The beginning..
As many of you know, I have been a bit all over the place this last few months. Running has hit an all time low after an amazing year. Injury, unsure of where I’m going and what I want to achieve.
I’ve had such an amazing run (pun totally intended) over the last three years and while it doesn’t need to stop I have needed to re-asses the activities I am partaking in. Genetics plays such an important part of how we do things, and while my running has slowed down several things I know that the things in my jeans genes will inevitably cause me to slow down that particular action.
I have always known (just been too lazy to really do anything about it) that I should be doing more than just running – more stretches, other sports etc – and after everything I have read, those that do several different sports or gym classes are less prone to injury. Yes, this is a very sweeping statement, but they start from some truth somewhere.
Cycling
According to my husband I have taken to this cycling thing like a duck to water (my words, his thoughts), he is crazy proud of how well I’m doing, and enjoying it. I always had a bike growing up, loved riding it, rode it everywhere. Insert the usual story of kids and moving around and I lost fitness, thoughts of doing much of anything and cycling never really came into the equation.
Somewhere in the last ten or so years we picked up another bike for me and I rode it ocassionally, but my knees screamed at me, like seriously hurt, so I just stopped riding. The pain was too much, even a gentle slope was agony. I used to joke I can run but not ride bikes. My knees hurt. I then did a session with a PT and she showed me how I should be riding a bike…ahh, it all made sense. I still didn’t get on my bike.
Fast forward a few more years and we are here where I am today. Proud owner of a super cool bike and itching each day to get out and ride. Like I said to my co-worker who questioned my ‘you always said you hated riding and wouldn’t do it’ notion – when you get a correct fit and the right size bike, it all falls into place. It becomes a dream to ride. Cycling will also help my legs, which follows through to my running, become stronger. And that can only be a good thing, right?
Running & other stuff
So, you think that now I’m cycling I’m not going to run anymore..ahh, not on your life. I still want to run, there is a certain freedom to just getting out there and going for it. Also, I can still indulge my new found enjoyment of trail type runs which I cannot cycle with a fang dangy road bike.
The immediate future is me working on running again (thank you mr Physio) with two races straight up in Jan and Feb of 2019.
My next visit I will be asking the Physio if I can start again as I don’t want to miss my first race (the fourth race of four years for the Cadbury series* – my term there).
After several discussions with hubby I will be taking it easy next year, doing races as I feel like it, if there are spaces available when the time comes and not having it all planned out. Ride my bike, work on general fitness – pilates class and hopefully boxing – and seriously do my strength work.
Having seen the results from the leg test at the Physio has made me realise how much can be gained from just one simple exercise.
My big race next year is a 25k trail run in April – one that I definitely want to achieve.
It will be a big year but we will ride it out together, have a great run…
The name
I love to eat. Simple. After exercise is a good time to do it. After all isn’t what we do these things for. So we can eat All The Food.
I have changed my Instagram gram to reflect this also.
I run. I ride. I eat. I love a good food shot, I love plating up a sexy meal – and yes food can be incredibly sexy.
I want to add in the food aspect of my running and riding, more that just food in general. While I do love a good bag of chips, I am pretty healthy otherwise, so this will not become about what you should or shouldn’t eat (we all know the rules), but more about my journey with food and how it works with my body**.
**I have noticed a huge difference already with my non running than to when I am getting out and running consistently.
*Cadbury series – four races over 4 years. 5k 10k, Half and Full marathon. Next year is the final for me in the 5k run. Although I never actually finished the marathon, I got more than half way and they allowed me a medal.
Run. Ride. Eat. 