Myths Around Running: As the Auckland marathon is approaching in November, Helen at Bodyreform thought it would be a great idea to address some myths that surround running, training and related injuries.
Every year we have people coming to the clinic with pre-race pain and injuries. I think you know you are winning when you reach the start line uninjured!
Myth: To condition your body to run, all you need to do is run… FALSE
Long distance training per week is an injury risk. Helen recently attended a course with Jason McLaren – a biomechanist who specializes and trains world-class runners. He suggests we should maintain intensity whilst decreasing running volume. This means we need to decrease the amount of time on the ground, thus decreasing the load taken by our bodies. Interval/fartlek/drills and stair training is an essential part to include in your training regime. He also suggests that we try and reduce muscle imbalances within the body, and keep functionally strong to assist our running. This approach can be facilitated using Physio/Pilates at Bodyreform.
Running training also needs to be varied. The weekend-long flat runs, hill running, drills in the park all have an important place in our running schedules. This facilitates a reduction in injuries, and also makes us stronger. For instance, running hills make us faster on the flat! And we all would like to be faster.
The combination using Physiotherapy and Pilates, aids in treating the muscle/joint niggles, married with promoting and facilitating body symmetry. We actually use our middle spine, abdominals, upper arms and of course our legs to run. Hence running is a great overall body workout!