Getting Back To It!
It's starting to get lighter in the mornings and it's getting darker later. Is it feeling a little warmer, or is it too early to say? Has dry January only taken things so far and you know you need to get back to your previous exercise routine? You might even have some races or events pencilled into your diary for this year (fingers crossed!). If it's been a while since you've been able to do what you want to do, before you strap on your Dunlop Green Flash and head out for a 20 miler as you last did in October, a little bit of planning can help avoid injuries getting in the way of your return to previous levels.
What are you aiming to do?
Are you a runner that hasn't run for 4 months? A cyclist who last saw their bike in the shed before a pile of boxes got in the way? If the usual process to return to your exercise has been disrupted, try to think about what the demands of exercise on your body will be. Problems tend to arise when the body is unable to tolerate the load applied to it, either repeatedly or over a few episodes. If you have not been able to do what you wanted to, your body may have lost some of its tolerance to the load it previously absorbed well. So, before you restart how can you prepare your body for this?
What are your sport requirements?
What is it you need your body to do? Running is a series of springs from foot to foot maintaining and then generating momentum to move forwards. For this your calf muscles will need to be able to lengthen and shorten quickly (depending on how fast you run), your hips, knees and feet will need to be in good alignment facing to the front, abs need to work to help keep the pelvis level and offer support to the trunk and body above. Do you need to work all of these things? Maybe not, but spending some time doing some calf raises or a few gentle hops in the week or two building up to your return might help prepare your body.
Cycling needs less spring through the calf and ankles than running so may need less of this type of work, so doing more work with a fixed foot might be more useful (like standing up from a chair with one leg a few times, which replicates part of the cycling action), although good alignment remains key. Train some of the essential movements so that when you are doing them repeatedly there is some tissue resilience in place.
If you use equipment like a bike, it is worth making sure it is also in good shape to be used - getting equipment serviced will ensure it is safe to start using again.
How long should I be doing this for?
Sometimes, there is nothing more useful than doing what you want to do as no amount of hops, calf raises, step ups or lunges can properly replicate doing a 5k run. Start with a sensible distance compared to what your previous levels were and break it up if you need to. After more than a month off you'll need to rebuild gradually so keep expectations low in the early stages, just get used to doing what you want to do again and enjoy it for what it is without pushing it.
Give yourself a few weeks to build back up steadily and factor in rest days too. You might feel as if you're not doing much but your body needs time to recover from the changes in exertion. If you need some help apps like Couch To 5k can offer some guidance on how to build up to a goal.
Does this mean nothing will hurt?! Yay!!!!
No, not necessarily, but it'll give you a good chance of being less affected by pain. There will likely be some discomfort when restarting, but the important consideration is differentiating what you might expect to be a normal response to returning to activity from something that might require a little more attention. Some of these are quite obvious (e.g. a sudden twang whilst exercising) or may only come to light over a couple of days after restarting exercise. In the main, providing you are sensible in what to expect on your return and expectations going forward, there is no need to resist - it's time to get back out there!
Our top tips for getting back to it:
Plan your return, don't just leap in back to last season's training levels.
Build some strength and conditioning training suited to your discipline into your weekly routine.
Start gently with low volume and come back steadily. The Couch to 5k app is great for new and returning runners.
Check all your sports kit and have it serviced / maintained as needed.
Rest and recovery is as important as actually doing your sport so incorporate recovery days into your training schedule.
And as always, if you have any persistent niggles, aches or pains don't soldier on in silence making them worse. Get in touch with us if you need us.
Words by Paul Martin and NoviceRunnerNik.