I think that everyone could identify personally with at least one point, and I often suspect the gaijin of falling fowl of the second point. The effects of lack of fitness are occasionally more subtle than simply deep breathing. When exhausted, many body systems suffer. For example the muscles in your arms are less responsive, your mind is less capable of quick thought, your core muscles are less capable of supporting unexpected forces. The results of these are errors, fouls and injuries, all subtly linked to lack of fitness.

Preparation
So now I hope you have decided to do both yourselves and the team a favour by trying to raise fitness. This first article will aim to explain how you can prepare for a year of regular running, dealing with equipment, motivation, nutrition and progress. Suggestions for running sessions and various exercises will follow later. For the time being, try and prepare as thoroughly as possible, you will make it easier for the future.

Equipment
Running must be one of the cheapest possible sports to participate in. Nevertheless, attempting to thrift it completely is a false economy, with potential results of physio bills and decreased motivation following. For an activity which will cost in general 0