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Road Running Ramblings - July 2016
by José - 23:08 on 25 July 2016
The heat is on.
We’re mid way through the summer and so far it has been a mixed bag of weather. Last week we had temperatures of up 30c in the region and it felt really draining to train or race. I was lucky enough to train in Spain the previous two weeks in similar temperatures and it “felt “ much easier. The reason for this is all to do with how much water is in the air. Cutting a long story short the drier the air the less muggy it feels. As we are an island nation it’s a bit difficult to get away too far from the surrounding seas and so our air is really quite humid and the “feels like” temperature is often higher in the summer than it really is. And when we’re hot blood gets diverted and rushes to the skin to cool us down and basically the less blood flowing into the vital areas will mean that the body feels lethargic and tires much more easily than in lower temperatures/humidity.
What can you do when it’s hot ? The answers are (in no particular order) ;
Take a break – you’re on holiday.
Take water with you on your run.
Slow down a little.
Wear a cap and soak it in water before you put it on.
Always wear sunscreen.
Dip into the pool straight after your run – your body needs a cool down and it is the perfect way to do this.
Run early or late.
TOP TIPS
When you’re injured............
One day you’re flying high and zooming around the track. The next you’re feeling sorry for yourself and you could feel like the world has ended. We’ve all been there. It could be as simple as falling off a bike or tripping over your children’s cuddly toy on the fourth step and bang. You’ve injured some part of your body.
Things you can do;
The usual RICE (Rest,Ice,Compression & Elevation) needs to take place and this may have a great effect on the time it takes to mend.
Seek medical advice straight away if you think anything is broken or badly sprained. It might not be broken but if a badly sprained ankle mends incorrectly then you could be back to square one very soon after.
See a physio.
The last thing you should ever do is....................................GET DOWN ABOUT It !
There is not an athlete that I have ever come across that hasn’t been injured at some point.
Some are lucky and can count on one hand the times that they have been “out injured” whilst others seem to be picking up injuries more often – maybe training too hard ?
Whatever the cause the mind must kick into positivity mode and you must not think of the doom and gloom syndrome in which you think you’ll never “be back”.
Having had a rotten winter I am starting to enjoy my training again and getting faster with every week. It JUST TAKES TIME. Some days you may think you will never be as fast as you were but the body is a natural healer and it will amaze you every time.
There are things you can do though.
Try other ways to keep your fitness up for instance minimise the impact by cycling or swimming rather than running. Go a power walk, work on your core if this is not a part that is injured , take time to do some flexibility which will benefit your stride length later.
Other things that may be therapeutic.............go and help another athlete and encourage them.
In our Sport we aim to be the best we can be but when it we can’t be then we can help others to do so and that will increase our sense of togetherness.
Be happy , let the sun shine and have the odd ice cream if you want !
José
We are all human . Listen to your body !!
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