Showing posts with label injuries/injury prevention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injuries/injury prevention. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2008 year in review
What the heck has happened to this blog?!
Two things, primarily. First, I've been engaged in an ongoing pursuit of a new home, a process which consumed a great deal of attention in November - December particularly. Second, I've been taking an online class for work (pretty tough class, incidentally). This is on top of normal stuff - work, family, etc. That doesn't leave enough time for reading other blogs or writing my own. The class ends in a month, and with any luck (though it's been limited so far) the real estate search will wrap up this winter.
I've always been reflective at the end of a calendar year, while thinking ahead to the next year. So, let's review 2008.
2008 began well with a gradual buildup in running, continuing what I had started in 2007. By January 2008 things were moving forward, I was running three days a week, and my long run was at 4-5 miles. Rather than run more road 5ks this time around, I got into trail running. Here are some of the running highlights and low points of 2008:
January - increased weekly long run from 5 to 7 miles
February - First race in over a year - Valentine 5K Run at Silver River State Park in 25:37. Pretty satisfying given the soft sand and very relaxed first mile.
-increased weekly long run to 9 miles
March - Trout Creek 15K Trail Run in 1:24:06. Technically my longest race ever, this featured a totally unfamiliar course and flooded bridge crossing at 5K. An epic running adventure.
April - Flatwoods Four Trail Run in 34:35. Crowded, twisty, rooty first mile, but ran middle two miles under 8:00 each. Good effort.
May - increased long run to 11 miles and spotted black racers seemingly with every run on the Florida Scenic Trail.
-joined local runners group and began running more on roads and hills.
-injured right Achilles tendon.
June - rest/recovery. Working on 100 pushups challenge.
July - rest/recovery. Still working on pushups.
-moved to CT.
August - more rest/recovery. Did 40 straight pushups.
September through December - Easy walking/running. Trying to get used to hills. Pushups kinda fell through the cracks.
Two steps forward, one step back. Hopefully 2009 will see another step or two forward in fitness. I'm looking forward to getting in shape for more trail runs this coming spring.
Two things, primarily. First, I've been engaged in an ongoing pursuit of a new home, a process which consumed a great deal of attention in November - December particularly. Second, I've been taking an online class for work (pretty tough class, incidentally). This is on top of normal stuff - work, family, etc. That doesn't leave enough time for reading other blogs or writing my own. The class ends in a month, and with any luck (though it's been limited so far) the real estate search will wrap up this winter.
I've always been reflective at the end of a calendar year, while thinking ahead to the next year. So, let's review 2008.
2008 began well with a gradual buildup in running, continuing what I had started in 2007. By January 2008 things were moving forward, I was running three days a week, and my long run was at 4-5 miles. Rather than run more road 5ks this time around, I got into trail running. Here are some of the running highlights and low points of 2008:
January - increased weekly long run from 5 to 7 miles
February - First race in over a year - Valentine 5K Run at Silver River State Park in 25:37. Pretty satisfying given the soft sand and very relaxed first mile.
-increased weekly long run to 9 miles
March - Trout Creek 15K Trail Run in 1:24:06. Technically my longest race ever, this featured a totally unfamiliar course and flooded bridge crossing at 5K. An epic running adventure.
April - Flatwoods Four Trail Run in 34:35. Crowded, twisty, rooty first mile, but ran middle two miles under 8:00 each. Good effort.
May - increased long run to 11 miles and spotted black racers seemingly with every run on the Florida Scenic Trail.
-joined local runners group and began running more on roads and hills.
-injured right Achilles tendon.
June - rest/recovery. Working on 100 pushups challenge.
July - rest/recovery. Still working on pushups.
-moved to CT.
August - more rest/recovery. Did 40 straight pushups.
September through December - Easy walking/running. Trying to get used to hills. Pushups kinda fell through the cracks.
Two steps forward, one step back. Hopefully 2009 will see another step or two forward in fitness. I'm looking forward to getting in shape for more trail runs this coming spring.
Monday, October 20, 2008
October colors
This is one of my favorite times of year in New England. The weather is very good for running - temperate and often dry. The trees are at their peak. It's been over a decade since I've seen the fall colors, and they're even better then I remember. I've made a concerted effort to get outdoors on the weekend to see the sights.
