LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

Ah, isn’t this weather just beautiful! It almost makes all those cold winter days worth it! Now just imagine experiencing the warmth of the sun, the melting of the last bits of snow, and the fresh smell of spring while you RUN! This is the time to start!

Our running clinic, that Karin Fysh and Lisa VanSickle are conducting now, is in its third week. It has a wonderful and fun group of participants! They are enthusiastic doing wonderfully well! And they have great questions that we thought we would share with everyone!

One of the more common questions that has been asked is: “Can we run more than the schedule suggests? The schedule seems so easy at this point and I know I could run more!”

This question is understandable. And it is common for runners and new exercisers to want to go ‘gungho’ the first week or two. But it is our enthusiasm carrying us. Our muscles need a bit more time to adjust. They need to build up the strength and endurance required for the sport or exercise being performed. And this is best done at a slow and steady pace.

Our tendons and ligaments adapt even slower than our muscles. So they require more time as well. If we load the tendons and ligaments too much too fast, it could result in straining them. For running, specifically, it is very important to insert intervals of walking into your runs. If your connective tissue, tendons and ligaments are not given the time to catch up, an injury is bound to happen as we get deeper into our running or activity. An injury will put you back to square one in a hurry. So in the long run (no pun intended!) you are better off taking it slow n’ easy.

Another important point is, once you start, plan on being consistent. Make sure you plan on running or exercising 3 times per week. Write it in your calendar. If you have to break the appointment, rebook it, change it, but do not cancel it! This consistency develops a pattern or a habit for you. It leads to a positive change in your lifestyle. And most importantly it leads to results!

So make activity a part of your life! Give your body something it is needing, and it will give back. The energy you put into your run or exercise will return tenfold in energy levels for your life! LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!