Not my words. My masseuse Sam at Inclusive Therapy described me that way.
And he's never even see me run.
My last run was a few weeks ago now. It hurt. Lots. I got through it and I was proud of myself for doing so. But I think I did some damage.
I hadn't got a massage or physio since I finished Challenge Roth. Let me tell you, my hamstring caned in the race and on the mountain rides I did afterwards. Getting back into training without some professional help was a mistake.
So off to Sam with my tail between my legs.
"What are we looking at today?"
"Legs. My right hamstring is as tight as hell."
I gave him a bit of a history including Roth, riding a bit over there still, then coming home and running.
"You need to hit the gym and build some strength so you're not so floppy when you run."
"How do you know I'm floppy when I run? You've never seen me run."
"I just know. I can tell."
(awkward silence)
I know I'm floppy. I'm not proud of it. Sam pointing it out to me in such a matter of fact way was not comfortable. Mainly because I know he's right.
Admitting this is the first step. So next I thought about my options:
- Gym - I've had some success with this before but it's expensive when you only want to go one or two times a week, and it's not all that specific.
- Pilates - I persevered with this once before. I am hopeless at Pilates (which I know is exactly why I need to do it) but whether I need to feel ridiculous in a room full of stranger is doubtful.
- DIY at home - would provide consistency, if I have the willpower to be consistent.
Needless to say, I've decided to DIY. I've set myself a goal of doing something towards this every day and something specific every week.
By just one thing each day, what I actually mean is ten minutes or so of activity. Situps (proper ones), swiss ball activity, or other random activities I've got in my arsenal.
By something specific every week I mean a circuit that includes situps, pull ups, balance activities, step ups and the like.
What do you think - if I DIY am I doomed to fail?
I would recommend taking a look at Shaun T's 'Insanity' DVD program. I started this before I did my back in and it had a significantly positive impact on my running style: how I carried myself, how fast I ran, everything changed! Each session is about 40 minutes (about 10 mins of which are stretching) and they're all about plyometrics, baby!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate, I'll look into it!
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