What I Do to Prevent (Or Minimize) Injuries
It started with a minor pain in my rib area. A bit annoying, but since it didn't seem to impact my running, I ignored it. Besides, as I'd continually told myself, it'd go away any day now.
Or so I'd hoped.
Unfortunately, this pain gradually worsened to the point that I found myself back in PT as well as having to ease way back on my running for June. This setback also put the kibosh on two races I'd scheduled.
Without question, the most frustrating aspect of this injury is that it's impact could have been minimized had I followed one of my own practices for preventing injuries.
Since I clearly need a refresher course in my own Strategies for Injury Prevention, it's my pleasure to also share them with you.
Modify Pre and Post Run Stretches to What's Needed. Proper stretching plays a vital role in preventing injuries. For me, that means preparing me for a workout along with addressing potential problem areas. For example, one of my warm-up stretches is a leg lift intended to activate my glutes so that they can make life easier my hamstrings. I also include time with the foam roller before heading out in the morning to "wake up" my calves, hamstrings and quads. These stretches are changed from time to time, based on recommendations from my running coach and physical therapists.
Know When to Slow Down and Rest. After an assortment of barking hamstrings, IT band issues and tired legs for races, I finally realized that running slower would not instantly wipe away my conditioning. Instead, I discovered that, by being better rested, I had more energy for speed work and races as well as fewer nagging injuries. Being in my early sixties, I know that it's quality over quantity when it comes to running. For me, that also means running only five days per week to allow my body to have ample recovery time.
Listen to My Body. This is where I dropped the ball with that sore lat muscle. While there are times that we need to push ourselves in order to improve, it should only be as part of a careful training plan and definitely not every day. I attempt to be cognizant of how I'm feeling when I run. Tired muscles following a race or grueling workout are to be expected. A pain in my side, hamstring, knee or wherever are not. As this latest injury harshly reminded me, it's far better to err on the side of caution when it comes to a potential injury. Pushing through it more often than not leads to aggravating the condition. Odd are that had I addressed that lat injury earlier, I'd have experienced only a minimal impact on my training without missing any races.
Utilize preventative exercises and stretches. I engage in what I call “Strength Workouts” for 20 to 30 minutes, six mornings a week. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are devoted to strengthening my core with a rotating group of exercises, including planks, DB bench presses, and so on. The other three days focus on enhancing certain areas that impact my running, such as the hamstrings, calves and hips. Like my morning stretches, the specific exercises are recommended by my running coach and physical therapists.
Become a Student of Running. I'm embarrassed to say that I only learned about IT bands two years ago. That’s despite issues with it for several years. I just thought I had a bad knee. It wasn’t until I described the pain to my running coach that I learned about IT bands and, more importantly, how to treat them. That humbling mishap led me to studying more about running, including training techniques, injuries, exercises and so on. When I developed left heel pain last summer, I suspected that it was a plantar fasciitis. I also had an idea of what to do which was confirmed in PT. That led to addressing that injury in the early stages, before it impacted my training.
6. Utilize experts. Although I’ve worked at becoming more knowledgeable about running, I always defer the experts. Not only do they provide knowledge and experience, but they are also familiar with my running and know my goals. In my case, that includes Coach Tim Ives (The Body Project), Kaity Hall, James Laughlin and Todd Schemper at The Kinetic Edge, Sarah Messengarb at Hands On Sports Therapy and Ellen Davis at The Performance Collective. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now were it not for their expertise.
Consider Your Diet. I came into this area with some reluctance, fearing it would mean incorporating broccoli and Brussel sprouts into my diet over a tasty scone in the morning. To my pleasant surprise, the recommendations were a few supplements for my diet as well as some tweaking of my meals to provide more fuel for running. Another suggestion had me add a couple pounds to help prevent future injuries.
As you've read, many of these involve certain routines and exercises based on outside guidance. Those specifics would likely vary with individual. However, I do believe that the general recommendations behind each would be beneficial to everyone.
These are the strategies I use to prevent or minimize injuries. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook. (And my sincere thanks to Stephen Rowe, an old college friend, for suggesting this column!)
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