How to stop getting injured all the time: A primer for runners
The sun is out. The bright mornings and long evenings have you psyched for some nice, long runs. You found a cool race to sign up for. You dove into your training with both feet. It was awesome. And then. . . you got hurt.
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Why am I injured all the time?
Maybe it started as a little niggle, but you're tough and your race is coming up, so you ran through it. Your little knee twinge or calf ache or heel sore spot didn't get worse, exactly, but it didn't go away either. It was OK-- until it wasn't. Until you were relegated to the exercise bike or the pool for three weeks while you hobbled back and forth to PT. You got on that home exercise program, sorted out your pain, and got back out there.
Rinse. Repeat.
Do you feel called out? Maybe a little?
Stop play whack-a-mole
This is a discouraging cycle, but it isn't inevitable. If you've been playing injury whack-a-mole for a while, you're taking a reactive approach: see a problem, fix the problem. If you're ready to break the injury cycle, it's time for a proactive approach that focuses on your health as a human being and a runner. It's time to nail the basics and build yourself into a more powerful runner. Some of this advice will sound basic to you, and you might be tempted to dismiss it, assuming you already know it all. But don't! Take some time to get curious and look at your daily habits under the microscope. It's not sexy, but it works. Here are three things to focus on in your quest to stay healthy.
Runners need lots of sleep
Both quantity and quality of sleep matter. Getting sufficient sleep slashes injury risk (and boosts performance). Your body and brain go through their most critical recovery and repair functions while you sleep. The general population needs at least seven hours a night (though this varies individually). If you're training hard, you need more. People who think they just need less than everyone else are almost always wrong! Even if you don't think you have a problem with sleep, try tracking it for a few weeks and see what you're truly getting. Try getting a little more and see how you feel. If you think you don't have time, keep thinking. You're making trade-offs with your time constantly. Where can you make a trade-off to favor extra sleep? It's worth it, even if it comes from running time. Need some help dialing in sleep? Here are some tips to get you started.
Nutrition for injury prevention
You need to fuel your runs, but even when runners get this part figured out, many don't pay enough attention to the rest of their nutrition. Following an anti-inflammatory diet is a powerful way to promote recovery and prevent chronic niggles. This isn't anything too surprising-- eat lots of leafy greens, fruits, olive oil, and nuts, and limit fried foods, processed meats, and added sugars. This isn't a strict diet, it's a general guideline. Increase the anti-inflammatory, decrease the pro-inflammatory, and make sure you eat enough total calories, especially if you're increasing your volume or intensity.
How to get consistent with running & mobility
If your running schedule is erratic, your risk of injury goes up. If running is the only movement you get most days, your risk of injury goes up. You probably already know that you should build your running volume slowly (the classic rule is 10% per week). You've probably done some cross-training and rehab when you've been battling injuries, too. But have you held on to these practices as you return to your regularly scheduled running? The key here is consistency. Build your activity, both running and non-running, to a level you can keep up from week to week, month to month. This takes a little bit of planning and some simple routines. For running, create some default options for yourself so you don't have to figure it out every time. Find which days you can reliably get a run in before work or at lunch, figure out what you need to make it happen, and make that your starting point. If you're at at least three days per week, you've got a good start. Now let's look at mobility and strength. If you think you don't have time, again, think again. You can work movement into your day without upending your routines. Warm up and cool down, even at the expense of five minutes of running. You can roll your feet and calves while you're at your desk, stand on one foot to work balance while your coffee brews, and pace while you're on the phone to keep your hip flexors loose. You can foam roll while you watch TV. You can do five minutes of yoga poses before bed. If you build these kinds of ancillary activities into your day instead of tacking them on to your to-do list, you'll do them without thinking-- and consistently.
Run forever
There's not a magic solution to solve the injury cycle. You can't buy a product or do an exercise that will "fix" you. Even PT help for every injury isn’t a panacea. But if you go back to basics, get honest with yourself, and treat your body well all day long, you'll feel the difference, and your PT might start to forget what you look like. So pick a place to start improving, and make some little changes, one at a time. Call me in six months and tell me how amazing you feel!
Want some help getting started? You can download the “stop getting injured!” cheat sheet to help you nail the basics consistently.
