5 Running mistakes that lead to injury
Running is a fantastic way to exercise for both physical and mental health. There is a common belief that running is damaging to your joints and “wears them out” but research has shown that runners have less knee pain and less arthritis than non-runners . Running injuries can be caused by a number of factors so we have gathered some suggestions to help you be proactive and keep you running healthy.
1. Doing too much high intensity running
Casual or inexperienced runners often spend most or all of their training time running at high intensities. This may come from the belief that every run needs to be tough or challenging and creates a mindset which can lead to overtraining and injury. In contrast, elite endurance athletes spend roughly 80% of their training time doing low intensity training with the remaining 20% spent at high intensity. A study in 2014 found that the most effective way to increase fitness (VO2max and work capacity) was splitting training mainly between low and moderate intensity with a small amount of high intensity. How you split your training comes down to your goals and preferences.
2. Not paying attention to elevation gain
Elevation is a very powerful tool, particularly for events that have a lot of elevation changes. If not used appropriately it can again lead to overtraining at high intensity. Most runners pay close attention to the increase in distance they are doing but less commonly look at their elevation gain. We would recommend that on weeks you increase your distance you maintain the same or similar elevation gain and vice versa for weeks with more elevation gain. Intense runs with lots of elevation gain should be followed up with a rest day or a recovery run.
3. Not planning out rest weeks
Improvement in running comes from doing exercise that stresses the body and then giving it the time, nutrition and rest to grow and adapt. Whilst most people are familiar with rest days during the week, less are aware of the importance of a rest week. When planning out your training schedule, we recommend every 3-4 weeks taking a step back and reducing your total running distance for that week by 10%. This gives your body a chance to adapt to the demands on it without having to stop running completely.
4. Avoiding strength training
A recent study showed that recreational runners who strength train and foam roll 2x/ week were 85% less likely to sustain a running injury. Strength training is not a quick fix and can take 6-8 weeks before the benefits are noticed, but the results are hard to argue with. All the muscles of the lower limb are active during running so focus on exercises for the main muscle groups. Examples include squats, Romanian deadlifts, and calf raises.
5. Not giving yourself enough training time
If you are training for an event or a race it is recommended to allow yourself more time than you think you need, particularly if it’s your first race. Taking your training slow gives you more time to experiment with what works for you. It also means that if you do have an injury setback you can rehab it more effectively instead of having to push through and potentially cause further injury.
Got any questions about running injuries or programming? To book an appointment with us visit our clinic page at https://www.queenstownphysiotherapy.com/ or phone 03 441 0580.
Our articles are not designed to replace medical advice. If you have an injury we recommend seeing a qualified health professional.
