Training programmes in an uncertain year for races. 📒

Training programmes in an uncertain year for races. 📒

Starting a fresh year usually means new goals, new training plans, new routines and new resolutions. But how can you plan in a year full of so much uncertainty?

Last year was a really difficult year for a lot of runners. How many of us over did it with more free time and ended up injured? 😬🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️ We did.. twice! The balance of reaching new goals and increasing training but keeping our bodies happy was certainly a struggle. Hopefully we have taken some valuable lessons from this though, in knowing what our bodies need, our individual weaknesses, and how to strengthen them.

We have both started this year with individual training plans and routines to suit our lifestyles. Unlike most years we haven’t started this year with a marathon training plan because spring marathons have moved back. This allows us time to build up our speed and strength before putting in that extra mileage in the summer. ☀️ When races return we hope our routine and training will have us ready and waiting 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️

Using a diary to track how often we do our stretches, strength exercises and other workouts is proving useful in sticking to our routines as visually seeing a plan gives us that nudge not to skip out. Both of us have our own niggles to keep an eye on, little legs has a dodgy knee and long legs an achilles. Seeing physios last year gave us the knowledge and understanding of how to keep the niggles at bay and look after those weak areas with different stretches and strength exercises. 📒

We have used January to find a routine and structure that suits us and can continue with throughout the year. On a Sunday we send each other our next weekly schedule and plan when we can run together 💕. If we feel we need to swap a run for a rest day we bloody do it because we absolutely do not want to get injured🤞🏼