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These 2 Form Fixes Can Prevent Injuries
A new running-injury study has produced several clear results that can help you avoid injury. To do so, you may need to retrain your running form.
Researchers reached their conclusions by analyzing the “running posture” of 105 injured runners vs 50 who had never been injured.
They investigated a number of anatomical and posture measurements, but didn’t use high-tech sensors. Instead, they employed a simple video camera. This implies that similar results might be possible by “eyeballing” a runner on a treadmill, or taking still photos.
Here are several measures that did not contribute to injury: height, weight, BMI, footstrike (rear vs forefoot), or average weekly training distance.
In the comparison of injured vs non injured runners, two measures stood out. The first was “forward head posture,” sometimes called “turtle neck.” This results when the head tilts forward from the average trunk lean angle.
Turtle neck can lead to “imbalances between the hip flexors and extensors.” It was found to increase risk of injury by about 50%.
Far worse was “hip hike” which is often called “pelvic tilt.” It refers to a line drawn from the top of the pelvis on one side to the top of your pelvis on the other side.
This line should be parallel to the ground, or very close. It shouldn’t “tilt” one way or the other. In the study group, non-injured runners had a tilt of 1 degree or less.
Injured runners had a tilt of 3 degrees or more. This resulted in a 17 times greater risk of injury.
The authors suggested several ways to improve pelvic tilt. These included standing on one leg for balance, and strengthening the gluteal muscles. The simple, popular “hip hike” exercise is another alternative, and can be performed on a staircase, sidewalk, or step platforms.
Conclusion: Look at running body posture “can aid in understanding factors associated with RRIs, offering valuable insights for rehabilitation, muscle strength enhancement, and injury prevention.” More at Medicina with free full text.
How You Can Become An “Ageless Runner”
Running is a lifetime sport, but we go through different epochs on our long journey. This was emphasized in a very precise way by a surprising new paper showing the “nonlinear dynamics” of human aging. Here’s a news story based on the paper.
It found that the human body appears to hit distinct pitfalls--ranging from an increase in muscle strains to an increase in diabetes risk--in the mid-40s and again at age 60. These indicate that the “functions and risks of aging-related diseases change nonlinearly across the human lifespan.”
So, too, with running, though no one has measured the exact changes and challenges we face. Except perhaps for this one: At age 70 or so, our rate of slowing down gets faster. Our performance suffers a sharper drop than in previous decades.
What can be done as we get older and slower? After all, we still want to continue running to maintain good health and vigor.
This article argues that older runners “should prioritize injury prevention, joint health, and recovery.” This can be accomplished with more gentle exercise like yoga or Pilates, more cross training (especially non-weight-bearing exercises like swimming, cycling, and elliptical work).
Also, strength training remains crucial for older runners, as it helps maintain muscle mass, improves bone density, and reduces the risk of falls.
Remember what Ken Cooper said: “We don’t stop exercising because we get old. We get old because we stop exercising.” More at Sport Coaching.
Maintain Your Marathon Motivation
Sometimes we all need a pat on the back and a few reassuring words. Something like this: “It’s okay. You might feel down now, but you’re going to feel much better soon.”
I find this is particularly true when you’re training for a fall marathon through the hot summer months. Every run feels difficult. Long runs are downright depressing--slow, sweaty, totally draining.
We hear many stories about the marathon’s mystery and magic. They make the distance sound so alluring, so enticing, so rewarding.
But it’s not always that way in your training buildup. That’s why I appreciate articles acknowledging that we all feel like “garbage” at times.
And then, like this one, offer positive encouragement to help you persist. You’re not burned out or almost injured, but you might be “functionally overreaching.” Which is okay, because you’ll bounce back soon with appropriate recovery and tapering.
Remember: “If every day of training felt easy, everyone would be running marathons. When the going gets tough, you have to zoom out and trust the process. After all, it’s making you more prepared for race day.” More at Outside Online.
SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss
HERE’S WHAT ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE RECEIVED this week if you were a subscriber to the complete, full-text edition of “Run Long, Run Healthy.” SUBSCRIBE HERE.
# Get An 11% Performance Boost With Plyometrics
# The 2 Most Dangerous Processed Foods To Avoid
# Should You Do More HIT Training, Or More Low Intensity?
# Yes, Water Splashing Helps You Run Faster
# When Using Ice, Stop After The First 6 Hours
# A Cool Protein “Cheat Sheet” Can Help You Eat Smarter
# Weight Loss Inspiration: She Ran Off 190 Pounds
# What Muhammad Ali Understood About Dreaming Big
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby