with Dr. Ned Slater (Osteopathy)
Over the next few newsletters, I will be discussing the most common injuries experienced by the runner, as well as strategies to enhance your performance. Throughout the series of articles we will discuss the ways to detect whether or not there is an issue, strategies to mitigate injury, and the best ways to manage the return to optimum function. We will be covering Achilles Tendinopathy, Anterior Knee Pain and Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints).
In this first installment, we will be discussing the best way to begin a running program if you’re a beginner, or if you’ve been running for a while, how to properly increase your running capacity to see the greatest improvements.
A running mentor of mine put it quite simply: “A running injury is like a hangover. It is usually caused by too much, too quickly and as soon as we feel better we do it all again.”
An important principle of increasing your running capacity is identifying where your starting line is. What can you comfortably do for 20 mins? Basically, if you haven’t run in 10 years and you aren’t currently walking ritually most days , then the plan would not be to set you up with a program of running 3 days a week immediately because the hangover isn’t pleasant. Trust me on this one.
Once you have your baseline ability, then you can apply an approximate 10% incremental 'surcharge’ each week to aim at improving your current capability. In the health field this is termed “progressive overload”. By increasing either speed or distance each week, you can progressively load a program and monitor the gradual improvement of performance. See a couple of examples below:
Chelsea is a 22 year old who currently runs 3 times a week (approximately 5km each run at a pace of 4:30km/hr), and has been doing so for the past year or so.
Initial Running Program for Chelsea:
Week 1: 3 runs. 5.5km (+10%) @ 4:30km/hr pace
Week 2: 3 runs. 5.5km @ 4:25km/hr pace (+10%)
Craig is a 42 year old who hasn’t run in 8 years since retiring from Rugby. He wants to get back into running. Craig is a tradie and is physically active walking up to 6km each day, all whilst carrying tools and equipment.
Based on his occupation and athletic history, Craig can start with a run/walk program for the initial 4 weeks, progressing from 50/50 jog/walk to jogging 100% of the time if he is able to do so for 20 minutes. Once Craig can run comfortably for 20 mins, he can then determine his speed (km/hr) based on the distance he has covered. Based on the speed and distance figures, he can then determine his baseline, like Chelsea, and then use “progressive overload” to improve either his speed or distance each week.
According to the FIRST marathon program developed at Furman University, the minimum amount of running sessions a week for a recreational runner who wants to see substantial improvements is three. Most weeks those runs should be a tempo run to develop intensive endurance, a speed workout to build..well speed, and a long run to increase raw endurance.
According to highly credited running coach Jack Daniels (Ph.D.) who popularized the Tempo Run, it is a run done for at least 20 minutes at approximately 15-20 seconds per kilometre slower then your usual 5km race pace. Without getting too technical this type of run works at a sub-threshold level where the body is still able to clear lactate at a rate that it is being produced. Avoiding the dead-legged feeling commonly experienced with fatigue. Basically the run should feel “comfortably hard”.
This type of training is best for individuals aiming at races 10km and beyond.
A great way to incorporate speed into your training regime is beginning with a speed interval set. The best way of approaching this is usually done at an athletics track (400m circumference), rugby field (approx 350 m) or AFL field (approx 400m).
An easy to remember workout that builds on itself each week in terms of speed is 5 x 400 metre efforts with 2 minutes of light jogging recovery between each workout. A 400 metre warm up along with other muscle specific warm ups should be done prior to the workout to ensure appropriate form and to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Long runs should be enjoyable and done at a pace that is comfortable for you. Slightly increase the distance of the long runs as you get closer to a race date, before tapering in the week or two prior. The aim of long runs is to adapt your legs to the distance and build endurance.
