Aches & Pains

Although I’ve been lucky enough to get through my running career (well… life, really) without a serious injury, I’ve never been one to be without some kind of nagging pain. Of course, my “nagging pain” is someone else’s full-on overuse injury. Most recently, I’ve had a nag in my lower back that was referring up to my shoulder blade and down my leg that, while not the worst pain I’ve ever had, has been going on long enough that it was time to look into it.

Enter Tariq Karim at Expert Physio! Tariq isn’t only a Masters level Physiotherapist, but also an avid runner so he really understands the needs of the runner’s body and where we often falter. It didn’t take him long into our assessment to get to the bottom of my pain: weak glutes & hamstrings. This, of course, comes as no surprise to me, but this is the first time I’m feeling pain associated with the weakness.

A challenge I know many of us have faced this year is that the gyms have been closed or you just can’t get in because of pre-registration constraints. Of course we don’t need a gym to get a good strength workout in - there are a ton of home workout options that can keep our gains up at home. For me, home is where my motivation goes to die so my strength training took a nose dive, but Tariq set me up with a few exercises to rebuild some strength that are easily completed post-run so I’ve been getting them done as soon as I walk in the door.

An awesome benefit of working with Tariq/Expert Physio is that they use an application called Physitrack. Not only does it allow the therapist to send the exercises to the patient, but by engaging with the app it shares the patient’s progress with the therapist on a daily basis. There is also a weekly questionnaire for the patient to complete to further monitor progress. I love this addition to the weekly visits since it definitely keeps me more engaged with the program as well as accountable to Tariq that I’m actually doing what’s prescribed.

If something is feeling a little off in your body, don’t wait until it’s blown up into unmanageable pain to have it looked at. Something as simple as some weak or imbalanced muscles can become so much worse if you don’t address it sooner than later. And you’ll be in amazing at Expert!

Shoes glorious shoes!

When I walked into FitFirst six years ago, I was wearing a stability shoe in a brand I had been wearing for years. Little did I know that I would leave that day wearing a neutral shoe in a brand I had never even considered before. Although I did eventually switch back to my first choice brand (I’ve stuck to neutral - magically in my old age I don’t overpronate anymore), they’ve changed that shoe so drastically this year that it just isn’t an option for me anymore so it was back to the drawing board.

Even when I was loyal to one specific shoe, I always kept at least two pairs on hand so that I could rotate them. Although this is an investment up front, rotating does extend the lifespan of the shoes well beyond what would be normal if pounding the pavement daily with just one pair. What I was missing was variety! Beyond it just being fun to have different shoes, there are actual benefits to it like improving muscle imbalances and preventing injury. So what comprises my fleet?

HOKA ONE ONE - Clifton

Nothing beats a lightweight, cushy shoe for those long runs. The soft cushion has been a total shin saver for me - shin splints are a very normal part of my running life, but I haven’t had so much as a hint of them since bringing the Clifton’s into my life. Unlike most people, I’m completely oblivious to how stiff the shoe is or the rocker motion, but it can take some getting used to if you’re not already wearing a stiff rocker shoe.

BROOKS - Glycerin

Their top end cushion shoe, the Glycerin is a great recovery/easy run shoe with just enough responsiveness to get me through some post-run strides without feeling like I’m sinking. I also love the upper of the Glycerin - the material is flexible and soft making it feel super cozy.

MIZUNO - Wave Sky Waveknit

My second pair of recovery/easy day + strides shoes. Another high cushion shoe with just enough responsiveness. Mizuno had never been on my radar before because they tended to run pretty narrow, but they’ve widened the forefoot just enough that they are an absolute fit win for me now.

HOKA ONE ONE - Carbon X

Admittedly I haven’t dropped the hammer on purchasing this shoe just yet, but I’ve tried it on a few times and it feels good. I would use it as a racing shoe and for the occasional speed workout. Worth keeping in mind with all carbon shoes is that their lifespan is shorter than a regular running shoe.

BROOKS - Ghost GTX

I’ve never been a fan of running in Gore-Tex shoes, but I picked these guys up to wear for walking to Safeway, etc. My feet deserve to stay dry in these rainy Vancouver months and rubber boots just don’t do it for me for my delicate feet.

SAUCONY - Peregrine GTX

The Peregrines are the nicest trail shoe I’ve worn. Again I don’t use these for running, but they are my daily dog hiking shoe so see a lot of use. They are reasonably firm to counteract the softness of trails, but still cushioned enough to be comfortable if you hit concrete. And I can tell you from direct experience that the grip of the sole is top notch - on a spot I slipped and fell a couple of weeks ago in my old trail shoes, I couldn’t even force my Peregrines to slide.

