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| 200km run, 14 hours spent running, 15000 calories burned! |
I battled through pain this month and I've begun seeing a physiotherapist and massage therapist regularly. My feet have recovered from the damage I sustained in December from the new pair of shoes I bought. The only nagging pain I have left is my tricky IT Band and I'm trying as hard as I can to keep that under control. I'm doing a solid 30 minute core workout 3 times a week now.
I didn't run a single race this month and I've done as many workouts with my team as I could (1/week currently). The miles are starting to build and I am getting awfully tired of the poor footing on sidewalks in London. Springbank park is a blessing in the winter...why does it have to be 20minutes away by car? :(
My mileage graph above shows a steady increase since my heaviest month last October and if everything goes to plan in February I'll top 240-260 km in 4 weeks. It all depends on my IT Band....so it better behave!
Looking forward, I have a 10km Road Race planned at the very end of the month. It's in London and all proceeds go towards supporting the London And Area Running Association, a not-for-profit organization in London. It should be fun to see what kind of time I can drop in -20C weather on snowy roads with very little speed work under my belt. To make the day even more fun, it's Melanie's very first 10km road race and she's excited to get one under her belt as she tunes up for her Half Marathon in May!
Hey Andre, I've noticed you really do log a ton of kms. I imagine you must have a will of steal I ran on the treadmill yesterday and did 3.5miles at speed 7. I was ready to puke! So I was wondering is their a right and wrong way of running. I try to keep my shoulders relaxed, stop my arms from crossing in front of my chest and generally try to keep my breathing calm. And I tell my legs to just keep moving. I guess what I'm asking you is for some advice, I'm not actually a big fan of running but I feel like a need a goal to work towards. I can't afford the swimming fees to complete a triathlon (even though I think I could do it). Running is affordable, but should I go for a half marathon or just race 5k? My cardio is pretty good but I just don't seem to be very mechanically efficient at running. (ps How much does Mel run and does she do any other cross training?)
ReplyDeleteHey Nat! I'm excited to hear you want to set a running specific goal. I have confidence in your ability to run 'mechanically well' due in large part to your very well rounded cross training you do. I imagine your core is very strong and it is this that will ensure you stay a healthy and happy runner.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to give a runner only one bit of advice it would be to strengthen your core and ensure you engage it while you run. I've fallen prey to many injuries over the years and through self observation and many physiotherapists I've come to learn that most of my problems stem from my weak core.
With that in mind, I say you are in great shape, and that the training required for a 5km road race would be a breeze for you. You've already done 3.5 miles which is just a hair over 5km, so you know you can cover the distance. Challenge now is how fast can you do it in? :D
Melanie is currently up to 30km/week in her training. In the winter she tries to do as much XC Skiing as her schedule permits, which has not been much this year (it's been far too cold on most weekends). In the summer she does about 20-30km per week of mountain biking to keep her knees from getting too banged up and she is a devout yoga practitioner. She's also followed my suit lately and begun doing 3 core workouts a week to help her running form, especially as she works up to her longer runs.
You could register yourself for a 5km as early as march and if that goes well, aim to do a 10km in April/May? I love racing and I know you will too...the runner's high you get after completing a race is like nothing else.
If you'd like a few other tips I cover some in this blog post: http://irunlikeme.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-train-for-5km10km-race.html