How to not run like a girl

Men mock us for 'running like a girl'. You know the image I'm talking about - a woman or girl trying to cover ground quickly but in reality, remarkably resembling a knock-kneed 20's flapper for all the good she is doing.

I have seen many women running, both in the gym and on the road. I must start this blog by saying that I do not have the best running style, but I have worked really hard on improving certain aspects of my style, in order to be more efficient and use the energy I have, to run a greater distance or in a quicker time, rather than wasting it on body parts that aren't going in the same direction I am heading! But I must point out that some very successful women runners have very different running styles so if these changes are uncomfortable, try to find the way that suits you best without expending excess energy. I can only say that I have worked on these myself and feel way better for them.

To me, it is all about straight lines and right angles. I'm going to start with the arms, as because this is probably the single biggest improvement you can make. You should never let your wrists flop about uncontrolledly while you run, but rather try to hold them in a straight line as an extension of your forearms. Just think of all the energy you can conserve by keeping your hands slightly more controlled, rather than having them flap all over the place like you're in a panic!

Likewise, your hands should keep your fingers in line, as if you were loosely holding a stick or baton - if you are too rigid about this you will lock up other muscles in your body, but again, keeping them in one place means you don't have to use energy bringing them back to centre all the time.

Another benefit of the more controlled movements is that you can use your arms to pump up your momentum when you are tiring - going up a hill or even getting you through the second-last kilometre of your run, when the end still seems quite far away. Focusing on your arms also takes your attention off your legs, which helps!

Then a MAJOR energy saver, especially for women, is to keep those hands and arms facing forward at all times, rather than 'crossing' over your body in front of you. This is probably the biggest thing you can do to run better - just think of how the sideways impetus cuts across your forward movement, and closes down the lungs. So if you keep your forearms at right angles to your body, as much as possible, that helps to impel you forward, rather than cutting across your forward movement, and it does save you energy.

The same principles apply to your legs - knees and ankles should be in line, and facing forward - no knees held together and the ankles pointing outwards, as this can seriously serve to unbalance you as you run. feet shouldn't wobble around much when they are off the ground, and definitely not when they are on the ground!

As for posture, try to keep your ears, shoulders and hips in line and at right angles to the road - as upright as possible given you are moving forward. Your bum and tummy should be pulled in as much as you can - this helps to keep you in line too.

If you can ever find a gym where the treadmill is up against a mirror, you may find it helpful to watch your style as you run, and spot where it could be improved. Similarly if you can get someone to video you if you run on the road, that could help (just think - you get to star in your very own Chariots of Fire movie!)

Here's hoping you have fun and enjoy your new found energy levels!

Frequency

I really must get used to posting more frequently
I really must get used to posting more frequently
I really must get used to posting more frequently.
I am sitting waiting for a large (13MB) file to be sent, so I though I would drop in here to write  something. It's 12.35 am and this email is taking a long time to go through (it's the second of 2 to be sent). So I am watching Bridalplasty in the background and I am trying to keep my jaw up. Seriously these girls are on a different planet - the backstabbing they go through while having major plastic surgery for their 'perfect wedding'.  I'm surprised they wear backless dresses for their weddings, as the scar tissue must still be fresh.

The presenter ends up by saying "You are not going to have the perfect wedding" when someone is eliminated. Says who - the blonde coiffed presenter, the rejected participants? Surely the only elements you need for a perfect wedding are the perfect groom, the best friends and family ever, and the rest of your lives together?

And we wonder why girls are so insecure about themselves and what they look like.

For My Mom

On Sunday it will be five years since my Mom died suddenly, without any warning. It's one of those things that lives in my memory as if it was only a few days ago, yet so much has happened in the five years that have passed. I feel sad that she has missed out on all of this, on the multiple achievements of all her grandchildren and children.  I know she is aware of what is happening to all of us, I just wish she was more 'involved' in the lives of her children and their children.

If I was in a sherry-drinking country on Sunday, I would raise a glass to her, in her memory, but I can't, so I shall just create this blog post for her, and for my siblings and my father.

One thing I am glad of is that before she died I did try to spend more time with her and my father, so I don't feel any guilt about neglecting them in that way. The day before she died I read a magazine article which asked "if you had 15 minutes more every day, what would you do with the time" and my instinctive answer was to drop in on my parents as much as possible. I know it brought them great pleasure - not because I did anything special but because I was one of their kids.

So if you are a kid and you still have a parent or two, please try to spend time with them - it is such a simple thing but so, so valuable.

So here's to you, Sheila Anne Burnett, long may you live in our memories and hearts.

Eyeing me out

I'm not anal about my weight, but I do keep a careful eye on it. I know that many people have different ways that work for them, I do prefer to weigh myself daily as I can adjust what I am eating, and how much I need to exercise, on a daily basis. This helps to keep my weight in a range that I find to be comfortable.

I also enjoy food, and I have been known to go pale and clammy if I have gone without chocolate for 3 days, so yes, there is a perpetual dilemma in my life.

I have never been one of those lucky people who could eat whatever they wanted to and keep the same shape. My metabolism has to be picked up and shaken for it to do anything, and it was horrific how, once I reached a certain age, and my body started its menopausal journey, the weight just piled on in a very short space of time.

It took me about 5 months to lose the additional 3 kilograms, which was a large endeavour. I also found I 'gave up' a lot of things that I enjoyed eating - like butter, and I cut back on how much bread I was eating every day, and I am now down to about half a spoon of sugar in my tea and coffee, where I used to insist on 2 spoons with every cup.

Do I enjoy it? I can live with it, and mentally I enjoy the sanctimonious feeling that comes from thinking "this is helping me stay healthy" when, for example, I butter other people's toast for breakfast, and leave mine plain.

I guess at this stage it is still my brain trying to overrule my emotions - I will let you know how I do!

Meet my scale

I have anthropomorph-ised my scale. It is manipulative, mean, lazy and dof.

Every morning before I shower, I haul it out from under the basin and wait to step onto it. Those few seconds while it switches itself on, are anticipatory if I think I'm doing well, trepidatory if I ate too much over the last few days. After all, most of us want our scales to reflect a smaller number than the day before, and when you have invested all that money and hope in an electronic scale (which delivers tenths of kilogram results) you want it to be truthful but complimentary, surely?

So it's manipulative. It catches me out when I am feeling good about myself, by adding on an extra half a kilogram that I don't believe is there. It's mean because I'm sure I catch the beginnings of a smirk while it slowly coughs up the heavy numbers - is that an eight or a nine it's hovering on? Oh look, it's a nine again... <smirk>.

How's this for lazy : my scale has a peculiar habit of remembering yesterday's measurement and repeating it, maybe because it believes I'm not awake enough to fall for that trick!  Then after a week or so of doing this, it suddenly changes the score and I'm left wondering why I bother to go through this sadism every day.

But finally, it is dof (a word for being slow of intelligence, stupid, pronounced like "door" with an 'f' on the end). It can be tricked into thinking I'm someone else with a different weight, so I do end up feeling better about myself as I slouch into the shower, emitting a faint flush of pride at having bested a microchip!