So I’ve decided to properly reset and go again from today. I’m feeling miles better now, but still have some leftovers from whatever the hell was wrong for me for around 7 weeks. The plan is to slowly build up the base miles again but, before that, the aim is to make use of our home gym for some workouts that don’t involve running on hard ground out in the cold when I’m just getting ‘back on my feet’.
Tonight, I started off with 5 minutes of walking on the treadmill, followed by some dynamic stretching and then some piriformis stretches. Next, it was 20 minutes on the cross trainer followed by 20 minutes running at 8 mins per mile on the treadmill. I then did some walking on the treadmill to ease off and that was that.
Just as an FYI if anyone is interested, when I’m in the gym I tend to watch Goran Winblad, Stan Efferding, or Nick Bare on Youtube. Inspirational, motivating, and educational videos that cover running and general health/fitness/sports nutrition topics.
Further down the line this year, I’m aiming to start off racing again with a 10k in July, half marathons in August and September, and a marathon in October. I still have piriformis syndrome however I’ll be adding in exercises to significantly strengthen my glutes and therefore hopefully stop the piriformis from spasming and setting off the sciatic nerve. I’m sure if I persevere, I’ll get beyond this latest injury/condition.
The last few months have been a slog both mentally and physically. Being injured and unwell during the darkest and coldest months of the year isn’t fun and I’ll be honest, I ended up in a dark place for a bit. Even the thought that I could reset and get going again soon was really uplifting. The fact that I’m now actually taking the early steps of my return is a good feeling. I’m looking forward to the feeling I had at the end of last year when I thought to myself ‘I actually feel like a runner again’.
Beyond The Finish Line 