Back To The Basics

Although my current knee injury is not as a result of running, it has set me to thinking about the flaws in my current training program. While I still do 2-3 core strength sessions each week, I’ve become very lazy with my cross training and strength work. In fact, both have been non-existent for about 18 months. I could almost put a date on it actually, as I did my last block of routine cross training and strength work when I was recovering from the massive damage I did to my legs when I ran the 84km Cradle Mountain ultra marathon in Tasmania in February 2010. When I recovered from that and went back to running I let all that complementary training just slip away. It wasn’t really intentional. It just happened. It happened partly because running is my passion, and cross training and strength work definitely aren’t(!), and it happened partly because I’m more time poor than I’ve ever been and running remains the easiest and most convenient form of physical activity for my chaotically busy life. But, I think I’m beginning to pay for my slackness in this respect. Over the past ~9 months in particular my running legs have felt more tight, more sore and more on the cusp of injury more often than ever before. And each time I’ve started to up the ante with tempo or interval work (I don’t actually do “speed” work) I’ve developed niggles and/or minor injuries. So, since I’m injured now, it seems like a good time to think about being proactive for when I’m fully repaired and ready to go again. Having a Masters in Exercise/Sports Science and access to unlimited resources and training programs, there’s no excuse and it’s not “too hard”. I’ve written myself a smart training program, which incorporates two “back to the basics” strength training sessions and two cross training sessions per week. I’ll do a blog update around Christmas time and report on how much of a difference this “back to the basic” approach makes to my running.