Back to basics ...

Over the last few weeks I've been suffering with achy shins and calfs when road running. After much deliberation (and research on the internet ... thank god for Google!!) I have taken the decision to go back to running on the treadmill to help prevent (and possibly repair) shin splints.

Yesterday I went to my weekly Body Tone class and have woken this morning to very tight and achy glutes !! So I took myself off into the garage to attack the treadmill, but instead of running at my normal speed of 5.8mph, I took the decision to start off at 5mph and build up gradually. This was partly because I didn't want to overdo it too soon with my shins, but also I wanted to see how long I could run for without stopping as this is something I struggle with with road running. I can normally run for the first mile and then have to walk for 30-40 seconds to catch my breath, but on the treadmill I surprised myself and I managed to run for 2.75 miles before having to walk for 30 seconds!!

As I started my run at 5mph, I built up my speed so that I was running at 5.4mph when I finished my 3 miles. As I had taken the decision to do a slower, steadier run this morning, I was happy with my time of 00:34:35 (with an average of 11:32 min/mile).