RUNNING Q & A AT THE INJURY CLINIC
Thinking about becoming a runner?
Darby Graham, Physiotherapist, has answered some of the most common questions for novice runners.
Check them out below!
DIETETICS:
Do I need to change what I eat?
As a general rule, when your training increases your food intake should also increase. This will provide you with more fuel and therefore energy due to the increased training output. The additional food should come in the form of carbohydrates as this will be the body’s preferred fuel source.
Do I need to eat during a run?
The short answer is it depends. If your run is under 1 hour, you won’t need to eat anything. If your run is longer than 1 hour then you will need to eat something during your run. The main need for food is to supply the body with energy. After 1 hour you will have used the energy stored in your body from the food you ate previously. Adding simple carbohydrates will ‘top up’ your energy stores to allow you to continue to run. This will help you continue at the same intensity, reduce fatigue and muscle soreness and can aid in reducing food cravings and energy slumps later in the day.
I keep getting an upset gut when I try to run longer. Why?
There are a number of different reasons as to why you might have an upset gut during a run. The good news is that most of them are manageable through nutrition. It is not normal to always feel sick or have an urgency to go to the toilet when on a long run. Some common causes could be eating too close to the start of your run and your food hasn’t digested yet, your food is too high in fiber before a run or your food has been too high in fat.
TIPS TO INCREASE PACE OR DISTANCE:
Why am I struggling to run further?
To improve any aspect of performance, whether it be speed, strength, power, or endurance, our training must cause stress to the body. It is this training stress that results in tissue adaptations and improves their tolerance to an increase in training load. So to ensure improvement, it is important to assess your training to ensure it is challenging enough on the body to continually improve, but also facilitate opportunities for tissue adaptation.
In saying this, to ensure positive tissue adaptation, we need to allocate appropriate recovery time into our programs. For the body to gain muscle and improve our endurance, it needs to properly heal and recover from the stress caused to it in our training.
When we want to progress our running we can change several different factors. These factors include: distance, frequency of sessions, intensity (speed) and terrain (i.e., hills). If we can’t change how far we are running, it may be beneficial to increase one of the other factors to maintain a progressive overload and your distance should improve over time.
We can also increase tolerance to volume by adding in other training such as strength and conditioning.
Why can’t I increase my running pace?
Increasing pace can be a tricky one to get tight. We often find runners with too much high intensity running that results in fatigue, and makes them unable to progress pace. We can still increase intensity in our sessions and add variety by focusing on our rating of perceived exertion (RPE) rather than things like minutes per km. This is a part of training that requires patience and expecting that it will take time to improve.
Additionally, if we are struggling to increase our speed, we can change the other aspects of training mentioned above to continually overload and should find gradual improvements with that.
When will it get easy?
Similar to strength training, it can take 6-8 weeks of consistent training to see significant improvements in our conditioning level. The results will be gradual, but the biggest increase in a person’s running fitness will come in the first 2-3 months of beginning training. In saying that, if we are looking to continually improve, we need to progressively overload our training so running should never be easy!
How do I train for a longer distance i.e., half-marathon; marathon?
To begin training for a long distance event, first of all we need to have enough time to build up a base of conditioning to handle the challenge. Each training program needs to be different for each individual runner. Things we need to take into account are the runner’s current running base, their training history, time availability and the goals of the runner.
12-16 weeks are generally seen as appropriate for training towards an event, but a runner coming from a small base without a history of this kind of distance may need longer.
The program needs to follow the goals of the runner, whether they’re aiming for a specific time or just wanting to cross the finish line, as well as how the training will fit into the rest of their life.
RECOVERY AND STRENGTH:
Do I need to do strength training?
Strength training is an important aspect of overall body health and can be a good addition to a running program. Strength training improves the strength and endurance of our muscles and bones, which will allow the body to deal with increased running load. Strength training can not only help prevent injuries, it also has a positive impact on running performance.
Should I be foam rolling?
Foam rolling can be an important addition prior to and after training. There is recent research that shows that only a small amount of foam rolling, followed by dynamic stretches has an acute positive effect on joint range of motion, helping to prevent injury and improve performance. Foam rolling also can be done as part of a cool down or regular mobility routine to decrease muscular tightness and improve flexibility.
