As I’ve alluded to before – the day off running is just as important as the days spent running. After my 10 miles through country lanes and high water yesterday my leg muscles need a day to recover!
Calisthenics
So a little about calisthenics today. I learned the word recently so I need to use it…
This is essentially a way of strengthening your muscles without the need to go to a gym and use weights etc. So sit-ups, pull-ups, crunches or press-ups would all be included. As a runner a strong core is important as are the leg muscles. But no muscle in the human body is an island! Everything is interlinked, as I discovered when I visited a physiotherapist for my dodgy ankle. Fractured several years ago, as I recovered my body adapted to not being able to use my ankle properly by used my glutes and achilles to compensate. None of this became apparent until I started running regularly and my ankle started to ache chronically.
Changing the way I ran helped, as did trainers with good cushioning and support. It;s also got better the more I’ve run as my muscles have gotten stronger.
Then there’s your core muscles. Just think every time your foot slams down on to the pavement how much your core is doing to keep you balanced and upright. Your core is connected to your hips, which connect to the.. thigh bone, which connects to the… you get the message. So a strong core keeps everything moving fluidly and in a good line. It also supports the chest whilst your doing all that heavy breathing!
So tonight i’ll be mainly holding myself in increasingly painful positions, just on the verge of falling over. Fun!
