With all the amazing advancements in sports medicine, you’d think that our rates of shinsplints, runners knee, ankle injuries and stress fractures should be under control. A recent runnersworld.com poll revealed that 66 percent of respondents had suffered an injury in 2009. Read the full article at runnersworld
The marathon is becoming more popular, according to latest statistics over 420,000 American runners finished the distance in 2007. If your goal is to run and finish a marathon, let me remind you, finishing the 26 miles is a big challenge. Training for the full marathon, usually the programs are anywhere between 4 and 5 months long. How to run Learning how to run for a marathon is more than running around the block, You have to learn how to run, you have to learn how to and when to conserve your energy, when to give it that last blast. You can only learn this by getting out and running. Learning about a runners nutrition Another important area is nutrition. You need to eat right while you train for the marathon. A nutritional balance of carbohydrates, proteins and essential minerals is important. This will help in replacing lost energy and repair of tissues. Learning about Injuries Running injuries are part of running, you cant escape them. As you train you will suffer injuries, dont let them discourage you. When injuries happen, take a complete break from running and seek treatment. The first step of treatment is ice the injured area and maybe take a pain killer. If that doesn’t work seek medical help. Remember to take rest days. This will allow your muscles to recover from fatigue. Staying hydrated is also important. Make sure you are drinking enough water during training and also after your runs. Proper hydration is important for proper functioning of the body and it helps to prevent running injuries. Talk to running experts It wouldn’t hurt to set up a meeting with a personal trainer if you’re really committed to doing one of those 26.2 mile runs. If you dont know where to find a personal trainer, talk to fellow runners. Most runners are friendly people and are willing to give a hand.
Prevention is better than cure! My parents and teachers always said that. One injury prevention method for runners is Massage. Remembering to massage your feet, massaging lower & upper leg, massaging the calf and massaging the quads can help prevent running Injuries. If you cant afford a Professional massage or have no time for a date with massage pro, you can also do your own self massage. The following video demonstrates how to do a self massage. You will learn how to massage away muscle pain and soreness from your legs and feet. You will learn Self massage techniques that will prevent injuries and have your feet screaming with pleasure or at least feeling better fast. Lets roll!
Weak knees affects a few runners. A reader of this blog sent me an email asking me what she can do with her weak knees. The New York times had an article on the issue of running and knees. Running Makes your Knees stronger In a Stanford University study researchers followed middle-aged, longtime distance runners (not necessarily marathoners) for nearly 20 years, beginning in 1984, when most were in their 50s or 60s. At that time, 6.7 percent of the runners had creaky, mildly arthritic knees, while none of an age-matched control group did. After 20 years, however, the runners’ knees were healthier; only 20 percent showed arthritic changes, versus 32 percent of the control group’s knees. Barely 2 percent of the runners’ knees were severely arthritic, while almost 10 percent of the control group’s were. Debunking the myth that Running leads to degeneration of the knees The word on the street is that running may weaken your knees but In another scientific study runners knees were scanned before and after 1997 Vienna Marathon. Ten years later, they scanned the same runners’ knees again. The results were striking. “No major new internal damage in the knee joints of marathon runners was found after a 10-year interval,” According to Ross Tucker, a South African who blogs about running injuries he said the best solution for weak knees is targeted strength training. If you work on the the muscles that support your knees, hip stabilizers, quads, hamstrings you will have strong knees. It is weakness in one of these muscle groups that causes knee injury. Another interesting solution I picked from comments on the NY times article was this one by a Dr. “The issue is weight, not running. The more you weigh, the greater the chance you will develop osteoarthritis as you age. The key is to remain slim lifelong.” VIDEO : EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN KEY LEG MUSCLES TO PREVENT INJURIES This video should help
Am starting my training for 2009 Stanchart Nairobi marathon. I have had a seven months rest from serious running. During that time I learn’t how to swim. My running goal this year is to finish the 2009 stanchart marathon in a time of around 2.45. My personal best is 2.56. I will be a smiling runner if I can be able to shelve 10 more minutes from my PB. Am confident I can run faster. At the finish line of 2008 Stanchart marathon my legs felt strong, no fatigue & no cramps. I had this feeling that I could still keep running another 10k. Taking My Running To the Next level This year I will build on the strength of my three years of marathon running. I believe my body is now physically strong and it can cope with stress of more weekly miles and faster running. Advantages of many months of training To reach to my goal am dedicating 5 months of serious training. More training time means, no over training, more rest and fewer running injuries. If I suffer the unfortunate injury at least I will have enough time to recover. In the month of June I will focus on cardiovascular fitness. I will do this by accumulating as many miles I can at a slow pace. I will also assessing my physical condition to see whether I might be carrying a running injury that I might not be aware of. In July, that is when I will start on speed work. Am yet to decide on my actual mileage and exact tactics so keep reading as I will keep posting my plans and progress.
