Emma Martin-Jewell

Right now you will be in the third week of your 12-week training plan for the Swansea University Swansea Half Marathon, which takes place this June. Running is a great way of keeping your fitness levels up as well as general health and well-being, but it’s important to stay safe when out training. With thanks to our sponsors at JCP solicitors and their director, Kirsty Meech who also happens to be a keen runner and  London Marathon finisher, they’ve put together some top tips to help you stay safe whilst training:

Be seen and bright

Even though spring has finally arrived (better late than never!) it’s important that you stay safe when running on murky days, at dusk, or after dark. This could be by using a head torch, wearing bright reflective clothing and choosing clothing in light colours. You can also purchase reflective bands for arms and legs. This will allow cars and other runners/cyclists to see you and will make yourself known to surrounding traffic.

Run with a friend

There is always ‘safety in numbers’ – grab a friend or family member to go running with you, or if they prefer, cycle alongside you. Otherwise, there are lots of local running clubs that are usually open to new members. Doing this will help encourage you to get those miles in and also make you feel safer.

Use your safety feature

Despite the obvious of telling someone where you are going, you can also use the safety feature on your phone and your smartwatch. Many watches allow you to turn on a live tracker or incident detection, so your friends and family can track your running and know where you are.

Run in busier areas

Pick your route carefully and try not to go on any new paths at night. If you are running after dark, stick to well-lit areas where you know there will be others around. Remember, it’s important to mix things up, if you do try a new route only attempt this during the daylight hours.

Be aware of your surroundings

It’s always important to be aware of what is around you. Uneven ground and obstacles can be tripping hazards, you should also watch out for cyclists and dog walkers on shared footpaths. Why not ditch those headphones to ensure your runs are as safe as they can be? If you need those tunes or podcasts to get you through your long runs then why not try using one headphone or activating transparency mode (available on high-tech devices) – just make sure you can still be alert.

Take your mobile phone and carry ID

Taking your phone on your runs can be very beneficial if you get into an accident or in case of an emergency. It’s useful to take some ID – you can purchase tags to wear on your shoes for this, and add your emergency contact saved as ICE (In Case of Emergency) to your phone. Having your phone is also a good call-in case someone else is injured and you need to contact emergency responders.

Swansea University has signed a three-year deal to become the headline sponsor for the multi-award-winning Swansea Half Marathon.

The sponsorship forms part of the University’s Making Strides for Mental Health campaign, which raises funds for essential world-class research into suicide prevention, along with mental health and wellbeing support for Swansea University students.

As a registered charity, Swansea University is encouraging people to run the half marathon on its behalf, with all funds raised going towards:

• Funding research by the world-leading mental health researcher Professor Ann John into suicide prevention across the globe.
• Establishing a Student Nursing Hub to support nursing students’ mental health and create a more resilient NHS workforce.
• Making exercise more accessible to students to help with their mental health and wellbeing.

A number of free entry places will be available for people who pledge to raise more than £200 for the University’s Making Strides campaign, with a further general discount available to students, staff and 150 graduates.

This year’s Swansea Half Marathon, twice named the UK’s best half marathon, will be held on Sunday 11 June.

JCP Solicitors sponsored the event since its inception in 2014 and will now join the list of silver sponsor partners, along with chartered accountants Matthews & Co, and HMT Sancta Maria Hospital.

Professor Paul Boyle, Swansea University Vice-Chancellor, said:

“Swansea University has a proud sporting tradition and we are therefore delighted to sponsor this year’s Swansea Half Marathon, which has become one of the highlights in our city’s annual calendar. The race serves as a powerful motivator for people to adopt healthier lifestyles, which aligns with our University’s own strategic ambitions to support the health and wellbeing of our broader community.

“As a registered charity, we channel many of our donations towards world-class research and student support and are pleased to have established our Making Strides for Mental Health campaign for this year’s race. Funds raised for this campaign will help our researchers to continue making ground-breaking discoveries and will ensure that our students are able to excel and are supported through any mental health challenges they may face.”

Esyllt Rosser, President of Swansea University Students’ Union welcomed the announcement:

“The Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have both had a significant impact on our students’ mental health and wellbeing, and so we’re delighted that the university’s Making Strides Campaign will raise vital funds to help support our students’ mental health, helping to ensure they get the most out of their university experience.”

Swansea Half Marathon Race Director Tash Smith said:

“We are very excited to be working with Swansea University for the event in 2023 and look forward to developing a strong relationship and plans for the future. Preparation for this year’s Swansea Half Marathon is well underway and we can’t wait to welcome our incredible runners back to Swansea once again.

“We’d like to thank JCP Solicitors for all their support and dedication over the past eight years, and we’d also like to welcome Swansea University to our half marathon family.”

To find out more about the Swansea University Swansea Half Marathon go to: https://www.swanseahalfmarathon.co.uk. Join us as we #RunSwansea to register your place to run on behalf of Swansea University CLICK HERE.

Front Runner Events are going greener to reduce the carbon footprint and minimise the environmental impact across its events. Over a number of years, several trials have been undertaken to remove all unnecessary waste and plastic from its events, which has resulted in considerable reductions and improvements.

The goal is now to go a step further and make more improvements that will be clear and evident to all race participants and event stakeholders. The first of these changes will take place at our first event of the year, the 2Wish Great Welsh Marathon and we aim to roll these measures out across all events as we look to continually improve and reduce our environmental impact.

