Catch up with Kevin’s progress in his 8-week training towards achieving his exercise goals in 2022
Hi everyone, it’s the end of week 4 of my 8-week training block.
All going well, achieving my times and targets. And no injuries! However, I did actually feel physically tired halfway through the week, so I took 2 days off from my running, meaning I only ran 3 out of 7 days.
No harm done though, I can already feel the benefit of that time off moving into week 5.
So the moral to the is – if you do feel tired there’s no harm in taking a session or two off, and live to fight another day!
On that note, I thought I might just touch on some running injury prevention and early management tips:
If you are feeling tired or tight, there is no harm in taking a session off. When we get tired and/or tight we are probably at our most vulnerable to a niggle, pull or strain etc. So I would recommend erring on the side of caution. If you do get a pull or other leg injury you can be off for weeks.
If you experience any niggle sensation, my advice is not to run through it. Doing so may create further injury, resulting in more time off. Back off and stop if you are able. You then want to listen to your body for the next 24 hours. No issues – then you have probably got away with it. If you have a reaction up to 24 hours later, you will have to back off. To work through mild injury is not recommended.
Always warm up, if I do a high intensity session, I easy run for around 15mins, and then do a few minutes running drills. Then never forget your static stretches at the end. As I’ve got older, I spend more and more time stretching. I will now always do at least 10mins static stretching. It doesl help go some way in reducing injury.
If I am feeling tight I might consider a sports massage.
Progressing your weekly running distances and intensity, whether you’re embarking on a Couch to 5k or upping your general mileage like me, trying to achieve a running goal, steadily, allowing your body to adjust is highly recommended.
Have a good week running and I will pass on some injury management advice next time.
