BY The Mizuno Ekiden is coming up on the 19th of August. Unlike most running events in Singapore, the Mizuno Ekiden requires plenty of teamwork in addition to the physical demands typical of a competitive foot race. Indeed, doing well at the Mizuno Ekiden requires more than just clocking distances.
To help participants prepare better for the race, the organisers of the Mizuno Ekiden, in collaboration with RUN Singapore, put together a series of running workshops. Apart from picking up the nuances of efficient running, coordination and injury prevention, workshop participants also took home some precious life lessons.
The importance of synchronization
When you have been running for a long period of time, chances are, parts of your body will get a little out of sync, a little out of place, and even possibly, aches with no respite. Serious injuries become a real possibility, especially if you push on despite the pain.
We got that, and that was the intention behind the ‘Tape Up With Nitto’ clinic.
Talented trainers, who understand the importance of physiotherapy and strength, taught participants basic taping techniques and how kinesiology tapes can be used to push, realign and readjust parts of their body.
The lesson learned: Balance and position is key when it comes to running. Having things out of place will inevitably hurt your progress.
The importance of learning new things
What is running if you don’t know how to start strong and end strong? The strength training clinic, conducted by renowned Coach David Shum, taught participants how to run hard when it matters the most.
Coach Shum gave participants a new perspective on warming up. He also led some atypical drills that helps to improve running technique. At the end of the session, participants got to ask Coach Shum questions on running, which he helped answer.
The lesson learned: Sometimes, your own techniques may fail you in the long run. If you wish to improve, you need to learn new things and adapt them to your own training.
The importance of addressing your pain
At the tail end of the race, you may be telling yourself, “finish strong, finish fast, and finish first!” However, these thoughts can get some people down hard, especially if the outcome is not as intended. Besides, being tense can effectively ruin what should be a joyous occasion of having completed a race. Not knowing how or when to let go will inevitably hurt you.
Speaking of letting go, participants at the ‘Roller Release’ clinic conducted by Pure Fitness used roller release techniques to relax their tense muscles.
Using firm rollers of different sizes and textures, participants were able to straighten out their ‘knots’ target and address their source of pain.
The lesson learned: You need to put in time to address past mistakes. It may hurt, but once you start paying attention to it, the results will pay off.
Check out our Facebook page for images from these three workshops.
If you too wish to learn more life lessons, please go to our RUN Shop and keep an eye out for future workshops and clinics!
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