#Janathon Day 18 – The Day Something Went Ping

As of today, there are only 2 weeks left of Janathon so that’s great for you guys, just 2 more weeks until you can stop hearing about how I went out for a really boring 10-minute run or learned how to use a cross trainer.

So, today was a “Let’s go to the gym and get annoyed that heavy squats don’t earn fitness points on my TomTom watch”.

When I got up this morning it was super windy. I looked out of the window and wondered whether I REALLY wanted to walk to the gym in this weather. Then I realised that on the list of things I didn’t want to do in the weather going for a run ranked higher than walking to the gym, and it being Janathon I had to do one or the other. So off to the gym I went.

Today’s session started with some agility work, one-legged hops and box jumps. Then some weighted box jumps and clean high pulls for explosive power.

Then I moved onto squats, overhead press, rows and dumbell flys.

I then did a core circuit of leg raises, ab rollouts, supermen and windmills, during which something went *ping* in the hamstring of my left leg.

It hurt and then immediately subsided, but I’m pretty sure things aren’t supposed to go ping in your hamstrings. It felt a little like a rubber band getting caught on something and then “pinging” off.

I immediately backed off a little, and finished up with 5 minutes on the cross trainer (because I had to get those stupid points) before using a foam roller for a few minutes.

It feels ok now, but was probably a bit of a warning to pay a bit more attention to my rehab, stretching and foam rolling. Yawn.

I can’t possibly have another Janathon where I get injured, unless I’m looking to be the poster child for the importance of rest days.

Despite the random pinging, I succeeded in getting my 500 points, so Janathon is still a go. I also discovered the reason that I don’t get many points for weights is that points are connected to VO2 Max calculations and are earned best in activities that raise your heart rate consistently for at least 15 minutes. Weight liftings short bursts of activity followed by rest just don’t fit the bill.

Yay for sweaty January.