What I think about when I think about running.

Firsty thanks to Haruki Murakami for the title for this article. I had to steal it because

I really like running and I really like thinking about running. At times I’ve been in love with running. I’ve read just about every book there is to read on it and studied the training of many of the greats. Sebastian Coe is one of my sporting heroes and a picture of him in full flight adorns my home gymnasium wall. One of my highlights of each year is running a section of the South West Costal Path with my brother in law. Sadly though for the past few years I haven’t been able to run much at all.

They say there are two types of runners. Those that are injured and those that are waiting to be injured and I’ve been in the former camp for a few years now. When you are younger you don’t really think about running. It just happens. I ran to play bull dog, kiss chase and various other games in the school field that I’m sure have now all been banned.

Then when you get older and if you love sports like me you run to balls. I ran to hit tennis balls, kick footballs and to field cricket balls. I ran mostly sideways with a rugby ball but I never ran just to run unless it was school sports day. It was only in my late teens where I ran the odd 800m against other schools but when I was asked to attend school running club in about 1986 I thought it was very odd concept and declined.

By my late 20s about the only running I did was to get to the odd train but then in my early 30s I discovered triathlons. Running became something I trained for and enjoyed. There was however only a relatively small amount of time to allocate to running and I was definitely a triathlete rather than a runner.

Then in my late 30s I had children. There didn’t seem time for triathlon so I finally became a runner. I was almost exclusively a runner for about 3-4 years. I joined the local running club, took part in a cross country league and managed to run a few times that will set my kids some decent targets in a few years. Then one day at St Albans Park run I had what a I consider a break though performance. I ran 18.45 for 5k at the age of 43 and I knew I could go faster. I was ready to take the (local) running world by storm.

That day pretty much marked the end of my only time as a runner so far. Shortly afterwards I got injured and for the past 5-6 years I’ve not really been able to run. I’ve tried to come back a few times but I’ve not lasted long before something goes wrong. It wasn’t even running's fault lot of the time. I ski, play tennis and 5 a side football. These sports can be higher risk in terms of injuries. I was also doing an office job that had me sitting for long periods a day. Sitting can really compromise your posture and lead to some muscle groups getting really weak whilst other muscles remained strong. Muscular imbalances can be a killer.

But suddenly as we enter a new decade, and one year after leaving the City and having started a new career as a strength and fitness coach I’m making a comeback of sorts. I’m making a bid to be a runner again. Not exclusively so. I’m more of a cyclist these days and I still play some tennis, football and golf. I ski more than I have ever done in the winter but I am excited to be someone that runs again. I want to see if I can get faster over 5K. I would like to do an ultra run at some point. That excites me and having goals you are passionate is important.

I’m fit - my VO2 max hasn't declined much in 20 years. I’ve got great endurance from my cycling. I’m stronger and more flexible than I’ve ever been. Despite this I still don’t believe that will be enough to keep me from getting injured running. So this time I’m going to throw the kitchen sink at it. I’m not going to cut any corners. This is what I’m going to think about when I think about running.

Strength

Whole body strength is a must for me anyhow but for my sports there is a focus on leg strength through mainly squats and dead lifting. This fits well with cycling and my other sports. There will be a focus on unilateral work which has proven to be more beneficial and in any event running is basically a series of hops so one leg work is more specific to running. I will start to do calf raises again to protect my achilles as I start to run faster and incorporate more hills. Achilles and calf strength is also beneficial for my other sports.

Core strength is something you can never have enough of and an area that you can work every day without fatiguing. I’ve already felt the benefit of superior core strength cycling in the mountains so I’m going to ramp this up. Exercises like side planks are also brilliant for lower back hygiene. I know that many runners prefer to always run but I’m pretty convinced that those people could be even better runners if they were stronger. Have a look online at what strength training Mo Farah does. Yes, he does a lot of core work, but he does back squats as well at over half his body weight.

