Getting Started
I’m Shelley from Miami Physio and Lakelands Physio and I have never thought of myself as a runner.
I’ve always been sporty, but I’d struggled to be able to just go for a jog. I’d get rib pain like a stitch on my right side about 1.5km in and would have to stop.
Long story short, I saw a thoracic surgeon when I was about 19 and I was told that some of my ribs on my right float, and the extra movement was causing intercostal pain when I was running. So.. I had my 10th rib surgically removed. Yup. Seems excessive now in retrospect! Here’s the thing – it made no difference. So I avoided running there after. Now, unbelievably – especially considering my career choice as a physio – I had never tried to train out of this rib pain.
When my twins were about 2, I was time poor and decided to try a couch to 5K program. I decided enough was enough with my running avoidance, and I decided that maybe, just maybe I could train myself out of this rib problem.
I walk-jogged, gradually building up the jogging times, training 2-3 times per week for 4 months. And guess what… I did it!
What’s the moral of the story? Sometimes what we need is a slow, graded, paced training program for the activity we want to improve. Sometimes, there is no quick fix.
You might have days where your training doesn’t go to plan, where your pain kicks in still. But this doesn’t mean you aren’t improving, it’s just a little speed bump on the journey.
So, fast forward, and I have just completed 50 ParkRuns in just over 18 months, and a 100km 1 month challenge as well.
I can run 5km now. But funnily enough, I still don’t call myself a runner! Running is hard, but if I can do it, maybe there’s a challenge in you too. I’m not saying you should all get out there and run, but maybe there’s that thing that you want to do – maybe you can work towards achieving it.
Righto – so next time, let’s talk about what can go wrong when you decide to go back to team sport after say… 12 years!
In the meantime – if you’d like help with your own movement challenge, whatever it might be, our physios can help assess where you are at currently, and help you to figure out the best plan to reach your movement goal.
