Resolution #2: Stay
injury free
This is the second part of a three part series on my New
Year’s resolutions for 2013. If you missed the first one, you can scroll down
to view it or click here. My second resolution ties nicely into the first one
because a key to being consistent is to stay injury free.
This may seem like a strange resolution because a lot of
people think that injuries just happen. And it is true. Some injuries, like ruptured
spleens or twisted ankles or injuries from falls, do just happen, and there is
not a lot that can be done about these. Those are not what I am talking about.
I am talking about avoiding self-inflicted injuries that come from common
mistakes runners make, myself included.
There are a variety of things that contribute to or cause
injuries that are under a runner’s control. Let me just give you a quick list
of mistakes I have made in the past that have caused running injuries:
increasing mileage too quickly, doing too much speed work, running on severely
canted roads, wearing the wrong type of shoes for my foot, neglecting
flexibility, not correcting muscle imbalances, continuing to finish a long run
when I knew there was something “wrong” (the injury in the making), and running a
race when I knew I was on the verge of injury.
That is a pretty long list, but I have been running a while. However, I
am, apparently, a very slow learner because I have made some of those mistakes
more than once.
So, what will I actually be doing to stay injury free? Well,
I will not be over-reaching with my mileage. Last year I ran an average of
30-35 miles per week. This year I will try to bump that up to an average of
35-40. I also will stick with my
training schedule which will keep me from doing too much speed work. I will run
on varied surfaces, avoid concrete, and get as much soft surface (read “trails”)
running in as possible. I have awesome shoes – love my Brooks Pure Grits – and
will be sticking with those. Besides being super comfortable, they have done a
lot to help me with my form, which also helps prevent injuries.
Dr. Tom Livermore: A runner's best friend |
The muscle imbalances and flexibility I will continue to
address with yoga, strength training, and the foam roller. My plan is a minimum
of three times per week on these. When all else fails, I will count on Dr. Tom. Dr. Tom is my
chiropractor/ART (active release therapy) guy, and he is like a runner’s secret
weapon in the fight against injury. (He is also a runner himself, so he gets us.) I have learned that a visit or two to him
at the first hint of injury can often keep one from happening. He saved the
X-Country Championships for me last month by dragging me back from the verge of
a groin/adductor injury (and we all know how long those take to heal!). If you are in MI and have an injury this year, keep Dr.Tom in mind. Tell him I sent you. :-)
Hopefully these actions will help me keep this resolution and
run injury-free this year.
Well, two down and one to go. Tomorrow I will tell you about
my third resolution. It may surprise you.
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