Health and Safety

“Warning - Running can damage your health.”

Nowhere will you see such a statement. Public policy is that everyone should get more exercise. Yet every day someone somewhere incurs an injury through running.

In the days when I oversaw and investigated sickness returns at work the most common cause of sickness absences among the younger employees was a hangover - but the most common cause for longer absences was a sporting injury.

So why the apparently high incidence of injury for running - which is considered a safe and desirable activity?



High Impact - Low Risk
Death or serious injury whilst running can arise from:-

• Heart Attack
• Stroke
• Road Traffic Accident

These are all relatively rare events. In the 29 years of the Bath Half Marathon I believe there has only been one death from a heart attack.

Running or other exercise leading to improved fitness can reduce the risk of the first two, reduce the effect and can mean quicker recovery.

For the third the risk can be reduced by avoiding running on roads in the dark.

But most people die in bed. So don’t sleep in!

Low Impact - High Risk
Runners seem to be at risk of lots of pains and injuries through running.

Some of these are due to the impact on the feet, legs and knees when running:-

• Foot pain - inflammation of the sole and heel or in the arch or ankle
•  Achilles Tendonitis
•  Shin Splints - sorry but I don’t know what it means but runners report getting them
•  Runners Knee - apparently this is a pain in the shin not knee
•  Painful knees

 Some are due to sudden unusual exercise:-

•  Pulled muscles
•  Stomach pains
•  Chest pains
•  Breathing difficulties
•  Dizziness

 Some are minor:-

•  Blisters
•  Joggers Nipple

Others more serious:-

•  Groin strain
•  Numb legs

 What causes them? How to avoid?

  

Cracknell Syndrome

Runners are very competitive. And driven. They have to be better - faster - sooner.

Once I watched an Olympic athlete compete in something outside his discipline - Place The Bottle. He just had to place the bottle farther than anyone else could reach. If anyone beat him he repeated the exercise again to remain ahead. He could not - would not - be second. Even in a silly game.

I believe that it is this impatient obsessive competitiveness that causes injury to many runners. Pushing for ever more speed and endurance often against an unrealistic timescale - wanting it now. They do too much too quickly. Instead of easing off when in pain they press on - “no gain without pain” - and injure themselves. Then allow insufficient time to heal and damage the half-healed injury worse than before.

  

Over The Hill

None of the above means that I am not at risk of pain or injury. As a not-fit non-athlete my starting level for a potential injury or health problem is much lower. Indeed I need to take more care not to over-do it - but have to balance this against the improvements in speed and endurance that I must achieve.

So I cannot afford to be complacent or think it won’t happen to me.

  

Mmm - knee aches a bit today.

Elven Safety

 “Do not touch the water!” - Lady Galadriel

  

Drink beer.

Or cider, my dear,

If you’m from around ‘ere! - Anon

 Unlikely Light Ales