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You may have read the collab that Emma and I did at the end of the summer focusing on overtraining and rest days. I thought I would talk about the influence of technology on training. Finding the right training routine for you takes time and you have to fail to then succeed. Some people have a heavy training plan and others can’t cope with such heavy training; it all depends on you as an individual and what your body can cope with. I think many of us fall into the trap (myself included) of comparing ourselves to others, this can lead to overtraining, injury and possible mental health problems. Running/Training watches
Many of us use watches to record distance and pace in training, this is very useful to track progress and routes however it does have some drawbacks. Have you ever heard of ‘naked’ running? No not in your birthday suit but I mean without any technology? Are you guilty of constantly checking your pace on a run (not speed work)? We run because we enjoy it but it can get to a point where you are no longer listening to your body; you try to push yourself to a pace that is too much for that day or hold yourself back from running faster just because you want to see a certain pace on the screen. Don’t get me wrong I thinking training watches are really beneficial but should be used in moderation because they can be addictive and restrict your training. Try it! Go for an explore without your watch and I promise you, you will enjoy it. At first it might feel a bit weird if you have been wearing it for every run but appreciate the scenery and exploring. Strava I was speaking to a friend the other day about relaxed runs and how you are perceived on social platforms like Strava, they thought that you wouldn’t get as many kudos for a slow run. PLEASE… this is not the attitude to training (they feel the same)! Recovery runs are essential. Strava is a great platform for documenting and keeping track of training as well as interacting with others however as I mentioned earlier, it is so easy to compare yourself to others and put yourself down for not being as fast or running/cycling/swimming as far. When I was coming back after injury for the first time I fell into this trap. I needed to realise that everyone else was in full training and I needed to take it slow. I tried to be consistent with my pace and distance and should have listened to my body more; personally I think it was one of the reasons that my ankle flared up again. I am not saying I wanted to be injured because it has been emotionally and physically draining and overall grim but I have learned so much about training and myself (cringe) and am ready to start a new training plan and reduce my use of technology when I get back ! Social media “Omg they have just done a 10mile run at a 4:00/km pace and… …I can only do it at a 5:00/km pace.” So? You are different people. …I am sitting on the sofa watching TV” Well you know what, rest and relaxing IS important, it is called balance. Social media: good, bad and ugly! This is such a broad topic that would require a whole new post! Social media is great way of networking and meeting people with similar interests but it can also be detrimental to your mental health; according to a study (Brown, 2018) 50% of people feel inadequate due to the influence of social media, that is 1 in 2 people!!!!! Hope you found this post interesting. I am in no means saying don’t use any of these forms of technology but just consider how much you use it and listen to your body!! Immie <3
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August 2023
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