Jogging Journalist: Blisters, backache and…a pronation?
After a great Thursday training session I woke up feeling like I had been stabbed in the back!
Community news reporting calls for journalists to step into a community and hear its heartbeat, record the daily struggles and joys of the residents. To take things up a notch, Berea Mail journalist, Danica Hansen has decided to take part in Stella Athletic Club’s Couch to 10km Challenge. Watch her journey unfold in the diary of The Jogging Journalist. Today we bring you the eighth post in the series.
RACE day is drawing near and training sessions have intensified leaving this amateur athlete with blisters, stiff muscles and now, to add insult to injury, a backache.
Learning to relax my shoulders and neck while running has been a constant challenge. I have been working on it bit by bit and, after a satisfying 7km run on Thursday I thought I had crushed it. I flew home on a post run high thinking I was all that -minus the bag of chips- since I am a couch potato no more.
Imagine my shock and disappointment when I woke up on Friday feeling like my training had stabbed me in the back- with a sharp pain in my left shoulder blade.
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I called coach Dave Beattie for some SOS advice.
He explained that back pain is often a result of bad core strength.
“In terms of injuries and break downs, back pain, shin pain or knee pain is going to be a challenge as your running mileage increases, because you are not only using muscles you don’t usually use, but you are putting them under pressure that they are not used to,” explained Beattie.
He recommended adding three or four core exercises and stretching to my training, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day.
“If your core is not strong enough, you will likely suffer from back pain when you start to run longer distances. If your core muscles are strong it leads to better posture, less pain and easier movement,” said Beattie.
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Looks like this ex-couch potato is on her way to a six pack. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if I am talking about my abs or a much needed drink!
This week I am on a mission to discover the best shoes to keep blisters at bay. Log on next week where I’ll reveal more about pronation and supination- it’s going to be something.
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