I’d better confess that I’ve taken it very easy since running the half marathon distance two weeks ago!
The week that followed was mostly spent chilling out with my sister and I really did enjoy the rest! I only ran once that week (a slow 5k) and I was quite sore throughout it even though it was a good few days after the 21k. So I decided to take a week or so off running and just let my body recover for a bit.
My sister Cathy and I did fit in a lovely cliff walk in Howth with our dad. We covered 10k walking and it was really enjoyable. I didn’t think it would be too hard considering the fact that I run but I was so surprised by how tiring the hills were. Let’s hope the Tinahealy half marathon is a flat course!!
So this week I was looking forward to getting back to training. Recently I have been looking up tips online on the best way to run. I had never given any thought to how I run before and it just dawned on me that I land on my heels. I read this wasn’t a good idea and that it’s best to run on the balls of your feet. So off I went for a 5k trying to run on the balls of my feet, it was uncomfortable to say the least but I stuck with it and hoped it would get easier as I got used to it but it just didn’t feel right or natural at all!
Not surprisingly I ended up straining a muscle in my calf and was pretty sore the next day. A good friend of mine then sent me some information on running and it made so much more sense than what I’d read. What I took from it is that we should run the way that feels best to us but that landing on your full foot is the best way to avoid injury. So I’m trying that at the moment and it seems to suit me so far. There were lots of other tips such as belly breathing and focusing on the horizon while running so I’m working on using those too. Will keep you posted on the progress!
