Training Guide 2020 - week 7

Want to run and ride better? Get your body in line. Trying to run or ride when your body is misaligned will result in pain and injury. Having good alignment will result in you moving more comfortably and getting better results!

Try these tips:

• Head: Neutral – think about tucking your chin in.
• Shoulders: Neutral/level – try rolling your shoulders back and down four to fives times to make your more aware of their position throughout the day.
• Lower back: Neutral spine – imagine your pelvis is like a bucket that is full of water. With your hands on your hips try tipping the water out of the front of the bucket and then reverse that and tip the water out the back of the bucket. Repeat four to five times until you find the neutral position.
• Knees: Straight/in line with your toes – sit in a chair, stand up and sit down four to five times. Note the position of your knees. Are they in line with your second and third toes?
• Feet: Straight ahead – think about lifting your arch.

Some great times to check your body position are when you get up in the morning, while you’re making a hot drink, sitting at a desk, standing in a supermarket queue, when you are on the phone, and before you go to sleep. You can do it any time that works for you.

But what about the BAD DAYS?

We all have bad days – those when we miss a run or a ride. Those times can be demoralising and can wreck your confidence, so it’s important not to let them get to you.

1. Remember you’re not a robot. Don't expect to be at the top of your game every day, there will be times when life just gets in the way.

2. Never let a bad day put you off. You think you’ve gone backwards and that your past successes count for nothing. Keep it in perspective.

3. Forget the bad day as quickly as possible. Mentally tick it off and move on.

4. Bad days hone your mental strength. Consider some of the upsides to getting through the day and not giving up. Those days make you mentally stronger and teach you to keep going when things are tough.

5. Bad days can help you really value the good days. Think about how the odd bad day makes you really appreciate those great times when everything comes together.

6. Analyse why you had a bad training day. Have you been overtraining? Are you coming down with something? Are you overtired? Dehydrated? Stressed out at work or home? Is there something you can change or improve to stop it happening again?

Don’t give a bad training day more weight that it deserves; it’s just a bad day. See it for what it is, don't over-dramatise and get back out there again.  See you on the start line in 2.5 weeks!