Summer is here, and with it comes more opportunity to lace up your sneakers and get outside for a walk or run. But before you pound the pavement and rack up your summer miles, check in with yourself: Are you doing everything possible to keep your body in prehab and prevent injury?
Most running injuries result from running too much, too often or too fast. Other common causes include improper footwear or poor running form. For many, running can be an enjoyable and rewarding way to get moving, alleviate stress and keep in shape, but an overuse injury can mean weeks or months on the sidelines. If you are a runner reading this, you know how frustrating forced time off can be.
Don’t make the mistake of pounding the pavement without taking preventative measures. Protect yourself from common running injuries and keep yourself on the road or trail with the following tips.
1. Wear Proper Footwear
The best way to ensure you are running or walking in the appropriate shoes is to have your feet assessed prior to purchasing new footwear. Rather than purchasing shoes simply based on how rad you will look in them, shopping online or heading to a big box retailer, go to a local running-specific store, and have them assess your gait and the structure of your foot. Based on your foot’s arch and the way you strike the ground with each step, the staff there will be able to help you choose the appropriate shoe for you: neutral vs. stability, cushion level, width and more. Your shoes should be comfortable and functional for your specific needs.
2. Stretch and Foam Roll Regularly
Prehab, prehab, prehab! Stretching and foam rolling on a regular basis are extremely important for preventing injuries. Admittedly, not doing this has burned me in the past — so do not let it happen to you! When racking up miles, many areas on your body are susceptible to injury. Foot, ankle, knee and hip pain are common if there are imbalances or excessive tightness in your plantar fascia, Achilles tendons, calves, hamstrings, quads, IT band and glutes. Make sure you are warming up with 5-10 minutes of dynamic movement prior to your run and cooling down by stretching and foam rolling the following areas:
Feet/Plantar fascia: Stand up, and hold onto the wall or a countertop for support if needed. Place a golf ball or a lacrosse ball under your right foot, and roll the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes. Make sure to get all outer edges. Repeat on the opposite foot.
Calves/Achilles tendon: Sit with the roller under your right calf. Place the palms of your hands and your left foot on the ground. Supporting your body weight on your hands, roll up and down on your calf from the back of your ankle to just below the back of your knee. Rotate your leg as you roll to hit all areas. For more pressure, stack your feet on top of each other (heel of left foot on toe of right foot). Repeat on the other side.
Hamstrings: Sit with the roller under your right thigh. Place the palms of your hands on the ground. Supporting your body weight with your hands, roll up and down from just above the back of your knee up toward your glutes. Rotate your leg as you roll to hit all areas. For more pressure, stack your feet on top of each other (heel of left foot on toe of right foot). Repeat on the other side.
Iliotibial band (IT band): Lie on your right side, with the foam roller just below your hipbone. Extend your right leg straight out; bend your left leg, and place it in front of your right leg. Place your right hand on the floor for balance, and roll along your outer thigh from below your hipbone to just above your knee. Repeat on the other side.
Quadriceps: Lie face down with the foam roller under your right thigh. Put your forearms on the ground. Supporting your body weight with your forearms, roll up and down from the bottom of the hip to the top of your knee. Rotate your leg as you roll to hit all areas. Repeat on the other side.
Gluteal muscles/Piriformis: Lie on your right side, with the foam roller under your right gluteal area and your right leg extended straight out. Bend your left knee, and rest your left foot behind your right. Place both hands on the floor for support. Roll your right gluteal muscles, and repeat on the other side.
3. Check Your Form
It can be difficult to check your running form by yourself. Ask a friend or a family member to film your form from behind and take note of your entire body, observing everything from the posture of your head, neck and shoulders to how your foot is striking the ground. Take notice of your leg or foot to see if it is kicking out to the side or caving in as you propel forward. A local running store can also assess your running form and give you pointers on how to improve. Running with improper form can quickly lead to exaggerated imbalances, injury and pain. For more information on this, check out Road Runner Sports’ guide to proper running form.
4. Limit Overuse
Running injuries are most often caused by overuse. In other words, runners love to run, but they frequently have a hard time holding back from running too much. Guilty! Take a look at your weekly workout schedule. Are you running too frequently without proper rest and cross-training activities in between? Can you space your training out so you have low-impact activities, like cycling or swimming, mixed in? Can you incorporate weekly strength training or yoga sessions to work on weak or tight areas? Overuse now could lead to no use later.
5. Pace Yourself
You had to learn to crawl before you could walk and walk before you could run. Similarly, when building on mileage or working to improve your speed, the process should be slow and steady. Aim to follow the 10% to 15% rule: Calculate what 10% to 15% of your weekly mileage goal is and then increase your mileage each week by no more than that amount. For example, if your goal is to run 20 miles per week, you should increase your mileage each week by no more than 2 to 3 miles. If you usually run 10 miles per week, increase by no more than 1 to 1.5 miles the following week. This will ensure you aren’t stressing your body too much too soon.
With these tips in mind, you can protect yourself from common running injuries and keep moving forward. Happy running!
by Megan McKee