Why You Got Injured
Running and injury seem to go hand in hand. Injury is so common in runners and that’s because running is a high-impact, highly repetitive motion. Some injuries are sadly unavoidable and are part of this sport.
However, there are SO MANY injuries in running that can be prevented, if only the right decisions are made early on.
Injury is almost always caused by one of the following:
1. Overtraining
2. Inadequate Recovery
3. Ignoring the warning signs
Overtraining means a runner is running too many miles/kms/minutes, and/or the workouts are too hard.
Lack of Recovery can mean several things, including a runner taking too few days off (or no days off), running too fast on easy days, under sleeping, under eating, calorie deficit & more.
Many injuries could have been prevented.
Even workouts that are appropriately challenging require recovery. Recovery includes getting enough sleep, eating and hydrating adequately, scheduling enough easy training days, and taking some days completely off. When we don’t allow enough recovery, we either need to lower the quality of our training overall, or we will get injured.
Missing the Warning Signs
The TOP reason for injuries in runners is running through pain. To be fair, there’s a lot of trial and error in running. Some small pains can and will fade away, and are inconsequential - but this is the exception. Our default must be to respect all pains.
The other day I heard a runner share their personal rule for injury prevention: they said “if I’m limping, I won’t run.” This kind of rule shows that some runners will actually consider running even if they are limping! I believe this rule is not strict enough. Does it mean that as long as a runner isn’t limping, it’s okay to run? I know many runners who will do all they can to compensate, to “not limp” and justify running when it is not wise to do so.
As an elite athlete, I also had a rule for injury prevention, and it’s the same rule I ask each of the runners I coach to follow. My rule sets the bar very very low, and it’s meant to prevent so many little pains from turning into full blown injuries.
Tune in on Monday to learn my rule in the hopeful “part II” in Why You Got Injured: You CAN Prevent Injury!
A note on “Bad Form” & the “Wrong Shoes”
Bad form and the wrong shoes are the most commonly blamed injury causing culprits but are both highly unlikely. Yes, it’s possible to have such bad form it causes injury. But our bodies are incredibly adaptable and can generally work with whatever they’ve got - provided the runner is not overtraining and allows for adequate recovery in their schedule.
It’s important to note that our cardiovascular system can make gains more quickly than our bones, muscles and tissues. Training should be increased gradually to allow the body to adapt to new stimulus and allow for proper recovery.
It is also possible to become injured from wearing the wrong shoes. More commonly, it could be from ill-fitting orthotics. But in general, if shoes fit and are “broken in” gradually, they are not the root cause of an injury.
Nicole Sifuentes is a full-time Running Coach for adults of all ages and abilities. She is a former professional runner and 2-time Olympian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Read more about her services, and schedule your free coaching consultation.