Three Tips To Help You Stay Injury Free While Running

By Blake Dircksen PT, DPT, CSCS

you’ve been running for a while, you have probably encountered a running injury of some kind. As you’re getting in shape, your body may not be ready to handle all of that pounding. And even when you are in shape, there’s a whole list of overuse injuries to watch out for. These tips are meant to help you stay injury free and get the most out of your training.

Consistency is King

It’s amazing what stacking a bunch of successful runs on top of each other can do. Running 3-5 times a week and sticking within the guardrails of your training plan (not doing too much), is necessary for building the requisite strength and plyometric tolerance needed for running. The consistency really compounds. If you’re just starting out, forget about doing hard workouts. Just focus on stringing 4-6 weeks of consistent training together, 3-5 times per week, and you’ll be amazed by how quickly your body will adapt.

Prioritize Strength

Strength work for running doesn’t need to be complicated. Your hips and core are important for providing stability during impact. The calf complex is important for push-off and energy storage. The big quadriceps and hamstrings are big power movers. Strength training works by increasing the workload capacity of each muscle group you’re working. That means that those exercised muscles will have more miles they can go before they break down. Do strength before you get injured! And if you know there are certain weak points or previously injured areas, focus especially on those.
Quick Strength Circuit:

• Double Leg Calf Raises – video

• Reverse Lunge – video

• Side Plank – video

• Plank – video

One Day At a Time

It’s easy to get caught up in where you want to be rather than where you are, or to want to do what everyone else is doing. The truth is, running adaptations takes time. A smart program that progresses volume, intensity, and density in a stepwise manner, is important. Otherwise, you run the risk of doing too much too soon. And if you do too much for too long, your body is going to break down and injuries are inevitable. Additionally – take rest days and mix in cross training to give your body a chance to recover and adapt to all that training stress.

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