The last two weeks have seen encouraging progress on the running front. I'm doing walk/runs three morning a week, twice on roads and once on trails. I start with a walking warmup for ten minutes, then run a short distance several times with an equal walking recovery. I'm actually running for time, not distance, e.g. 1 min run, 1 min walk, repeat, or run 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, run 90 seconds, etc. I conclude with a walk of ten minutes or more depending on how much time I have. In the morning before work, not much. My lungs are not where they were this spring, and I really feel the hills, though I'm doing minimal running on them to ease my Achilles back into running shape. One exception is that I am doing a little bit of downhill running to maintain, and improve, my ability to make use of gravity on the downhills. In retrospect I see that long running layoffs in Florida, and running mostly on flats, left me unable to cope with running down big or steep hills - my shins would get overwhelmed. I want to work towards preventing that. There are two sides to hills and you really need to train on both I think - uphills to strengthen legs and lungs, downhills to strengthen shins and allow one to use gravity instead of braking.
My weekly trail "run" is generally on fairly firm surfaces - I want to avoid the loose sands that may have contributed to my Achilles injury in Florida this past spring. Most of the trails in Connecticut are much firmer and can be quite rocky depending on the trail.
The trails at Bluff Point State Park are hardly a state secret - they seem to get a fair amount of use. They are wide and relatively smooth and can accommodate bikes, walkers and runners. I tried to get a few pictures of the fall colors but it was early in the morning and still shady.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Hanging in there
For those of you who haven't given up on me or this blog, thanks. I am hoping to slowly resume a little running this week, on top of doing more walking. This has been a pretty long layoff for me - 4+ months with essentially no running except for short tests to see how the Achilles was doing. Until late September, it was not ready. Now, perhaps it is.
My hope now is to steadily rebuild the fitness I've lost. It's going to be slow going, as I could not do all of the cross training I would have liked to, and I also did not do perhaps all that I could have, even given my injury limitations. It's funny how your world shrinks sometimes, and you feel that even walking a few blocks is too much because it's uphill. I felt sort of closed in after the move from Florida because I was suddenly in hillier terrain, and I did not want to strain my Achilles further on the hills, even though I wanted to build my strength up. It's been frustrating.
I'm still doing some pushups but not as consistently lately. If I can regain some consistency I can resume my quest for 50 straight.
My hope now is to steadily rebuild the fitness I've lost. It's going to be slow going, as I could not do all of the cross training I would have liked to, and I also did not do perhaps all that I could have, even given my injury limitations. It's funny how your world shrinks sometimes, and you feel that even walking a few blocks is too much because it's uphill. I felt sort of closed in after the move from Florida because I was suddenly in hillier terrain, and I did not want to strain my Achilles further on the hills, even though I wanted to build my strength up. It's been frustrating.
I'm still doing some pushups but not as consistently lately. If I can regain some consistency I can resume my quest for 50 straight.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
From 0 to 4 in one week
After three weeks of no running due to probable Achilles tendonitis, I got in my fourth (short) run of the week this morning. I woke up early again - my body clock seems to be resetting itself nicely for morning running - and did one meager mile*. It was another sweat bath - humid and 76 degrees despite the early hour. I want to run farther but there's some slight lingering tightness in my right calf/Achilles that I can feel after running. Until that is gone I have to listen to my body and work through this.
I'm skipping Day 3 of pushups this week (Week 3). Day 2 kicked my butt and Day 3 looks even tougher. I just read Ellie's interesting idea about dropping down a level, and I'm considering doing that next week. Alternately I may go to 2 days a week and lift dumbbells once a week, something I haven't done in a few weeks now. I still like the goal of 100 pushups but I may need to take my own path to get there.
*This is an estimate. Most of my runs are measured by time, not distance, but occasional time trials and races tell me a lot about my pacing. Perhaps someday I'll own a Garmin, but not right now.
I'm skipping Day 3 of pushups this week (Week 3). Day 2 kicked my butt and Day 3 looks even tougher. I just read Ellie's interesting idea about dropping down a level, and I'm considering doing that next week. Alternately I may go to 2 days a week and lift dumbbells once a week, something I haven't done in a few weeks now. I still like the goal of 100 pushups but I may need to take my own path to get there.
*This is an estimate. Most of my runs are measured by time, not distance, but occasional time trials and races tell me a lot about my pacing. Perhaps someday I'll own a Garmin, but not right now.
