Trusting the Process

Trusting the Process...

 

We asked Shaun to give us an account of his running improvements since first coming to Blizard Physiotherapy. He was already fast prior to entering our doors to try and improve but since has reduced his times by another 7%!! Thanks Shaun for helping inspire others on just what can be achieved.

 

Having got relatively interested in running via the local parkrun, I'd heard legend and whispers of a Lactate Threshold Test from friends I'd met at parkrun. They were talking 'heart-rate zones', 'threshold' and other buzz words that really confused me; I always thought the way forward was to run as quickly as possible as often as possible! The time I wasted training with no idea what to do and when to do it was silly on reflection.

 

Still, my naive and inefficient approach led me to the following times by the end of 2019:

5K: 19:29

10K: 41:07

Half-marathon: 1:31:29

Marathon: no interest in this beast of a distance!

 

Luckily, I got booked in with Dave just before the pandemic in January 2020, where he talked to me about the context of my lifestyle, tested me on the treadmill and explained a running programme going forward. Things changed massively after this- and not just because of Covid and the impact it had on our lives. We all had that to conjure with. But, in a peculiar way, the lockdowns benefited my running as the pubs were closed and there wasn't much we could do socially! The lockdowns enabled me to find time to carry out the plan Dave drew up for me and find fewer excuses to miss runs. The time we were granted in the lockdowns allowed me to invest in the programmes Dave suggested and the "ingredients into the cake" he talks about so enthusiastically were being put together without interruption for long periods of time.

 

When races gradually returned in 2021, significant improvements were made in the handful of races I did- interestingly, I didn't feel like I was running quicker, but I felt like I was running stronger. Strong enough to follow a marathon plan which led me to my first marathon in 3:17:50- and it was probably the most comfortable I'd felt in any race. Dave was absolutely right with my preparation.

 

I carried on putting the ingredients into the cake and trained consistently during the back end of 2021 and into 2022 where I had my most recent Lactate Threshold Test. Dave was so optimistic, positive and encouraging about running and racing in 2022 for me. Life inevitably gets very busy at times, but I've managed to string together the consistency more or less when needed and produced the following results so far this year:

5K: 18:07

10K: 37:52

Half-marathon: 1:25:57

Marathon: Yorkshire Marathon in October- hopefully another PB...

 

The Lactate Threshold Testing really has been an education in training properly, efficiently and effectively. I feel so much more confident (and by no means an expert, but I am loving continually learning!) with what to do with different types of training runs and when to do them. I feel like I don't 'waste' runs any more by aimlessly setting out with no structure or plan/aim in place. The programmes Dave has drawn up for me keep things simple- there's nothing fancy really- and I now know that following them consistently leads to guaranteed all-round positive results.

 

Finally, it has to be mentioned that Jenny has also complimented my running programmes by helping immeasurably with a groin niggle I've had throughout this year- through the Strength and Conditioning exercises she has taught me, I am finally getting back to feeling fully injury-free again. The Strength and Conditioning routines are now something I know I need to prioritise because of the great results I've had in a relatively short space of time.

 

Onto The Yorkshire Marathon in autumn. Cheers Dave and Jenny!