Injury Prevention for RUNNERS

If you're like me and you live in Ontario, you're smack dab in the middle of what is our THIRD lockdown (or shut down or stay at home order or whatever they called it this time) which means gyms are closed, yet again. The good news is that the weather is warming up, and there are a lot more options when it comes to finding creative ways to keep moving during these times. A popular choice by many (including myself) is running, so today's post is going to touch on a few key tips when it comes to keeping your body injury free this running season!

Now, injury prevention for runners is quite a lengthy topic and to be honest will vary person to person depending on your history, your goals, your current workout regimen, etc., and therefore is not a one size fits all by any means. If you're serious about stepping up your running game, or you have been dealing with any specific or recurring pain, I would highly recommend getting checked out by a physiotherapist & better yet one that specializes in running to get a more personalized approach to your rehab!

4 KEY PILLARS TO INJURY PREVENTION FOR RUNNERS:

Okay, let's dive in:

1. You need to be STRENGTH training!

Sorry guys, but you can't ONLY run and expect your body to stay injury/pain-free. Running puts a tremendous amount of stress on the joints in the body to begin with, and if you don't have the strength to properly absorb these forces as well as maintain proper alignment during your stride, you will get injured! Not only does strength training help prevent injury but it also helps to improve performance. Running is primarily targeted at improving your cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance, however it actually does little for improving overall muscle strength. SO, if you're not already, schedule in 2-3 strength sessions/week & focus on your glutes, hammys, quads, calves & core! All you need is 20-30mins - you've got this.

2. Specific Warm up!

Last months blog went into great detail on this topic so if you haven't already, head on over there & read about why this is so important! For today, I thought I would include a few of my favourite pre-run warm-up exercises I like to do. Again, all you need is 5minutes... #noexcuses!

1. Single Leg RDLs

Standing on one leg, slow & controlled, hinge at the hips to drive the other leg behind you keeping your knee tracking over your toes (no inward movement). Drive the knee forward to return to neutral position.

2. Ninja Walks

These are great for getting the quads and calves firing before your run. Stay on your toes, march with your arms, and drive the knee up each rep!

3. Lateral Lunges

Even though running is a forward/backward sport, you need lateral stability on each stride to keep your knee & hip neutral! Adding a reach with your opposite arm also helps to open up the thoracic spine :)

4. Banded Lateral Tap Outs

PRIME THOSE GLUTES. Keep your stationary leg neutral the entire time and alternate between reaching directly lateral and to the diagonal. You should feel this fire in the outer hip!

5. Split Stance External Rotations

This is another single leg stability drill to prime the fundamental movement patterns of the run before you get started. Keep the stationary leg stable while driving the knee outward from the hip on the working leg.

3. Follow a running program

Are you just going out and running as fast as your body can tolerate for however long your body can tolerate, spending a few days sore, and then trying again? Aka, are you aimlessly going out on runs with no structure, and hoping for the best? Or do you have a program that you follow that includes specific distances, times, paces, and days to keep you accountable and measure progress? There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to a running program because it will depend on what your goals are, what you're training for, and your personal running history, but the bottom line is you need a plan! Here are a few general pointers when it comes to building one (but obvi, talk to a physio for more deets):

• VOLUME: Don't increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%! This means that if you're a beginner runner, you shoulder probably start with a run/walk program. Seems boring at the start, but I promise it will save you in the long run. If you're an avid runner looking to improve your performance, start to run MORE (just always respect the 10% rule!)

• VARIETY: Rather than running 3x a week at the same pace/intensity, work in some slower runs, some speed work (1x/week is good), and some long runs. When you're not doing speed work, run at a comfortable pace (one you can hold a conversation at). This will save your legs for your speed days, and ultimately increase your performance on race day... if that's your goal ;)

4. Rest up to show up

All these things are great but they mean jack sh*t if you aren't allowing for proper recovery and refuelling your body with what it needs. Not only does lack of recovery lead to injury, but it also prevents you from progressing, so it really is a lose-lose scenario that you don't want to get yourself caught up in! A couple pointers for recovery:

• SLEEP. I always feel convicted when I write about sleep because to be honest, this is where I struggle the most! 7 hours is an absolute minimum, but in reality you should be sleeping for 8-9 hours after a hard run or strength training day to allow for proper recovery.

• NUTRITION. I am no expert here, but it is essential that you are fuelling your body properly in order to improve performance, properly recover, and prevent injury!

• STRESS. Guys, stress sucks on SO many levels! Stress distracts us, increases cortisol levels, consumes precious energy, all of which increase your risk of injury. If you are finding you are "doing all the right things" when it comes to your training, but still find your performance is at a stand still or your legs feel like concrete when you're running, check your stress! Things as simple as making some healthy work/life balance changes, journaling, and calling/spending time with your inner circle can go a long way when it comes to performance & injury.

• RECOVERY WEEKS. If you are training for a specific race, or your are planning on running consistently all summer, make sure that you plan in some recovery weeks once every 4-6 weeks where you drop your weekly mileage & intensity to give your body a break.

Again, this only merely scratches the surface when it comes to injury prevention for runners, but I hope it provides you with a framework / somewhere to start when it comes to keeping your body healthy this running season!

Until next time,

C