As your parkrun journey progresses, it’s possible that we all may pick up an injury along the way. But there are some simple steps to take to reduce the likelihood of being stopped in your tracks.
"That’s why we at parkrun have enlisted the help of Noel Thatcher! Noel, as well as being a serial parkrun volunteer, a six-time Paralympic gold medalist, and former world record holder for the 5000m, Noel Thatcher is also a full-time sports physiotherapist. Noel shares with us his best advice for avoiding injury, and his top tips on what to do should you suffer from any niggles or problems."........Noel goes on to say What is an injury? "For the purpose of this advice, I am going to define an injury as pain that prevents you from doing the running you want to do. Pain is not a normal or desirable response to running and, put simply, is a sign that, for whatever reason, whether it be increased stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, too much running too soon, your body is not tolerating the load you are placing on it. Injury Prevention There are plenty of ways in which you can be proactive and reduce the chances of picking up injuries. 1. Variety and consistency may sound counter-intuitive to a parkrunner, but actually doing the same thing the same way all the time is in itself associated with increased injury risk, so here are a few tips on how to add variety into your parkrun life. Try running the occasional parkrun as an interval session where you mix sections of faster running with sections of walking or jogging. Using muscles in a different way and moving with different stride patterns will not only reduce the cumulative stress on your muscle tissues, but might even make you faster if that’s your goal. Running more, shorter runs rather than fewer longer runs will also help you adapt to increased running volume. For new parkrunners I would always advise one or two rest days between runs. 2. Progress slowly; New runners are often bitten by the running bug! Whilst this enthusiasm and newfound passion for running is an incredible, euphoric feeling, new runners can be particularly keen to run more and more and more, but research suggests that newer runners are particularly prone to certain injuries as their bodies adapt to moving in a new way. These could include shin splints (pain on the inside of the shin), or tendon pain such as Achilles tendonitis (sometimes called Achilles tendinopathy) which is pain on the back of your leg above your heel. The best and most effective way to greatly reduce your risk of developing these issues is to avoid increasing your training too quickly. The three main parts of training are: Frequency – the number of runs - Speed – how fast you run-Duration – how long you run for. A useful approach is to not increase more than one of these at the same time or in the same week and this will help reduce the likelihood of injury. For example, one week could increase the number of times you run, or you can try running faster on one of the days, or you can increase the distance of your longest run. But avoid doing more than one of these things at the same time. 3. Monitor your training - A really useful way to keep an eye on your training and ensure you are not overtraining is to track your training progress. This could be a simple as keeping a diary using pen and paper, or log your runs on an app such as Strava. This will help you monitor your running, and prevent any unwanted spikes in training which might be signs you are overdoing it. 4. Get stronger - Including a couple of sessions of simple resistance exercises such as calf raises or squats each week on an on-going basis will help you deal with the cumulative demands of running. This is true for every runner, but particularly for new runners and older runners. If you have had a previous injury, it may be worth talking to your local physio or sports therapist for more specific advice on which rehabilitation exercises are most appropriate for you. Managing Injuries 1.- Reduce your training. Believe it or not, some of the most effective advice for injured runners is the simplest. Reducing your running to the point that your pain settles down and reduces, not necessarily stopping altogether, is the best place to start. 2. Contributing factors. Next, take a look back at what you have been doing and what life has been like in the few weeks building up to your injury and you will probably find the answer to why you are in pain. As running is our hobby, not our jobs, often work and life stresses are equally important to deal with as modifying your training. 3. Treatment. My recommendation would be trying the above for a week or two and, if this doesn’t allow you to resume running, seek an opinion from someone with a proven history of working with runners. This could be a GP, your local physiotherapist, or a sports massage with a sports therapist. My advice would be to be a little bit cautious of online message boards, and even well-intentioned fellow runners or club-mates, as every runner is an individual, we are all different, and every injury is unique to that individual. But what about parkrun? The brilliant thing about parkrun is that, even if you can’t run, you can walk or jog and nobody will judge you. And even if your injury prevents you from completing the 5k, you can still volunteer in various different roles which will help you stay part of your parkrun community. Or, you can just come along and support your fellow parkrunners, which can help you deal with some of the frustrations of not being able to run, and keep your morale up by socialising with your fellow parkrunners in the cafe afterwards! Returning to running. Once you are able to start building your running up again, do it slowly and monitor your response. As a general rule, you should not experience an increase in pain in the twenty-four hours following your run, so this is a good way to judge that you are on the mend, and back on the road to your next parkrun milestone!"
Thanks Noel!
