So I hate to be the one to say it but…injuries exist. Due to the existence of injuries, many runners find themselves in a setback-comeback cycle, which is not desirable(coming from someone who is far too familiar with that cycle). The constant start-stop-turn-start of training that comes with injuries makes consistency, momentum, and fitness elusively unattainable. Trust me, I understand that injuries are incredibly frustrating and upsetting. They don’t just throw a wrench in the training schedule; they throw that schedule out the window, force the creation of a new one, and then require the near-constant modification of the already modified schedule. Injuries are infuriating, which is why I’ve put a considerable amount of time into researching the best ~prevention~ tactics. The best way to recover from an injury is to stop it before it starts. So click the video below and see my top 5 research-based injury prevention methods….and read below for a couple of honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
6. Loosen Problem Areas: I don’t subscribe to the idea that every runner needs an extensive full-body foam roll session seven days a week, but I do think that there’s value in understanding your body and taking some extra time to keep problem areas from becoming, well, problems. For example, history tells me that my hips get really tight, so I take some time to roll my hips, glutes, hamstrings, and quads a few times a week. Even if I’m not having any pain or tightness in the area, I know it’s just a matter of time. Understanding your body and choosing to focus your time and energy on the areas that cause the most problems allows you to prevent too much tightness from building up without spending an inordinate amount of time rolling around on your living room floor.
7. Don’t Get Too Excited: We’ve all been there. Picture this: you just ran a PR at a race that you’ve been building up to for months. In the back of your mind, you know that your body needs a little break, but the success of the race has you so jazzed up that you decide to get straight back to intense training and add another race to the schedule. The excitement is warranted; running a PR is exciting and addicting in a way that tempts runners to push harder in training. The problems arise when that excitement overwhelms the logic that caused that PR in the first place, leading to fatigue, overuse, and injury. Keep the logic in charge, stay the course, and don’t rush success.
