Saturday 14 May 2016

Prepared to Run

As it gets warmer the running season gets under way. People enter races to provide motivation and to force themselves to stick to a training plan. Blogs are written, and there are suddenly many posts full of advice on running technique.

Most often mentioned are;
  • Heel strike
  • Cadence
  • Keeping the body weight centred over the feet
  • Relaxing the upper body. 

Excellent advice often discussed in detail and debated a little.


From my side of the fence, the therapists side, I want to ask:
  1.  "Is your body up to the task?"
  2. "What preparation have you put into place to ensure that your body can cope with being beaten off the ground for 6 hours at a time?"

If you are going to hit something off the ground over and over without that thing being damaged, you are likely to choose something like a rubber ball, and certainly not a brick.
Few of us live the kind of life where our day to day activities keep as supple, flexible, and strong. Even keen sportsmen struggle to maintain this kind of condition. Yet, out go the runners every year thinking, "running is a natural thing to do so I'll just stick on/pull off these shoes, pile in the pasta and go for it".

When I see people excited about their first 10k but disappointed and suffering from; achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, backache, or in some other way broken after all that hard work, I usually find that individual can rarely manage a simple forward bend at the hip or a proper squat, and some cannot even fully extend their shoulders. 

I then have to break the news. "This body is not fit to run". Regardless of the miles put in, and despite the cardiovascular fitness gained. 

The brittle body is bound to break.
This applies to all activities not just running.. Golfers I am particularly addressing you!

As in so many things preparation is the most important part. Shoes on or off . Minimalist or specialised footwear is not your first concern if your body is not prepared. 

This is the first year of our Back in The Game workshop. This weekly class involves deep stretches to restore a natural full range of motion and reflex exercise to keep the body moving naturally. I am glad to report that clients attending this class are out there getting excellent times and hitting that golf ball better than ever!

Check out our workshop options