Coming into spring is a high risk time for injury for runners.
Are you a dry weather athlete? Is exercising in the cold something that doesn’t appeal to you? Lets face it, the idea of running in cold weather is never as appealing as running on a clear, sunny 25 degree day. As the weather warms up getting out in the sun for a jog becomes much more appealing. However, if you have had a patchy winter or you like to run more in the warmer weather you are at a higher risk of injury.
Big increases in training volume can lead to soft tissue injuries and tendinopathies.
Three Tips To Run Pain Free:
- Start slow: A lot of injuries happen if you do too much to soon, slow paced runs are a great way to build up chronic training load(amount of kms x intensity/10). Getting the total distance you have run over 4 weeks prior to increasing intensity will help to reduce the risk of injury. Running every 2nd day is also a good way to help your body adapt to the increased training volume.
- Add some strength exercises into your routine: Strengthening your hips and legs will improve your ability to absorb and transfer force, both reducing the risk of tendinopathies and enabling you to run faster. I would suggest either 10 minutes of strength work before each run or a short strength program on the days you are not running.
- Pick the right shoes: A comfortable supportive shoe is very important when it comes to running, but the same shoe is not the best shoe for everyone.
Getting fitted for the right shoe, planning your training volume and having your exercises tailored to address your strength and mobility deficits in your running gait will lead to optimal improvements in running efficiency, speed and reduce the risk of injury. At Boost our Podiatrists can help find you the right shoe and give you tips on running gait.