Should I be doing a warm up or a cool down?
Yes! A warm up and cool down are important parts of regular exercise, and help prepare the body for rigorous activity by increasing blood flow, preparing muscles as well as the heart and lungs ready for aerobic exercise. A good warm up should include foam rolling, dynamic exercise and a ramp up from low intensity aerobic exercise to whichever intensity you are running at.
A cool down should consist of a steady decrease in intensity, not just going straight into a walk, and then a mix of foam rolling and static stretches.
A good warm up and cool down can prevent injury and even improve consistent running performance.
Should I keep running if I get sore?
This depends on the cause of the soreness. When managing some running injuries, it can be okay to maintain running load as long as pain doesn’t exceed a 2-3/10, but that is not always the case. If there is a possibility that there is a bone or joint injury that is causing the soreness, then we may need to be more cautious in terms of returning to running. For any soreness with exercise, you should get an assessment from a physiotherapist.
Why do I keep getting niggles that stop me from running?
‘Niggles’ tend to occur when we overload our tissues (i.e., muscle, tendon, bone) by doing more training than our body can tolerate. These tend to happen when we begin a new training or sport, get back into running, have been following a training program that hasn’t allowed for adequate recovery, or have experienced an increase in ‘life load’ that has resulted in an increase in stress, reduction in quality of sleep etc.
To prevent these ‘niggles’, we need to progress our running distance and intensity appropriately, and ensure our muscles have the strength to cope with increased running.
We also need to ensure that we employ appropriate recovery strategies that allow our tissues to adapt to increases in load. These strategies can include: proper cool down including foam rolling and stretching, appropriate rest days and adequate nutrition.
RUNNING SURFACE AND TIME OF DAY:
Does running surface matter?
Recent research has shown that our feet respond very quickly to running surfaces and change how we run to absorb the difference in forces. In saying that, unstable surfaces such as trail running or softer ground may need different running shoes to protect the foot and ankle.
Should I be running on hills?
Hill running places different demands on the body in a few different ways.
Uphill running causes a higher workload of the aerobic system testing our conditioning further, and also requires greater mechanical power from our lower limb muscles. In particular, it places greater load through the glute muscles. It can also be important to increase your cadence (step frequency) to optimise energy expenditure.
Downhill running has a few different impacts on the body. Firstly, it results in greater braking forces as the body attempts to slow down momentum. This can place higher impact forces through the body, which can increase risk of injury. Additionally, downhill running typically results in a rear foot strike, which has been shown to place greater force through the runner’s knees, requiring a significant increase in quadriceps load and possibly placing greater risk of injury through the knee. Finally, while it does require less metabolic ‘cost’ from the body in terms of energy consumption, it does result in greater eccentric muscle contractions, which research shows a higher likelihood of post-exercise muscle soreness or DOMS.
Hill running can add variety to your running program and change things up in a nice way, but it is important to be aware of the greater strain it can place on your body and decide whether or not it is worthwhile to add to your training.
Should I run in the morning or the evening?
Whichever works for you! There is no difference in terms of effect on the body for exercising in the morning or later in the day. The most important aspect of timing of exercise is around nutrition and ensuring your body is properly warmed up to exercise. Even if you run early in the morning or right before bed, it is essential to have some food in your body for energy usage, whether that is a quick carbohydrate snack in the morning or a meal 3-4 hours beforehand.
What shoes should I wear?
All runners should wear the shoes that are best for them! All people’s feet are slightly different, and may need different support and types of running shoes. Different shoes can provide more support, can be stiffer or softer, can have higher heel cushioning or even a rocker.
For proper running shoes, there are several great stores in Geelong that are able to provide a proper foot and running assessment.
Should I get advice on my running technique?
Everyone runs in their own natural way, and there is no perfect running technique. Due to this, we try not to change anyone’s running technique unless it is causing them to be more susceptible to injury or having a negative effect on performance. A running technique assessment can be an important part of a physiotherapy evaluation, but there are not always things to change.
Schedule your next visit
If you’re interested in booking an appointment with one of our team members, contact our clinic today and we’ll be happy to find time for a consultation.
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