#virtualrunningtraining

So, how was your 2016? For me was a challenging year, and was until October / November I was able to run again. At the end of 2015 I had a bad injury plus a bad bike fall. Seems it was not complicated at the beginning but I end up having a long recovery time, almost a year long. I had a partial, almost 50% of the plantar fascia detached from the bone, a rare injury but it happens. You only need few seconds to have a bad fall.

But it took quite long to realize what had happened, since the fall was actually a silly fall.

Anyway, during all this time I learned a lot, I got more into why injuries happens, since I suffered of plantar fasciitis also for a long time and I realized is one of the most stubborn injuries a runner can have, and not only runners, but also basketball and football players, even dancers. In fact any one can get it even if that person is not active. 

Also I learned that with the running boom there is a lot of “coaches” claiming to be one when in fact they don’t even have a wide a running experience and just talk in a fancy way. Furthermore, running is not only running, at the end is an integral activity that involves the complete kinetic chain of the body. 

For that, I spent many evenings just educating my self and look for more scientific information, plus attending my time-consuming therapy sessions. I read couple of books like “Running Science”, “Running Revolution” and some others. Running magazines are just fine, but if you want to go further and in a more structured way and to improve, is way better to look at scientific and more accurate information.

Besides reading, In the meantime I also started a full strength program, focusing in balancing all the muscles specially in the legs and core, including lower back and glutes, also a flexibility program in which the core Running is still a simple activity, but when you do it repetitively and more often, then you need to look in how all those forces are specially affecting the body, this applies for all distances, but more important for those running half marathon and marathon. 

In that matter I was able to maintain general fitness, but the struggle for even walking was still there. Just took it easy and focused in what I will do next.

I started by then training people in Miami and Mexico, and also offering Virtual Training, which was successful. I had several clients and all managed to reach their goals. Clients includes couple of runners that ran Chicago Marathon, Mexico City Half Marathon and New York Marathon.

By September / October things were better and started to run mildly. My first race after a year was the Half Marathon in Zagreb, I ran it in 1hr 35min, no bad for a start and just mild training (walking, jogging and lots of strength training). The race was ok, just some minor pain in the foot, which was normal, but since then the pain started to ease faster, beside all the therapy I was taking aside plus lots, lots of medications to regulate the plantar nerve pain which was also affected due to the injury.

In there I meet a runner entrepreneur and since then I help to collaborate in his network and races in Croatia (I ended up in Croatia), in another post will comment on that.

Zagreb half marathon was the break-point to start again something I stopped and to gain confidence. Also I gain more running clients and happy to help them out to reach their full running potential. Another races were:

- 10k Raslina, Sibenik in Croatia - 43min (2nd place)

- Half Marathon in Ljiubliana, Slovenia - 1hr 31min (24th place, 4th per category)

- 22km Sport Hotel, Croatia 1hr 43min

- 10k Night Run, Zagreb - 43 min (12th place)

- 10k Advent Run, Zagreb - 1st place !