Taking it easy

The running continues alongside the strength and conditioning - hello calf raises! - and it seems an opportune time to reflect on NOT OVERDOING IT! 

It's always so tempting when you enjoy exercise to push it that little bit harder because hey, you're having fun and it feels good. However it bodes well to remember these rules:

- introduce change gradually, be that terrain, duration or intensity.

- your exercise week should be 80% easy, 20% push yourself.

- if you've been increasing your training for two or three weeks it's time for an easy week to allow your body to recover and adjust.

- lack of sleep, poor diet, work stress etc all tire the body out and decrease our resilience; if you're going through a challenging, tiring time it may be advisable to ease back on your training intensity until life is easier.

My main challenge at present is pacing; I'm supposed to have three speeds to vary my training: easy, normal and fast. I tend to run at a consistent pace that varies little, a habit I've acquired from long distance walking. Time to run with someone willing to pace me!

Back on with the running shoes!

It's been a while since my last post and for most of that time I've had a fairly severe knee problem. It came on very gradually in December during an easy climbing session (and easy by my standards are the very easiest routes at the wall!) I felt what I thought was a slight calf strain and stopped climbing; the next day the whole leg was painful and difficult to flex at the knee, then the day after that the whole knee swelled up. It was Christmas time, I was busy, I decided to just rest it. January: no improvement and I began weekly physio sessions of Shockwave therapy; the physio suspected I had some loose matter irritating the joint. Things improved slowly, then went backwards - but soon improved again.

So..... six months later I have the couch to 10k plan stuck to the fridge and I have ticked off the first session! I am determined to follow the advice I give my clients; I've done months of rehab and strengthening, and having this plan to follow will hopefully stop me getting over excited and aggravating my Achilles tendon or knee. If I keep to the plan for the next four weeks my reward will be new trainers as I progress to my 10k, injury free goal :-)

On my website www.katesheridan.org there is a link to a great site called The Running Physio. This is full of excellent articles packed with advice, including this timely one that arrived in my inbox today:
http://www.running-physio.com/when/?utm_source=ReviveOldPost&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ReviveOldPost