Day 6.
Days remaining. 228.

The Running Man

Those pictures of a fit looking early middle aged dude running effortlessly through the park or along the beach... That's not me. Not anywhere near.  I kind of like running and I have been trained well to run by various PT staff and coaches but it's hard and once I've stopped for a few days (hours!) I can't stand the idea of doing it again. BUT... There is no other way to exercise as completely without for me at least, an hour long round trip to a swimming pool or the gym. You're going to say cycling, rowing, home gym stuff, right?  I like cycling, I love rowing machines but they are to running as those cable/weight machines are to free weights. You miss the core strength stuff that goes with it... Running is about balance and technique and breathing properly and feeling your body move and watching where you are going.  It's hard to do properly but so much better for you when you do. I've been a runner since I was 19 (as opposed to someone told to run around a field in PE at school, which I did between the ages of 5 and 18) so that's nearly 28 years of it. The Navy PTI's are great at pushing you to your limits - and Field Gun training is all legs and arms... so learning to run properly was an essential for me or I'd be made out of plastic by now.

I'm not claiming to be Mo Farah, but if it helps - Here're my 10 top tips on running for fitness... They might not be that extraordinary, but they've kept this old carcass moving for a while so if you're thinking about keeping some of that fat under control during the festive season, this may be of use!?!

• Run in minutes not miles. The distance travelled is irrelevant..  Run for somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes at a time to start with, and only go longer when you have no problems with running for 30minutes at high intensity. 45 minutes at most is my top end when I'm fully fit..
• Wear good running shoes - not tennis shoes or football trainers.. Running shoes are a totally different thing and will stop you getting shin splints and help prevent bad posture.
• Warm up and stretch it out.  Just jog lightly for 5 minutes at the beginning of a session, then stop, preferably by some grass or on the beach and shake out your joints from your feet upwards -  Start with circling your ankles, then doing some slow full squats, stretch out your calves and your thighs (look up some stretches) and hamstrings. Do some light torso twists, then maybe 10 press ups and some arm stretches, stretch out your shoulders and back and neck... And then shake it all off and start running again... Knowing that you are far less likely to pull something. 

Now we're running......

• Keep your jaw loose. A strange start of a sentence I know, but relax your upper body, keep your shoulders down, shake out your arms a lot. Keep your fists unclenched and wriggle your fingers from time to time.
• Try to concentrate on keeping a good posture, a regular cadence and good foot placement - Mid foot landing  - not on your toe and not on your heel, with your feet parallel and your knees never straight. Try to concentrate on your hips staying the same height from the ground with your legs circulating. Don't twist your shoulders. Look at your shadow to make sure you are not lopsided or hunched
• Vary your speed. A good cadence and stride are essential but to prevent fatigue, stretch your pace for 100 paces, then slow it down to a bounce, for a minute - that sort of thing... And set yourself little challenges, like I'm getting to that lamp post before I slow down/ start walking.../ throw up.... :-)
• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. Or hurt yourself. 
• The second you feel a muscle start to pull or stiffen, gently pull up and even more gently stretch it out.. If it still hurts or feels pulled (most likely a calf or hamstring) massage it and keep it moving gently... Get your heart rate back to normal and only when it stops hurting, try walking then very lightly jogging on it... If it feels 'tweaky' like it's about to pull again, walk slowly home... No shame in it...  You may find it will walk out and you'll be able to pick your feet up again... but the second you pull it, you're off the running programme for a week at least and will have to start from scratch even if you can find your running shoes, so try to prevent it before it happens....
• Warm down for the last minute of the run at a slow trot or even a walk, and then take some time to stretch and bring your heart rate back to normal.
• Keep a record of how far you ran - or even better, how long you ran for... Aim at a couple of hours a week to start with. Then 3 hours a week after a month or so.. In miles, that would be 20 miles or so I guess...
  
  Right.. Here I go... 30 mins before it get's too dark to see.. Laters!

D