Thanks for your question – another great one! I often am asked by people whether running is bad for you and my general response is the same – no!
Running is a natural process and if you look at children, it is one of the most joyous activities that one can do – for free! It's not something that I enjoy particularly, but in the not too distant past, I did my fair share.
The main issue with running is that many of us don’t do it regularly and then on a whim or for a challenge, we decide that that is the way we are going to “get fit again” – wrong.
If you haven’t been running for a while and then go straight back into long distances, the likelihood is that you will pick up some kind of injury. This is usually because over time, we lose our inherent ability to run and must “re-learn” how to do so.
Equally, there is often de-conditioning associated with our day-to-day lives; this means that we become weaker in muscles that are required for propulsion and efficient locomotion during running.
Finally, as we get older and various areas of our body stiffen and get tighter, our running pattern can change.
So, running is not bad. Running is great. The issue is that many of us don’t show running the same respect that we would to another sport.
If you are keen on starting running or returning to it after a hiatus, i would suggest the following:
1. Consider a pre-participation screening if you are generally sedentary, don’t do much exercise or have had a change in your health. Its better to know what level of physical activity is suitable for you to start with and how to then progress.
2. Consider attending a running gait analysis. Lots of running shoe shops “provide” this service, but their aim is often to convince you to buy a particular type of sports shoe. My suggestion is to see someone independent, such as a sports physiotherapist or sports podiatrist who can give you impartial advice. Make sure they do not have affiliations with particular shoe companies too.
3. Use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed) goals to build up your running
4. If you get any symptoms whilst running, then offload initially and assess your symptoms. If t get someone to look into it early rather than when you have a full-blown injury
Good luck with your running and again, great question! BW
