It’s only been recently that my learn to run group had started running ten minute intervals. I’m overjoyed and quite proud of the ones that persevered through the program. It just shows that, yes, I must be doing something right. For this morning’s run, I gave them a 4.8 kilometre route to complete at a slow leisurely pace. Everyone was doing their thing, and it went really well. There are a couple of features about this route. For the first 1.5K the route is a gentle uphill climb. It’s good for making the quads work a little harder than usual. From there, apart from a small incline at the 3K mark it’s all downhill and flat. Now, as I was running with the group up the hill at the beginning, noticed that my legs just weren’t into it. My shins were achy and I just wasn’t feeling great.
Due to the increased focus on the discomfort, I began to notice just how damn hot the sun was this morning. Seriously, it was an especially clear morning giving the sun clearance to just pound down. Whatever–I just pushed through. After some time though I just knew that it wouldn’t be great. I was running with one person up until the first walk break. At that point, another student came back from the front group to join her friend. I was satisfied at that point with the fact that everyone had someone to run with, so I just let them go ahead. There were some people behind me, so I was pretty much loosely sandwiched between a mid group the back. Even so, it was one of the first times I decided to run alone in the LTR clinic. Usually I start out running with the front group and make my way to the back as the run progresses. That allows me to talk to everyone in the group. For a group like this, having the encouragement is helpful. Now that everyone has progressed, I feel comfortable allowing people to set their own pace.
So, while I was running on my own, I was mentally examining where the aches and pains were originating from. Sure, my shins were aching, but from what? Why would they suddenly be uncomfortable during this run? It wasn’t long before I noticed that my feet were feeling tight across the top. I immediately deduced that I had tied my laces far too tightly. Crap! I’m the type of person that needs to have my laces a little bit more loose, but secure. When I tie my shoes too tightly, my feet can’t flex at the ankle without added pressure. That causes my shins to absorb more of the impact. That’s where the discomfort and the resulting decrease in speed came from. See! After all this time, I really have learned something.
I didn’t want to stop to re-tie my shoes so I just ran through it. I got back, but in all honesty I felt like my run was a hell of a lot sloppier than I would have liked. I felt my posture going toward the end–I was a slumping mess. It’s lucky that I was running alone because that would not have been a good show. Oh well. Such is life, right? I tell it to my students all the time: some days are better than others. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and move on. I’ve learned from mine. Tomorrow will be better.
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2 comments
Bong Ortiz says:
Mon. July 6, 2009 at 9:55 am (UTC -5 )
Hey Jason, take care of your shins, icing will help. Your clinic must be almost finished. It must be so fulfilling to see your clinic participants slowly become runners. They are quite lucky to have a very dedicated teacher like you. You are so much like Isaac, Annissa and my clinic instructor now, Ray. Being a good teacher is a gift, and you definitely have it.
Jay says:
Mon. July 6, 2009 at 11:43 pm (UTC -5 )
Oh wow, thanks for the compliments! Yes, it’s really fulfilling to see them achieve what they thought was unachievable just two months ago. Seeing them succeed makes me feel like I succeeded through them. Hopefully I’ll have given them the right tools to carry them through the other clinics with a sense of purpose and confidence.