At the Starting Line - Natasha Eekhout (Paladin Biokineticists)

You’ve just decided on taking up running as a lifestyle change but where do you even begin? Surely running and building up your pace and distance can’t be that hard? Admit it, we have all pushed until our lungs begin to burn, coughing up blood and the sensation of jelly legs begins to set in. Yes, this might in some torturous way improve your tolerance and endurance, but there really is a better way to do this.

The answer… taking walk breaks in between to allow your previously motionless and rested body to adapt slowly and safely. This is especially important for new runners as these short breaks reduce the ‘out of breath’ feeling and allow for you to actually enjoy the run. For the more experienced long distance runners, this also offers an opportunity to extend their running distances.

Taking walk breaks doesn’t mean you can transform your run into a solid Sunday stroll. The frequency of your walk breaks should be calculated appropriately. If you are just starting out you can use the following guidelines:

For unexperienced and more sedentary ‘almost runners’:

·         Run for 5-10 seconds

·         Walk for 50-55 seconds

For the more physically active but beginner runners:

·         Run for 15-60 seconds

·         Walk for 15-30 seconds

Runners with more experience can adjust this according to their pace per kilometre:

For 5 minute paced runners:

·         Run for 2 minutes

·         Walk for 30 seconds

All of the above also applies to your first race. The run-walk-run method may just be the winning formula to help you complete it, producing better recovery rates, reducing your injury risk and eliminating the slowdown pace that many runners experience just before the finish line. Start inviting the method a little earlier on into your run and skip them during your last third of the race, allowing you to cross that finish line strong!

Natasha completed her BSc Sports Science undergraduate degree at The University of Johannesburg and her BHSc honours degree in Biokinetics at The University of the Witwatersrand. 

She has a passion for a variety of sports in particular soccer, tennis, running and kickboxing which have contributed to a strong interest in orthopaedic rehabilitation and working with athletes. Other areas of focus include diabetic and cardiac rehabilitation, as well as weight loss and a keen enthusiasm for working with children of all ages. 

Natasha can be contacted on 082 476 9727 or natashaeekhout@kinetics.co.za

Pounding the pavement – Can running do more harm than good?

You’ve been told that running sheds the pounds. Your Personal trainer has given you a running program to boost your goals but after the 3^rd week your knees are so sore that you look crippled when walking up stairs.

On the 3^rd kilometer of your track session, you become increasingly annoyed with the Kenyan guy who has lapped you for the 9^th time; not only because he is so unbelievably fast, but because you get a fright every time he zips past you.

If this sounds familiar, then you are not sufficiently conditioned to be running the distances you are attempting. You probably sound like a small elephant with flip flops on when you run because you actually lack the intrinsic lower limb strength to control the dynamic gait of running.

If you compare your lower leg and foot strength to that of a seasoned Comrades runner, you will more than likely find that they are able to do a lot more with their functional bodyweight than you can; such as a one legged squat and an unassisted one legged calf raise.

The best comparison of whether one is potentially doing more harm than good during exercise is the blister analogy. If you start lifting weights without gloves, your hands will blister. If you continue lifting weights and do not give the blisters time to become callous, then your hands will proceed to tear open and become injured.

The solution is common sense. Before you even start running; ensure that you have basic functional lower limb strength such as being able to do a one legged squat. A Biokineticist can assist with this and get you going. Once you start your running program, start with small distances and apply the 10% rule, running no more than 10% distance OR intensity each week.

If you slowly build up, you should see steady improvements over time until you are running comfortably without pain.