Stability work

I’ve separated this from strength work although there is a lot of overlap. I have had hip problems following a skiing accident and I have torn my medial meniscus on both sides. I’ve have not had any surgery and currently feel no pain even when cycling in mountains which I did quite often. I’ve strengthened my leg muscles up to a reasonable level where I can back squat and dead lifts about 1.5 times my body weight. However due to my history I will also do specific hip, knee and ankle stability work. There’s a load of possibilities here and I’ll post what I’m doing as I update this article.

Warm Up

I’m going to warm up before each run. I will start with some foam rolling followed by a 3 minute ride on my indoor bike trainer. I will then go through 2-3 dynamic stretches to further wake up specifically my glutes, core, hip flexors and other leg muscles.

Shoes

Inspired by the book Born to Run I was an early adopter of minimal shoes. I adored the New Balance Minimus shoes with their lack of drop, wide toe box and the connectivity with the ground the lack of cushioning have me. But I’ve had too many Achilles problems and with two torn meniscus I’m going back to a more conservative shoe with the Asics Gel Cumulus for all my runs for the foreseeable future. I've also got some well structured Salomons for trail running. My preference is always offroad.

Recovery

Calf and hamstring stretches after each run and use of compression calf sleeves which I find very helpful. I use Compresssports purely because I bought a pair based on what Chrissie Wellington the triathlete used to wear. I’m not sure the science is conclusive on these but I’m sure I feel the benefit in recovery and if the pros use them that’s good enough for me.

Scheduling

I’m putting this next to recovery. Theoretically the more active you are the less time you have for recovery but reducing recovery is not an option. When I was in my 30s I didn’t give much thought to recovery but now I have to almost start with that and build exercise around it. It’s not just a case of feeling fresh for sport it’s about being fresh and energised for life. As an example I instruct my cycling coach that our sessions are not to leave me with residual fatigue that will negatively affect my family life and ability to do my job well. Scheduling your activity to get this right is probably the most difficult thing of al or get right particularly if you participate in multiple sports or have a rather compulsive / addictive nature like me.

Prioritise

More than 90 minutes of tennis at the level I like to play at is quite brutal. The ball can be at your feet one moment and then you may have to leap and stretch to your full height to reach a lob in the next instance. Some people can play tennis into their 70s and play within themselves. They will make a decision not to go for high balls or sprint. They know the risks are not worth it. I’m not there yet. At 50 I still look to play tennis like I see Nadal play it and that is very harsh on my body. If I want to find time to run something needs to give and it can't be the family. So I'm retiring from all tennis teams and just hitting for fun 1-2 times a week.

Not running when tired, Injured or ill

When you are ill or tired it’s more likely you will pick up an injury so for me it’s not worth the risk. I’ve been bitten too many times by this one and my body is too vulnerable to risk. Your’s might not be though. It depends on your history. What I’m saying here is decide what makes sense to you and then stick to your guns. if you are in two minds about whether to run or not don’t run. Listen to your gut feeling on this one.

Avoid Mission Creep

I’m going to run within myself. Even if I’m feeling really good on a run I’m not going to run further than I aim to (unless I'm feeling great and it's sunny). The faster you run the greater the impact and greater the likelihood of injury. Fast running will consist of short intervals of a quicker pace in easier runs for now and these can gradually be extended out to 1k intervals over time. Being a runner for me is going to consist of 2-3 runs per week and racing the odd 5K or 5 mile race. If I can remain injury free for 6 months I will then consider expanding my scope. Given those goals I don’t need to run further than 10k or for longer than an hour. The majority of my runs will be 40 minutes.

Enjoy at all times

Last but no means least. I will not become a slave to heart rate or pacing. Running success will not be defined by race times. As a runner who has felt he has had his last rites read a number of times I intend to treat every run as if it may be my last.

Phil Jacobs

Phil Jacobs is Founder and Coach at SecondHalf Active which promotes superior strength and fitness as the cornerstones of living our best lives over the age of 35. We believe exercise and training looks different for men and women as we age and that injury prevention and recovery have to be at the forefront of our thinking.

For your free PT trial at the SecondHalf Active gym in Harpenden, please call us on 0796163262 or email us at hello@secondhalf.co.uk