Friday, July 4, 2008
No rockets' red glare under my shoes today
This morning I got up and headed out to watch, not run, the annual 4-miler on the 4th, aka the Freedom Run. I'm still in recovery mode. It would have been easy to overdo it today, so I decided to play it safe, and simply not enter. I did show up to wear my American flag T-shirt and cheer on the runners though. Particularly impressive was one mother who pushed a double stroller through the event - running, not just walking. It's frustrating to be sidelined, but I know I should be grateful for the running experiences I have enjoyed to date, and for the progress I've made this year.
Pushups update: I took a few days off to rest up for a new exhaustion test earlier this week. Result: 35 pushups, a slight improvement over the 33 I did before Weeks 1-2. I was pretty disappointed, figuring I had 40+ in me at this point. All I can say is it was getting late in the day, I wasn't really mentally into it but still gave it a try, and grew fatigued rapidly after 20 pushups. So far, the training is making me stronger at doing sets of 10-20 pushups, and making me sore otherwise. Looking ahead, Week 3 looks brutally tough. I'll take a couple days off and try Week 3. We'll see how it goes. I'm not sure the 4th and 5th sets are helping. Comparing this to running... I don't push myself that hard running. If I did, I'd be hurt quickly. For example, assuming I was running, I wouldn't run at max pace 3 days a week, for any distance. It's not sustainable. The pushups? We'll see. I'll come back after the weekend and start Week 3 a little more rested, at least in the arms. I'll be curious to see how everyone else handles the transition from Week 2 to Week 3.
Pushups update: I took a few days off to rest up for a new exhaustion test earlier this week. Result: 35 pushups, a slight improvement over the 33 I did before Weeks 1-2. I was pretty disappointed, figuring I had 40+ in me at this point. All I can say is it was getting late in the day, I wasn't really mentally into it but still gave it a try, and grew fatigued rapidly after 20 pushups. So far, the training is making me stronger at doing sets of 10-20 pushups, and making me sore otherwise. Looking ahead, Week 3 looks brutally tough. I'll take a couple days off and try Week 3. We'll see how it goes. I'm not sure the 4th and 5th sets are helping. Comparing this to running... I don't push myself that hard running. If I did, I'd be hurt quickly. For example, assuming I was running, I wouldn't run at max pace 3 days a week, for any distance. It's not sustainable. The pushups? We'll see. I'll come back after the weekend and start Week 3 a little more rested, at least in the arms. I'll be curious to see how everyone else handles the transition from Week 2 to Week 3.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Pushups and more pushups
Week 2 of the hundred pushups challenge is in the books.
Day 2 (earlier this week) was pretty tough, though I made things harder on myself by inadvertently taking only 60 seconds rest in the first four sets, then a few minutes as usual before the max effort.
Day 2 totals: 16/13/11/11/max(20)
Day 3 today was even harder. I'm sore in muscles I didn't know I had, and the soreness grew with each set. Sets 3-4 required virtually all-out efforts to reach the minimums.
Day 3 totals: 15/15/12/12/Max(18) =72 pushups
I'm through Week 2 and now the program calls for a new exhaustion test. At the risk of sounding like a slacker, I'm thinking of taking a few days off, doing the exhaustion test, then a few more days off, and starting with Week 3 after that - basically taking one "easy" week. I want to be fresh for the test, and fresh for renewed training. I'm fine with hard work and sweat. Soreness in the same muscles every day? That suggests my body is not catching up with new stresses, and I'm already recovering from other physical issues.
I enjoyed another spinning session indoors yesterday and pushed myself a little more, increasing the rpms and getting out of the saddle some more. Twinges in my right Achilles told me this might be too much. Sigh. It had been doing so well too. It's looking like I won't be crossing any finish lines on July 4 and will have to settle for cheering on the other runners.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Can lawn mowing count as cross training?
I passed the lawnmower test this evening. That is, I walked behind my lawnmower in the warm, humid Florida air and my Achilles (injury #1) was fine. It's been just fine walking, including going up stairs. Even better, the ball of my left foot (injury #2) is improving. I forgot about it until I was done mowing. It had sustained some kind of impact injury, possibly from dashing across a parking lot in the rain in my work shoes about 10 days ago. Bad idea! Looking in my journal, I've traced my Achilles problem to the road run following my 11 mile trail run in May. According to this source and others, running on sand can aggravate your Achilles. That presents a dilemma as the trails around here (north central Florida) are sandy and quite soft in some places. Hills are also tough on the Achilles, and I had been running hillier courses too - in fact I noticed the problem on hillier road courses during the week with my fleet-footed local running group. The articles also referred to Achilles injuries as common in less flexible middle-aged runners. Ouch! Time to do more stretching - can't do anything about my age. I like the line from Indiana Jones: it's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.
