Oxygen news: Listen to your body, advises Olympic runner
An elite runner has told people working out to run a marathon this summer to take heed when they feel aches and pains.
Liz Yelling, Commonwealth Games medallist and long-distance athlete at the 2012 Olympic Games, told the Guardian it is a waste of time for individuals to make themselves exercise when they are not in peak health.
"The biggest mistake people make is not listening to their body when they can feel an injury coming on," she stated.
"Pushing on regardless ends up with lost time and enforced rest when immediate action could have got runners back on track quicker," Ms Yelling added.
The athlete explained preventing getting hurt is a key part of her training plan and she always has problems diagnosed so she can take the best course of action rather than making it worse.
She recommended staying hydrated and eating nutritional meals to improve the body's recovery time, which may mean considering what they consume could supplement the efforts of people using portable oxygen to get back to feeling like themselves after a strenuous workout.
For those taking on a marathon, chartered physiotherapist Paul Hobrough, who runs Physio&Therapy, warned knee-related issues can arise among long-distance athletes, while shin splints, plantar fasciitis, medial tibial stress syndrome and achilles tendinopathies are also possible.
Many injuries among runners are to do with ankle instabilities or poor control of hip movements, he noted, strongly advising people competing in a long race purchase a pair of shoes that fit them well.
Mr Hobrough also agreed with Ms Yelling when it comes to listening to the body, describing it as senseless to try and push through the pain instead of quitting training to recover.
"The minute that you feel a slight niggle, speak to somebody," he recommended. "It makes no sense trying to run it off. There is no heroism involved."
Charlene Hutsebaut, exercise expert for The De-Stress Diet and founder of charlenehutsebaut.com, recently said it is "extremely important" that runners take rest days to prevent injury.
Posted by Jenny Richards
20/02/2012 16:57:13
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