Cramp

On my last two runs I have have severe cramp in my right foot and calf, starting from about 2 km into the run, and lasting until the end. It was quite difficult to make it through to the end, and I am worried that if it keeps happening, I will not be able to progress as far as my 10km target.

I have a few theories as to why this is happening. (1) I am not hydrated enough. I think I read somewhere that this can cause cramp. (2) This is the beginnings of plantar fasciitis, the scourge of runners everywhere. (3) My shoes are too tight, or don't fit properly, or something.

I seriously hope it is not (2) as this can take some time to heal. So for tonight's run I am banking on it being one of the other two. I am going to make sure I take on enough water beforehand and will try and runn with slightly looser shoes, and see if it makes any difference.

Phase 2

I finally broke through the 5 km barrier yesterday. I have been ill over the last week, and just couldn't bring myself to start on the second lap of the my 5 km/3.1 mile route, which starts and ends at my house. However yesterday I managed to add the extra 1/4 mile.

So I am now on phase 2 of my training plan. I am still running every other day, but now the pattern is:

rest
short run
rest
medium run
(repeat)

The short run stays at 5 km, and here I will be working on increasing my speed. The medium run will increase by 1/4 mile each time, until I reach 6.25 mile / 10 km, which is twice round my route. Then I should be ready for that 10k run in September (hmm - which I still haven't actually entered yet - must get onto that).

After that, I plan to reward myself with a present of some Merrell Trail Glove running shoes, and then I will be giving barefoot/minimalist running a go.

Another milestone passed yesterday - I have now run a total of 50 miles since I started running properly (as opposed to run/walking). My average speed in the last four weeks was 6.2 mph. I will record this so I can compare it with next month's figure.