This wasn't the extent of my cross training today. I also fit in a spinning session, going slightly harder than last week, and my Achilles was fine, and my left foot was no problem.
I also completed Week 2/Day 1 of the hundred pushups training program: 12/12/9/7/max (21). I'm not claiming great form. I'm taking 2-4 minutes of rest before the max effort (equal parts rest, psyching myself up, and helping kids with something around the house). The psychology of this is interesting. Each time on these max efforts, I've felt like 5 or so is probably all I can do before I start, but I refuse to stop until the arms won't go, and I've managed to exceed the minimum each time (granted, I was doing some pushups once a week before this program). Maybe it's the rock 'n roll music. Andrew's blog got me started on all this (100 pushups, not rock 'n roll) and he's doing well. Ellie has also signed on. Anyone else game?
I hope to get back on the roads and trails soon. I'm eager to run a 4-miler on the 4th that I've run twice before, but it's somewhat doubtful now. I hope my biking is safe on my Achilles and this strange forefoot problem. If anyone has any experience coping with these things and has any cross training ideas, feel free to chime in.
This wasn't the extent of my cross training today. I also fit in a spinning session, going slightly harder than last week, and my Achilles was fine, and my left foot was no problem.
I also completed Week 2/Day 1 of the hundred pushups training program: 12/12/9/7/max (21). I'm not claiming great form. I'm taking 2-4 minutes of rest before the max effort (equal parts rest, psyching myself up, and helping kids with something around the house). The psychology of this is interesting. Each time on these max efforts, I've felt like 5 or so is probably all I can do before I start, but I refuse to stop until the arms won't go, and I've managed to exceed the minimum each time (granted, I was doing some pushups once a week before this program). Maybe it's the rock 'n roll music. Andrew's blog got me started on all this (100 pushups, not rock 'n roll) and he's doing well. Ellie has also signed on. Anyone else game?
I hope to get back on the roads and trails soon. I'm eager to run a 4-miler on the 4th that I've run twice before, but it's somewhat doubtful now. I hope my biking is safe on my Achilles and this strange forefoot problem. If anyone has any experience coping with these things and has any cross training ideas, feel free to chime in.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
How to ruin a marathon
No, I haven't entered one yet! I just came across a funny running-related article in The Onion that is good for a laugh. This one is family-friendly I think, which is not always true for this site. I like The Onion, but it is not for everyone, so fair warning if you try their other articles.
In cross training news, I enjoyed my first spinning class ever yesterday. 51 minutes of high (for me) rpm work. Took it somewhat easy so as not to hurt the quads while I recover from running injuries. It was neat to be able to see my heartrate, rpms and mileage constantly updated.
I also tackled Day 2 of the hundred pushups challenge yesterday: 12/12/10 (getting tough)/10/max=19 (exhaustion). Oddly less sore today than yesterday.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Cross training time
If you've been tagged with a running meme recently, see below....
I haven't been posting about new trail runs because there haven't been any. I'm still recovering from 2 problem areas in my lower legs/feet. I'm trying to stay positive and think that this is my body's way of telling me it's time to start cross training. I've been easing (so I don't destroy my quads) into some outdoor biking to get some low impact aerobic activity. I'm as weak biking on hills as I was at running them several months ago, which is to say pitiful.
I'm also going to try the Hundred Pushups Challenge I saw listed on Andrew's blog. I don't think I've ever done more than 40 or so consecutive pushups, even in my younger, lighter days, so this should be "fun". I have done 1-2 sets a week this year and my initial exhaustion test this weekend was 33 straight pushups.
I haven't been posting about new trail runs because there haven't been any. I'm still recovering from 2 problem areas in my lower legs/feet. I'm trying to stay positive and think that this is my body's way of telling me it's time to start cross training. I've been easing (so I don't destroy my quads) into some outdoor biking to get some low impact aerobic activity. I'm as weak biking on hills as I was at running them several months ago, which is to say pitiful.
