Equipment & Attire
Good shoes are a must. I strongly recommend going to an actual running shoe store where the sales associate is trained to look at your gait and ask questions about any conditions or symptoms and advise you accordingly. Such stores also often let you try running in the shoes before purchasing. Worn-out or improperly fitting shoes will affect your knees, and possibly your hips and back, creating any variety of symptoms.
In warmer weather, I sweat like a beast, and so tend to wear shorter, breathable shorts and tank tops, but I also find that my thighs and armpits rub a bit. So, especially for my longer runs, I rub some anti-chafing goodness on. In cooler weather, I try to layer in such a way that the clothes don't interfere with my movement.
I try to run with as little as possible on me so as to keep me focused, to enjoy the environment, and to help keep proper form. I sometimes run with my phone or house keys in my hand, but that's about it. To reduce the need for carrying water, I make sure I hydrate regularly throughout the rest of the day, and to run in the cooler parts of the day. If you listen to music and you're running outside, make sure you can still listen for traffic, bike bells, and other important noises. If you're carrying extra weight, distribute it evenly, strap it to you tightly, and monitor your gait.
Planning and Logging
Pick a training plan that helps you increase distance in small increments. When training for a half-marathon a number of years ago, even though I was doing intense strength training and aerobics and felt I could handle more, I ended up putting on too much distance too fast and injuring myself (in fact, I ran a half during training but was then unable to compete). This time around, I followed this plan. I created and printed out a schedule for myself based on the plan. Each day, I would record what I did (if it differed or added detail to what was scheduled that day) and how I felt before and during the exercise in an effort to prevent injury by resting and strengthening as needed.
Stretching Before
Both sitting and intense exercise can leave your muscles tense and tight, and I find I need to make sure I warm up and stretch my muscles before getting going. Static stretching is a no-no for cold muscles. I tend to use yoga as a warm-up, completing several sun salutations until I feel warm and loose. I also like to include Warrior 1 and 2 and triangle pose in the mix (after the lunges in the sun salutation sequence).
|
|
The Actual Running Part
I always start and end my runs with a brisk walk. The longer the run, the longer the walk (half a block per kilometer run). I focus on keeping my stride fairly short (though I lengthen over the course of the run as I build speed) and my cadence high in order to minimize impact. If you find yourself clomping or skidding, you've probably got the wrong shoes, you're overstriding (clomp), or understriding (skid). A good run is a sneaky run: if I can barely hear my feet hitting the ground, I know I've got it. While running, if I feel pain in the knees or hips, I'll walk it off for 10 seconds, briefly stretch the quads or hamstrings, and then try jogging again. These mini breaks are excellent quick fixes. If the pain sticks around despite multiple mini breaks, then I would just briskly walk the rest of my path and note that I need a longer rest period. It's so crucial not to push it. |
|
Many of the poses used in the sun salutation are perfect for stretching afterward as well, so I often do these and simply go deeper or hold for longer. Downward dog is excellent for the calves and upper back, the lunge and warrior poses are fantastic for the hip flexors, and triangle is great for hamstrings. I also include the following:
- Standing Side Bend
- Cat-Cow
- Plow
- Frog
- Butterfly
- Wide-Leg Forward Bend
- Pigeon and Double Pigeon
- Seated Twist
- Lying Twist
- Half Split
- Half Bow
On my off days, I did some kind of non-impact cross-training (biking, Vinyasa yoga, TaeBo, walking/hiking), as I find it's important for me to move every day to manage pain and maintain flexibility and joint mobility. Plus, it just makes me feel happier!
I also made sure to strength-train regularly, including this either before or after running or cross-training. My chiropractor mentioned that some of my lower back stiffness was the result of lacking mobility in my mid to upper back, and it's generally a good idea to strengthen the back as it often gets neglected. I find two-arm rows (at a variety of angles), as well as TYIs work very well for me.
Here are my other go-to exercises, which address the lower back, transverse abs, glutes (medius and maximus), hamstrings, and quads:
- Bent-over dumbbell row
- Front plank and side plank
- Glute bridge
- Bird-dog
- Abductor raise (note that many people get the form for abductor raises wrong and don't feel anything: you really need to be up on your elbow/forearm and have a straight line from head to toe.)
- Bulgarian split squat (to engage even more muscles in the Bulgarian Split Squat, I recommend placing the back foot on top of an exercise ball and rolling back to get in deeper)
- Stiff-legged deadlift
- Bent-legged deadlift