far so good.

I have lost a bit of running fitness over the last few months while I've been recovering from my injury but I hope to gain that back quickly. I've got some help at the gym with a more targeted approach to my strength days. I previously did the JD classes as my strength workouts plus occasional home workouts provided by my running coach. I now have a new programme which I aim to do twice a week using the gyms strength equipment with a few 1-1's with coach @sophiebtye. I'll mix this up with my running coaches strength sessions and an occasional class.

#injinji #topo #running #newstart #strength #carsingtonwater #runthrough #visitmalton #sophiebtye @jdgymsdoncaster 

It starts with the feet

There is lots of free information on YouTube and the internet, I don't know how we all managed before the world wide web.

I've read so many articles and watched a lot of videos which show exercises and stretches to deal with my snapping hip and weak glutes. It's easy to become overwhelmed and end up reading and watching but not actually doing what is necessary.

Another useful snippet I picked up somewhere was to look at my feet. After all if the foundations aren't good then the rest of the structure is always going to be a problem!

I do have quite low arches, they aren't flat, but definitely low. It has caused me problems in the past when doing long walks and I solved it by putting insoles in my walking boots. It never occurred to me to change the insoles in my running shoes. Looking at my current, well used, pair of running shoes, there is definite wear to the outside edge which is more pronounced on my snapping hip and injured side.

So I've invested in a pair of RunPro Currex Dynamic Insoles. The box claims they will enhance recovery, reduce injuries and increase performance.

I've also enlisted the help of a personal trainer at the gym. After discussing what I need, she is going to put together a programme for me. I need the accountability and structure to make me do it. I'm very much a facts and figures person and need to see steady measurable progress. I'm hoping this will be a big help and fill a gap in my training.

I have now started doing a little bit of running and can do so without any pain. So I'm building back up slowly - I started with 1 min, then 2, then 4, 8, 16 etc.  

Injury

 

Two weeks before I planned to run a half marathon at Carsington Water, I've injured myself. I was initially annoyed by this but I've now pulled myself together and I'm using this as a lesson on how to improve.

                     

This is how the injury developed:  I was doing great and was really pleased with my progress. I had only missed a couple of training sessions over the 3 month plan and I could tell that my fitness was increasing. I was doing my last long run before tapering for the half marathon. The run was going well until the last 3 or 4 miles, I was getting tired and my legs felt fatigued, so I walked the last bit (I couldn’t run in the woods anyway due to the slippery mud). I didn’t slip or do anything unusual. The next day was rest day, then I did a strength class and cross-training as usual and was fine. The next day I went out for a sprint session and felt a bit stiff/sore in the groin area while doing the warm up jog, but this eased when I got going. I did warm up before going out 😉. I did a few sprints but it didn’t feel right, so I didn’t push as hard as I would normally. After doing a few more sprints, I knew I wasn’t right so came home, doing a bit of light jogging en-route. The next day I really knew I had done something. It hurt if I lifted my left knee, crossed my legs or stepped forward to run putting weight on my left leg. I couldn't run, even for a minute.  It was painful to turn over in bed and I wouldn't have been able to drive if I hadn't got an automatic car.

I went to see a physio who said I'd got adductor tendonitis/bursitis of the Iliopsoa (hip flexor) muscles. What I think has happened is that the exercises in the class at the gym change slightly each week and we did one where you shuffle side to side, then touch the floor with your hand, switch and go the opposite way. This puts a strain on the inner thigh. Doing this particular exercise on top of the increased distance and sprinting I’ve been doing, has strained the muscle and irritated the tendon. The physio also pointed out that I have an exaggerated curve to my lower back, anterior pelvic tilt and weak glutes and I'm compensating for this by using other muscles. I've spent 37 years sat at a desk which is the worst thing you can do for your glutes!

