I’ve now run 4 times since returning from holiday and am finding it difficult. Over 2 months of non-running has allowed my legs to become lazy and disobedient. When asked to perform, they reluctantly go through the motions like a moody teenager and then, as soon as I’m not looking, begin to slack off. And they feel TIGHT. The calves, the quads and hamstrings seem to have siezed up. During Juneathon, the running came comparitively easy, the movement fluid… At the moment I’m sure that if I removed my headphones whilst running I’d hear the joints in my hips and knees creaking like rusty hinges. None of this is helped by running 5kms virtually daily whilst on holiday and then, once home and with the Ashtead 10k on the horizon, I have halved the frequency of my runs but doubled the distance because in my little brain, I’m not actually working any harder (3 x 10km are the same as 6 x 5km, right. Right?), although my legs beg to differ. And I know deep down that 3 x 10kms are obviously not the same as 6 x 5kms but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating when, after 5km, I’m grabbing my ankles and stretching at the side of the path when I should still be running.
So, the Ashtead 10k this Sunday should be, ahem, interesting. I’m looking forward to it very much as it is Hauling My Carcass’s hometown race and I have heard and read lots of good things about it. I am hoping that the sense of occasion and anticipation allow me to run it easily and enjoyably. And apparently there are no hornets to avoid this year.
Soundtrack to this post – Nucleus Roots – Sunrise
Sounds like post holiday blues to me. What you need is a gentle run around the trails of Bengeo. Forget about the time and distance, leave all the gadgets at home and go out and enjoy yourself. This worked wonders for me after I cam back from holiday. I went out on a trail run for what I thought would be about 8 km, but ended up as 24 km. As you know I do like my long runs.
If you fancy a bit of company, let me know and I will dig out the OS map.
Thanks Simon. I’ve had a couple of more successful runs recently but the 2 months off seem to have taken their toll on my stamina. Once I’m a little more, ahem, resillient, I’ll take you up on your offer. Cheers.