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Sports Medicine: 4 Common Mistakes
Sports Medicine: 4 Common Mistakes of Beginning and Injured Runners
By Dr. Neil McLaughlinMarch/April 2010
For the Washington Running Report
In nearly 20 years of treating injured runners it is amazing how common and consistent the reasons are for these four mistakes that are really common sense. They should come as no surprise, but yet runners--new and experienced--continue to make them. One of the main problems is that runners have a tremendous ability to rationalize their way through excuses for making these mistakes. It's rather like not learning from history; we are doomed to repeat it. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result, so what does that say about runners? I have concentrated on four major mistakes for you to avoid.
#1 Too Much Too Soon: Increasing miles or the intensity of training too quickly is a recipe for disaster. It takes time for the body to adapt to training loads. The inexperienced runner should not increase weekly mileage or his longest run by more than 10% each week. Going from a 2 -mile run to a 4-mile run doesn't seem like much, but it is a 100% increase in mileage, which your body will certainly notice! Establishing a good base before increasing speed work or intensity will help you avoid injury.
#2 Running in the Wrong Shoes: This can be the wrong shoes for your body type and gait, or just running in your shoes beyond the "best if used by" date. Buying running shoes on the Internet may save you some money in the short term, but if you get injured by selecting inappropriate shoes it will cost you even more in the long run. In addition, if you try to stretch your dollar by wearing your running shoes after they are worn, you will end up in the same boat.
We are very fortunate to have some great local running specialty stores in the region that can help get you into a shoe that is designed for your individual needs. There is no magic number of miles a good pair of running shoes will last, but if you have not changed your training routine and are starting to notice new aches and pains that is a hint. A good trick is to write the date you purchased your shoes somewhere on the shoe and track it over time to see how many miles you average before needing a change.
#3 Running Through Pain: This is one of the most common mistakes of both beginning and experienced runners. "No Pain, No Gain" does not apply to running injuries. Relying on anti-inflammatory and pain pills to get in your workout will have long term ramifications, not to mention what the side effects can do to your body. Pain is a warning sign from the body that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. The compensation your body goes through can often lead to secondary injuries that may be worse than your initial ache or pain.
#4 Insufficient Rest and Recovery: The simple fact of training is that we need a fine balance between breaking the body down through hard work, and the building of strength through rest and recovery. If the breakdown exceeds the buildup, then we face a higher susceptibility to illness, injury, and "burnout." The problem is that we don't always feel this until it is too late. For example, research studies have shown that it takes about a day of recovery for every mile of a marathon. That means it takes nearly a month to physiologically recover from the marathon effort. This has nothing to do with how you "feel." It is the time required to repair the cellular damage caused by the effort to get the body back in balance.
There is no formula for recovery that fits every runner, but getting proper sleep, hydration, and nutrition is paramount in this process. Taking a day off when you are run down is not a sign of weakness but actually the sign of a runner with a good understanding of the process. The fact is, you cannot improve or achieve your goals if you are hurt or injured, so pay more attention to the rest and recovery phase of your running.
If you review your current training and your goals for the future keeping these four important points in mind, you will have a higher propensity for success with far fewer setbacks along the way. Review your training, keep a log of your efforts and recovery, and make sure the running shoes you wear are supporting you properly and changed as necessary. This will ensure a healthy and happy training and racing season.
Dr. Neil McLaughlin, a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician, practices at Commonwealth Chiropractic Center of Reston, 703-742-7856, or www.cccreston.com.