Running; a fantastic exercise for keeping fit or losing weight
With the Salomon Citytrail Richmond half/10 km/mini mile coming up in March, it has brought back memories of the London Marathon a few years ago, when I had volunteered to treat runners after the race. What a wonderful experience it was; meeting and treating people of all shapes and sizes!
Some were seasoned runners with all the snazzy high-tech gear, whilst some were complete beginners, running that distance for the very first time.
Barefoot running?
This encouraged me to take up running myself! But, being the osteopath I am, I wanted to make sure I had the very best running posture and biomechanics to avoid injury. So I decided to try my hand (or rather feet) at barefoot running. I invested in a couple of pairs of Vibram five-finger shoes, (to allow full barefoot biomechanics, and a bit of protection). Little did I realize that it would take me another year of simply walking around in them before I felt ready to run. And even then, I started off with short distances of around 2-3km. Yet, the change in the ratio of the muscles that are worked in the legs was staggering and had me waddling for a good few days after runs!
Only after a year and a half of going ‘barefoot’ was I ready to comfortably run 10km again.
This made me realise and appreciate the importance of preparing the body to handle the immense stresses from running and to receive professional advice/therapy throughout!
I am thoroughly looking forward to the Salomon Citytrail Richmond half/10 km/mini mile and meeting the runners. The Richmond Osteopaths team will be at hand to give advice and some well-needed hands-on therapy! Look out for us and come by to say hello!