I’ve spent a lot of time reading about running – both online
and in magazines. And I’ve spent a fair amount of time discussing running and
training with friends and family. As someone with a scientific background, and
who can, I’ll admit, get a little obsessive about things I’m interested in, I’ve
always liked to know the whys and wherefores of my chosen sport.
So when I received an email a few weeks ago about a series
of events being help by Runners Need to talk about running, I’ll admit I was
interested. When I discovered that one of them was on an evening when I was
actually free to attend, I signed up straight away. Which is why I found myself
heading against the flow of commuters towards Victoria Station yesterday
evening.
The event I attended was being held in the branch of Runners
Need near Victoria Station. It was billed as an ‘Excusive women’s evening’ to
talk about running. We were greeted with a glass of prosecco or a freshly
pressed fruit juice (anyone want to guess which I picked? Here’s a hint…I don’t
really like fruit juice…), a goodie bag filled with different energy and
rehydration products to try, and a nice Runner’s Need t-shirt. And who doesn’t
like a free t-shirt!
The rest of the evening consisted of three speakers, talking
about training, injury prevention and equipment, with plenty of opportunity for
questions and answers. First up was Nina Anderson, an athlete and running
coach. She’s the European 400m veteran woman champion, and coaches a lot of
athletes at a huge variety of distances. She talked to us about having goals
and the importance of strength training, and how to make the most of the
sessions that you have, even when you have to fit them in around work. For more
information on Nina and more tips, here’s her website: http://www.ninaanderson.com/
Next up was Naeve from Pure Sports Medicine (http://www.puresportsmed.com/) who
gave us a run down on the importance of conditioning and strength training to
help prevent injury. She also ran through some of the common sports injuries –
like patella-femoral syndrome and ITBS. This was followed by some more Q&A
time, during which I was reminded of the importance of foam rolling even when
not injured…
Finally, a Nike rep talked to us about two vital pieces of
running equipment: sports bras and running shoes. The main take-away from the
first half of the talk was to remember to get fitted and make sure you’re
wearing the right bra for the job – apparently a poorly fitted bra can cost you
up to 10 minutes (I’m not sure what distance this is over, or where that figure
comes from!). The second part was about the difference between running and
training shoes, and about why it’s sometimes necessary to have more than one
pair of running shoes.
I have to admit, the last bit did win me over. I’d been
thinking about it a bit before anyway. I currently have two pairs of the same
shoes – Asics Gel Nimbus 17, if you’re interested. They’re good running shoes,
and their really comfortable over long distances. However, I’ve recently
started going to track sessions with my running club (of which more later), and
my trusty Asics feel a little heavy on the track. So, with the words of the
experts ringing in my ears, and a lovely one-night-only 15% discount on
anything in stores…I have bought myself a pair of light weight running shoes
for track sessions and short distances. I will report back once I’ve actually
used them!
In summary, the evening was, in my opinion, a great success.
The speakers were interesting, informative and approachable. And whilst I
probably didn’t learn that much which was brand new, it did give me a chance to
ask direct questions and get answers more relevant to me. I like Runners Need –
they’re a good chain of shops which offer good advice and a great selection of
running products. Now that I’ve discovered that they do events like this as
well, I’ll be sure to pay a bit more attention to their newsletters in the
future!
