Return to Running!
It’s officially October and for any of my fellow runners out there, you know we get a sparkle in our step around this time of year. We just watched all those champs persevere through the rain in the Chicago Marathon, and now the NYC Marathon is just around the corner.
We aren’t running the marathon this year (George & I ran it in 2016), but we’ve been running nonetheless. Every time we hit Central Park right now, the air is ELECTRIC with all the runners training for the big race in a few weeks. It’s so exciting to just be out there with all that magic!
Since I’m pregnant, I had to put running on pause for a couple months, and now I’m finally slowly cranking back into gear. I have four races coming up in October and November, and that means lacing up the running shoes and getting back out on the pavement.
As you can imagine…. with renewed training comes lots of aches and pains. I have a few tips for y’all on how I manage the normal ouchies that come with running.
STRETCH and FOAM ROLL. I can’t stress this enough. Especially as we get older, our bodies need the help. Foam rolling is definitely the world’s most annoying thing, but it changed my life and solved so many of my chronic pain issues, particularly in my knees. Plus, I got a hot pink one... which just makes me happy every time I use it!
DON’T LET SHIN SPLINTS DERAIL YOU. For years, I told myself “I simply couldn’t run,” and “my body must just not be built for it,” because I would get such horrible shin splints I thought they were insurmountable. Then an amazing thing happened… I just kept running, slowly increasing my distances bit by bit, and they eventually disappeared. Sometimes our bodies need to “break down to build back up” and this was definitely the case with me.
SHOES, SHOES, SHOES!! Picking the right running shoes is everything you guys… have your gait tested and buy shoes for FUNCTION over FASHION.
WE SWEAR BY BIOFREEZE. George and I partnered with Biofreeze recently, which is a topical pain relief product. Total gamechanger. It became our SECRET WEAPON! Now, for everything from my sore quads to George’s tennis elbow, we roll some on and the cooling effect of menthol (a natural pain reliever) soothes our minor muscle and/or joint pain.
As much as it’s tough to get back into the swing of things, I have literally been running Central Park with a smile plastered across my face lately, just so happy to be back in my sneakers with the wind on my face. I definitely had to start out slow, and trust me - I literally run with my Biofreeze roll-on in my fanny pack, just in case! - but I know the aches and pains will subside and I’ll be back to my old self in no time.
There is nothing like running. I told myself for years that I couldn’t do it, I wasn’t built for it, or I didn’t have the mental tenacity for it. My best advice is to start slow, build up, and get in front of those ouchies so you don’t get discouraged before you’ve really begun.
Happy running, friends!!
