Townsville Podiatrist
Meet Chris Weber
Running – Firstly, I never used to like running. Running used to be the necessary incidental activity that I had to work at to help me with the sports that I played – but I never really enjoyed it. Running was hard work – Running is hard work. Every run felt like a battle of demons inside my head – my self-talk included “I’m not very good at running”, “I’m not a real runner”, “I wonder how far I’ll get today”, “I hope today’s run feels good”, “I’m not going to stop and walk”, “Maybe I’ll just walk a little bit”, “I’m only going to walk this once”, “or twice”……
It’s no wonder the majority of my runs were unpleasant. My self-belief and how I viewed myself as a runner all played a significant role in how I performed. And I performed poorly – I rarely enjoyed my run and I always felt like I couldn’t breathe, that I was heavy on my legs and slow…….so so slow. And, on top of all of that, I would get so sore after every run – sore quads, sore hammies and super sore calves. Of course, when you feel so bad about your running, it’s pretty hard to remain consistent and to keep going back for more.
So, what changed for me? Around two years ago I attended a trail running training camp near Thredbo in NSW. The weekend was run by some very accomplished elite ultra-trail runners and the surroundings were incredible. The trails were some of the most beautiful Australia has to offer. It was at this training camp that I learnt a thing or two about my running technique, an aspect of my running that I had completely ignored. I’m embarrassed to admit this, especially given my chosen profession, my lifelong interest in biomechanics, my knowledge of how the body works and responds to mechanical stress, but I never applied some of the basics to my own running.
I spent some time working on some very simple changes to my running technique, which helped being a Podiatrist. I specifically focused on increasing my cadence (number of steps per minute), taking smaller steps as I ran and attempting to run with quiet feet. These three things are connected to each other and all play a role in decreasing the amount of physical stress being placed on my body. I also slowed down my pace, I was running too fast (even for a slow runner) and therefore running out of steam which meant that nearly every run felt hard.
Running is such a repetitive and high impact activity, that even the smallest changes (for the good or bad) can make a massive difference. By changing some small things, I felt much lighter on my runs, my breathing became a little easier and I started to enjoy more of my runs. I also stopped getting so sore after each run, which made it easier to go for more runs.
There were a few other things that I did too. I started to appreciate just how much of a privilege it is to be able to run, to be able to walk out the door, breathe in some fresh air, take some time for me and know that I was doing something that improved my physical and mental health. I started running in places with a nice view, I changed the location of most runs trying to run in a different place for each run during the week, which really helps with reducing some of the boredom that can come with running.
In May this year, I managed to complete my first ultra marathon trail run (50km). I loved every moment of it but more importantly I loved the training leading up to the event. Running reminds me that I am capable of things I never thought were possible and that pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone brings both massive reward and heart ache and both of these things make you stronger.
I now have the privilege of sharing my love of running as a coach with Runbirds NQ based in Townsville and as a Podiatrist in Townsville. Helping other people to stay on their feet, to start running or to stay running is what inspires me to keep working at my own running goals.
Christine.
Townsville Podiatry at The Physio Movement
