I have finished my first week of consecutive running. I have a bit of a system down now and it is looking more and more like a routine. I’ve been running with both Zombies, Run! and RunKeeper apps going simultaneously. Zombies runs for the game content and music (it’s quite motivational and fun) and RunKeeper tracks my stats (which you can see on my “Running” page by clicking on the tab at the top of my blog’s homepage).
Some things I’ve noticed this week are as follows. My shins are not happy with me, but I have learned a few extra stretches to calm them. I’m also taking aspirin before my runs (instead of after) and I’m icing them after my post-run stretch for about 5 minutes. It seems to be the foot strike that fires them up, as they don’t bother me at all on the elliptical. I ran 1/3 mile before walking today. That’s about as far as I can go before the shins become almost unbearable. I’m new to all of this so I’m not sure where the line between pain and injury is drawn. I feel like my calves and shins are getting stronger, but there are times after running, and occasionally in the mornings out of bed, that they ache. I’m calling it an adjustment period and plan to go on my way.
I’ve also noticed that I can run longer and harder on the elliptical than on foot. My legs don’t tire as quickly and I can keep my heart rate up for longer periods of time. Running outside is my primary goal, especially with the weather so nice, but I think I can make good use of the elliptical as a way to “rest” my shins a bit while still getting a good cardio workout.
Setting my own pace is crucial. I am not competing with anyone directly, which is admittedly an opportunity for me to slack off, but I am adamant about improving from week to week and I’ll be damned if those zombies catch me! While my runs are currently a combination of short bursts of running with longer periods of walking recovery, I am working on increasing the frequency and length of my runs. Right now I consider everything to be practice. This month is a baseline. Whatever happens happens since I am just starting back up and letting my body adjust to this change. Since I’m already doing burst running, I might break out the ol’ Couch to 10K app and add a bit of structure in the weeks to come. For now, my goal is very simple: Run as often as I can for as long as I can stopping only when I need to.
Even now I’m looking ahead to future challenges. I want to run a 5K and a 10K and some day a half and full marathon. At this point I am confident I could finish a 5K if I entered one tomorrow, but I want to be able to run most of it, so that is still a future milestone. Reading posts on Fitocracy and other runner blogs I know I will need to consider nutrition, pacing, and other long-distance running strategies. For now though, I’m happy to run 1.5-3 miles a day. That puts me at running a marathon (26.2 miles) in just over 2 weeks (!). I will see progress as my average weekly mileage goes up and my average weekly pace goes down.
Are you wearing normal running shoes, or toe shoes?
I’m wearing Vibram Five Fingers, though I tend to wear sneakers on the elliptical since there’s no foot strike involved.