Hey there. Yes, I have been quite since my last race. I have been taking a much needed rest from training and racing for the month of November. Does that mean I have been sitting on the sofa and doing nothing else? Well no, though I do enjoy sitting on my sofa sometimes.
For the past few weeks and as the rest of November stumbles along, I have been in rehab mode Am I injured? Nope. But during the season I found a few weaknesses that I was only able to partially address. This is predominantly in my hip/glute area on my left side. So what better time to address it than now.
After some intense racing in June, I was attempting to also add in long runs for an upcoming marathon. This didn't work well. I managed to finish June out moderately well, but in the process my hip went wonky. I was unable to get any decent long runs in without some pain, so I opted for a few trips to the my Physio Anita Connors and my Chiro Dr Jason Gray. Both helped immensely and got me back into shape to at least tackle a half marathon. I continued doing my rehab exercises, but time was precious in September, so I didn't get as much in as I liked and still did a few races. I would guess I was at maybe 85-90% for those events, and while I did well, I certainly was not on the same form as I had been earlier in the season.
Now back to November. I have no races that I am dying to do, the weather is cooler and often rainy, and my dogs need some quality play time. So what better time for me to take a step back and reassess. Again though this doesn't mean I do nothing. I still ride my bike to and from work about 36 kms a day. And after 2 weeks off, I have been adding a few short 5km runs every 3 days. But the bulk of my work has been in another area.
Using the information I received from my medical help (see above) and from the great knowledge I have received from Jeff Zahavich at Kinesic Sport Lab, I have been following a very good rehab strength and flexibility program.
Initially I was doing a 20-30 minute daily regime. The main focus is on adding strength to my hips and glutes, but I haven't neglected my upper body and core as well. A series of squates, lunges, planks, push ups and a variety of yoga postures have all been helping me along. This regime has now been moving to every other day and eventually I will ween it down to twice a week as my running and cycling ramp back up.
I also plan on getting reassessed by Anita after November to see if I have been on the right track or if something else is starting to show up. This is where building a relationship of trust with your health care providers is essential.
Anyway, I have also been working a little bit on my race as a race director, the Halfax Movember 6K Trail Run. As it is in its second year, the work load has not been nearly as great, but still there is lots to do. This race is used to raise money for the Movember Canada movement, and is a big reason I have a moustache as we speak. I hope to post a nice write up of the race in the coming weeks. But if you will be in Halifax on the 23rd of November and want to join us for a mere $25, we would love to have you.
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