Great North Run training: Weeks 5 & 6
Well, when it comes to training, the past two weeks have been uneventful. I’ve been proceeding with my recovery schedule and gradually increasing my training. It’s a very slow build-up and I won’t be able to get up to 13 miles in my training before the race. Gradually, however, my confidence is returning with every week that passes injury-free.
Also, in light of the latest advice, I’ve decided to scrap my old warm-up routine for a new one. Instead of doing fifteen minutes of static stretches (which involves moving the muscles beyond their natural range of movement to increase their elasticity), I’m doing more dynamic stretches, which helps lubricate the joints and warm-up the muscles better.
Dynamic stretches encourages more blood flow to the muscles, which means greater delivery of oxygen and improved flushing away of waste products from exercise (like lactic acid). That’s then followed by a five-minute jog to my usual starting point, where I start as normal.