Body Science
Running Away from Injuries
By Sean Falconer
Runners are unfortunately prone to suffering overuse injuries due to the repetitive nature of long distance running , and the fact that running places high-impact stress on your body . Fortunately , there are a few ways to prevent these injuries from happening
Preventing injuries is not an exact science , but besides making sure you have good running shoes that provide sufficient cushioning and support , fuelling your body with the nutrition needed for running , cutting down on stress and getting enough sleep to allow your body to rest and recover , here are some things you can do to reduce your risk of injury
4 Include Cross-training
These low-impact workouts reduce the impact stress of running and use different muscle groups , in a different way , to running , which can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries , while still giving you a great aerobic workout , which in turn will still help you attain your running goals .
1 Don ’ t Overdo the Training
A common training error that increases the risk of injury is doing too much , too soon , or too many hard workouts without enough recovery or rest days in between . This is why most coaches advocate both the 10 % rule ( not increasing your mileage by more than 10 % from one week to the next ), and the 80 / 20 rule ( 80 % of your training should be easy , comfortable pace runs , and only 20 % should be high-intensity speed work ).
2 Vary Your Run Training
By including different types of running , and varying the route , terrain , pace and intensity of run workouts , you will also help to vary the impact stresses on your body , instead of plodding along at the same pace every day , using the same muscles in the same way continuously .
3 Always Warm Up and Cool Down
It ’ s always a good idea to warm your body up before you start running , with dynamic movements that simulate what you ’ re about to ask it do , and then cool it down after the run with some static stretching , to facilitate recovery and reduce muscle soreness .
5 Incorporate Strength Training
It has been proven that strength training is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of common running injuries by nearly 70 %. This is because strength training strengthens the muscles , bones , joints , and connective tissues , which in turn means that your own body weight is less of a stress or load on these muscles , bones , joints and tissues when you run . Strength training workouts can also improve your neuromuscular coordination , identify and correct muscle imbalances , improve core strength , improve your posture and running form , and improve your running economy .
6 Work On Your Running Form
Issues with your running form – the most common one is overstriding , but there may be others – can be a key contributor to running injuries . Therefore , getting a professional gait analysis done by an experienced running coach , running shoe fit professional , or physical therapist can go a long way to identifying and correcting any issues with form .
7 Correct Muscle Imbalances
Many of us have one or more muscle imbalances in our physical make-up – one side is stronger or more dominant than the other , so to say – and these imbalances can increase the risk of running injuries . A few sessions of physical therapy can identify an imbalance , and a physical therapist can then develop a strengthening programme for you to follow to address that imbalance
8 Address Issues
When you do pick up an injury , instead of just resting long enough for the injury to heal , rather try to identify the underlying causes and address them , through medical treatment , physical therapy , correcting running form , changing running shoes , tweaking your training plan , etc . In other words , fix the root cause of the injury .
9 Listen to Your Body
It is vital that you listen to your body . If your training programme says you must go for a 15km run , but you feel tired and sore , then it is more important to rather have a rest day , or do a cross-training workout instead .
Sean Falconer has been a running journalist and magazine editor for 25 years , and in that time has interviewed five Marathon World Recordholders as well as sprinting great Usain Bolt . He joined Modern Athlete in 2009 and is now one of the three co-owners of the magazine . He has been running since 1995 , has done hundreds of races through the years , and counts running the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in India as one of his best running experiences .
66 ISSUE 167 | www . modernathlete . co . za