During this enforced absence from running I have come to the conclusion (and a number of people have been hinting at/ telling me) that I need to give my body a rest and review how I actually train.
Over the last 5 years I have moved from one illness or injury to another, not giving my body a chance to really recover. My times have have nose dived (and not just because I am getting older) and it has all become a bit of a vicious circle.
So I have decided to 'bight the bullet' and give myself a chance to build up and come back fitter and stronger. I will be reviewing how I train, but this does not mean I will be training easier but hopefully smarter. I need to look at things like cross training which I must admit in the past I have only considered as something to use when I can't run or indeed as something additional to my normal training!
I also need to look at targeting specific races more and tailor the training to suit, rather than try to run everything.
When I started running there was a maxim 'No pain no gain', in fact I even had a T-shirt with it printed across the chest (if I remember correctly it was a Fastrax T-shirt - Terry) and there is a lot to be said to following that rule but it has to be the correct sort of pain and not the pain of injury.
With regards to my progress from this current injury I have been using the exercise bike in the Gym for 30 mins each day, covering between 17 and 20 km. The reason for the exercise bike rather than the real thing is if I have a problem and have to stop I can do without the problems of getting back home and also because my bike is stored in that part of the garage where no body dare tread and has not seen the light of day for at least 4 years.
Over the last 5 years I have moved from one illness or injury to another, not giving my body a chance to really recover. My times have have nose dived (and not just because I am getting older) and it has all become a bit of a vicious circle.
So I have decided to 'bight the bullet' and give myself a chance to build up and come back fitter and stronger. I will be reviewing how I train, but this does not mean I will be training easier but hopefully smarter. I need to look at things like cross training which I must admit in the past I have only considered as something to use when I can't run or indeed as something additional to my normal training!
I also need to look at targeting specific races more and tailor the training to suit, rather than try to run everything.
When I started running there was a maxim 'No pain no gain', in fact I even had a T-shirt with it printed across the chest (if I remember correctly it was a Fastrax T-shirt - Terry) and there is a lot to be said to following that rule but it has to be the correct sort of pain and not the pain of injury.
With regards to my progress from this current injury I have been using the exercise bike in the Gym for 30 mins each day, covering between 17 and 20 km. The reason for the exercise bike rather than the real thing is if I have a problem and have to stop I can do without the problems of getting back home and also because my bike is stored in that part of the garage where no body dare tread and has not seen the light of day for at least 4 years.
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