I'm also going to try the Hundred Pushups Challenge I saw listed on Andrew's blog. I don't think I've ever done more than 40 or so consecutive pushups, even in my younger, lighter days, so this should be "fun". I have done 1-2 sets a week this year and my initial exhaustion test this weekend was 33 straight pushups.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
5 questions (and answers)
I've been tagged by Anne.
Here are the rules:
Visit 5 blogs and leave invitations to play, referring others back to your blog for more details. On your own blog, list the five questions and your own answers to them. Also, let the person who has tagged you know when you're done.
Here are the questions and my responses:
1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
Yikes. Pretty aimless. I did a little here and there, a few miles at a time. I don't think I entered any organized events that year.
2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
The races tend to stand out more in both cases.
Best: I ran cross country in college (Division III: no scholarships, an average runner on an average team in our region). In my freshman year, I started out basically 8th on the team, if you had to make a competitive depth chart based on practices in September. The week of our first home meet (fourth race of the year), I hurt my leg and had to hobble back from a run. Race Saturday was a rainy and muddy, and things weren't really looking up. But an amazing thing happened. I caught up to a line of my teammates in the middle of the race and moved up from 8th to 4th on my team and held onto that spot. To be fair, our top runner was out, and some of the other guys probably started too fast that day. Still, I went on to place in our top four in three other meets that season, and I felt like I had arrived as a competitive runner, at that level.
Worst: going out too hard and cramping up in my final high school AND college cross country races, an ugly symmetry of wasted efforts. Thankfully there were many good days in between.
3. Why do you run?
To improve my health and fitness. To seek out new trails and new challenges. To enjoy the company of fellow runners. Plus it makes me happy.
4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Best: improve gradually by stressing the body, then resting.
Worst: go out really hard in distance races, like 30 seconds faster in the first mile than the pace you can realistically average over the whole distance, instead of running within yourself.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people know.
I am descended from the sister of a real-life 18th century pirate who sailed from Rhode Island to Florida and back. We have some things in common. He found gold in Florida waters. I also found treasure in Florida - my wife. We were married ten years ago today. :-)
Now, I get to tag some others.
They are (drumroll please):
Beth at 6 a.m. Running
Andrew from New Zealand
Just a Trail (Running) Fool
Ellie at Against the Wind (if/when she's not backpacking)
bloggers I've tried to tag with this meme, but was too late - they'd already been tagged: 3
(one to go)
Here are the rules:
Visit 5 blogs and leave invitations to play, referring others back to your blog for more details. On your own blog, list the five questions and your own answers to them. Also, let the person who has tagged you know when you're done.
Here are the questions and my responses:
1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
Yikes. Pretty aimless. I did a little here and there, a few miles at a time. I don't think I entered any organized events that year.
2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
The races tend to stand out more in both cases.
Best: I ran cross country in college (Division III: no scholarships, an average runner on an average team in our region). In my freshman year, I started out basically 8th on the team, if you had to make a competitive depth chart based on practices in September. The week of our first home meet (fourth race of the year), I hurt my leg and had to hobble back from a run. Race Saturday was a rainy and muddy, and things weren't really looking up. But an amazing thing happened. I caught up to a line of my teammates in the middle of the race and moved up from 8th to 4th on my team and held onto that spot. To be fair, our top runner was out, and some of the other guys probably started too fast that day. Still, I went on to place in our top four in three other meets that season, and I felt like I had arrived as a competitive runner, at that level.
Worst: going out too hard and cramping up in my final high school AND college cross country races, an ugly symmetry of wasted efforts. Thankfully there were many good days in between.
3. Why do you run?
To improve my health and fitness. To seek out new trails and new challenges. To enjoy the company of fellow runners. Plus it makes me happy.
4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
Best: improve gradually by stressing the body, then resting.
Worst: go out really hard in distance races, like 30 seconds faster in the first mile than the pace you can realistically average over the whole distance, instead of running within yourself.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people know.
I am descended from the sister of a real-life 18th century pirate who sailed from Rhode Island to Florida and back. We have some things in common. He found gold in Florida waters. I also found treasure in Florida - my wife. We were married ten years ago today. :-)
Now, I get to tag some others.
They are (drumroll please):
Beth at 6 a.m. Running
Andrew from New Zealand
Just a Trail (Running) Fool
Ellie at Against the Wind (if/when she's not backpacking)
bloggers I've tried to tag with this meme, but was too late - they'd already been tagged: 3
(one to go)
Friday, June 6, 2008
My Achilles heel
This is frustrating, because I've been feeling in the best shape I've been in all year. In addition to extending my long run further, I've done some road running and found my shins are holding up well to downhills. However, I've had a day each of the last couple weeks where my right Achilles area felt tired. I backed off a little, but after my last longer run on roads, my Achilles flared up, and was sensitive the next day just walking around.
