Guest Post: The Next Steps... by Pat Walsh

 ** The Next Steps ** 

🏃‍♀️ What is behind us can be assigned to the past and never to be changed. IT HAPPENED.

What happens next is important. The Nightmare is nearly over.

It is like starting a New Year again and this is a modified version of a post from a while back. Most New Year starts were mainly a physical one, where as this time there is a mental side to it too.

Mistakes were made, we got lazy, lacked motivation and consumed food and drink that maybe we should not have. It is understandable and OK and you were not alone.

It was easy to let the head and enthusiasm drop and I can get that. There was pressure on everyone with lots of worry, stress, anxiety that many of us just could not cope with.

My own head went a bit funny at times, lacking all the fun, life, social contacts that I had taken from me and wondering when I would see my family and friends again. Yes we could run but without all the FUN bits it wasn’t so easy to train.

If you want to make a fresh start and be ready to run races later in the Summer / Autumn now is the time to start. We have more freedom and can meet more people. It isn’t going to change overnight but it is getting better folks.

Simple tips

🏃‍♀️ Dumb the rubbish 

You have no chance while you fuel yourself on these foodstuffs. You need some simple proper food to provide the energy to run. Once the house is clean, do not restock. If it isn’t in the house then you cannot eat it.

Forget some fancy detox, just ditch the rubbish… Simple as...

Lose a few pounds and you will run quicker. That is not in doubt. You will also feel better about yourself.

🏃‍♀️ Get off the couch.

If you have made a start already then well done.  If not then just put on the gear and go out the door for a few easy miles. There is no magic formula, you will only get out what you put into it, so off your arse and move. Try to get more active generally and walk or cycle on in-between days. MOVE. It all helps

🏃‍♀️ Plan your week

Make a weekly plan and stick to it. Share it with your friends and that will help motivate you to stick to it. Keep it simple. A few weeks of this = “A NEW YOU”.., Sample below and it does not have to be any more than this.

Easy Run Monday, 

Some speed work Wednesday, 

Long run Saturday. 

Zoom class of strength and stretching some morning or evening. Plenty good videos on YouTube.

Set some time aside alone to get the mental side sorted. This can be done while walking in a scenic location. Be positive and count your blessings. If you look you will find them.

🏃‍♀️ Water

We have had some terrible amounts of tea, coffee, fizzies and alcohol. Do your body a favour and just get loads of water over next few weeks.

Benefits are so numerous, from weight-loss, rehydration, skin complexion, suppleness and many more that you should ask yourself … WHY NOT?

🏃‍♀️ Strength 

Take a long term approach to strength work. Are you strong enough to get the results you want from running? A strong core helps leg strength and leg drive and keeps the body in best position for running. Few minutes a couple of times per week.

🏃‍♀️ Flexibility🤸‍♀️🤸‍♂️

We need to keep the body flexible to prevent injury and some work on this is always required. Put it in the plan. You might be strong enough but you will always need flexibility work.

For strength and flexibility. Any issues won’t be fixed overnight but take time and patience. Also you can never stop and the older you get the more important they are. 

Note to self: I do need to read and remind myself of that a few times.

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

There will be races this year and after missing them so much for the last 14 months now is the time to get ready again. I don’t know where or when they will happen but they will.

Pick a target race sometime into the future. If it doesn’t happen then run it as a Virtual anyway.

Have a lovely weekend. Be good, be kind, be safe.

#pwr #keeponrunning #Survive21