It is VERY easy to get injured. Unless you are EXTREMELY lucky, it happens to us all. Two years ago Christina suffered a tibial stress fracture that put her out of running/other exercises for months. Mary has had more minor injuries including tendonitis and IT band problems. We are going to break this post down into two parts: PART 1: the first 5 laws of injury prevention and PART 2: the second five laws of injury prevention.
This information is valuable to EVERYONE, not JUST novice runners or those who are just getting into racing. We all make mistakes…even marathoners, triathletes, olympians, or everyday runners who have been running for years and years. Sometimes it is difficult to see that we are going down a road that will ultimately lead us to injury. We are either completely blind or just ignoring all the signs…or both. It is important to know the best ways that we can both spot and prevent injury. Read on, Read on.
LAW 1: KNOW YOUR LIMITS
Every runner has an “injury threshold”. The amount of running that will cause injury differs from person to person based on height, sex, weight, fitness level, genetics, etc. Doing too much, too soon, too fast will ultimately lead to injury. These training errors are the number one cause of self-inflicted running injuries. The body needs time to adapt from training changes and jumps in mileage or intensity. Muscles and joints need recovery time so they can recover and handle more training demands. If you rush that process, you could break down rather than build up.
What to do: Increase your weekly and monthly running totals gradually. Use the 10% rule as a GENERAL guideline, but remember that everyone is different. Using the 10% rule still may be too much for you! Additionally, you should not go ALL OUT on every single day that you run. for instance…in our current Marathon Training, I (Christina)- only push myself ONCE A WEEK (race pace runs)! The rest of the week consists of shorter, slower runs or long runs at a slow pace. In addition to this approach, you should also have “step back” weeks. We also use this in our marathon training. Our weekly mileage builds for two weeks and then drops down for one week before climbing back up again. See our marathon plan here. It is also VERY important to note that an aggressive approach to hill running, intervals, trail running can produce problems. If you are new to running, you should not be doing a whole bunch of intervals, trail running, hill work outs, track workouts, etc. In fact, even avid runners should only be doing this about once a week. In the plan we both used for our first marathon (Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 program), there was not a single type of run like this. Now, in training for my (Christina) second marathon, I have designated one day to a pace run (doing my run at race pace). Mary did not start hill workouts and interval training until her 3rd marathon, the Boston marathon 2010. Keeping a detailed training log can help you gauge your personal training threshold. You should record weekly mileage and write down how you feel after each run.
LAW 2: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Most running injuries will not come out of nowhere and blindside you. They build up gradually…you will feel aches, soreness, persistent pain etc. It is up to you to acknowledge the pain and take time off or to run right through the pain. When I (Christina) had my tibial stress fracture a couple years back, the pain did not come out of nowhere. It was a gradual, building pain. My biggest mistake was that I chose to ignore it. I ran right through the pain until I could no longer stand the pain anymore. And where did they get me? More time sitting on the sidelines, thats where. I then made yet ANOTHER mistake of not sitting it out for long enough. I came back too early, my injury was not healed, and I made my recovery period EVEN LONGER.
Runners/athletes can be pretty stubborn. The thought of not being able to do what you love is a pretty hard concept to handle. But the thing is, if you dont take the proper time off, you only risk hurting yourself more. What is a couple weeks, a few months, etc. compared to a lifetime of running? Not much. Now, at the first sign of pain, I stop running COMPLETELY…even if it is a minor ache/pain. Ignoring a problem could honestly lead you to never being able to run for the rest of your life. And that is surely not what you want.
What to do: At the first sign of any sort of pain, take three days off. Instead, go for a walk, try water running, hop on a bike, etc. On the fourth day, run half your normal easy-day amount at a much slower pace than usual. If you typically run four miles at nine minutes per mile, do just two miles at 11-minute pace. If successful, take yet another day off. If you’re pain-free, continue easing back into your normal routine. If not, take another three days off, then repeat the process to see if it works the second time around. If not, you’ve got two obvious options: Take more time off, and/or schedule an appointment with a sports-medicine specialist.
LAW 3: SHORTEN YOUR STRIDE
Overstriding is a common mistake that can lead to decreased efficiency and increased injury risk. If you shorten your stride, you’ll land “softer” with each footfall, incurring lower impact forces.
What to do: If you’ve had frequent running injuries, you might want to experiment running with your normal stride, just slightly shorter.
LAW 4: USE STRENGTH TRAINING TO BALANCE YOUR BODY
Although it important to strengthen the entire body, it is particularly important to strengthen the hip muscles. “Strengthening the hips is optimal for effective rehabilitation, as opposed to treating the area where the pain is located (e.g., your knee). When you strengthen the hips—the abductors, adductors, and gluteus maximus—you increase your leg stability all the way down to the ankle.”
What to do: You don’t want to train for bulging muscles. You need just enough core, hip, and lower-leg strength training to keep your pelvis and lower-extremity joints properly positioned. “If you don’t have muscle balance, then you lose the symmetry, and that’s when you start having problems.”
LAW 5: RICE
When you are suffering from muscle aches or joint pains, there’s nothing better than rest, ice, compression, and elevation for immediate treatment. These measures can relieve pain, reduce swelling, and protect damaged tissues, all of which speed healing. The only problem with RICE is that too many runners focus on the “I” while ignoring the “RCE.” Ice reduces inflammation, but to ice-and-run, ice-and-run, without giving the tissues enough time to heal, is a little like dieting every day until 6 p.m. and then pigging out.
What to do: If you twist your ankle or strain your hamstring, plan to take a few days off from running. Apply ice—for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, several times a day. If you can, elevate the area (easy for foot and ankle injuries, not so much for hip or hamstring issues) to limit swelling. Compression can also further reduce inflammation and can provide pain relief, especially when you first return to running. An ACE bandage is the simplest way to wrap a swollen area.
STAY TUNED FOR THE LAWS 6-10!
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great laws! unfortunately they’re stuff i repeat all the time but find so hard to follow myself! that’s my goal for the fall: follow these rules
I love your method for first signs of injury. I should really put this into place. I don’t take enough time off and come back too fast. Can’t wait to read laws 6-10
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