Monday 27 September 2010

Time for a Change of Clothes

Summer has gone, Autumn is here and Winter is not too far away. In the summer the minimum clothing is the order of the day for running. A Top, a pair of Shorts, Socks and Trainers will be adequate. As the seasons change there is a need to evaluate what extra clothing will be needed. As it gets colder and wetter things like a Jacket, Hat and Gloves come into the picture. What you should not do is go too quickly from minimum clothing to lots of extras in one go. This could mean that you get too hot when running and that is not a good position to be in. A gradual, staged progression is better and always go by how the weather is on the day that you are going to run. Of course the opposite is true as well. You do not want to be trying to run in your summer gear as it gets into winter. A level head, some caution and some wise choices will enable you to enjoy your running at this changing time of year.

Friday 10 September 2010

How do you feel when Running

I passed a young man who was out running yesterday and it was obvious that he was finding it hard. His cheeks were bright red and his posture indicated that he was about to stop. Wether he did or not  I don't know but it got me thinking of how I felt when I was running. Someone said to me recently ''I'll take up running when I see someone doing it with a smile on their face'' Admittedly I myself have always found it takes effort to run but I am sure over the yearsI have been happy running, although perhaps not smiling all the time.
When you are running you are subjecting your body to a lot of different pressures and it does take more effort than walking. Therefore there are going to be signs in your body and especially on your face, that you are coping with these pressures as you continue to run. To run is enjoyable, especially when you have a level of fitness that allows you to go out and cover anything from 3 to 10 miles without any real difficulty. If you are finding it really hard to run and your cheeks are bright red and you are feeling really exhausted after a couple of miles - perhaps it might be time to consider where you are in it all.

Friday 3 September 2010

Getting back on the Road

Well, its been a long summer ?? and I finally feel as if I am in good enough shape to get back into some training. I have begun by doing some easy 3-4 mile walks and this has been enjoyable. Next step is to try and run a mile or two and see how that feels. It is funny how the mental thing affects what you actually do. Often you feel like doing something, but something in your mind says no so you end up not doing anything. Overcoming this can be tough but if the determination to run wins through then you find that you end up actually going out for a run and accomplishing something. Watch this space for the next update....