Parents – turn off those screens and get running with your kids

Some children are born sporty, some achieve a certain level of begrudging sportiness, others have it thrust upon them, often with accompanying bribery and/or threats. Some are so reluctant it seems almost cruel, but the statistics are stark. Almost a fifth of four to five-year-olds – and a third of 10 to 11-year-olds – are overweight or obese. Even toddlers get far less physical activity than they should.
As parents, we all know they should do more. But how to encourage those whose idea of a good time is nestling on the sofa with Frozen for the 351st time? Indeed, how to not merely encourage but to instil a genuine love of activity?
For my sofa-inclined six-year-old, it’s a delicate balancing act. Her natural inclination is always to say no to new things – and while I don’t ever want to force her, there are activities I know she will love if she would just give them a chance. Her school just started a yoga club – cue the usual hesitance to sign up – two weeks later her favourite activity is competitive downward dogs with her little sister.
I’ll admit that my encouragement/reward system also revolves rather heavily around ice-cream, but then, isn’t that half the reason I exercise myself, so I can indulge afterwards?
Young children are natural sprinters – short bursts of frenetic activity, followed by claims of exhaustion and the need for a smoothie, only to be sprinting off again a second later. So the best activities are those that capitalise on this. My own daughter tends to moan her way around the first lap of our local junior parkrun, proclaiming sudden hideous injuries (“I think I broke my ankle! I might need a plaster!”) and exhaustion. The second lap she perks up, and the final 100m or so she is off: “Time for top speed now Mummy, remember I beat you last week!” Seconds later she’s putting on an even more impressive sprint to the cafe with her friend for the post-run ice-cream.
So make activity sociable, and remember that your own definition of exercise is not theirs – hanging upside down from the climbing frame is a totally legitimate sport, honest. And, of course, set an example. Get off the sofa yourself – don’t blame me if no one buys you ice cream after.
Parkrun may just have celebrated its tenth birthday but it already has an offspring. Junior parkruns are springing up around the country – 2km free timed runs, mostly in local parks, staffed by enthusiastic volunteers, for 4 to 14-year-olds. If there isn’t one near you, consider starting your own. Go Run for Fun are also setting up nationwide events to get young children running.
Like the adult version, junior parkrun gives you an official time from a scanned barcode when you finish, delivered by email later that day. I don’t show my daughter these times – she’s never asked, doesn’t seem bothered, yet might just find it discouraging that she didn’t beat her best time. She doesn’t know what a PB is yet – plenty of time for that later.

What is carpal tunnel syndrome?

    Phil had been teaching tennis to young people for 20 years. Last year, when he started experiencing discomfort in his hands and wrists, a parent of one of his students suggested it could be carpal tunnel syndrome.
    Phil had his doubts. He led a very active life. The only injuries he treated had to do with his elbow and legs. "Isn't that something people get from typing and working on computers all day?"
    The short answer is "no."
    What is it?
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    The carpal tunnel — literally a tunnel of ligament and bones at the base of the hand — encloses the median nerve and tendons, which provide sensation to the hand and fingers. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when that tunnel collapses and the median nerve becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist (see the National Institute of Health for more information). This can cause a lot of pain for individuals.
    "It's like getting in an elevator," described Dr. M. Shane Frazier, Orthopedic Surgeon for Central Utah Clinic. "Everything is fine unless a couple of things happen. If the tendons start to swell (or everyone on the elevator gains 100 pounds), then the space seems cramped. Tendons and the area around the nerve become inflamed and swollen."
    What is the cause of this inflammation?
    "Carpal tunnel has something to do with use," concluded Dr. Frazier. "The biggest myth is that people get it who are on a computer a lot. That used to be the predominant way of thinking. It's not anymore."
    Dr. Frazier explained that while in many cases the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome remains unknown, a common cause involves repetitive and forceful actions like gripping, grasping and heavy lifting. People who use heavy vibratory machines like jackhammers or heavy machinery and who perform heavy manual labor, assembly line work, sewing or manufacturing are more likely to experience carpal tunnel syndrome.
    Frazier states that while it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, it does occur more often in women. According to an article published by the National Institute of Health, carpal tunnel occurs three times more often in women than men; affecting the dominant hand first and produces the most severe pain.
    How does it feel?
    How do you know if you have carpal tunnel syndrome?
    Many patients report experiencing numbness and an uncomfortable tingling feeling in hands and arms. Patients may also experience weakness in their hands and a reduced level of dexterity. Some patients reported dropping items due to an inability to grasp. But the only definitive way to determine whether or not carpal tunnel syndrome is present is to see your doctor.
    Although rare, cases of carpal tunnel syndrome have surfaced in children. The cause is often due to excessive video gaming, typing or playing a musical instrument.
    To verify whether a patient has carpal tunnel, Dr. Frazier uses an electromyogram (EMG), where tiny acupuncture needles are inserted in the patient's skin to stimulate nerves and muscles.
    "Through a machine, they can tell us how fast an impulse is going from point A to point B, and they can tell us a nerve is being compressed, how badly it's being compressed, and where," explained Dr. Frazier.
    Is there a treatment?
    Once carpal tunnel is diagnosed, it can be treated and cured.
    "There is a cure for carpal tunnel syndrome," said Dr. Frazier. "Sometimes nighttime bracing and steroids can cure it. Often activity modification, lifestyle changes, and routines can cure it. As a last resort, surgery will cure it. Treatment largely depends on the severity of the case."
    You don't have to suffer through the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome. Whether you are a mechanic, fish packer, a clerk, or a candy maker, there is a treatment plan available to help you gain relief and comfort.

