Running away with the idea of getting fit

New Year is traditionally a time for resolutions, and keeping fit or shedding a few calories are one of the most popular. Gyms across Britain get pretty packed for a few weeks, and keep-fit classes are well attended.

A cheap way to regain your fitness can be a regular jog or a run along the streets of the neighbourhood, the local park or country park. You may even have a forest or woodland on your doorstep or a hill climb round the corner.

The key message is to start slowly. But before you begin, you need to plan some practice routes to make sure you reach peak performance. This means having a choice of courses that test your abilities.

So how do you make your route interesting and varied? Well, a good map can really help. There is a range of maps available from Ordnance Survey designed with outdoor pursuits in mind. These include OS Explorer Maps, which are the most detailed folding maps at a scale of 1:25 000 and OS Landranger Maps at 1:50 000 scale covering a wider area. And now you can get a customised map, called OS Select, centred on the place you choose. You may want your home or a park you use for training to be in the middle of your map – it is totally up to you. The advantage is that there’s never any danger of your route disappearing off the edge of the paper!                 

If you are planning your run the OS Select map at 1:25 000 scale is ideal. Showing roads, lanes, footpaths and rights of way – as well as every town, village and hamlet – you’re sure not to get lost. Whether you choose to pound the pavements or jog cross country, you’ll have all the information you need at your fingertips.

It is important to set goals to help you succeed – whether you are aiming to complete a marathon or you simply want to improve your running. With an OS Select map you can plan routes by difficulty level, measuring distances, gradients and terrain. But remember – start off gently and choose more challenging courses as your experience increases.

The right training programme can make a real difference, and route planning is a key element of that. Even if you are not planning to take part in a race, running is a fantastic way of improving your fitness level. Government health chiefs recommend we should exercise for 30 minutes five times a week to keep healthy. An aerobic activity like running can strengthen your heart as well as burn calories.

Find maps for your route to fitness at www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/running .

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OS Select

Use a OS Select customised map, centred on the place you choose, to plan your running route.

Further information on OS Select