Best practice: methods to help prevent running related injury
Here are some of our top best practice methods to help prevent running-related injuries:
-
Warm-up and Cool Down: Before a workout, it is important to warm up for at least 10-15 minutes. This helps to increase blood flow and body temperature, which can help prevent injury. After the run, cool down with active recovery to help reduce muscle stiffness and soreness.
-
Gradual Progression: Increase the mileage or intensity of your running gradually to give your body time to adapt to increase mileage during a training cycle. It is generally recommended to not increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week. We can get down with this type of accountability!
-
Proper Footwear: Wearing appropriate running shoes that fit well and are comfortable in the "feet of the beholder" can help reduce the risk of injury. It is important to feel confident in your footwear. Always remember to size appropriately, because we often find that many athletes are wearing too small of a shoe. Choose the right "tool" for the job!
-
Cross-Training: Incorporate other forms of exercise such as swimming, cycling, or strength training to improve overall fitness and reduce the risk of overuse injuries. Cross-training can also help strengthen muscles that may be neglected in running. Everything in balance!
-
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any discomfort, pain, or changes in your body. If you experience any unusual symptoms, reduce your mileage or take a break from running altogether. It's better to rest and recover than to push through an injury and make it worse. Far too often a runner's ego can be quite compelling, but taking time to objectively observe what we are thinking and feeling can be extremely beneficial when we ask ourselves, "what do I need?"
Keep going. Honor simplicity.
