OPINION. The long-awaited day arrived and we were able to go running or walking, enjoying every corner of our towns or cities. Likewise, many of us were able to observe a veritable explosion of new athletes who took to the streets to redeem themselves from the sins of confinement. Hopefully, all these people who flooded the streets with the desire to exercise will continue this practice in a few months.
Vaya am far from criticizing the people who have decided to change their life habits and start moving, on the contrary, I would like this post to help them to think about whether they are doing things right. I believe that the benefits of physical exercise on health are undeniable, its effects are wide and on the whole organism. However, there must be a coherence between what we have been doing until a few days ago and what we have started to do.
The intention of this post is far from being a criticism of people who have decided to change their lifestyle and start moving, on the contrary.
The good and bad of running
To make a simile, exercise can be understood as a drug that if you exceed the "dose" has the opposite effect to what we try to get when we consume it. This is where the key to everything lies, in how we "manage" exercise and our eagerness to regain the miles we used to do or start running after years of little activity.
"If I after 7 weeks of not going out to run I have my legs destroyed how can have them all those who have gone out today to run without ever having done it?"
Yesterday reviewing the Twitter account, I saw the reflection of a professional athlete that I found very illustrative, he said something like: "if I after 7 weeks of not going out to run I have broken legs how can all those who have gone out today to run without ever having done it?" Well, this is what we have seen all near our homes, many people who have started to run without ever having done it or long ago.
Running can be a fantastic activity as long as we have a base to be able to do it. By base I mean a minimum level of cardiovascular and strength capabilities, which allow us not only to develop a running intensity, but to ensure that our muscles are prepared to generate the muscle tension required for the race, thus minimizing the impact on the joints.
To start running you have to start walking
It may seem counterintuitive, but if we want to start running, the first thing to do is to start walking. Trying to improve our health through running cannot mean that we expose ourselves to overloads and injuries by running. Therefore, it will be necessary a progression in time, in intensity but also in the movement itself. It makes no sense to go jogging at 7km/h (because we cannot go much faster), with all the impact that this entails, if we can do a much more effective and safer job walking fast at 6-6.5km/h.
It is important to note that an increase in training load is linked to a greater chance of injury in trained athletes, imagine if we go from the couch to run 150 minutes a week. Therefore, calm down and let's try not to deflate like a balloon after the first few days, for that we have to be able to continue to stay active and not "give it all" the first week and then dilute. Why suffer from the first moment? If it is not necessary!
Inexpensive sport, but with a minimum cost
At the same time, another important aspect to keep in mind is that although running is relatively cheap, we do not have to have expensive equipment, it is necessary to invest in running shoes that ensure an answer to our needs (depending on weight, pace, etc.). I've been seeing for several days that in my town the fashion of the 90's is still in force. I have really seen real models worthy of a museum, not to encourage consumerism, but a minimum investment in running shoes will be important for our joints.
By way of conclusion, I would like to welcome all new athletes but like any young athlete, who points out ways, their evolution will be marked by proper training and the absence of injuries. Therefore, let's start laying the foundations for a long sporting life and try to do things right from the start.
Read more news about: Running Training
