Thursday, August 14, 2008

Shutting Down the Running

After tonight's Cigna 5K I have decided to shut down the running. I can't get my legs to work right and I am nervous about the bottom of my feet. The have been getting tighter and tighter recently and today the right heel was hurting a bit. I have never had plantar fasciitis and I don't want it. Then tendon or muscles on the bottom of my feet are burning and I don't know if is a cumulative thing or something brought on by using insoles.

The past three years I have completed the Cigna 5k in times of 18:11, 18:46, and again 18:46. Tonight I ran 20:13 and it was extremely uncomfortable. I had no control over my legs in terms of getting a rhythm down and both legs were doing different things. I notice that it hurts more to run poorly and inefficiently then it does to run quickly when things are going well. The running was no fun tonight and I just can't get it right this year. So there is no use in beating myself up and thinking that things will get back to normal soon.

I think I will do some biking, both on the roads and on the new mountain bike that arrived last week. It should put some different stresses on my body and that may just be good for a change. I will also get back to working on strength by doing kettlebells. If one day I feel good I will run. I may do track if things go well but I will not make running a priority until my body can figure things out and get back to running evenly and well. I think I am not helping things along by running without a feel for the running movement anymore. It has been a very strange year. I have my back and hips feeling better than they have in years when I am sitting or moving around, but when I try to run there is no proper movement. It is like my legs and hips have forgotten how to get in sync and run naturally.

Hopefully I will be feeling better and running better by the Fall or at least by the new year when I turn 50.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your situation. Maybe some rest will help things.

Have you ever tried the "primal stretch" as a way to stretch your back/hips? You might find it interesting:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/marks-beach-sprints/

Jim Hansen said...

Hi Matt,
Yes I have tried that stretch before. I linked the video here:
http://recoveryourstride.blogspot.com/2008/05/indigenous-squat-loosening-up-hips.html Maybe I need to keep working on it. There are so many things I try, I sometimes can't tell what works and what doesn't. I am enjoying a break from running, to regroup and have fun. Thanks for the stretch idea.
Jim