The endurance run that's like climbing Everest four times

Excitement. Nervousness. Uncertainty. Fear. I have felt the effect of this heady cocktail of emotions before – two years ago, after some friends persuaded me to enter the Dragon’s Back along the brutally mountainous spine of Wales.
That race took five days – much further than anything I had run before. A complete leap into the unknown. But I did it. And more than that, I surprised everyone (including myself) by finishing third in a race where two-thirds of the entrants failed to make it past day one.
Fast-forward two years and I am back at square one. This time I am facing a challenge that makes even the Dragon look tame: an attempt to set a new running record around the unremitting, undulating South West Coast Path. All 630 miles of it.
The South West Coast Path doesn’t ascend any mountain peaks, but it boasts 115,000 feet (35,052 metres) of total climbing – or, to put it another way, in terms of elevation gain, it’s like going from sea level to the summit of Everest four times.

Patrick Devine Wright finishing third in last year’s Grizzly race Photograph: www.photo-fit.net

It winds its way from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset, and most people bite the path off in stages and can take a lifetime to complete the entire route. I hope to run it in one go. The current record, set by Mark Townsend and Julie Gardener, stands at 14 days and 14 hours. To beat it, I will have to run more than two marathons a day, every day for two weeks.
I started thinking about it last summer and started training for it over Christmas. Since then, I have slowly but surely plucked up the courage to tell people what I am up to – if only to explain to them why I am so tired (from the training) or sore (from the niggles) or hungry (four meals a day now being routine).
This run is much more public than my Dragon’s Back effort. I am raising funds for three excellent charities – the Devon Air Ambulance, the South West Coast Path Association and the Wave project – and I am looking for people to help me out, putting me up for the night as I wind my way around the coast, and meeting me at checkpoints to help me fuel up and recuperate.
So far my plan has been met with lots of encouragement, and more than a few scratched heads. Why am I doing it? All I can say is what I learnt from the Dragon’s Back: unless you put yourself in a situation that is new to you and filled with uncertainty – whatever that is – you never really know what you are capable of.
So once again I am sticking my feet (and neck) out to try something that most would consider utter madness. And come the end of April, I will be something the wiser for it.
Click here to sponsor Patrick and to find out more about the causes he is raising money for. If you want to assist Patrick during his epic run (with logistics and accommodation), please contact him on patrick@devinewright.com

Running blog: How was your weekend running?

I’ve been hanging out at two different tracks in the last few days. In Friday I was in Prague for the European Indoor Athletics, on Saturday back home at my local running club, running at a pace that probably doesn’t even count as a warm up for most of those professional athletes.
If you’ve never been to an athletics meet - do it. This was my first indoor event and it was utterly fantastic. The atmosphere - even early on the first day of competition - was lively, with huge roars greeting any Czech competitors. I got to watch the awesome Katarina Johnson-Thompson on her way to gold in the Pentathlon, if not, alas, the world record - though that surely is just a matter of time. What you see in the stadium that the TV can’t catch is fascinating - the warm-ups, the stretches, the drills, the pigeon-paces the athletes take to measure their long jump run up ...
An indoor arena with its 200m track also gives you a real sense of just how fast the sprinters are - blink and you will miss the 60m hurdles (or Richard Kilty blasting past to gold) - and just how high they jump. I think pole vaulting god Renauld Lavillenie should have been given a shot at jumping over Prague castle. He would probably have sailed over.
As for my own running - Prague is not the flattest city and cobblestones make for interesting footing, but I had some treadmill slogs and one particularly glorious run to and round Letna Park, which overlooks the city and has views so fabulous you just have to stop for a breath to appreciate. Being surrounded by athletes at the event itself, you also can’t help but want to pull the trainers on and run, run run.
So how was your weekend running, did you catch any of the athletics on TV - and can I persuade you to go and watch some athletics live yourself?