My Rules of Running

I've been meaning to write this little guide to running for a while...

1) You do not need 'someone to run with', why not just pull on you trainers and go alone ? That way you can run at your own pace (rather than someone else's), listen to your own music, rather than making converation, and you can run when you want to, and for as long as you want to.

2) Trainers. If you are not sure whether the trainers you have are designed for running, then DON'T run in them. Also, don't try and run in your casual 'wear-around-town' trainers. Get down to your local running shop, get them to assess your gait, find a pair that fits and feels comfortable, then either a) buy them or b) get a note of the make/model and research them on the internet and find out where you can get the best deal. With the right trainers you can avoid jarring your knees and hips, and save your shins from painful 'shin splints'.

3) Clothing. Yes, you can go out in your cotton t-shirt and joggers and after about 10 or 20 minutes, you will probably be freezing cold as the was-hot-now-cold sweat that has soaked into the cotton now begins to stick to your skin, and you will probably be in pain as the skin beneath the wet cotton begins to chafe against it. Don't believe me ? Do an internet search for 'Jogger's Nipple' and 'read all about it'.

4) Vary your route. There is nothing more tedious than running the same route every day. For the same reason I do not compete in races which consist of tedious loops around the same route. Mix it up, you'll see different things and different people which keeps things interesting which means the runs are not boring, which makes you want to go again. Or, at least, makes you not inclined to give it a miss 'because it's boring...'

To be continued....