I also have internal snapping hip syndrome. I've had this for as long as I've been running. When I warm up and swing my leg front to back or stretch my left leg in certain positions, I feel a pop deep within my groin/hip. This is caused by the tendon from the Ilipsoa muscle flicking across the front of the hip joint. It hasn't been a problem up until now and it wasn't painful, but it is a symptom of something not working as it should.

It has taken 2 week for the pain to go away during normal daily activities - in that time I've done some targeted stretching, trigger point massages, light strengthening exercises and low-impact cross training.

Next I need to ramp up the exercises to strengthen all the glute muscles, hip flexors and core.  At the moment I can't do a single leg bridge so when I can do those, I'll know I'm improving!

Winter Training

I've found Winter training to be pretty challenging at times. I've had to deal with the cold, icy paths, frozen water, wet feet and mud!

I'm currently on holiday in beautiful Cornwall and don't have access to my usual training facilities. So I ended up doing some sprint intervals on the beach and unfortunately got caught in a hail storm. I got a few sideways glances from the few locals who were out walking their dogs! I was only wearing a t-shirt and thin waterproof jacket (as well aa trousers, hat and gloves!) and the hailstones were quite painful due to the strong winds. As I was only going to be out for a short while and I was quite near to the car, I didn't want to wear lots of layers - I'm always hot while running and especially while sprinting!

Despite the bad holiday weather, I managed to complete a few long runs including a 10-mile easy run along the Camel Train from Padstow to Wadebridge and back. The photo shows the Little Petherick Creek Bridge, a former railway bridge which crosses the Camel Estuary just outside Padstow. Although the weather looks beautiful in the photo, it was actually very windy, and I almost lost my beanie hat while crossing the bridge. I wore my rain proof jacket - for the wind rather than the rain, but the top of the jacket flapped in the wind and kept hitting me in the face and the hood acted as a sail! The sound of the wind running through the bridges steelwork was quite eerie.

Despite the obstacles, I'm hoping that my continued training throughout the winter will pay off in the summer.

Next event: Carsington Water Half Marathon, Saturday 20th April 2024

Hill Repeats

Last week I was doing speed intervals on the flat, today I've been doing hill repeats. After a warm up and an easy jog I arrived at my hill (see photo). Starting about half way up, I had to run for 30 seconds up as fast as possible and then walk back down for a minute, repeating that 10 times. Not so long ago I couldn't have run up a hill at all, so I was pleased to find that I could actually sprint up a hill. I'm not saying it was easy, I was tired at the end of it and glad to get it over with, but I still managed an easy 10 minute cool down jog afterwards. My heart rate which is always high wasn't too bad considering what I was doing, with a max of 183bpm (I can get it up to low 190's doing a Parkrun!). My legs were definitely the weakest link.

#firelighter #fitness #heartrate #parkrun #running #training #hillrepeats #sprinting #runningandmovementhub #coach #speedintervals

Carsington Water Half Marathon

Saturday 2nd December 2023 Carsington Water Half Marathon:

I completed the half marathon in 03:04:17 chip time. Just over what I was aiming for but taking into account the conditions I am happy with that. It didn’t get above 0 degrees all day. The paths were icy in places so I didn’t want to run across it and risk slipping and injuring myself. I saw one guy slip over and one lady was turning back because she had fallen over. Even the water at the drinks station had ice in it! I started off with a run 3, walk 2 but ended up walking where there was ice and running where I could.

I was 376^th out of 384 runners

109^th Female out of 113 runners

9^th in my age category

                                                                         

I'm sure a lot of people didn’t turn up because it was so cold.  The total number of runners for the 10k and half marathon was 654 - there was supposed to be 1000 attendees so that is a whopping 346 no-shows! 

Despite remembering to tape my toes up this time, I still got a blister on my big toe which was the only one I didn’t tape up - it was caused by the tape on the adjoining toe! 

I was knackered at the end of the run – my legs were tired and my butt muscles were complaining!  I need to work on my strength and stamina.  Lots more work to do…

runthrough.co.uk #runthrough #running #firelighter #halfmarathon #medal