It’s common for some who participate in sport to use the very easy excuse that personal success is limited by the less than adequate performances of team mates. In some cases this is unquestionably true.
Take Tour De France winner Mark Cavendish as your example. Four years ago at the Olympics in Beijing Cavendish was part of a group of bike riders whose performances were not as good as expected. Despite his own individual performances being pretty high he left the games less than impressed.
(More sports injury tips and free reports, here: www.paulgoughphysio.com/sports-injury)
So much so that Cavendish abandoned his team mates and the melodrome that made him famous and decided to go it alone. This year he heads to London 2012 as an individual rider wearing the Tour De France green jersey, proof that in order to achieve something different your going to have to do something different.
Now that the summer is finally here, the chances are that you may leave your team sport behind, all be it temporarily, to go it alone as you pound the streets running after work or get the bike out of the garage and hit the saddle.
So if your just starting out on your own with your running, or your reacting to the glorious weather and just feel as though you’d like to get out for a jog, here are a few things you should consider.
The number one most important thing is your footwear. Trainers don’t need to be all that expensive but don’t under estimate the importance of a decent pair of running shoes. Tennis shoes wont do, the trendy ‘six-fifty’s’ or white plimsoles are defiantly out and resist the temptation to choose those old tired running shoes you’ve occasionally used over the past few years. To reduce the risk of injury you need fresh, well cushioned proper runners.
After all, running shoes are designed for running and if you’re a beginner your legs are going to need all the protection they can get. My advice if your buying, don’t go for the big name obvious brands, they might look great, but not necessarily right for what you need.
Each brand of trainer will have a set instep, so once you have found the brand that you like, stick with it. I’ve seen injuries like shin splints and achillies problems happen simply because a patient has swapped the make of trainer.
Wear something comfortable. Most new runners will over dress at the beginning forgetting how hot they will quickly become. Believe it or not there is a metric you can follow when it comes to the amount of clothing you should be wearing. If the temperature is +12 celcius, shorts and a tee shirt or vest will do. If the temperature drops below 8 celcius or you’re a very early morning runner, step up to leggings and a long sleeve tee shirt.
If its drops below that I personally like to run in a hat and gloves as my hands take the longest to warm up and most head is lost through your head. Better to have the warm blood supply hitting the important muscles your going to be using than in your hands which are pretty un-important.
Has anybody told you about the impact of barefoot running? Read next weeks article to find out how the latest fitness craze might benefit you.
More sports injury tips here: www.paulgoughphysio.com/sports-injury
Article published in Paul Gough’s weekly “Feel Great For Sport” column, in the Northern Echo.
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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