This Sat. we went out and took on 5 miles. This is significant in that everyone one of our 40 runners where able to complete the mileage, and it was without drama or incident. 5 miles is not a short distance, and I think it's a good gauge of how dedicated our runners are. We did it right on pace as we took 1hr. 15min. to do our 15min/mile pace. Immediately afterwards, we took off our shoes and socks and did a cool down walk barefoot in the beach sand.
For those who have never tried this, it was an amazing sensation to stretch out the foot, arch and toes by walking on the cool sand. It was great therapy for the entire foot, ankle and leg. As we get into the higher mileage, this is something we all can just try as an after workout therapy. Within our group, we have a variety of minor issues, ranging from sore muscles, a bit of knee pain, shin splints, and elevated heart rate. Some of these conditions will alleviate themselves with continued consistent training and weekly workouts, as our bodies get use to this new endeavor, it will get stronger and be able to keep up and recover faster.
Some other issues are mechanical, which means getting fitted in proper running shoes by a running specialty store. Some may need more technical adjustments such as getting fitted for custom made orthotics, which are food pads which one wears inside the shoe. I wear one in each shoe whenever I run, and it has made all the difference. I have very flat feet and suffered from plantar fasciitis which became very painful whenever I tried running over 10 miles. It would spread the pain all the way into my knees and eventually, I could barely walk.
With the custom made footpads in my shoes, I have been able to run over 10 marathons without any pain or discomfort in the feet or my knees. Now, this was my specific situation, and I'm fortunate that the solution was this simple, but I still have to make sure I have a good pair of running shoes, and I go through about 2 and a half pairs during the training season. Again, I am not an expert, and this was my personal situation, but it does serve as an example of how going to an expert has helped in my case.
As we start to build up the distance, be aware of the changes going on within your system. Note the aches and pains, and monitor them to see if they are short term or are they becoming more chronic. We all will get sore muscles when we over do anything, but that is different than a pulled muscle or more serious injury. So take it easy as we get started here, and build up your endurance and strength slowly, do not overdo your workouts....the old "no pain - no gain" mantra does not apply here. If things do not improve, back down, and get professional evaluation. You can not wish away injuries.
Take care and have a great week,
Walt
Some possible helpful links:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Running+Shoes+Store&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA
For those who have never tried this, it was an amazing sensation to stretch out the foot, arch and toes by walking on the cool sand. It was great therapy for the entire foot, ankle and leg. As we get into the higher mileage, this is something we all can just try as an after workout therapy. Within our group, we have a variety of minor issues, ranging from sore muscles, a bit of knee pain, shin splints, and elevated heart rate. Some of these conditions will alleviate themselves with continued consistent training and weekly workouts, as our bodies get use to this new endeavor, it will get stronger and be able to keep up and recover faster.
Some other issues are mechanical, which means getting fitted in proper running shoes by a running specialty store. Some may need more technical adjustments such as getting fitted for custom made orthotics, which are food pads which one wears inside the shoe. I wear one in each shoe whenever I run, and it has made all the difference. I have very flat feet and suffered from plantar fasciitis which became very painful whenever I tried running over 10 miles. It would spread the pain all the way into my knees and eventually, I could barely walk.
With the custom made footpads in my shoes, I have been able to run over 10 marathons without any pain or discomfort in the feet or my knees. Now, this was my specific situation, and I'm fortunate that the solution was this simple, but I still have to make sure I have a good pair of running shoes, and I go through about 2 and a half pairs during the training season. Again, I am not an expert, and this was my personal situation, but it does serve as an example of how going to an expert has helped in my case.
As we start to build up the distance, be aware of the changes going on within your system. Note the aches and pains, and monitor them to see if they are short term or are they becoming more chronic. We all will get sore muscles when we over do anything, but that is different than a pulled muscle or more serious injury. So take it easy as we get started here, and build up your endurance and strength slowly, do not overdo your workouts....the old "no pain - no gain" mantra does not apply here. If things do not improve, back down, and get professional evaluation. You can not wish away injuries.
Take care and have a great week,
Walt
Some possible helpful links:
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Running+Shoes+Store&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA
Plus a great article about running and pacing:
http://runninginjuryfree.org/2008/08/blog-post.html
Check out this video about the Roadrunners:
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