The Number 1 Reason for Running Injuries
One of the biggest reasons that many runners get injured is that they increase their mileage (or volume of training) too quickly. Running is hard on the body, and it takes your body time to adapt. So, how do you know how much you should run, and how quickly you can increase your volume?
How to Avoid Running Injury
If you are just starting to run or are coming back to running, the key is to start slowly. Pick a pace that is conversational (i.e. you can talk in full sentences) and keep the distance relatively short. If you have run in the past, think about how you successfully started before and replicate that.
Do not go from no running to running every day. Think 3x/week with a day off in between to allow yourself to recover. If you can do that and still feel good, then you can start to increase your mileage from there.
For More Experienced Runners
If you are a more experienced runner and you are thinking about increasing your mileage or you are training for a particular race or distance, you will want to start by getting an average of your weekly mileage over your previous four weeks of training. Take that average number and add 10%. In other words, if you averaged 20 miles/week last month, you should be able to increase your mileage to 22 miles this week. This 10% rule is not perfect. Some people can tolerate more, and some less. But it is a good start.
The Three Key Variables in Running Training
The last thing to consider is that we can generally manipulate three variables in our training: frequency, duration, and intensity.
- Frequency is how often you run.
- Duration is the length of each run.
- Intensity is how hard the effort is.
Frequency and duration are easy to measure. Intensity can be measured by heart rate if you have a heart rate monitor, or by subjectively rating how hard the run felt. The most important thing to remember about these variables is that you only want to change one at a time. Using the 10% example above, if you want to increase from 20 to 22 miles/week, you can: add a 2-mile run during the week (increase frequency) or add 2 miles of running onto your existing runs (increase duration).
What you do not want to do is add a 2-mile run and add miles onto your existing runs. Or even worse add a day of running, add onto your other runs, and do them all harder! That is what leads to fatigue and ultimately can lead to injury.
Be Patient and Don’t be Afraid to Get Help!
The key is to be patient, listen to your body, and if you are unsure ask!
Often, many runners think that they have to be injured or in pain to seek help from a physical therapist. However, our running specialists at FX Physical Therapy work with runners to develop training programs and treatments that help them improve their performance! Whether you want an in-depth understanding of your physical limits to avoid overuse injury, treatment to reduce soreness and improve recovery, a workout regime unique to your goals, or any other running development needs, a PT is a great resource for runners!
See you on the roads and trails!
