Train Smart

 

Overuse injuries are common in people who start training. As we move in to nicer weather more people will start to increase their training and increasing faster or further than we should we can overuse our muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones causing pain. By increasing total distance or increasing our pace we can cause damage and harm that ultimately sets us back weeks or months. To prevent injury following some simple rules is key.

 

Training For Speed

 

When we increase our pace we put more strain on muscles and tendons. This means that training multiple days in a row can cause repetitive trauma and ultimately produce tendinopathy. This is trauma that requires rest and gradual retraining to reduce the pain. This means that when you increase your pace do not do it on back to back days. Fast/slow training can help prevent overuse when you increase your pace.

 

Training For Distance

 

Generally the rule most people follow is to increase distance by 10% per week. This is a rule that is helpful when you are up to 20 miles a week. Below 5 and above 20 is where the rule breaks down. When running less than 5 miles in a week 10% does not provide enough miles to increase. A better rule is to follow a 1-3 mile per week increase. 1 mile for the lower end and 3 miles for the upper end. Our bodies are good at repetitive loading but to prevent stress fracture or muscle/tendon trauma we need a gradual increase.

 

Train Smart And Hard

 

Running is a good way to get a vigorous level of exercise. It is important to listen to your body and not train through pain. This means we should gradually increase your pace and not on back to back days. Distance needs to be gradually increased. This will allow you to train appropriately and prevent setback. If you need to adjust your program or are planning to start a new program we can help. Set up an initial physical therapy session with us today to get on the right track.