Women's Running June 2021

69% of women runners don’t feel safe when they run. That’s what we discovered when we asked you in our survey a few months ago. Just think about that: two out of three of us feel afraid when we go running. But do you know what surprised me? The other 31%. Because I simply don’t believe it. For all those that ticked the ‘I feel safe’ button, think about this: do you run in the dark? Do you run on quiet streets with no lighting? Do you run alone? Do you run without a phone? If the answer to any of these things is “no”, then think carefully about why you feel safe. I would suggest that you feel safe because you have changed your behaviour, just like the rest…

Sarah Owen Sarah has been a freelance health and wellbeing writer for 28 years. After writing about our new #WEWILL campaign to help spread awareness about women’s safety when they’re running, she’s planning to speak to her three sons about how men and boys are as involved in the campaign as women. In this issue, she explores the small changes we can all make to improve women’s safety when they’re running. Find out more on page 30. Louise Pyne Louise is a qualified nutritionist and freelance health writer. She is interested in all aspects of women’s health and fitness and takes a holistic approach to wellness, creating bespoke diet plans for people looking to improve their lifestyle. This issue, she looked at the menopause and how we’re affected by it; whether we’re not…

NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES JEOPARDISE FEMALE ATHLETES Scientists emphasise the importance of certain nutrients for sportswomen for both health and performance Eating food rich in iron, consuming more calcium and monitoring levels of vitamin D are some of the recommendations for female athletes from a recent study. The study was done by scientists of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the Universidad Internacional Isabel I de Castilla, the Universidad de Murcia and the Universidad de Granada. It was published in the open-access scientific journal, Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición (ALAN), and was a metaanalysis of 42 scientific articles published between 2012 and 2020. It reveals that some problems, such as energy deficit or deficiency of micronutrients, are common among female athletes, which not only impacts performance but also jeopardises their health. “Sport is increasingly popular, and therefore…

BIOSPORTART CBD GEL £47, BIOSPORTART.CO.UK Ideal for sore muscles, tendons and joints, Biosportart Gel contains 2,000mg of PureForm Bio-Identical CBD (from citrus extract) in a topical gel. KALMS DAY AND NIGHT £6.35&£5.30, AMAZON.CO.UK Kalms Day helps relieve symptoms associated with stress, and One-A-Night capsules promote peaceful sleep. LBB SKIN TAKE OFF/TOUCH DOWN WIPES £25for12, LBBSKIN.COM Tuck one of these large wipes into your run belt for a post-run cleanup from head to toe; no need for a post-run shower now!…

Smartest watch on the block You can expect a significant upgrade from the Polar Vantage M with the M2; there’s a lot more functionality, aimed at helping you improve as an athlete. It will support on your recovery with its Nightly Recharge feature, while Fitspark will intuitively suggest a workout (cardio, strength and supportive) depending on where you are with your training. With Training Load Pro, you’ll get insights into how your training is stressing your body – whether you’re overtraining – and help with increasing your load. And, of course, the Polar Running Programme will design a training schedule based on a race date – all based on your personal metrics. It’s super light, looks stylish and, with its music controls, weather forecasts and prompts for when to eat and…

When you start running it can feel challenging, especially in the first few weeks, but with a gradual approach to increasing your moving intervals, you will quickly find your body adapts and enjoys working settling into a longer running rhythm Many new to running have the worthy goal of running continuously for 30 minutes. Getting to this milestone is an achievement for every runner to celebrate. Once you’ve mastered running for this long, you’re often close to the 5K mark, which is another significant breakthrough. The next challenge is likely to involve extending the time and getting comfortable at running for longer than 30 minutes. Joseph Rainsford is one of Decathlon’s Kalenji brand ambassadors and product trainers in the UK. “With any running, when trying to increase the time or distance it’s important…