Women RUN the World

     Ask any female runner, there's a resason they're doing it. Whether it's because they're losing weight, getting in shape, building muscle, releasing stress, or it's just a passion, there's a limit. Sadly, too much of running is not a good thing, causing increased moods and pain.
     Women often develope hip problems when running. It makes sense, women have wider hips than men do. Bursitis is a common and painful injury, occuring in the bursa sacs that surround and protect your hip joint. Hip problems can cause all the other problems, espeically knee problems (trust me, I would know!).
     Thanks to our hips, knee problems come shortly after hip problems do. Patellafemoral Syndrome is espeically common in women (yes, I've had it). This injury is caused by the kneecap rubbing up against the thighbone causing painful irritation and inflammation. Looking at any woman, you may notice that not one has a straight hip to ankle line. Often our knees will curve in (knock-knees) or curve out (bowlegs).
     Moving on to shins (dare I talk about them?), shinsplints are exceptionally common among female runners. Overpronation (caused by women's looser ligaments in the ankles and knees) leads to the painful and misplaced weight onto different parts of the shins, causing shin splints. Believe me when I say, if you develope shin splints, shift to another form of workout (such as cross training) to avoid stress fractures, which are not in any way better. Look into buying better shoes with good arch support to stop pronation, but don't buy shoes that are too stiff, which can only make things worse.
     Women's feet can also cause any of the problems in your legs, as hips can. Because women have smaller heels than men do, they tend to buy shoes that are too small for them to avoid their foot slipping and making a run uncomfortable. Shoes that have the correct amount of stability and support can (but not always) make all the difference. I look for shoes that are tight enough to keep my heel from slipping but are big enough around the toes to allow as much motion as possible. Often I go half a size up in running shoes instead of half a size down so that I can allow my feet to have maximum flexibility, permitting they're in a shoe.
     You may think "that's it, that's the effects running has on women, and that's all I need to know". I hate to break the news, but you're wrong. Running determines more than your joints and legs. Look for my next post to see the continuation of the affects running has on the woman.