Avoiding Running Related Injuries
Simple tweaks to your running plan could influence your risk of injury
With the lockdown restrictions currently in place, gyms are closed, normal routines have been disrupted and your exercise schedule has likely changed. In some cases the frequency of exercise has increased, which over time can influence your risk of injury. So, what can you do to reduce your risk of injury from running?
Firstly, there is no fool proof way to 100% prevent injuries. Managing and reducing the risk of injury is a large part of planning training schedules and periodising training loads. So, how can you reduce your risk of becoming injured during the lockdown? With the increase in running, we will focus on what the common pitfalls are, why you may become injured and how you can plan and schedule your training to reduce the risk.
Interestingly, it is suggested that up to 60-70% of running injuries happen due to training error. Training error is a broad term incorporating:
Frequency, duration and speed of running
Intensity of runs
Rest days
Nutrition
Lack of strength training
So, can we plan our training schedule to reduce the risk of injury? The information and scenarios below offer suggestions on how you may look to alter the duration, speeds, progressions and training schedule to reduce the risk of injury.
Do you have a history of heel, achilles or calf pain?
If so, it has been shown that increasing the pace of your run increases the load and risk of an injury to your achilles, calf and plantarfascia structures. If you are struggling or have previously struggled with these types of injuries, monitoring and planning the speed of your runs could be crucial.
How far should you run?
Keeping your longest run to under 5-miles has been linked with a reduction in injury rates. If you are novice or amateur runner with no desired end goal, such as a marathon, keeping your longest run to below 5-miles will reduce the risk of injury and allow you to potentially run more frequently.
Should you just run more and more each week?
Using the 10% rule, of increasing your running loads by no more than 10% per week, has been shown to reduce the risk of injury.
Although the 10% rule will work for some runners, increasing your running week on week can at some point increase your risk of injury. Increasing your running load for 3-weeks at a time before plateauing for 2-weeks can help reduce this risk.
What else can I do on top of running?
Strength training reduces the risk of injury. Are you incorporating this on a weekly basis?
Planning rest days is important. Has your body recovered before you run again?
Should I incorporate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)? The question I would ask an individual is, why are you training and what are your goals? Are they performance led? Do you want to become fitter, run quicker or are your goals aesthetically based? If you are looking to increase your running performance, it has been shown that only 20% of an athletes training needs to be high volume to optimise performance. Keeping your high intensity sessions to around 20% of your overall weekly training load can reduce your risk of injury.
Unfortunately, there is not a one size fits all model that we can use. The science and research offers more questions than answers with regards to reducing injury risk. In the current climate, where doctors and physiotherapy appointments for sporting injuries are unavailable in a traditional face to face environment, it is essential that we try to avoid injuries, manage our training schedule and plan to keep fit and active through these uncertain times. If you can understand the common pitfalls related to training loads and injury you can plan your weekly schedule with a view to reducing your risk.