Published in The Guardian, Monday, 12th December. By Kate Carter
“I was pondering the issue, the other day, of what’s worth spending money on when it comes to running. The purists (or inverse snobs) will tell you that all you need is a pair of cheap plimsolls and the outdoors, and you are good to go. Fair enough if you can run in those things – I couldn’t even do PE at school in them. My personal view is that when it comes to kit, it’s worth spending money on the things that are right for you. If you are lucky enough that Decathlon shoes work for you, brilliant. If, unfortunately for your wallet, it’s only a £100+ pair that make your feet happy, then that’s money well spent. Other stuff can help: a comfy run-commute bag. A Garmin to track your pace. A windproof winter jacket. None of these are essential, but all can help make your running more pleasurable and thus more likely to be repeated.
However, if there is one thing that I would happily spend a fortune on, it would be a good sports massage. When I win the lottery (a matter of time, obviously) I’ll be employing a full time masseur. I would tell you his name but I’m afraid one of you might win first and poach him. Until I had a really good massage, I never quite saw the point. Sure, it could help ease tight knots of muscle, but wouldn’t a foam roller do that? And was it really worth spending that much on when I wasn’t actually injured? The answer is definitely yes. A really good masseur can not only help you recover and indeed prevent injuries, but make you feel like you’ve been gifted a fresh pair of legs. And that, for any committed runner, is priceless.
So, over to you. How was your weekend running? Who has PBs to report? And could someone just give me next week’s winning lottery numbers?”
