Safely Increase Running Distance
Getting into running or returning to running is a great way to improve your fitness. For many it is a New Years resolution to start training towards a goal, like the HBF Run for a Reason coming up in May.
Unfortunately, one major barrier that can get in the way of accomplishing these goals is a running related injury. Many of these injuries are the result of increasing your running load too quickly. So how do you achieve your New Years resolution without succumbing to a pesky injury?
You can never eliminate your chance of getting injured but you can minimise your chance of injury by following these 5 rules.
Rule 1: Don’t increase your distance too quickly. Many runners use the “10% rule” stating that you should never increase your distance run by more than 10% of the previous week. This is a loose rule that doesn’t necessarily take into account all other variables but if your relatively new to running it’s a good place to start.
Rule 2: Have adequate rest. Especially after a long or intense running session it is a good idea to have 36-48 hours of recovery to allow the tissues you are putting under load to recover. It’s also a good idea to plan your biggest training sessions so they are spread out in your week (eg Wednesday and Sunday might be good days for long runs). Elite runners will even plan rest weeks!
Rule 3: Plan! Ad-libbing your workouts based on how much time you have when you get home from work can be a recipe for disaster. Sit down and write out what you are going to do on what days and how you plan to increase your runs to build up towards your goal.
Rule 4: Improve your strength. You may have started running because you hate the idea of going into a gym but believe it or not combining these two exercises can be very valuable. The stronger you are the more energy you will be able to transfer to the road and the more your tissues will be able to accumulate stress without becoming injured.
Rule 5: Listen to your body. Everybody is a different and no single plan is suitable for everyone. If you are feeling fatigued, achy or generally heavy there’s a good chance you are overtraining. Have a few light days and then build back up.
If you would like help designing your running program or figuring out what exercises would be appropriate for you, book in to see one of our friendly and experienced physiotherapists for an assessment and planning session.
