Today was an interesting day. I ran this morning for the first time since Friday. On that day, I ran a total of 3.54 miles, half in the morning and half in the evening. This morning, I ran a 5K, and then another mile this evening before dinner. This morning, for no particular reason, I walked backwards around the track for 1/3 of a mile. I also ran counter clockwise for a portion of my run.
Melanie, a seasoned triathlete who has taken an interest in training me (I'm a lucky girl!), observed my backwards/counter clockwise frenzy. After my run, when I was stretching, she came over and told me that I was doing the right thing by running counter clockwise at times. She informed me that running around a track in the same direction all the time puts unnecessary pressure on the hip bones and joints, especially in the turns. Reversing the direction evens out some of this pressure and helps prevent injury. She also said that walking (or running) backwards works different muscles. By the time we talked, I had figured that out since some muscles I didn't know I had were talking to me! Here are today's stats, morning first:
- Day 64: Weather. Morning: 66°F and overcast. 68°F. Evening: I ran in between heavy rains so it was damp with a nice breeze
- Location. Morning: Siskey YMCA outdoor track. Evening: My neighborhood
- Distance. Morning: 3.12 miles. Evening: 1.04 miles
- Calories. Morning: 283. Evening: 108
- Start Time. Morning: 7:50am. Evening: 6:38am
- Run Time. Morning: 54:24 minutes. Evening: 16:11 minutes
- Average Pace. Morning: 16:02 minutes per mile. Evening: 17:27 minutes per mile
- Playlist. Morning: My thoughts of how great I feel; I played it over and over in my head — it was awesome! Evening: My son — he came with me!
-
Condition. Pretty darn fantastic both times!
Question: If you are a runner, do you run (or walk) backwards? Or run counter clockwise (if you are a track runner)? I'd love to know what you recommend in regard to these things.
