When I first got serious about my running nearly 20 years ago now,
I just like so many other runners, struggled
with one of the most common running injuries to affect beginners.
Shin splints.
My shins would hurt.
I mean, really hurt after running, and once they'd been aggravated,
it would take a few days before the pain would subside
enough for me to run again.
Of course, knowing what I know now that shin splints isn't an injury
you can run through.
I know I should have immediately stopped and rested which is, of course,
what I ended up doing to finally overcome this running injury.
But this first real running
injury taught me a lot of important lessons about running
As is so often the way with us runners, I had to learn the hard way.
So I want to pass these lessons on to you so that you can avoid the mistakes
that I made
Oh, I'm giving away a
Garmin Forerunner 245 to a subscriber in the comments of this video.
So stick around and I'll explain how you could win it.
When I started running regularly,
I knew that I had to build up my running mileage slowly.
In fact, I wasn't really looking at mileage.
I was taking a time based approach gradually increasing the duration
of my three runs per week.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
I thought that I was doing the right thing in sticking to three run per week
And of course, I was.
The thing that I hadn't accounted for is my body's reaction
to the fact that I was running the Wednesday run as a faster session.
Effectively, a 400 meter reps workouts running fast
felt good to me, light, athletic and satisfying.
But what I didn't appreciate at the time was the stress and strain
that the increased intensity was putting on my body, physical demands
on my muscles, bones, joints and tendons, what it used to
in my mind, running volume.
So the total time or distance you run each week,
that was the injury risk factor that I had to be careful of.
I understood the cumulative stress and strain that comes with increasing
a running volume. And the risks entailed.
Which is why I kept the weekly time spent running, increasing only slowly.
What I hadn't accounted for was the fact that one of my runs
was a significantly higher intensity and that running fast places
are disproportionately higher amounts of stress on the body
at the time weighing about 110kgs.
So 220lbs.
It didn't take long for my shins to begin objecting to running
and really, really letting me know about it.
What I would subsequently learn is a factor that served me
very well as a runner and coach in more recent years.
If you're in a phase of your training where you're increasing
how much weekly mileage or duration you're running.
Go easy on the speed work or intense running workouts
and certainly don't add anything new into your program.
Your body will be working hard enough to get used to the increased training load
that comes with more mileage.
For me, adding speed work into the mix was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Or in my case, Shin bone, what we're talking about with speed work
and running fast.
Let's talk a little bit about running technique.
The second point I want to share with you
is about my journey as a four foot runner.
It's a story I frequently used to offer caution to those wanting to switch
from a heel strike to more forefoot running technique.
In 2006 I had any ligament reconstruction my left ACL, to be precise,
as part of that rehab after 12 weeks of strictly no running at all.
I had to relearn how to run.
Honestly, it felt like running with a wooden leg for a little while.
Anyway, as part of the process of relearning my running gait,
I made the transition from heel striking runner to forefoot striking runner.
I got very comfortable running almost right up on my toes
and the faster I would run, the further forward on my foot I would land.
The changing running techniques certainly took the load off my knees.
But just like so many others, who've made the same change, my calves,
Achilles tendons and of course shins pay the price.
As I was getting more serious about my running.
I was struggling with chronically tight calf muscles.
No amount of foam rolling or stretching would help.
But I kept running.
I loved how light, efficient and fast my running technique felt
Only after shin splints forced me to take a two month break from running
did I realize that running
with such an aggressive, forefoot strike was causing my injury.
The trade off between springing this at the ankle and increased stress
and strain on my lower leg just wasn't worth it for me.
So I spent months working on adopting a more midfoot strike where my foot
now strikes the ground almost flat when I'm running at an easy pace.
I'm not heel striking, but I can feel my heel
coming down to the ground just after the ball of my foot.
As I speed up through tempo, pace 5K race pace
towards my 400 meter interval pace,
I can feel myself move forwards on my foot, but
never to the point where I'm running on my toes like a sprinter.
The lesson here,
if you're changing your running technique, know that there's a trade off
between the stress and strain of one running style.
Compared to another.
As your technique changes, so do the places
in your body that experience the most load.
Take it slowly and avoid extremes in technique.
As part of my journey through my first ever running injury.
I also learned an important lesson about the power of cross-training to maintain
or even improve your running fitness without actually running.
During the eight weeks
I eventually took as a break from running to let my shin splints heal.
I really didn't
want to lose all the running fitness I'd gained over the previous months.
I'm sure you can relate.
I took to a combination of cycling and using the room machine at the gym
as nonwhite bearing alternatives to the running sessions I had been doing
every week.
I tried my best to replicate the duration and intensity
of each session that I would otherwise be running.
Complete it as non weight bearing cardio.
Long story short, I was really surprised at just
how little running fitness I had lost when I started running again.
After my eight week enforced break.
I now make a point of incorporating a weekly cross training session
on the bike or rowing machine.
If I'm coaching a runner who has a history of training volume related injuries,
or if we know they're likely to be overly sensitive
to increasing their weekly running mileage.
And of course, if I'm running against injured,
we know we can keep the training going without having them pounding the pavement
and potentially making the injury worse
until the physio gives them the green light to run again.
And that leads me to a hugely important lesson that training
consistently is the key to you progressing with your running.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the strategy of training
like a mad man for a week or two sporadically here and there has
never worked out well for any runner compared to consistent training
and incremental increases in training load over time.
I get it.
Motivation comes in waves, and when you're at the peak of a wave, it's tempting
to throw yourself headlong into training But believe me, the all or nothing mindset
that so many of us have will almost certainly get you injured.
Instead, use that motivation to find a sensible program
to suit your long term running goals.
Believe in the process, stick with it, and you'll see days
of consistent training turn into weeks and weeks.
Turn into months.
Your running will improve. Unrecognizably.
OK, before we go any further, I nearly forgot the watch giveaway.
If you want to get your hands on a brand new Garmin Forerunner 245
which will certainly help you keep track of your training load,
I just need you to leave a comment below telling me that you want the watch.
Tell me how long you've been running and what you're training for next.
OK, next up, click on the video on screen right now
and you'll learn the simple techniques the pro runners used to run faster
that you can use to drive, get subscribed if you knew around here,
and I'll see you in the next one.