Thought we'd do a cycle instead of a run today to give our feet a rest. We headed towards South Norwood Park which is a lovely stretch of land full of pebbly trails and grassy expanses. On our route we went across another piece of public land which is not park or recreation ground but just a big circle of grass surrounded by woods. Too good an opportunity to miss, we thought, and headed towards the trees.
We spent the next 20 minutes or so using the trees for strength training by pulling ourselves up, twisting round and negotiating branches, jumping and balancing. It's funny - when you're a kid, you think nothing of these activities. You can shoot up a tree quicker than a cat and without a thought for your safety. Today, it was as though my adult mind was telling me "no, you can't do this" but somewhere in my head my piece of "child" brain was nudging away at me, trying to remind me of movements and techniques that I used to use, the instructions for which still lurk in my head somewhere.
On our way back from a refreshing race around the park (we also found a possible venue nearby for our Barefoot Running UK workshops - bonus!) we used the big circle of grass for practising rolls, cartwheels, handstands, etc. David was feeling very brave (or mad) and was doing dive rolls over his upturned bike. I'll take my camera next time for some action shots!
After 15 minutes of this, I lay flat out on the grass and absorbed some healing Schuman's Resonance (see Michael Sandler's book Barefoot Running) beneath a blue, blue sky. Perfect.
Nice post Anna. I do quite a bit of cycling myself to rest any injuries. I attempted a half marathon last weekend (Cirencester Parks) and only managed 25 steps of a warm up before my right calf went twang... Had to hand number and chip back. So, now, still in pain but cycling is definitely making it a lot better.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of bike do you use? I make a lot of use from my folding bike - can take it in the car to a new running site.
Love the idea of the workshops. Funny isn't it - it seems so easy now but when I started I has so many problems from doing too much too soon.
Hello 29929blacktuesday (!) - sorry to hear about your calf. Let it heal well before you run again. Remember you need to strengthen and stretch it to help it and cycling can be tough on the calves. Sports massage might help too - if you're in London, I recommend: www.themassagepractice.co.uk in Crystal Palace.
ReplyDeleteI have a Ridgeback mountain bike, nothing special at the moment as it's not very enjoyable cycling on London roads! Check out our barefoot site if you haven't already: www.barefootrunninguk.com and I'll keep you posted with upcoming workshops. Do you run barefoot?