Suggestions for
Injury Prevention

• Remember this golden rule for injury prevention: Listen to Your Body. If you have sharp pain, soreness that won't go away or you're feeling very tired and grumpy think twice about running. Use your women's intuition. Be wise, take a day or two off and rest. A few days now could save you weeks/months on the sidelines and many dollars in treatment.
• It's easy to over train. We all want to get faster and stronger, yesterday. The key is to gradually increase your mileage, no more than 10% a week and not every week. Ease into speed and hill work after you've built a good base of running.
• Invest in good running shoes for injury prevention. Compared to other sports running is inexpensive. Trying to save a few dollars by not replacing your shoes (every 300-500 miles) is not worth it. Buy your first pair of shoes from a specialty running store from someone that runs and knows how to fit you properly. Here are some tips on choosing running shoes.
• Run on level grass fields, dirt trails or medium-hard paths. Avoid doing most of your running on hard asphalt or concrete to save your legs from excessive pounding. Look out for ruts, rocks, tree roots, holes, uneven turf, banked roads, sand, water, snow and ice when you're running.
• Include stretching as part of your workouts, especially after you run. Tight and shortened muscles are more at risk for injury. If you're short on time try stretching while reading, talking on the phone or watching TV.
• Improper or over stretching can also cause sports injuries. As a runner you'll probably never be as flexible as a yogi. However, you can easily learn proper stretching techniques. Remember stretching should never be painful.
• The buttocks, hamstrings and calf muscles can become overdeveloped with running. To prevent imbalance of the opposing muscles include strengthening exercises for your abdominals, shins and quadriceps.
• Structural (physical) problems such as weak feet, short leg, knock knees, bow legs and postural faults put extra strain on muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments. Visit a sports medicine expert for a checkup, treatment and injury prevention.
• Good technique can prevent running injuries. We all have our own unique style but try to avoid leaning too far forward or back, swaying from side to side and over striding. Here are some tips on running technique.
• Always warm-up and cool-down. You might be pressed for time but it's not worth skipping these. Start with some warm up exercises. Then ease into running, don't pick up the pace or begin speed work without 10 minutes of easy jogging. When you finish your workout jog slowly or walk for 10 minutes to cool down.
• Remember the hard/easy rule. When you train hard, think speed work, racing or long run, make the next day an easy running day. Perhaps take the day off or try a low-impact cross training workout for injury prevention.
• It's tempting to keep running while injured as you don't want to lose fitness. However, you may favor the injured area and cause stresses on other parts of your body. This may lead to more injuries.
• Take extra time when returning from injury. Reassess your training and goals. Scar tissue and stiffness in old running injuries can cause them to recur or give you new ones. Pay special attention to those areas, strengthen and stretch.
• Keep a running log for injury prevention, to track your training and habits. Rarely do running injuries occur by accident, usually there will be a sign. Reading your running journal helps you pin point where it started and you can (hopefully) learn from this.
• Have a good base of running and do some speed work before you start racing. You'll enjoy the race so much more if you're prepared. Otherwise you might cross the finish line but could spend months recovering.
• Racing is exciting but can be physically and mentally stressful. Plan your racing calendar and allow enough breaks between races so you don't burn out.

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• Consider wearing compression socks or compression tights to quicken your recovery.
  
• Sleep is important for injury prevention as it helps our bodies heal. It can be hard to get those 7-8 hours of sleep when you're trying to juggle work, family, friends and running. Do what you can to get more sleep to fend off illness and injury.
• Your body needs fuel to move. A well-balanced diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, beans and oils will give you energy to run and keep you healthy.
• Your feet are your best friends so look after them. Massage, stretch and strengthen your feet. Care for the nails and remove calluses. You want them looking good when you slip out of your running shoes and into those strappy sandals.
• Like it or not we need to make adjustments as we get older. Once you hit 40, your body needs more recovery and maintenance. Adjust your training, have more rest days, reduce the number of speed repetitions and your mileage.
• Cold weather tightens muscles and you're more at risk of slipping and falling. Wear layers of clothes, warm up properly and be careful when running on water, ice and snow.
• In hot weather you face the problems of muscle cramps, blisters, dehydration and heat exhaustion. Drink plenty of fluids, avoid running at the hottest time of the day and adjust your training.
• Every day living can impact your running. Long periods standing or sitting, lifting heavy objects, carrying children, bending and kneeling in the garden can all take their toll on your back, legs and feet. Take precautions where you can, change positions regularly, have breaks and stretch for injury prevention.
• Heavy runners need well cushioned shoes and may have difficulty in the heat. The good news is that running can help you lose weight.
• Losing weight too quickly can cause fatigue, illness and injuries. Very thin runners can be more at risk of stress fractures and mineral (e.g. iron) deficiencies.
• Emotional stress from family, friends and work can be relieved by running but it can also cause problems. Running with tight muscles in the back, neck and legs from stress can lead to injuries. Racing or training hard is difficult when you have emotional problems. You might need to ease off and have fun with your running for awhile.
• Playing other sports can be fun but adds to your chance of injury. Some impact sports have the risk of broken bones and sprains which can take months to heal. Only you can decide if that social tennis, basketball game or skiing trip will impact your running goals.

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