Check your running: Mindfulness

I've just been out for my first run in two weeks. A delicate op and some doctor's orders resulted in a bit of time off so I couldn't wait to get back out there. I treated myself to an earlier finish from work and managed to get out running in the light. What a great feeling.
In just two weeks I'd put a little weight on and soon started to feel a few muscles tire during the run. I kept it at 6km and maintained a pace of 4:40mins per km and really focused on my breathing rate. For me, my breathing rate is an indicator of how hard I'm working and today it was better than expected. You don't lose a lot of fitness in 2 weeks but your mind plays tricks on you. I headed out the door thinking I would struggle to complete the run and would no doubt need to slow right down.
This wasn't the case.

My heart rate monitor identified that the ticker was happy beating at just over 150bpm even though I was halfway through the run. Breathing ok...heart rate ok....sorted- Not quite!

A key part of running, in my opinion, is mindfulness. Being in the moment and thinking about your body and mind. I have a typical routine to go through in my mind which enables me to consider the current state of play and then think about anything that could be better. Within this blog I thought I'd share my toe to top checks:

1. Which part of my trainer is hitting the ground? If it's the heel I know my cadence has dropped and I need to sort it. I quickly count 1,2,3,4 in my head at 180 tempo and check my feet are hitting the ground in time with the counting. Check out my cadence blog for more information about this here  
2. Have I tied my laces correctly? For me, I have two clear signs if there is a problem. Firstly, I get achilles pain if my laces aren't tight enough. Secondly, my foot feels like it has duct tape around it and I get a cramp feeling in my feet if I've done them too tight.
3. Can I feel the muscle on the front of my shin? Back at uni I suffered with shin splints and was cautious about getting problems again when I took up running a few years ago so I did some reading. Shin splints are caused from over working the muscle in front of the shins and is usually caused by lifting the toes during running. I make a very conscious effort to be relaxed in my ankles and really focus on not raising my toes. It's worked so far.  
4. Any sign of the IT band issue returning? Due to previous IT band issues I'm always alert to the dreaded pain at the side of my knee. If I start to feel anything there, it usually means I'm not using my glutes to power the movements. If I ever do get issues I stop and do leg swings to get the glutes firing. I also have an awesome IT band stretch which loosens things up nicely. Finally, I check my trainers when I get back as I previously noticed more IT band trouble when my trainers were starting to be worn out. 
5. Did I put my shorts on? You can't go running in just running tights. It's not cricket. In summer this check changes to: Are my running shorts running too high and am I scaring people? 
6. How are my hips? I check for any hip tilt (forwards, backwards and sideways.) This can happen as muscles start to fatigue and you lose some form. If hips are an issue and it's not addressed you are at risk of injury. If there is a hip problem, I also notice I am worker harder for less results. 
7. Have I got good posture? For this I think about my head position. I should be looking ahead and picture a hat just above me that I'm trying to fit my head into. This stops any slouching.
8. Are my shoulders relaxed? It's very easy to tense up. When I race in half marathons I do this check 4-5 times. I straighten my arms and give them a shake to loosen things off if there is some tension
9. Are my arms fairly still? Some people have pumping arms when running. I see this as a waste of energy and keep my arms in a bent position at the side of my ribs. I make sure they aren't swinging in front of my chest too. 
10. Are hands relaxed? Could I hold a crisp between my thumb and finger without breaking it? 

These ten points provide a useful routine during a run, particularly a longer one. For me they are the areas I've identified from problems or reading various material. 

Don't forget to check heart rate and breathing as this is often an indication of how hard you are working. The key question is: Does my breathing and heart rate match the effort levels I wanted to apply in this run? If not, do something about it. For me it often means slowing down. 

I hope my little checklist is of some use and look forward to hearing about your checks and thoughts when running. In today's run I thought about putting a mindfulness blogpost together: Voila!