Wow! Where does the time go? Seriously! I kept meaning to update my blog, but other things kept coming up, and bam! We are in the middle of July! So a brief update and hopefully I’ll get back on track. I completed the 16-week online coaching program that I started in December. This costly 1:1 program was highly recommended, with claims of running injury free for life. I followed it judiciously and yet still ended up with some minor injuries. Had the coach been available more than every three weeks or so, I may have gotten the direction and guidance I needed and possibly not have had to take so much time off. Not exactly my idea of 1:1 coaching as promoted.
I have had one other online strength and training coach who was available 1:1 a couple of years ago. She was great until she told me to join the Facebook group for my strengthening instead of the individualized training plan that I was paying for. A lot of these coaching services are just that. They have too many clients and can’t give you individualized attention. If I wanted to join the FB group, that is what I would have paid for. Anyway, I am done with coaching services for now.
Nobody can guarantee that you will run injury free. Strengthening and gradually increasing your running can reduce your risks, though. And yes I did get injured as mentioned in this 16 week program. The pain started in my right anterior foot during a run and later became too painful to walk on. That was a new one for me. Being that my coach wasn’t available for consultation, I just took a few days off and was back to running within a week. Then close to the end of the program, I thought I pulled a calf muscle which is what happened last June. The exact same spot. A PT evaluation found that it was not pulled. A little deep tissue massage and I was back to running.
The bilateral knee pain is still there even after promises from the most recent coach that this could be fixed, and my ITB still flares up occasionally during the beginning of the run. So far, strengthening exercises, dry needling with electrical stimulation, or stretching has not made much of a difference. So, why do I keep running, you ask? I am not convinced that I can’t overcome these problems. I just have to find the right treatment plan. In the meantime, I am just going out and running easy with my pups. I had a half marathon planned for this month that I took off the schedule a while back so that I could just focus on building a base and just get back to running strong based on what I think is working and taking rest days when I feel like I need them. I still plan to run another marathon….when the time is right.
I’ll catch up on more details and family stuff real soon. Plus, we are taking a road trip with the pups. Now that is going to be interesting…
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