CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4.WHAT ABOUT TRAINING? Now, before we start to run its always a good idea to get some stretching exercises in. Actually, it's helpful to have a stretch session pre-and-post your run. How do you stretch? I'll explain the way I do. It works well and I have hardly ever a problem with leg cramps or pulled muscles in all the years I have been running. Your performance as an athlete, and yes you can consider yourself an athlete, will always be enhanced not to mention safer if you religiously make sure to stretch or warm-up as it is called, every time you exercise. You will be amazed at the difference it will make. Many runners underestimate how these simple exercises which I will outline shortly can make a real difference. When you think about it, the body takes a lot of strain especially the legs of course in the action of running or even walking briskly. Pounding the pavement can be heavy on your legs and back area which is why I highly recommend spending a few moments before and after your run. The less high impact on your body the better it is. I'm going to give you a few exercises to get you going. There are a lot of exercises that you can do but the ones I am going to mention are simple and effective. They are the ones I personally use. 1) Quad Stretch: The first one is for your quads. This is an essential stretch. Kneel on one foot and on the other knee, and push your hips forward. 2) Hamstring Stretch: Stand with 1 foot lifted on to a table, with your leg bent lean your chest into the bent knee. 3) Achilles Stretch: Stand upright placing the ball of your foot onto a step then bend your knee and lean forwards. 4) The Toe Touch: Bend knees, standing up erect; bend over, stretching to touch your toes-hold for twenty seconds, and release. repeat four or five times. This exercise will tone the upper body and is great for hips, calves and your hamstrings. 5) Pull-Stretch: Lean against a wall or post with your right hand. Now take hold of your left ankle and lift it up to touch your left buttock. Then do the reverse with your right ankle to the buttock. As before maintain the pull/stretch for around twenty seconds or so. 6) Wall Stretch: Face a wall or post. place both hands flat against the wall, standing about three feet away, and lean into the wall keeping your legs straight. This will give your legs an overall stretch, improving circulation and flexibility. 7) Swing Stretch: With your hands clasped together at the back of your neck, feet spread three feet apart, swing your torso to the left and to the right in a smooth motion, up to twenty times. This is good for your spinal area. Keep on with the above stretching exercises and you will be amazed and delighted at your progress. No doubt, you will also have noticed how the fat is beginning to drop away and that slim figure that you have dreamed about is becoming a reality! Why not go and check the bathroom scales right now. Interesting things happen to the body when we exercise regularly. Here are just a few of the benefits; muscles become stronger predominantly your legs, of course, The cardiovascular system benefits and the heart grow stronger. The first thing I noticed when I started running was breathing. Before I started running I would notice that I would get of breath very easily with any kind of exertion. Running up the stairs example would cause heavy breathing and hoarseness. After just a few weeks of exercise, that problem disappeared. I was ecstatic to discover I no longer ran out of breath. This proved that my lung capacity had dramatically improved, and in such a short space of time; it was fantastic! I could feel also the increasing leg strength. Also, my sleep pattern which used to be erratic had also improved. Now I slept like the proverbial baby. When I looked into the subject of the physiology of running and exercise generally, I found that the heart is a muscle -- a non-stop muscle, which relies upon a plentiful supply of blood. Fortunately, in order to get more blood to strengthen and exercise muscles, your strengthened heart Can now pump a greatly increased flow of blood at each stroke. This is because the fine capillaries that serve the heart have increased. Also, as well as strengthening the muscles your running is enabling you to get rid of excess fat, which is one of the main reasons you are reading this book and hopefully, following out the teachings. The fat you are losing is useless body fat that has been stored in your body. Yes, you are becoming a lean mean running machine! Another benefit is the effect training has on the mind. The extra blood has a significant effect on your mental outlook and capacity. We will be looking at this factor a little later on in the book. I wanted to end this chapter with a little warning. To prove to you just how crucial it is to warm-up and warm-down prior to running, here are a few facts and figures from that august publication Runners World. They state that from a survey of 800 runners the following facts regarding injuries were spotlighted; Knee injuries 18%, Achilles tendon injuries 14%, Shin splints; 10.6%, Arches; 6.9%, Ankles, 6.4%, Foot fractures; 3.6% Calves3.6%, Heels 3%, Hips 2.6%, Hamstrings 2.6%,Thighs; 1.3%, Leg fractures 1%. That's quite a scary list above, isn't it! But don't worry, if you follow the instructions in this book you should have little problem with injuries. After all, it's no big deal, it only takes a few minutes to go through the exercises. So keep running and above all have fun lose weight and get fit. The next chapter is all about running safely and securely on the highways and byways.