For 2023, some of the initiatives we will include are:

• Providing medals that are made from recycled or renewable materials.
• All wood used in medals is sourced from FCS-certified sources and ensures that the timber used supports responsible forestry.
• Removing finisher’s t-shirts from our events. (These are predominantly imported from the EU and beyond and made from virgin polyester).
• Options for runners to plant a tree with TREES NOT TEES.
• All optional merchandise (tech tees) is made from 100% recycled materials.
• Providing lead cyclists and lead electric vehicles wherever possible.
• Providing smaller capacity water bottles (sourced locally and made from at least 30% recycled materials) and are also fully recyclable
• Providing recycled bibs that can be disposed of with clothing recycling lines.
• Increasing recycling rates across our events by encouraging and supporting the collection and recycling of all event-generated waste by our ploggers and volunteers.
• Encouraging more runners to use hydration packs to help reduce the number of bottles needed.
• Encouraging runners to car share, cycle or walk to our events.
• Working with our supply chain to provide reusable and sensibly sourced materials across our events and ensuring that all event materials, signage and banners are reused.
• Donating any food surplus to food banks
• Working with more local and indigenous suppliers to further reduce our transportation impact.

Since 2016, the measures began by reducing a considerable amount of plastic from the events, such as the removal of cellophane wrapping on all medals. Front Runner Events have continued to reduce the waste generated by the events which have not impacted runners, stakeholders or the overall event experience. The aim is to continue working with event stakeholders to remove all unnecessary waste across the events portfolio.

As event organisers, we understand our responsibility to the local and wider environment and have always approached this seriously. With this in mind, we hope that everyone who attends our events will support our pledge to GO GREENER, whether it’s making small steps like using a hydration pack or VOLUNTEERING to become a plogger, or even ensuring that the correct bins are used to assist with recycling – every step helps!

There are many misconceptions and beliefs that runners often fall into the trap of believing. With thanks to our training partners at Realbuzz, we are sharing some of the common myths you should disregard.

1. You must stretch before a run.

Stretching is generally not considered the best way to prepare for a run. Stretching cold muscles (much like an old elastic band) is likely to strain and cause damage. Instead of static stretching, do some gentle cardio as a warm-up, such as walking or a slow jog. This will warm up the muscles more effectively and safely than static stretches.

2. Missing training is a bad idea.

Skipping a day of training is not the disaster you might think it is, and there’s definitely no need to panic. In fact, taking a few days out might just be what your body needs, and is an important part of training. It is during recovery that your muscles adapt and strengthen. Once you have done the hard work and achieved a certain level of fitness, your fitness can easily be maintained, which means an extra day of rest here and there is not going to be a bad thing!

3. Running is bad for your joints.

It’s commonly referred to that running is bad for your joints. Yes, runners can suffer injuries to their joints, but research has found that running actually reduces the risk of osteoarthritis in the long term.

4. Carb-loading is essential.

Carbo-loading has its limits and it isn’t all about stuffing your face the night before a race.

Unless you are doing a half marathon or further then carbo-loading is not necessary. Research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology suggested that the best way of loading up on carbohydrates is to integrate them into your daily diet over a number of weeks. Gradually increasing the daily amount of carbs you’re eating in the weeks leading up to the race, rather than just carb-loading the night before.

5. Just focus on running

Running may be your passion, but it shouldn’t be the basis of your entire fitness regime. To remain injury-free and become a more rounded athlete, adding some strength training may be the answer. You could also introduce other forms of cardio exercise such as swimming, cycling and skipping in order to mix it up a bit.

Getting your base training in during winter is a great way of keeping your fitness levels up and helping you prepare for the 2023 race calendar but it’s important to stay safe when out running during the darker months. To help you be prepared we’ve put together some top tips for you to stay safe this winter.

1. Be seen and bright.

It’s important that you stay safe when running out in the dark and that may mean wearing a head torch and bright, reflective clothing. This will allow cars and other runners/cyclists to see you on the path and make yourself known to surrounding traffic.

2. Run with a friend

When running in the dark, the ‘safety in numbers’ rule applies.  Grab a friend or family member to go running with you, or if they prefer, cycle alongside you. Otherwise, there are lots of local running clubs that are usually open to new members. Doing this will help encourage you to get those miles in but also make you feel safer and less vulnerable.

3. Use your safety feature.

Despite the obvious of telling someone where you are going, why not also use the safety feature on your phones and smartwatches. Many watches allow you to put a live tracker feature on so your friends and family can track your running and know where you are.

4. Run in busier areas.

Try not to pick a route that takes you on isolated runs as this can be dangerous during the day, let alone in the dark. Pick your route carefully and try not to go on any new paths at night. Stick to well-lit areas where you know there will be others around. Remember, it’s important to mix things up, if you do try a new route only attempt this during the daylight hours.

5. Use one, or no headphones.

It’s always important to be aware of your surroundings, even when running during the day. However, the darker nights can be dangerous if you’re not paying attention, so why not ditch those headphones to ensure your runs are as safe as they can be! If you need those tunes or podcasts to get you through your cold, winter runs then why not try using 1 headphone so you can still be alert.

6. Take your mobile phone

Taking your phone on your runs can be very beneficial if you get into an accident or in case of an emergency. It’s useful to add your emergency contact saved as ICE (In Case of Emergency) so responders know who to call if needed. Having your phone is also a good call-in case someone else is injured and you need to contact emergency responders.

We want to hear from you!!!

If you have any more tips you would like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to send them to us at [email protected] and we will share them too!