If you are training for the london marathon you should keep in mind the following marathon training principles: When to start training for london marathon The early you start your marathon training the better. 4 months prior to the marathon is a good idea. Training early has advantages, you get enough time to train and most importantly you have time to recover from inevitable running injuries. The 10% rule of marathon training. Never increase your weekly mileage, by more than 10 percent a week. If you do you will drastically increase the risk of running injury. The long runs for london marathon The long runs can be upto 20-23 miles (for the experienced runner) for the inexperienced runner this can be 5 – 15 miles depending on your level of experience. The long run should be done at least once a week. Easy weeks We love going full speed on our training but it is a good Idea to slow things down between your training weeks. This will allow you to stay fresh as you build on your overall workload. Rest. Taking a complete break from running is as important as running itself. Two to three days of complete rest will allow you body to recover from the stress of marathon running. Don’t take a long rest as you will lose all the gains from your training. Hydration for london marathon Keep drinking enough water. Water helps in preventing running injuries. Nutrition for london marathon Eating the right foods is important! You need to eat plenty of carbohydrates to give you energy. Eating foods rich in protein will help your body repair small tears that happen during training. Taper for london marathon Avoid overtraining by reducing your weekly mileage during the final two weeks before london marathon. This will ensure you arrive at the starting line feeling fresh and energised. Good luck with your training!!
As 36,000 london marathon runners disappear over the horizon, they will be hoping to finish the 26 agonising miles as first as possible and be home for lunch; but for Phil Packer, an iraq veteran, it will be the beginning of a 2 week crawl to the finish line. Following a rocket attack in Basra, Iraq, the Royal Military Police officer was left with a severe spinal injury. The major had been told he would never walk again, let alone complete a marathon. The wounded Iraq veteran will attempt to walk London marathon in crutches. One painful step at a time, the marathon will take him almost two weeks, mirroring the feat of brain-damaged former boxer Michael Watson in 2003. It will be two miles a day for Phil. His story is remarkable! His main mission is to raise a million pounds for injured service men. To support Phil Packer run london marathon visit Phil Packer website From here at dailyrunningtips, I wish Phil all the best!
I was reading a running forum and one runner who was suffering from achilles tendonitis asked what is the best form of treatment. The best answer I read was from a runner called Chris, it went like this I have/had Achilles Tendinitis. My first flare up was during my training for the Charlottesville Marathon. I didn’t end up running that marathon – but I did prevent my Achilles tendonitis from going into high gear. Achiles tendinitis isn’t cut dry. You don’t just have it or not. There are several stages/degrees. I had the “beginning stages” (this was per my orthopedic doctor). Five Step Treatment of Achilles tendinitis He told me to continue to run at a limited amount (incorporate cross training) and start a few things: 1. Ice nightly – i fall asleep with ice packs wrapped around my achilles. 2. anti-inflammatory – he started me on naproxcin, but recommended me taking that for only a short time. After a week or so of that he told me to switch to Quertecin/Bromelain mixture (can get it @ The Vitamin Shoppe, or other health food stores). It’s a natural anti-inflammatory. So, I take that (still) 2x’s a day. 3. Avoid walking barefoot. I am currently in my pj’s – and I have a pair of tennis shoes on. It looks ridiculous but it helps. 4. Stretch out your at before you step out of bed. Take your big toe and point it up to the sky for 15 sec – 3x’s before planting your feet on the floor. 5. Stretch throughout the day – and especially throughout your runs. It took me 4 months to get my Achilles Tendon back to normal, but be warned. Once you get it you are now susceptible to getting it again (I know it sucks). I have had it 2 times in the past 2 years. The first time it took 4 months, the following time I was prepared and nipped it in the butt and it never got out of hand. I hope this helps a little. I know how much I love to run and even the slightest set back makes me sad. Good luck to you!
A brief stretching session done regularly will help improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury. Daily Running Tips For How to stretch safely and avoid injury
Good luck
Other elite runners at Haile Gebrselassie running clinics were Paul Tergat and Robert “Mwafrika” Cheruiyot. While Paul and Haile monopolised attention, Robert remained in the background. I even didn’t know he was around until someone called him out. Robert has been one of my favourite athletes, he has won 4 boston marathon and one Chicago marathon and he was my bet to win the gold at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Why he dropped out of Beijing games With the media focused on Haile and Paul I had him to myself. My first question was what happened at Beijing. He told me it was a case of overtraining. He really wanted to win the gold at Beijing and so he had pushed himself hard only to suffer a thigh injury close to the games that refused to heal on time. About that famous fall at 2006 chicago marathon. It was all bad luck! This was refreshing in an age when people are suing for even minor things. Attacking the Haile Gebrselassie marathon record He wants to break Haile Gebreselassie marathon record, hopefully at the world championship in August at Berlin, Germany. If he breaks it in Berlin it will interesting to see what Samuel Wanjiru and Martin Lel will do at London marathon in September because that is the date they have set to crack Gebrselassie record and bring it back to Kenya. As we were taking the above photo he pointed to the green grounds inside Nyayo National Stadium and noted that when he started running that ground was all dust. 8 years after he started running he has won 4 boston marathons and made lots of cash from running: Not bad for a man who started out as a barber. |
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