running blog

Clive Whaley

Booked a Fitness Assessment

This is weird for me. I have just been to the Leisure Centre and booked a Fitness Assessment.

I've used the Gym at the Centre for years, off and on (more off than on recently and almost not at all for a year or so). But I've always done my own thing and not really had a programme or any sort of assessment for many years. But as part of my London Marathon training I've decided to do it a bit more by the book and have a 'proper' strength and conditioning programme and accept that someone might be able to design that better for me than I could do myself.

It will also be good to establish some sort of benchmark for weight, body fat, blood pressure or whatever tests and measures they do there. It would be nice to see these measures improve or change in the right direction over a 16 week programme. I also like the idea of introducing a more 'holistic' approach to my running programme. It's all very well to plough on with the mileage - out running day after day - I can do that, I like that, I've done a lot of that. But it will be interesting to add something different to the mix - adding some specific STRENGTH to the standard runner's diet of STAMINA. Will my 56 year old bones and muscles respond to this or will they wobble and crumble under that strain - HA! - Probably!