GETTING good deep sleep is incredibly important. There is a reason why nature has designed us to spend over a third of our lives sleeping – there’s an intelligence in this design. When we sleep our body repairs and rebalances on many levels, this can be physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual. This ensures we wake up with energy and enthusiasm, feeling inspired and looking forward to the day ahead. This is very important for athletes who are training hard and who especially need to be on top of their game – for them, getting nourishing sleep can literally give them a competitive advantage.
How does sleeping well do this?
During deep sleep the body produces a cocktail of neurotransmitters and hormones, including growth hormones, which aid recovery and optimise the growth and strengthening of muscles. The dream process enables the re-organisation and sorting of information in the brain so the athlete awakens feeling sharp, clear and laser focused. And we all know that getting velvety, deep sleep (my favourite type of sleep) makes us happy. Life just feels so much better and pressures are so much more manageable after a really good night’s sleep.
Race night nerves
But it’s not always that easy. I used to run marathons and I’d often find that the night before my race I just couldn’t get to sleep. I was too wired and I’d lie there fretting about not performing at my best the next day and all that training going to waste because I couldn’t sleep. I found it difficult to switch my mind off and I definitely couldn’t relax my body. By the way, this was before I started learning more about sleep, working on my own sleep habits and patterns and then helping others.
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Carbon Footprint
You'd have had to have been running on a different planet to miss all the recent debate about carbon-plated shoes. The talk of bans and performance enhancement has been so widespread that even non-runners are asking their running friends about the potentially magical footwear.
Trail time
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Stay neutral
EVOLVING every year, if not month, neutral cushioned shoes are seeing developments in cushioning materials and dynamics at a pace which is nothing short of astonishing. The latest models feature new polymers in the midsoles to give them a cushioned feel while at the same time keeping their weight to a minimum. Give them a spin and choose the most comfortable for mile after mile of shock absorbing running.
Support network
WHEN it comes to ‘over-pronation’, a common question is ‘how much is over?’. With no hard and fast rules, it’s best to choose a shoe that instinctively feels right. Gait analysis can often assist in helping you make this choice and your specialist running store is always a good place to start if in doubt. To help you make that choice, here’s a selection of some of the best ‘support’ shoes around.
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