“May need to consider cross training as foot type may not be suitable for long distance running.”
This is the final line of the report I got from the physiotherapist I visited at the start of February. This was obviously not the feedback I was hoping to get.
fitness tests
One week after this visit, I did my next swimming test. I managed to do 850 metres in half an hour (an improvement of 50 metres on the January test – happy days!). I was exhausted after this and enjoyed being able to sit down in one of the changing cubicles for about 15 minutes afterwards.
I also did my February aerobic running fitness test. I averaged 6 minutes 45 seconds per km over the 8km run in January. I managed to get this down to 5 minutes 55 seconds per km! To improve by 50 seconds per km in around a month may sound like an impressive feat. However, it was very cold in January when I did the first test. I think this was a key factor in the big improvement.
In an effort to understand this improvement, I looked back at old runs to try to figure out how this 5:55/km run compared to previous ones. I did a bit of running in September and October last year and there were a few runs where I used the chest strap and my average speed was a little over the 6 minutes per km mark at a similar heart rate. That being said, there were also runs a good bit slower too. So overall, I’m happy with the 5:55/km.
By the way, if I miraculously manage to improve by the same amount next month, I won’t be showing the same modesty by downplaying the progress!
new runners
Oh, and I also went to a running shop and got my gait checked. I was video recorded running and was then shown on a screen how my right foot turned in a bit when I ran with my own runners. I was advised to consider strength and conditioning and to see a physiotherapist and I was shown on a screen how a runner I tried on that offers support for overpronation stopped my right foot from turning inward. I’m looking forward to getting a new pair that will hopefully reduce the small niggling discomforts I’m sometimes getting.
I’ll hopefully get my new runners within the next week (I really should have them by now, to be honest, to break them in for the upcoming marathon!).
