1.Take at least 1-2 rest
days per week. This means
no impact giving your joints
a rest from the pounding forces
that running produces. Less
experienced runners may need
2-3 rest days per week.
2.Perform no more than 1-2
"break through" or high intensity
interval work outs per week.
Speed work puts more stress
and the body, and requires
more recovery time. This type
of work must performed prescriptively
and carefully. Try to schedule
your speed work or intervals
work outs the day prior to
a rest or recovery day.
3.Train in 2-3 day cycles,
with a rest or recovery work
out in between cycles. This
allows your body to adapt
to the stress of training.
Some athletes will need more
rest and less training, especially
as intensity increases.
4.Change your shoes out frequently.
A good rule of thumb is at
least 3x per year for a high
volume runner. You may want
to write the date you purchased
your shoes in permanent ink
on your shoes for reference.
Buying shoes is expensive,
but so is your insurance deductible.
5.Take the supplements Chrondroitin
Sulfate and Glucosamine. I
don't recommend a lot of supplements,
but this combination has shown
promise in clinical studies,
and in control groups of people
suffering from knee pain.
One works as an anti-inflammatory;
the other helps regenerate
cartilage. I know of several
orthopedic surgeons who are
recommending the supplement
to their patients. It is definitely
worth a try.
6.Increase your volume of
endurance training by less
than 10% per week. Bringing
your mileage up too quickly
is a sure fire way to promote
injury. Your body adapts to
stress (training), compensates
for it, and builds or gets
stronger. If you put too much
stress on your body, it can't
compensate and breaks down
further instead of getting
stronger.
7.Listen to your body. In
my experience your body gives
you an indication that you
are about to sustain an overuse
injury. This may be in the
form of a slight or nagging
pain. If you stop training
at that point, you will more
than likely be all right after
a bit of rest. If you try
to push through the pain you
may end up with a more serious
injury.
8.Periodize your training.
Periodization means training
in specific cycles that move
towards a goal (race). Your
training moves from the general
to the specific and from low
intensity to higher intensity
as you approach your peak.
The implications are that
you only perform your most
intense work late in the season
near your goal race or peak.
This means less stress on
the body throughout the year
because you are not performing
high intensity training all
year long. Have a licensed
running coach work with you
on an annual training plan.
9.Perform strength exercises
to keep your knees strong.
One of the more common overuse
injuries is "runner's knee."
This can be caused by a patella
tracking problem, much like
a tire that is out of alignment.
By keeping your quadriceps
strong you can prevent this
condition. If you are an endurance
runner you do not need to
overwork these muscles or
use a lot of weight, but light
strength work performed correctly
can help prevent injury.
10.Cross train. One of the
benefits that multi-sport
athletes have over runners
is that they are able to perform
swim and cycling work outs
in between run work outs.
This helps reduce the stress
caused by the pounding of
running, but the athlete still
receives the aerobic benefit
of training. A good time to
cross train is when you have
a recovery work out scheduled
or a low intensity work out.
If you use a heart rate monitor
you can stay in the same heart
rate zone as your run work
out. Swimming, cycling, stepper,
elliptical trainer, or even
hiking are all good examples
of cross training work outs.
About the Author
Matt Russ has coached and
trained athletes around the
country and internationally.
He currently holds licenses
by USAT, USATF, and is an
Expert level USAC coach. Matt
has coached athletes for CTS
(Carmichael Training Systems),
is an Ultrafit Associate.
Visit www.thesportfactory.com
for more information.
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