I'm a bit late with the posting, but I wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and for those of you who may not celebrate, I hope that you are enjoying some time to yourself, or with some friends/family.
I officially have another week of training under my belt, but I didn't get in all of the required mileage that week. That was because I took an extra rest day, which I really needed. I've been noticing in my training plan that I've been having to skip a short run here every few weeks, partially due to the need for an extra rest day. Sometimes, life does get in the way, but I definitely needed that extra rest day last week. This was because I had a breakthrough in my skating, and decided it was better for me to focus on that. Plus, I worked hard in my gymnastics class on upper body strength later in the day. I thought I would be okay with running the 3 miles the next day, but I did have some soreness in both my shoulder and left hip, and just general fatique from working my butt off in skating and gymnastics the day before. So, as much as I wanted to get that run in, my body was balking at the idea. So, I decided it was best to listen to my body, let it take an extra rest day. I know that missing a few miles here and there is not going to kill me, especially with getting in the long runs (which I did do). I am still trying to get in all of my runs as much as possible, but sometimes, my body just needs the break.
Fortunately, the weather has gotten decent again for runs outside, so I'm not completely confined to the treadmill. I really hope that I can continue to run outside, whenever possible. If I can continue to run outside, that will make things easier than doing everythign on a treadmill. Past experience has told me that if I do a good chunk of my training on the treadmill, it takes a bit of time to get re-use to running outside again. I know that on the treadmill, you can change the incline and all that (and incline intervals are a good way to change things up), but it's still a very flat surface, which feels a lot different than being on the road.
One other thing I have started working with some is a foam roller. I had tried them in the past, but didn't see a lot of benefit to them. However, I decided to give them another a few days ago, and found that I liked it! It's kinda having a bit of massage, but you hit upon those "It hurts so good" spots where you might have some developing tight areas. Supposedly, if done right, foam rolling can serve as a type of myofascial release, which can help prevent injuries. What is kinda nice is you can totally control the pressure given to the spot, and is way cheaper than going to a massage therapist (although, don't get me wrong, full body massages are freaking awesome).
As for the kinds of foam rollers, my gym only has two different varieties...a white foam roller and two black ones. The two black ones feel a bit harder than the white. So far, I like the black ones the best, as I feel like I can put more pressure onto them without feeling like it's bending. I usually don't have tight hamstrings or anything like that, but I am the pressure just feels good. If I go onto my stomach, and support myself like in a plank position, I found that I can get the my quads, if I sorta push and pull myself on the foam roller. I may occasionally do my IT band area, although I generally don't have problems there. I also use it with my back (hands behind me for support), and I want to figure out a better way to roll out my shoulder areas. I also want to try ones with different textures/grooves to see how I like those.
In the meantime, I will keep using what is available to me, and keep plugging away at these miles. Some of these runs may be faster than others, but as long as I continue to keep getting the job done, that's all that matters.
Happy Running!
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