3 Tips For Running Free Of Injuries
3 Tips For Running Free Of Injuries
Take some time after each workout to jot down notes about what you did and how you felt. A detailed workout log can help keep you motivated and injury-free.
Look for patterns. For instance, you may notice that your knees ache when you run on consecutive days, but you feel great when you rest in between running days.
So, follow these 3 rules, and you’ll spend more time on the road and less time in rehab.
1. Listen to your body
Most running injuries don’t just come out of nowhere and blindside you.
Usually, there are warning signs—aches, soreness, and persistent pain. It’s up to you to heed those signs. If you don’t, you could hurt something else as you try to change your gait to compensate for the pain.
2. Use good shoes
Running shoes have changed a lot over the years, and there’s a dizzying variety of models, brands, and types to choose from. There are even minimalist shoes designed to mimic barefoot running (although there’s no scientific evidence that forgoing shoes decrease injury risk).
There’s no single best shoe for every runner—your goal is to find the one that offers the best support and fit for your unique anatomy and biomechanics. Don’t buy a shoe just because it’s the cheapest, because it “looks fast,” or because it matches your favorite workout gear.
3. Adapt to a routine slowly
Doing too much, too soon, and too fast is the number-one cause of running injuries. The body needs time to adapt to increases in mileage or speed. Muscles and joints need recovery time so they can handle more demands. If you rush that process, you could break down rather than build up. So be the tortoise, not the hare. Increase your weekly and monthly running totals gradually.
Follow the 10 percent rule: Build your weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent per week. So if you run 10 miles the first week, run 11 miles the second week, about 12 miles the third week, and so on. There may be times when even a 10 percent increase proves too much. Use the 10 percent rule as a guideline, but realize that it might be too aggressive for you.