February Running update [features gifted items]

by Leyla [Thisdayilove] - 13:08

This post features products/services that have been gifted but no payment has been received.

February seems to have flown past. Even though it is a shorter month I have still managed to run 145miles or 233km, which is quite a lot. Had I known this earlier I would have run an extra 5 miles to round it up!

This month has seen the long runs get even longer with my longest to date of 20 miles. I use the long runs to also go on my Motivational hunt which sees me trying to find a series of five different items as set out in the group Run Mummy Run [Yorkshire and Humber region]. It is great fun to break up the long runs, although I never want to go on a gnome hunt again!

The long runs have also meant lots of early starts, but with it has come some beautiful early morning sun rises. Which if I am honest makes everything worth it.

I have started running to heart rate now, which has taken quite a lot of getting used to. Watching my heart rate fluctuate and trying to bring it into the correct zone has been really hard work and at times frustrating. However I have noticed that with it my recovery times are shortening and I am not longer experiencing the abdominal pain I used to get on long runs. I guess it must be doing something. I might be getting slower at the moment but my endurance has increased.

One of the other changes this month is I have been trying to cross train more. I was given a months pass to try Your Pilates Physio which has really helped with cross training. The website is really easy to navigate and I can also access from my phone too, meaning I can access the workouts wherever I am.

The site has all the videos individual which you can search for certain things, like strengthening or stretches. You can even search for areas such as lower back. In addition the videos have been grouped into workouts so you can do a series of videos such as workout for runners or a workout for the upper back.

At the end of January my shoulder injury got too painful and it meant I have had to have a rest from other forms of cross training such as kettlebells or hoop. I have found with Your Pilates Physio that there are multiple workouts to help with my shoulder pain including a whole group of videos specifically for it. It has therefore been a real game changer this last month and I would love to continue my subscription.

Your Pilates Physio isn't just for runners, it is for anyone wanting to access Pilates workouts. The videos are easy to understand and follow, even for someone like me who is very uncoordinated. The duration of each video is clearly displayed before you begin, so you can tailor your workouts. For future I would love to see some shorter duration videos, for when I only have a quick 10 or 15 mins but other than that it has been amazing to have access to.

My daughter and I are still working through our parkrun alphabet challenge and have collected a few more this month, one of our parkrun days was cancelled due to the bad weather, which given the current weather seems hard to believe.

March sees my first two races of the year, they are both however training runs to the ultra in April and I am looking forward to finally earning a nice bit of bling at last!