Whether they are weekend warriors logging a few miles for fun or competitive athletes training for long-distance races, more than 40 million Americans call themselves runners. Yet while the number of runners continues to balloon in the United States,at the time of publication, so does the number of runners who will be sidelined by an injury. The Cleveland Clinic estimates 60 percent of runners will sustain an injury forcing them to stop running, but the good news is that most of these injuries can be prevented.
The 10 Percent Rule
One of running's oldest axioms, the 10 percent rule, states that a runner should not increase his mileage nor the intensity or duration of his training by more than 10 percent during a given week. While some coaches, athletes and doctors have debated whether 10 percent is an accurate number representing the limit of a runner's weekly gains, the underlying principle still applies. A runner should not increase his training suddenly in drastic amounts, putting more stress on key muscles and joints than the body is prepared to handle. Instead, he should slowly build mileage and intensity in training and observe a cutback week every three to four weeks, decreasing his training before building it up another step.
Take a Rest Day
While distance running drives athletes to run high mileage and stick to a disciplined training schedule, a runner's body can benefit from rest just as much as it can from training. A runner should set aside one day each week as a rest day, when she takes a break from running to allow tired, inflamed muscles and joints extra time to heal. During a rest day, a runner can enjoy a leisurely walk, or cross-training such as weight training, stretching, swimming, biking, yoga or another sport. However, none of the activities a runner enjoys during a rest day should equal the intensity of running.
Change Your Shoes
Wearing old, worn-out running shoes during your run hurts more than just your feet. When the soles of your running shoes wear down, your body's knees, hips and other joints are forced to absorb a greater amount of impact during each stride. A runner's unique stride will, in turn, affect the wear pattern of his shoes, and an uneven stride caused by overpronation or heavy heel-striking can cause uneven wear on a shoe's soles. When running shoes wear down unevenly, a runner can fall out of balance in his stride, leading to muscle pulls or added pressure on his hips or lower back. A runner should replace his running shoes after about 400 to 500 miles of use, or as soon as uneven wear begins to cause discomfort.
Easy Mileage
High-intensity runs such as speed workouts, hill workouts or interval runs can pay big dividends in a runner's training, but a runner should make easy mileage the foundation of her training program. Easy mileage, which should account for about 80 percent of a runner's weekly mileage, builds aerobic fitness and burns calories, but does not produce the added stress or require the longer recovery time of high-intensity workouts. When running easy mileage, a runner should feel as though she can continue running at her pace indefinitely, and can comfortably carry on a conversation with a running partner. Running easily mileage takes on even greater importance on weeks when a runner is upping her mileage and her body is acclimating to a greater training load.
References
- The New York Times; When Running Up Mileage, 10 Percent Isn't the Cap; Gina Kolata; June 2011
- EducatedRunner.com; Is the 10 Percent Rule Worth 10 Cents?; September 2008
- Cleveland Clinic; Preventing Running Injuries; October 2007
- The Washington Times; Celebrate National Running Day on June 1; Kayla Bruning; May 2011
- Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush; When to Replace Running Shoes; Kathleen Weber
- The Globe and Mail; Give It a Rest...; Nicole Stevenson; August 2011
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