HOKA ONE ONE - Bondi

The Bondi is a stiffer shoe than the Clifton, but the reason I don’t run in it is that it has a notably wider last. While the midfoot feels great, the forefoot is a little sloppy and the heel slips even with the heel lock lacing. I was due for a new work shoe, though, and given how many hours a day we can end up being on our feet in the store, the cushion of the Bondi is saving my old lady body.

The one shoe missing from my running rotation arsenal that I wish I wasn’t is the New Balance 1080. I love this shoe! But it’s just slightly too narrow in the midfoot and doesn’t have enough give in the upper to make it work for me.

A down week

Down week. Recovery week. Deload week. Whatever you call it, I’m in one and the timing is wonderful.

I managed pretty well with our long dark days when they arrived again, but the snow/rain mix that showed up on Monday on top of the dark? Nope. Not happening. Straight to my couch to eat and cuddle with a cat after work. Good thing there’s a bit more flexibility to make up for my weather snobbery this week.

I used to be adverse to recovery weeks, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to really appreciate them. The body definitely needs the break, but so does my mind. Apparently being a fully self-sufficient adult can be stressful sometimes and putting too much pressure on the things that are supposed to de-stress us, like running, can be a bit problematic when it comes to one’s overall mental well-being. Who knew?

While enjoying my chill(er) week, I decided to have a quick look at the website for the half that’s usually on my radar. I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting to find given that everything has been cancelled and no one’s really talking about 2021, but I came to find this: “RACE DAY: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2021”. Uh… what? Suddenly my down week has become an overthinking week! Do I continue my original plan to take things pretty easy and just work on a solid aerobic foundation? Do I break into some more serious training to try to hit a PR at that race? Will the race even happen or will it convert to virtual? Do I have it in me to do PR training anymore? Should I just revert back to my life of pizza & kitty snuggles from earlier this year and hang up the shoes altogether? (the last one is just my first loves of laziness and pizza talking)

Boy I’m glad my body is getting a break because my mind certainly isn’t anymore.

Right now I’m leaning away from an early February race. My legs aren’t where I think they should be just yet to really give it a go, but even more so I don’t think my mind is ready to commit to what it will take. I’m a little worried my mental game has deteriorated and the competitive athlete in me may have retired, but sometimes a down week, combined with some super fun female hormones, can play tricks on me so I’m giving myself another week or so to decide. After all, there’s still just over 12 weeks to February 7th…

Starting over. Again.

This isn’t the first time I’ve started running from scratch - I’ve had a few ons and offs over the years. Unfortunately, this time I restarted at my heaviest weight ever (hello early COVID Pizza Hut $10 medium pizza special), but I’m back! I’ve been consistently getting out the door for several weeks now and am down about 25lbs of pizza with another 15(ish) to go.

The good thing about not having any races to look toward is that it’s a great time to really focus on building aerobic volume, keeping those easy runs EASY and doing a bit of polarized training to keep some memory of speed in my legs. Although I’m not certain what my running future looks like (a BQ sounds nice, but so does running a sub-20 minute 5k again), the half marathon distance has always been a very manageable distance for me in training so I’ve decided to focus on that. For now. The hard part is finding the motivation to get out the door, especially going into the dark, cold, wet months.

About a month ago I found the Zap Endurance Half Marathon Training Plan and was sold - just what I needed to keep some focus! It has 3 different plans to follow depending on one’s current fitness level and it’s easy to blend two groups to adjust mileage. I chose to start with Group A since I’m really putting in my best effort to build mileage slowly and lose some more weight before looking too seriously at any running goals. Now mid-way through week 4, I’ve decided to try increasing my number of runs/week as well as my mileage ever so slightly so I’m combining Groups A & B. I’ll start doing some of the strides that Group B prescribes next week, too.

Since my work schedule isn’t the standard M-F 9-5, I’m doing my long runs on Fridays which will make “race day” land on January 1st. While I won’t be racing it per se, starting a new year with 13 miles under the belt seems like a good place to move forward from. Maybe by then we’ll have a little more hope for racing in 2021 (fingers crossed!).

Despite being a solo runner for many years now, I know how demotivating it can be to go solo when you’re used to having groups to run with. FitFirst has an amazing community of runners who’ve come together over the years and we can’t wait for you all to be reunited! In the meantime, join the FitFirst Run Club facebook group if you haven’t already and never hesitate to pop by the store to chat all things running. A new pair of shoes never hurts to bring some fun back into the sport, too ;)

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Deirdre has been running on and off (more on than off) since she was 9 years old when she came home from school and announced to her parents that she had joined cross country. After many years of competitive running and then dabbling with long distance triathlon, she has found her “comfortable” place back in the recreational single sport world. Deirdre, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Feline Behaviour Specialist, has owned/operated Sassi Pet Services for more than a decade and is thrilled to have jumped back to her running roots by joining the FitFirst family on a part-time basis. You can follow her on strava & instagram and check back weekly for updates on her training!