How to Keep Marathon Training an Injury-Free Experience
When you start training for the marathon, two things change: (1) your mindset towards training; and (2) the amount of mileage increases from your normal levels. In order to avoid injury during this training period, it’s important not only to keep your joints moving properly but also keep your mind focused on training without doing damage.
Keep Your Mind Healthy
Too many times, runners put a major damper on their running career by training through pain instead of taking a small break or getting professional help. Keep your training in perspective and realize that it’s okay to make small changes to your training schedule or to take a break. You can always make mileage up next week. That’s a better alternative than not being able to run the race at all!
Help the Body Adapt
Increasing your mileage in a marathon training program should be a planned and gradual process. There are many resources on the internet and with local running groups for the exact mileage and schedules that have worked for others in the past. The idea behind training is that you are helping the body adapt to greater amounts of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal stress without developing an injury. Generalized fatigue or soreness is okay in a training program. Progressively worsening pain, sharp/stabbing pain, numbness/tingling or new types of localized pain are signs that you need to see a physician specializing in sports medicine. The early you treat the problem, the shorter the treatment lasts and the faster you can get back to your training schedule.
Overuse Injuries Don’t Exist
Most running injuries have been called “overuse injuries” in the past. That’s really a shame because most doctors simply told patients that they overused a joint and that they had to stop the activity in order to stop the pain. Reality is that running injuries are “poor use injuries” resulting from incorrect muscle firing patters, joint misalignment or deconditioning that caused friction and inflammation in the affected area. Increase your mileage and the wear/tear increases in the joints and muscles to the point where you start to notice the pain. A good chiropractic sports physician will identify the pattern causing the damage and help you fix the problem.
Stretch, Strengthen and Cross-Train
Frequent stretching of the hamstring, hip flexors, hip rotators and calves along with strengthening your core with ball exercises, yoga or pilates will help decrease your risk of a “poor use injury.” These activities help keep your body in balance and work out the small kinks before they become bigger problems. Adding in cross-training in the form of swimming, cycling, elliptical or martial-arts will also challenge your joints in different ways, keeping your heart strong and your body pain-free.
Use Resources in the Community
If you have questions or need help, don’t hesitate to ask for help from an experienced runner, local running clubs or by emailing me at drerin@ducatchiropractic.com. I’m more than happy to answer questions, help you find a resource or get you the help you need!