Not going to be all plain sailing...

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I kicked off my running training like any total newbie. I put on an old and highly unremarkable pair of cheap trainers and hit the treadmill. My fitness training isn't totally haphazard though. I do at least intend to follow a Couch to 10k regime advocated by a site called myrunningtips.com. The approach is straightforward. You alternate running and walking, starting with a little running and then gradually increasing the amount you run over a 12 week period. Yes, apparently if I follow this training programme I could be able to run 10km in as little as 12 weeks. Isn't that a little soon given my race is 12 months away. Well yes. But, being realistic, there's a fair chance it'll take me longer, and the next 12 weeks coincide conveniently with summer, which means a far greater opportunity to run outside rather than in the gym on the treadmill.

If I manage to run 10km in 12 weeks, then quite frankly I'll be delighted and will be able to put greater effort into complementary fitness training such as strength training and swimming, secure in the knowledge that the distance is achievable. Of course being in the Highlands there are other avenues for improvement. Lots of hilly terrain round here. Less so in Derby city centre.



However, one of the reasons I think I may need longer than 12 weeks is I seem to have some health issues that could stand in my way. Firstly, I'm hypermobile, which means my joints move more than is necessarily desireable. Elbows bending backwards, that sort of thing. There's a test you can do to assess whether you're hypermobile. You can find out more about it and get your Beighton Score here.  I have come a cropper with this condition before, suffering a dislocated knee when I was 19.

So, what are the implications of this? Well, according to Runners World:

"...hypermobile runners are more likely to have issues with several joints, because the joints themselves are hypermobile or because one weak link causes a chain reaction, pulling other joints out of line. The result? A potential plethora of running injuries stemming from overuse, such as IT band syndrome, plantar fasciitis and patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee)."

 Bummer! To make matters worse, hypermobile people are apparently prone to poor proprioception (your body's ability to sense position and movement of the joints). At last. An excuse for my appaling sense of balance.

Apparently this doesn't preclude me from running. I just need to put extra focus into strength training and proprioception exercises. I also need to not overdo any stretching or foam rolling exercises because overextending joints can be damaging. Maintaining a good running form (whatever that is, I'm not sure at this stage) is also important, which brings me to my next dilemma...

... my feet oversupinate.

Put simply, when I run the outside edges of my feet bear the brunt of the impact, and this gets sore pretty quick. I wasn't aware of this issue until I started attending my local leisure centre. I first noticed it in step aerobics classes (super fun and highly recommended), as near the end of the workout my feet would feel a bit sore. Then I noticed it a lot more on the treadmill. I ran quite fast for 5 minutes and noticed significant pain in the outsides of my feet. I walked for 5 minutes and the pain eased. Ran again. More pain. You get the idea. A quick scan of the Internet suggested a few possible causes. Inappropriate footwear, stress fractures, tendonitis in the peroneus tendon, and oversupination were common suggestions.

What made me suspect oversupination was that it was common in people with high arches (me), ankles with tendancy to roll (me), painful shins (me), and a good indicator was if the outer edges of your shoes wear out faster. A quick inspection of my trainers revealed that was indeed the case. The outer edges of tread were almost worn smooth.

The implications? Weak ankles, which can contribute to common running injuries, and sore feet when running.

The solution? Well, according to this article I need to fix my running form (I really must find out what that means), and improve my ankle stability.

So, lots of work to be done, and if I'm going to stay injury free it'll probably take longer than 12 weeks to reach the target.