I'm skipping my long run this weekend and taking a zero day tomorrow, in trail hiking parlance. Not just a zero day, but a zero weekend. It looks like I'm guilty of the old "too much, too fast, too soon" trap once again. This time I think it was the "too much" category.
This is a new sort of running injury for me. I'd been prey to shin splints/tendonitis before, but have managed to keep those at bay this year with gradual mileage increases, running many of my miles on sandy trails, and using both sides of the road when running on roads (recommended only on quiet roads and without listening to music). We'll see how it feels next week.
I'm skipping my long run this weekend and taking a zero day tomorrow, in trail hiking parlance. Not just a zero day, but a zero weekend. It looks like I'm guilty of the old "too much, too fast, too soon" trap once again. This time I think it was the "too much" category.
This is a new sort of running injury for me. I'd been prey to shin splints/tendonitis before, but have managed to keep those at bay this year with gradual mileage increases, running many of my miles on sandy trails, and using both sides of the road when running on roads (recommended only on quiet roads and without listening to music). We'll see how it feels next week.
Monday, May 12, 2008
How to increase long runs safely?
Yesterday was my longest run of the year, and I'm glad to find minimal soreness today. My legs are adapting to longer runs, and to slightly faster downhill running when I have the opportunity, better than they were two months ago, when I had plateaued at 9 miles and my legs were protesting the addition of a bit of faster running to my week.
Still, yesterday was far from easy. The heat and distance made it a significant effort, and I was more relieved than overjoyed at finishing. The thought that this was only about a third of marathon distance is almost incredible. Although I was in my typical post-run or race good mood for some time, I grew tired by evening.
I've noticed in the running literature that many half-marathon and marathon plans call for increasing your long run by 1-2 miles every week. I can see that in the case of someone who is fit and is building a new base after a finishing a racing season, as in cross country or track. But what about someone who has either not run this far before, or has not done so in years (that's me), which amounts to about the same thing? Two miles a week for weeks on end? Maybe if I had lower legs of titanium. Is this just something I have to get through to complete a half-marathon or more? Has anyone else struggled with this aspect of training?
Still, yesterday was far from easy. The heat and distance made it a significant effort, and I was more relieved than overjoyed at finishing. The thought that this was only about a third of marathon distance is almost incredible. Although I was in my typical post-run or race good mood for some time, I grew tired by evening.
I've noticed in the running literature that many half-marathon and marathon plans call for increasing your long run by 1-2 miles every week. I can see that in the case of someone who is fit and is building a new base after a finishing a racing season, as in cross country or track. But what about someone who has either not run this far before, or has not done so in years (that's me), which amounts to about the same thing? Two miles a week for weeks on end? Maybe if I had lower legs of titanium. Is this just something I have to get through to complete a half-marathon or more? Has anyone else struggled with this aspect of training?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Favorite running books
One of the books I turned to in resuming running was my tattered copy of Jeff Galloway's Book on Running. Galloway has been a significant influence on my running - I've always liked his emphasis on proper rest, as opposed to pounding the roads every day of the week. As I was starting over from scratch, I felt this formula would work for me. There are many running books out there, but a lot of them either do not cover, or gloss over, an important part - the beginning.
I also acquired a copy of Galloway's Half-Marathon: You Can Do It. I was going to need to rely on walk breaks as I built up my endurance, and this book is a good source for planning. One of my goals I set for myself was to run a half-marathon in 2008. As I increased my running in the fall of '07 (slowly, gradually), I came across Dean Karnazes' Ultra-Marathon Man. That was very inspiring reading for me, but more on that another time.
If you have any suggestions for practical or inspirational running reading, let me know.
I also acquired a copy of Galloway's Half-Marathon: You Can Do It. I was going to need to rely on walk breaks as I built up my endurance, and this book is a good source for planning. One of my goals I set for myself was to run a half-marathon in 2008. As I increased my running in the fall of '07 (slowly, gradually), I came across Dean Karnazes' Ultra-Marathon Man. That was very inspiring reading for me, but more on that another time.
If you have any suggestions for practical or inspirational running reading, let me know.
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