New objective : Almería half marathon

[El Gordo]

Well done, Antonio, and thanks for the report. Good to hear that Encarna is still running. Is she doing the half marathon this time?

How about you? Are you confident about finishing the half? That leg sounds troublesome though perhaps you diagnosed the cause yourself -- not a good enough warm-up. Must admit I tend to overlook this myself.

I'm gradually getting better about some of these routine things. Since I started running again I've got better at warming down. I read somewhere (probably in Dr. Tim Noakes's classic Lore of Running) that finishing a run or race and just stopping still is a bad habit. He says you should always walk for a few minutes at the end of a run. Can't remember the science but it sounded convincing, and will help recovery and avoidance of injury. I still don't stretch as much as I should, but at least do tend to do my calf stretches as that's where I've had injuries before. As for warming up, being a slow runner means it's probably not necessary for standard jogs, but in races, where we obviously start quicker, it must be a good idea, especially in cold weather. I've got a couple of 10Ks coming up around the New Year, so I need to remember that.

Hope the leg has recovered well.