Last weekend I had my first race of 2015 — an 8km road race in beautiful Victoria. It has been a long time since I raced and actually felt confident and fit. It has been a long, slow journey getting back into shape since my injury — plantar fasciitis — which I have had since March of 2014. I have had to proceed very cautiously with my training, as the PF is still bothering me, but it has become much more manageable. I am taking my running week-by-week and making sure that I am not doing anything that will make my PF worse. It is the kind of injury that can stick with you for years, but eventually it is more annoying than painful. Right now, that is where I am at; it is usually just annoying, but sometimes it flares up and can be a real pain in the ass. But I am learning to deal with it, and my training has come along quite nicely in the past month.
I was excited to be back at the Pioneer 8km, where 2 years ago I set the Canadian 8km record- 25:28. I’m still not sure how the heck I ran that fast! I knew going in that there was no way I was going to beat or even match my record, and that was OK. There is no need to be running record breaking times in January! My goal was to run about 26:30 and feel good doing it. I ended up running 26:36 and I felt great! I was so happy to be racing and feeling good at the same time. After dealing with my injury for almost a year, it was an amazing feeling just to be back racing, feeling strong and confident.
I really feel like in the last year, my consistent strength training with IF (twice a week, every week, never skip!) has made a big difference in my running. Last year at this time my body just felt inefficient; so many little things bothered me. Especially my glutes — they always hurt. Now, my body feels so strong! I feel like a lean, mean running machine! All those weeks working on my weaknesses with my trainer Mark are starting to pay off. It is a great feeling when you start to see the results of hard work and commitment! Thanks IF for getting me healthy, strong and fit! I’m looking forward to an amazing year of racing!
Natasha Wodak
IF Sponsored Athlete
Innovative Fitness, Kitsilano
www.InnovativeFitness.com
