YOU ASK, I RESPOND

@jogender_1946: Read ur article in HT. I’m 70 yrs and I want to run in Airtel Marathon. Walking 4km daily in morning. Should I participate? Should I practice before running?

That’s amazing. Yes, I want you to participate but you also first need to practice. Please remember that we need to push our comfort zone to perform optimally. If you were a student of class 1 for many years, you will only become very good at solving class 1 problems. No more. Since this will be your first event, I suggest you look at only finishing the race. As suggested above, let’s follow a walk, run programme for the whole of 21km.

@prashantmahesh: Help me rajat, I want to transform my life. I have lower-back pain and weak bones. But I love running.

I’m assuming you have back pain for many years, probably radiating down to the legs. Maybe, you are saying you have weak bones because the Bone Mineral Densitometry shows so, or your blood Vitamin D is low. Most doctors don’t appreciate the fact that in chronic back pain, the para spinal muscles are deactivated. Brisk walking along with back and forth movement of hands is one way to get those muscles to start working again. Again, running is going to make your back pain worse if your technique involves heavy thumping of heel and foot. The vibration will travel up the legs and cause stress around the lower back. While running, if you can hear your footsteps, they are too loud. Start by skipping for 3 to 5 minutes. When you skip, you can’t land heavy. Over time, your running will improve and it’ll not trouble your back. For weak bones, I suggest you consult an orthopaedician. Good chance they’ll prescribe Vitamin D. We are finding very low levels of Vitamin D among Indians, which seems counter-intuitive considering the amount of sun we get. The reason is drastic change in modern lifestyle. Muscles and bones are such that if you don’t use them, you lose them.

@vbelwal: I am 46years old, 5’9”, 99kg, slightly diabetic & hypertensive. Is running still an option?

Increased physical activity will be crucial. Cardio-vascular exercises like running, cycling and swimming will be important but strength training should be the foundation. Strength training is like the mother-in-law of running. If strength training is sorted, you’ll be able to run without injury and your performance will improve, just like your spouse or partner.