As written by Sam Lewis, Physiotherapist
At The Injury Clinic Physiotherapy we work with a huge community of runners; all of different levels of ability, participating in different events, across different distances and terrain. As a result, we see a lot of running-related injuries. One of the biggest contributors to running-related injuries we see is training errors. So we’ve put together some information on the common training errors we see, in hope you can avoid them and reduce the likelihood of interrupting your training due to injury.
Here is a run down on some common training errors:
#1 Mismanaged training variables
Running load includes many training variables, such as:
Volume: total distance or mileage covered, usually measured in kilometres across a week.
Intensity: how hard we are running (this can be much more difficult to measure); using heart rate measurements, or a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) can help guide session intensity.
Frequency: how often we run, usually recorded in the number of sessions across the week.
Elevation: flat, hills, undulations; usually tracked by wearable GPS devices.
Terrain: the surface we are running on; trail vs road vs sand etc.
Together these variables will affect our tolerance to our training load. As we train for events it is common to mismanage these variables, with significant increases across more than one variable all at the same time being one of the most common training errors.
Example: A runner training for a road marathon event has decided to increase their running volume in training for their event (which is a very normal, and often necessary thing to do). In doing so, they have added an additional run throughout the week and decided to do this as an undulating trail run to make it more challenging.
By doing this, they have changed the variables of volume, frequency, elevation and terrain all at once. This additional load is then more likely to exceed the capacity of their tissues (i.e., muscle, tendon, bone) and can increase risk of overtraining and injury. Changing multiple variables has an effect on our recovery and therefore fatigue levels; we often carry this additional fatigue into the following training week and as the training stress accumulates, our risk of injury increases.
#2 Training Load Spikes
When training for events, runners will typically increase their run load with the aim to be better prepared. However significant increases, or spikes, in training load that significantly exceed the level of conditioning the runner is accustomed to are associated with an increased risk of injury. To reduce the risk of training spike errors, runners can review their acute vs chronic training workload ratio.
Chronic workload refers to the training load that an athlete has been exposed to over approximately a 4-6 week period. Acute training workload refers to the training load completed that week.
As we train for events, we expect this acute training load to increase to allow for adaptations and improvements in running fitness and performance. However, a common training error is that individuals significantly increase their weekly (or acute) training workload above their base (or chronic) training
load. Evidence suggests an increased risk of injury if this ratio is greater than 1.3. However, it is important to remember the many training variables that exist and the effect they have on load. So it is not as simple as calculating weekly km’s or minutes.
#3 Pace – Running every run too fast
Arguably the load variable we see contribute most greatly to injury, is intensity.
When training for an event runners will commonly run every run at the same moderate intensity. Completing all runs at the same moderately fatiguing pace provides the risk of adding fatigue, whilst limiting the opportunity for improvements in performance.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a great tool to measure intensity (see below), and can help runners avoid running every run at the same pace.
When training for events, utilising RPE or ensuring variation in pace and RPE throughout the week is a great way to avoid running all runs at moderate intensity and can optimise training sessions to be more specific, allowing for greater adaptations. Common RPE ratings for types of runs are listed below:
- Easy run: 3-4/10
- Long run: 4-5/10
- Speed/intensity/tempo sessions: 7+/10
#4 Injury management
Whilst we can best prepare ourselves to prevent or reduce the risk of a running related injury through avoiding common training errors, it is also important to consider what we do when we are injured.
It is common to see runners stop all forms of running when they are injured to allow their symptoms to improve. Whilst this may be appropriate for some injuries, for others it is not.
Following a period of complete deload and no running, runners often attempt to instantly return to their pre-injury running load (potentially the same running load that injured them in the first place). Subsequently this runner will experience a significant spike in their acute training load and is at risk of injury recurrence, or sustaining a new injury.
When experiencing an injury it is recommended to consult with a Physiotherapist who can provide appropriate management plans and running plans based on your injury. These plans may involve maintaining some form of running to avoid completely deloading and risking a re-aggravation or secondary injury.
#5 Inadequate recovery
When increasing running load and training for events it is important to prioritise recovery. Recovery will allow your body to respond and adapt to training load and stimulus, it is this that will ultimately improve fitness and performance.
Deload weeks are essential for recovery and allow tissues to adapt to the training stress that has been applied in previous weeks. How frequent deload weeks occur are dependent on the individual and their training load. Deload periods should have a significant decrease in intensity and reduction in volume to ensure your body is able to rest, recover and adapt.
The main considerations in recovery are: diet; sleep and deload weeks
Summary:
Training for running and running events can be complex, multifactorial and looks different for each runner. Whilst there are common training errors that can affect training, reduce performance or increase the risk of injury; there is not a one size fits all approach to running and run training. Each training program and plans for events should be individualised to be specific to each runner to reduce the risk of training errors.
If you’re a runner and have been battling with injury, don’t hesitate to get in touch and consult with one of the physios at The Injury Clinic Physiotherapy.
