I had my first fall last night. I was about a quarter mile into my run when my sneaker got caught on a mound of dirt which sent me like a projectile forward. I scraped my knee and my elbow pretty badly. It was weird.. I sat there on the floor for a few minutes. I checked my Garmin watch to make sure it wasn't broken. I was upset that there was a hole in the elbow of my new running jacket which has cost a ton. Then I got up.. was getting ready to walk back but then I turned around and kept going. I just wanted to run and I felt like I was wasting it by just 'giving up'. It wasn't the best idea but somehow I finished my 3 mile route. :( Went to my friends room afterwards and told him I fell and he went with me to my room to patch me up.
Now I'm limping all over the place. Looks like I might be off the road for a bit.. Hopefully not too long since I have a race on Oct 17th. We'll see.. I'm considering still going to the gym and maybe just doing the elliptical and some super low impact stuff.
Going to definitely do some yoga tonight. Need to release the tension I feel in my body.. especially in my arms. Plus.. I think I need some peaceful activity after last night.
Hi there, this is a fellow Sparker from the "How far did you run today?" thread. I just wanted to offer you some encouragement and say that you're doing great! All runner fanatics start somewhere, and as Coach Nancy likes to mention, runners need time to develop neuromuscular/skeletal adaptations for running. You WILL make progress! But give yourself time and keep going :)
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking to build speed, it's a good idea to consider interval training, tempo runs, or speed drills. Speed drills develop fast twitch muscle response, while tempo runs and interval training condition your cardiovascular system for a faster pace.
In my opinion, though, focusing on endurance first seems like the better option. Practicing more often--up to 6x a week--also helps. Even if you don't run the same distance every day (inserting an easy run in there is always a good idea), your body will "learn" more quickly with more frequent repetition. Just be careful not to exceed the 10% weekly mileage bump. It becomes pretty easy to unknowingly exceed that limit when you run 6/7 days.
Good luck! And take care of yourself :) You will do great on race day.