How many of you out there have begun training for a 5k this Spring? A 10k? How about the big one – the Marathon? Or the Iron Man, even? Yeah…me too!
I have said before, I am partial to indoor training – Pilates and Spin and Elliptical – but now that I am running a Half Marathon this spring, I have taken it to the streets. My biggest worry, truly, is that I am not used to outdoor winter training…I haven’t run a big race in a few years now. I wonder if there are things I should know about warming up and hydrating that are different this time of year. Are there special tactics I need to employ with the terrain – it’s harder, colder, icier, slicker.
The reason this concerns me so is because running this Half is a personal goal I am determined to achieve this year, so I want to do everything right leading up to it. I want to take every precaution so that I am in the best possible position to complete the run, and am healthy and uninjured when the time comes. Most fitness professionals agree that “overtraining,” being lax with your stretching, and wearing ill-fitting shoes can set one up for injury, so I have been careful not to increase my miles any more than 10% per week and to take breaks between training days so that my body can rest for a day or two. And I try very hard to diligently stretch after each run.
Still – even taking the most conservative of precautions, many of us experience injury and then get out there to soon without properly treating the problem area. Other times, people throw in the towel and assume they shouldn’t even bother trying to make that 5k or 10k or marathon happen. But we know from experience, and from countless emails and Tweets we have received, that BRD Sport braces will get you out there again.
I am having a great time learning this new training regimen, and most of all I am enjoying being out there training for not only will be a great achievement in my life, but also thrilling on a personal level. I couldn’t be more excited to be running this Half Marathon with my Dad….talk about motivation to stay healthy and safe and on target for a great personal showing this Spring!