Health & Safety

Running is brilliant for you, but it carries real risks: injury, illness, and in rare cases serious cardiac events. Please read this before starting a programme with me.

Talk to a GP first

Before you begin or significantly increase training, speak to your GP if any of the following apply:

• You haven't exercised regularly in the last 12 months.
• You have a heart condition, high blood pressure, asthma, or diabetes.
• You experience chest pain, dizziness, or breathlessness on exertion.
• You are pregnant or recently postpartum.
• You are recovering from injury, surgery, or illness.
• You are taking medication that could affect exercise.

Coaching is not medical advice

I am a qualified running coach (UKA Run Fitness Leader), not a medical professional. The plans and advice I provide are based on coaching experience and the information you give me. They are not a substitute for medical, physiotherapy, or sports-medicine advice.

Listen to your body

• Stop and seek medical help if you feel chest pain, severe breathlessness, dizziness, or faintness.
• Rest and contact me if pain persists beyond normal training discomfort, or if something feels wrong.
• Skip sessions if you're ill, sleep-deprived, or significantly run down — we'll adjust the plan.

Training environment

• Be visible in low light: high-vis kit and a head torch where needed.
• Tell someone your route and expected return time for long or remote runs.
• Carry a phone, ID, and enough fluid/fuel for the session.
• Adapt for weather: heat, ice, and strong winds all change risk.

Tell me what's going on

The more honest you are about how training is landing — fatigue, niggles, life stress, sleep — the better the plan can be. If anything changes medically, please let me know straight away so we can adapt.

Contact

Nick Weston · RNNNG · nick@rnnng.co.uk