Malhar Ganla, who took up running as a fitness exercise instruction four years ago, has held a few training camps for it, and reports that more and more women student and middle-aged women, working professional and housewives are joining his training programmes. Malhar participated in the Singapore 2007 IronMan Triathlon, where he was the only Indian among 1,300 international participants. According to him, “A woman runner should consider her a sportsperson whether fast or slow, tall or short, small or large. You don’t have to be bloodthirsty to enter a race. It’s fun, social.”
Here he gives us some tips for what he feels is one of the best fitness programmes for women.
Don’t run from day one, since your joints are not equipped for it. Women are more prone than men to suffer ankle sprains, shin splints, stress fractures and hip evils. To prevent injuries, give you 6-8 weeks of ‘base-phase’ with an hour devotes to ‘non-pounding activities’ like gymming or swimming to strengthen yourself physically and mentally. Cycling and weight-lifting, will also contribute to bone strength.
Do short burst of running, combining it with walking. Start with three minutes of running followed by two minutes of walking. Then gradually increase to longer stretches of running (say five minutes) alternating it with shorter bursts of walking (one minute).
Take a break on the seventh day to do some cross-training such as swimming or gym, in order to relax the set of muscles which are used for running.
In order to prevent injury, start with shorter distances first, and gradually lengthen the distance you run, taking care that the augment is never more than 10 per cent that of the preceding week’s.
A large number of people have ‘bio-mechanical faults’. Get yourself properly checked by an orthopaedic surgeon or a podiatrist to correct them. If you get unrelenting back-pain or any other problems, consult a doctor.
Go in for good running shoes and alter them every 6-8 months.
No matter what your breast size is, it’s good idea to wear a sports bra. Calculating breast motion will make you feel contented. Look for one that stretches horizontally but not vertically should feel snug but not constrictive.
Never go hungry for a run as it may cause hypoglycemia. Have some tea or a banana before you start. After the run, drink plenty of water (until your urine clear to offset the effects of sweating and dehydration). If you are running beyond half an hour, it is a good thought to go in for a sports drink or water mixed with oral rehydration salt.
There are two schools of thought those who run by time and those who run by detachment. Whichever one you choose to follow, keep a training agenda/chronicle to note down how much time/distance you have sheltered in the course of a week.
