Guest Post: What now? ...by Pat Walsh

 ** What now? **

Some simple advice for the Year. Don’t repeat the previous mistakes from past years and be hopeful of a different outcome. It won’t happen. Keep it simple, keep it honest, keep it realistic.

Simple tips

* Dumb the rubbish

Christmas season is well over and if any unused, unopened sweet, biscuits, fizzy drinks or anything else like that, then gather them up and donate to some Charity or dump them 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.

* Get off the couch.

If you have made a start with your running then well done to you. 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. Easy run, speed run, Long run all included in your week.  Add a Gym Class some morning or evening

* Plan your Year 

Make a rough plan of what races you would like to do and have an idea of when the training and recovery for each will take place. Nothing elaborate and it can be fine-tuned later in the Year depending on how you are going.

* Water 

You have drunk some terrible amounts of tea, coffee, fizzies and alcohol last few weeks. 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?

If you are always going backwards on hills then maybe some leg strength is required.

If you are tiring and leaning forward late on a long run then maybe some work to strengthen the core and keep the body in alignment and working to capacity. A strong core helps leg strength and leg drive and keeps the body in best position for running.

* Flexibility

If you can’t touch your toes you are in trouble.. messing..!

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 they are long term work in progress. 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.

You want a good Year – Go and earn it. 

Lecture over. That is enough to get your brains thinking and hopefully to shift you into gear. Have a lovely weekend    

#pwr #keeponrunning