Setting Intentions For TSFM 2016
Scott Benbow, above right, is a returning endurance runner, training for The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon on July 31st, and a returning TSFM Race Ambassador. We caught up with him this New Year’s weekend to hear about his training plans, as he focuses in on a strong TSFM race on July 31st, 2016.
As of the first Sunday in 2016, January 3, the thirty-week countdown begins for the 2016 running of The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon. Setting intentions for 2016, I have been mapping out my strategy for running a successful race on July 31. For me, that includes vowing to avoid injuries that have sidelined me for the past two years.For the past several months, I have been undergoing weekly Graston Technique and Active Release Therapy sessions trying to recover from a debilitating case of plantar fasciitis. Finally, in the last month of 2015, it seems I’m cured.
This fall and winter, my strategy is to run minimal miles and focus more on strengthening my core — especially my seemingly nonexistent glutes — in an effort to prepare myself for healthier and happier miles in the spring. I’m getting most of my cardiovascular workouts from spin classes at the moment, but I can’t wait to begin running longer distances in 2016.
My winter goal is to continue to incorporate two intensive spin classes per week for the next several months, gradually incorporating a post-spin run to extend my daily cardio output.
I’m also focused on balance. I used to believe I had a pretty good sense of balance. That belief was crushed, however, after I purchased, and was utterly humbled by, a Bosu Ball. It strikes me that balance, along with lateral strength will serve me well as I train this year. I will continue working on hip strength, glute strength, and overall balance by following the regimen in a book called Quick Strength for Runners. To support my healthy training in 2016, my wife has promised to buy me another book, Build Your Running Body, for additional information on strength, nutrition, balance, and training, and I look forward to incorporating that information on my journey toward a healthy race this July.
As I look toward the race, I look forward to meeting others who will be running The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon in 2016, and learning more about their journeys and goals. Happy New Year! See you on July 31st.