Yes, not posted in a while but the warm weather in the UK got me (and 97,422 other people) out running in the last few days.

And what fun in my local country park..

• Women pushing prams without looking where they are pushing them to.
• People riding mountain bikes that are hopelessly the wrong size for them and in hopelessly the wrong gear.
• Of course the wayward dogs bounding all over the place.
• The “lads” gathered round a clapped out Vauxhall Nova with music blasting out shouting “helpful” advice as I go past.

Call me a bit of a miserable sod - but give me rain any day…

On a short family easter break recently and as you do on these things, relaxtion takes over.

However, after a few days relaxing, I felt the need to go for a run in unfamiliar surroundings (I always take kit away with me).

Starting out, it was feeling like hard work and after 20 minutes or so, it was very hard work.

I struggled to get back to our lodgings and then tried to work out why.

And then it struck me.

Lazing around, I had completely forgotten to drink water (or any fluids) and I was dehydrated.

There I was looking at symptoms of over training brought out by a holiday and the rest of it but the truth was that I just needed several (large) glasses of plain water.

(My legs were stiff the next day though…)

An urban myth that needs putting down straight away is that running is bad for you.

It’s a common misconception that running is bad for joints, feet, knees etc etc

That’s because people who give this “advice” have tried running, ran as far as they could until exhaustion set in, using ill fitting shoes and kit and then tried to repeat it the next day and the next.

The human body is not a machine and while it may be easy to go out and get the kit the pros use, it’s actually harder to repeat what you see them do on TV.

So, bottom line, running is not bad for you, it’s 20th century life that’s bad for you.  Like fashion trainers that aren’t designed for running in. Pavements with pot holes and roads with mad drivers.

So to start running; Take it easy, build up gradual, start away from crowds and other people if you feel self conscious and you will be infront of the people who think it is bad for you.

The light nights are now here in the UK and midweek summer trips down country lanes and footpaths are a particular favourite of mine. Paths which were waterlogged or impassable in recent weeks suddently become a playground to explore (in shorts!).

One thing that does trouble me in the first few weeks is nettle stings.

For some reason, my skin seems to get used to it and I suffer no more after about the end of April.

Until then though, it’s out with the old white vinger bottle to wash away the stings…

Which running shoes for kids is a topic which came up talking other coaches at junior athletics the other day. We were discussing running shoes and. (My views on running shoes have been blogged in the past.)

Here were the three main types of footwear we saw children (aged 8-15) wearing.

Spikes

Split between good athletes (of all ages) - these kids know what they are doing and those kids who want to look like they know what they are doing. And those who don’t really have a clue (or more likely their parents don’t - spikes aren’t going to help you in circuit training…

Fashion Trainers

These are probably as dangerous as the “I don’t know why but I have spikes” people. They provide no support for the foot and are just designed to look good.

Clunky trainers with heels/soccer trainers.

Again these are likely to be dangerous to the wearer.

I should point out that the indoor track is a very unforgiving surface. Probably a hard concrete base covered with a plasticated track.

The bottom line is that none of these are really suitable for kids to run in. And because no one teaches running as a skill in its own right or “how to run” the risks of getting injured, far outweight the fashion problems of the wrong running shoe.