Articles by Penny Thorn
Penny took up running at university back in 1993 as a way to keep fit for other sports including at that time netball, tennis, squash and orienteering for which she regularly represented her college and university. Since university days, she has represented Vale Royal Athletics Club based in Cheshire before moving to London, where in March 2005 she joined Serpentine Running Club. She competes in all distances for the club – from marathon to 1km on the road, as well as cross-country, track and field.
She sustained her first serious injury back in 2004 (a broken metatarsal) after which the following couple of years she experienced several recurrent injuries and lower limb problems. With each injury she religiously performed rehabilitation exercises that were given by a physiotherapist and the problems were fixed. Her experiences made her think differently about how to sustain her running injury free and today she regularly incorporates Pilates in her training plan including those exercises that helped her overcome her injury problems.
She trained as a Pilates Foundation matwork teacher with Allison Swan in London, completing a one-year comprehensive matwork course. During her training, she worked with a range of clients including those rehabilitating from injuries and operations, those living with health conditions such as osteoporosis, hip replacements, arthritis and shoulder problems, sportspeople, as well as teaching older adult classes. The experience was as rewarding to her as it was motivational and demonstrated the huge benefits that Pilates can bring to clients of all ages and abilities.
“Through practicing Pilates I have experienced the huge benefits that it can bring both as rehabilitation and prevention of injury as well as making me stronger and more able to withstand the stresses of running. This initiated my desire to learn more about how the body works and to develop teaching skills, so that I can share the benefits of Pilates to everyone.“ Penny Thorn 2009
To find out more about the benefits of Pilates specific to running you can refer to Penny’s essay ‘How Pilates Can Help Runners Improve Performance And Prevent Injury.’ available as a PDF document below.
How Pilates Can Help Runners Improve Performance And Prevent Injury [369 Kb] 
This essay is copyright © Penny Thorn and may not be reproduced without prior permission.
Certifications
- Qualified Pilates Foundation Matwork Teacher
- First Aid Appointed Person - Nuco Training
- Pilates and The Pelvic Floor - The Thoughtful Body™
For more information, email pennythorn@serpentine.org.uk