If you are one of the thousands of people that has taken part in their first race over the last few weeks then a massive congratulations to you! You are now a runner!!! If you haven’t already you should sign up for another event soon and keep the benefits of all that hard work going!

Some of you however will still be suffering from your most recent race or training session so I wanted to tell you about the importance of cross training. Don’t worry, Im not talking about that type of training that involves hundreds of repetitions of different exercises! Instead what your body may be crying out for is the chance to try something different.

Although running is a great (and cheap!) form of exercise it puts huge stresses on our joints every time our feet strike the floor, therefore taking up something with little or no impact is a great way to keep up the training whilst giving those aching joints a rest. Great options include cycling and swimming, they are both similar enough to running in that you will still be able to get your heart pumping but gentle enough so that your body can get the recovery it needs! As the aches and pains of previous efforts subside slowly re-introduce your running sessions.

Don’t think of it as giving up on running, think of it as making yourself stronger for your next session. Believe me your body will thank you for it and the chances are you will actually be quicker when you return!