Terena De Abaitua-Hind writes:
There are over 40 different menopause symptoms, one of which is joint pain. As a runner, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out if the pain is due to depleted oestrogen or an injury! So, when I picked up a small glute strain, that then seemed to move to the hip area I had to figure out which one it was. It’s a bloody minefield! I decided to pull back on running miles, in case it was the latter, and instead braced myself for my first strength and conditioning session. Ever!
Ahh! I can hear you say! So that’s why she found running past marathons tough – no core strength! Well, you might be right I suspect. At this point, I do need to stress that on ALL previous marathons I was strongly encouraged to invest in some core strength training – isn’t that right David! But of course, I ignored the good advice and thus struggled! Lesson learnt finally!
I’m now two sessions in and whilst the DOMS hit hard (when I say hard, I mean sneezing hurt!) after the first session, I’ve enjoyed it more than I anticipated! After the second session, my muscles were less unhappy with me! My PT, Laura (insta: @westlondonptandsportsmassage), is brilliant with me and tailors each session according to how my body is feeling and how the rest of my week looks. I’ve popped some photos below as proof of advice finally taken!
Strength and conditioning session!
So, data crunching! Cutting back runs for a week sent my training plan into negative milage for the week leaving me twitching with feelings of ‘falling behind’ the plan! This of course is ridiculous as I’m working off a 19-week plan, allowing for a couple of weeks leeway should the need arise. So, one week used! It’s so easy to get obsessed with making sure every run and session on the plan is met, but the reality is that life cannot always be put on hold. And that’s ok! Running 370 miles in training versus running 380 miles isn’t going to make or break the marathon!
Heading out on the long run after a week off, I had a target of 10 miles, told myself 8 would be enough as I didn’t want to push the glute, not to mention my quads were still a bit unhappy with me, and pulled off 9 – happy with that! It was a good run, took some pictures and finished with no signs of glute or hip pain. All good. Next run – track! Track to me is a scary thing! It shouldn’t be – I spent most of my teenage years running round one, competing even. I may as well blow my own trumpet here: I was once the 7th fastest British forces schoolgirl in 800m whilst living in Germany! Okay, not top three I know, but still impressive! But I was young then, and less self-conscious or scared! Maybe it’s a trigger thing – a sub-conscious memory of being yelled at to run faster round the track, put more effort in, quit smoking behind the bike sheds! Mike never shouts though, and the effort is dictated by yourself! Eagles do not judge either so it couldn’t be a safer place to be. It was a great session and my great buddy, Kelli, paced me round making sure I didn’t get carried away but also not letting me slack! Big shout out to Mike but leading the session – as always, the generosity of coaches volunteering their time to help others is awesome! Thank you!
Heading back to the track after a long absence!
Next up is starting to look at my fuelling strategy. I haven’t got into the kind of distance yet that requires much more than a couple of gels. Previous marathons I have relied on gels and blocks to keep my energy levels up, but without really knowing when I should consume or how many. So, I’ve done a little bit of research (much more to do), and consensus seems to sit around 30-60g of carbs per hour of running. Helpful! One is half of the other! Is it 30 or is it 60!! This translates to 1-2 gels per hour which means I could potentially get through 9 gels. I not sure how my system will react to that so definitely some experimenting to be done! Watch this space!
So that’s me for now! Hope you are all enjoying your running, in whatever context. Stay safe and see you around!