Minimise Injury Risk
Enjoy your training. Ensure you follow a hard day with an easy day and include some rest days in your weekly training plan.
Vary your training by including some cross training such as cycling or rowing.
Try to include some resistance strength training twice a week – this will help with your running and prevent injuries.
Footwear. The most important consideration with running footwear is that they must be comfortable while running! Consider the running terrain and typical distance you wish to cover. Footwear and insoles do not cause injury but may be used to help recover from injury. Remember try to change running footwear every 800 to 1000 km.
It’s best not to increase your mileage by more than 10% in a week and avoid increasing both speed and distance in the same week. Try to increase distance first and then increase intensity: either hills or speed work.
As your fitness improves it will feel more natural to train more often and enhance your chances of enjoying the mini-marathon experience.
Warm-up adequately with easy running to prepare your joints and muscles for your race pace, include stride outs, high knee lifts, heel kicks, and trunk twisting.
Perform static sustained stretches after running to minimise muscle soreness and joint stiffness. This helps to prepare your body for your next running session.
Keep a training diary. This is a useful way of monitoring your training prior to an event and however deal with an injury. Use the information to prevent the same pitfalls and to plan your next running programme. Be patient and set realistic training goals.
Ensure you are getting adequate rest and sleep to aid with recovery from training. Consider you whole day and what else you are putting your body through, not just your training. Some people have very busy days and it’s important to consider what your body is doing throughout the whole week and months ahead of an event.
Never run if you feel unwell. Do not attempt to catch-up on lost mileage after illness/injury. This can cause further damage and result in a longer period off running. Better 3 to 4 days of rest than 3 to 4 weeks of frustration!
Ensure you have adequate fuel and hydration intake. Running increases your body’s food and hydration requirements. If you are running while dehydrated or hungry your running form is likely to suffer and this can easily lead to injury. Therefore, it is important to consume adequate food and drinks prior to and following running to minimise this risk.
Act early. If you have had a previous injury that you are not sure has fully healed, or if you feel a niggle, get it assessed and treated as soon as possible with your local chartered physiotherapist. You may even benefit from a running analysis to address any contributing factors to injury.
To find a chartered physiotherapist near you visit www.iscp.ie/find-a-physio. A Chartered Physiotherapist is a university graduate with hospital-based training who has comprehensive knowledge of how the body works, along with specialist training in the diagnosis and treatment of muscle and joint pain. When you choose a physiotherapist who is a member of the ISCP, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that they are a part of Ireland’s only professional body within its field. For more information visit www.iscp.ie
