Like many other runners I know, I have two to three set running routes that I like to run repeatedly. My favorite runs always take me away from the road, cars and if possible – near to water. For me staying static on a treadmill is a waste of time.
Half the beauty in running is getting away from other people and out into nature. Instead of setting the incline to four and the speed to eight, I prefer to go out my front door and take on the real thing. The majority of the pleasure for me however comes from the solitude of running which you just cannot match on a treadmill in a gym.
When you’re running your own route, no-one cares where you go. There’s no one timing you and no one’s interested in whether you manage to get right to the top of a hill or not without stopping half way for that rest break your body is screaming out for you to take.
This is why running is the ultimate test of character; it’s about holding yourself accountable when there’s no one else to do so. When it’s cold, wet and windy why is it that some people still manage to put on their running kit and head outside, whilst others decide to postpone their weekly run for another day?
Can the self discipline that is built which allows a person to put themselves through such harsh conditions be applied to other areas of a person’s life? If you can force yourself to run up a hill in the snow, are you also likely to be the kind of person who finds no trouble getting the house in order when it needs to be?
Or perhaps for some people running is the complete opposite of self-discipline, a literal running away from the trivial tasks of home and the workplace and instead a very real connection with nature and a person’s inner state.
Either way, when a person does manage to push themselves out onto the running track, there’s nothing more frustrating than a self-inflicted injury such as a light ankle sprain from over training or just misplacing a foot.
Luckily, PhysioRoom.com have a variety of products for these kinds of injury designed to allow a runner to continue their training without causing any further damage to, or suffering pain from a light injury.
One of the most popular is PhysioRoom’s ankle brace, but a vast variety can be found here.