by Dawn Harmon

Created on: March 02, 2011

Casual joggers, competition runners, and avid marathoners can all face injuries. Injuries can cut your training short, make it too painful to train at all, and cause more harm than the original injury. The best offense in addressing running injuries such as blisters, runner’s knee, and shin splints is a good defense. Preventing injuries is not so much of a science as a commitment to your body.

If the correct shoe fits, wear it. The walking shoe on sale might be tempting to buy for casual running, but remember every shoe has a purpose. Properly fitted running shoes are more flexible and have extra cushioning to handle pavement pounding. Since feet come in a variety of shapes, select a shoe that complements your pronation (the rolling of the foot from heel to toe), arch height, and gait.

Your elementary school physical education instructor may have had it right – stretch, stretch, and stretch some more. Exercise causes muscles to contract and flex. The more you stretch during the day, the less stress your muscles will feel during your run. Stretching reduces muscle tension, increases range of movement in joints, and increases blood circulation. Make sure to stretch prior to running and after you finish. Stretching after your workout decreases muscle soreness and prepares them for your next workout.

Give yourself a break. It is easy to believe running every day is the best way to improve, but regularly scheduled days of cross training or days off are the keys to running better. Intense training takes a toll on the body. Joints are constantly pounding and hard exercise damages muscle fibers. Chemicals released during exercise cause soreness, redness and swelling. The damaged muscle cells need to heal the muscle fibers so they can become larger and split to form new fibers. Fibers tear and muscles weaken if there is no rest for muscles to heal. Low intensity exercise on off days will also make muscles more fibrous and resistant to injury.

Too much of a good thing is bad. Running hills provides a tremendous workout, but running too many hills can lead to injury. Hills strengthen legs and ankles, increase aerobic and anaerobic capacity, and offer resistance training for stronger muscle endurance. Running puts high stress your body, and running up hills puts additional stress on your body to overcome gravity to move up the hill.

Time well spent is time well managed. Interval training may be an effective way to improve your time, but it can also cause injuries if done too fast, too soon, or too often. The goal of interval training is to stress your body just enough to make it adapt to the stress, but not compromise your recovery time between workouts. Make sure to build base of easy mileage leading up to the intensity of the interval phase. Concentrating on intervals without a solid running base and without allowing your body to recover is a recipe for injuries.

Running is a great exercise for mind, body, and soul when you pay attention to the details. A smart running strategy combined with the correct equipment will keep you in top running form whether it’s for a summer or for years.

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