The Hastings Half Marathon is a popular annual event in town, organised by The Hastings Lions Club since 1985. It attracts over 5,000 entrants each year, raising money for charity. It may be a short race of 13.1 miles but it’s very popular with runners, affectionately referred to as The Great South Run.
Runners start on the seafront. From there they run along the route that William the Conqueror took towards the village of Battle. Then they head around the back of Hastings, down towards the ‘Old Town’ and fishing village, before running back along the three mile seafront in a loop, to where it started.
It’s an exhillarating and fun event and many runners find that yoga is a necessary part of their preparation and recovery.
All sports can incur injuries at some point, causing damage to the cells that make up the soft tissue surrounding joints. These damaged cells release chemicals that result in a natural inflammatory response.
Persistent or recurrent inflammation can predispose athletes to early on-set arthritis or degenerative changes in the joints.
Running long distances can cause injury to the muscles and lower extremities which can be slow to heal – runners’s knee, plantar fasciitis are among the most common.
This condition is serious and effects both the amature and the elite athlete but it can be prevented and greatly improved with yoga and Low Level Lazer Therapy.
Low Level Lazer Therapy (LLLT) is one of the the latest advancements in medical technology. Many research papers suggest that is is more effective than other forms of pain relief for reducing inflammation.(For evidenced based research see http://www.thorlaser.com for more information.)
LLLT is used by professional sports teams and athletes to treat inflammation, provide deep tissue therapy, accelerate pain relief and help athletes minimise downtime.
A light beam is placed on the injured area to stimulate cellular reactions that fight inflammation, reduce pain, and speed recovery, says Leo Sharma, Bsc Osteopathy, MSc Material Science. When added to a rehab plan, Leo says, runners feel immediate relief and tissue healing.
Leo Sharma is based in London and in Hastings and offers LLLT as part of his treatment protocol for runners. Our bespoke studio in Hastings uses infra-red heating during class to help improve muscle and joint function by increasing blood flow and making it safer for the body to stretch and prevent injury.
He has helped hundreds of athletes to get back into running. You can book an LLLT session directly with him by calling 07967 503362 and attend one of our Pilates or Hatha Flow yoga classes in Hastings.
Click here for the full Hot Yoga Hastings timetable:
https://hotyogahastings.co.uk/classes/