Are You Ready To Run?

Have you been thinking about getting back to, or starting a running program? Maybe life got busy and it's been a long time. Maybe you are recovering from injury, surgery, or pregnancy and childbirth. Maybe you've never been a runner but have decided it's time to start - possibly to get fit or to deal with stress.
Either way, it's important to have some basic "breakdown" skills in place to reduce your risk of injury. These are foundational pieces that lead up to running - just like anything else. For example, if you've seen young children learn to write, first they've got to be able to hold a crayon or pencil. And make straight lines. Then curvy lines. Then letters. Then words. And finally sentences, with punctuation. There's lots of places where they can get off track, and you CAN certainly "get by" without mastering foundational skills, but things are usually much easier if you've got the basics in place first.
You can watch this video for more detail, but here's a list of the basics I progress my clients through to reduce their risk of injury (and usually improve their performance level too!) If you can't do any one of these things, you're very likely to get yourself into trouble with running just now. Trouble meaning pain, discomfort, or some kind of "itis" (bursitis, tendinitis, fascitis etc... )

1. Walking around for every day life without pain or limitation

2. Doing a "mini squat" (about 30 degrees of knee bend, 50% of body weight on each leg) for about 30 seconds OR 3 x 10 seconds

3. Stand on one leg 3x 30 seconds with eyes open keep pelvis level.

4. Mini squat (about 30 degrees) on one leg, pelvis level, eyes open 3x30 seconds.

5. Heel raise on one leg 3 x10-30 seconds or 30x ( you are allowed to hold on LIGHTLY for balance on this one!)

6. Mini squat on elevated heel 3 x 10-30 seconds

(You can find a more detailed description on the Ready To Run video here!)

These are general guidelines (and not a substitute for medical advice or physical therapy). The reality is that basic guidelines fit a lot of situations but not every situation. And it often depends. What type of running are you getting back to or starting? Casual jogging, road racing, trail racing, sprinting, endurance running?
These tips are a good starting point but if you've got questions or are wondering if you need physical therapy or 1:1 Pilates, schedule your complimentary consult today!

Photo credit Photo by Andrew Tanglao on Unsplash