Every long journey begins with a single step—but when that journey spans a whole year, it feels more like a series of small, steady building blocks. This week marks the true start of my training for the half marathon in Oslo, and while it hasn’t been flawless, it’s been filled with progress, humour, and a few reminders about patience.
Rehab First, Always
As a chiropractor, I know better than most that building resilience starts with the basics. This week, I was delighted to finally begin a rehab routine targeting my core, knees, and shoulders—the pillars of stability for both running and swimming. From bird-dogs to glute bridges, these exercises might not look impressive on Instagram, but they are the quiet heroes that will keep me moving for the next 12 months.
Practice what you preach, they say… as someone who prescribes rehab on a daily basis, it is humbling to start at the very same place as most of my patients!
So here I am, glute-bridging my way into half marathon training!
Easy Gym Progressions
I also eased into treadmill work with 30-minute progression sessions: 1 minute on, 1 minute off, then 2 minutes on, 1 minute off, gradually building endurance without overwhelming my system. Not every day went to plan—turns out 6am motivation is a rare species in my household—but showing up, even inconsistently, is still a win.
A Swim… Sort Of
Swimming training hasn’t fully started, but I’ve been in the water plenty with my younger swim groups. Coaching from beneath the surface means lots of breath control and underwater observation, which, let’s be honest, should count as bonus training. After all, steady breathing will be just as useful at kilometre 18 of a half marathon as it is in a 200m breaststroke race.
A Small Setback (and an Ultrasound Lesson)
No training story is complete without a bump in the road. For me, it was a flare-up of an old posterior tibialis injury after treadmill running.
Luckily, I had an in-house ultrasound courtesy of my partner. The scan showed a little fluid around the musculotendinous junction—that’s the spot where the muscle fibres taper into tendon before anchoring to bone.
In plain language?
A little irritation, nothing serious, and a gentle nudge to respect recovery days.
Lesson Learned: Progress Isn’t Linear
This week reminded me that training isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about laying foundations, listening to your body, and stacking small wins. Rehab, a few treadmill sessions, unexpected swim-by-proxy training, and even a minor setback all belong in the same chapter—because they all move me closer to the goal.
Looking Ahead
Next week, I’m aiming for:
- Three gym sessions mixing treadmill intervals with rehab.
- Two swims: a short 30-minute dip before para coaching, plus a full one-hour session to reintroduce structured swim training.
This is only the first chapter in a year-long story. There will be highs, lows, missed alarms, and unexpected lessons. But with consistency and balance, I know the finish line in Oslo will be worth every step.
So here’s to Chapter One: not perfect, but exactly the start I needed.
Curiously AligneD 
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