Common Running Mistakes We See Before A Running Event

We are absolutely pumped about the City To Surf this year. The bands playing, people supporting and those guys painted blue in Rose Bay. Less excited about Heart Break Hill, but it will be awesome. Whether you're running, or walking, who cares. It will be fun. Even our kiwi team is coming across the ditch for it. 

With 7 weeks to go until the City To Surf, it’s a good reminder of what mistakes we see and how not to make them.

1: Going for a larger distance too quickly

With new runners, the running injuries we have seen lately have been due to the amount of mileage increasing per run too quickly. For example a patient we saw two weeks ago, had just run for the first time in 2 years. Now that’s a long time between runs and by day 5 unfortunately an injury had developed. The progression was day 1: 3km, day 2: 5km, day 3: 7km, day 4: 9km day 5: 3km and limp home 

Another example is someone with no running experience in life and who didn’t really play a lot of sport as a kid entering a half marathon. My advice would be to train for a 5 or 10km run first. See how your body tolerated the load. If you were feeling great go for a half. If it felt like hard work then enter another 10km then consider a half. 

A good range is probably a maximum of 10- 20% load change per week. And that is per week not per run! 

This gives your body a chance to recover and adapt slowly to the new load. Every single person is different so you may be slower than this to progress if you haven’t done much previously or you have medical problems getting in the way. Or previous injuries. Never compare yourself to your friends.

Speed is the other issue aside from duration. Going too early to sprinting on a background of not much running is a risk for tearing a muscle or overloading your lowerlimb tendons. 

The reality is that research suggests that 80% of our running should be cruisy recovery running. Simply turning over the legs. 20% should be tempo running of a higher intensity. 

If you are stuck with figuring out a program after everything I’ve just said keep it simple!

Change one of the above per week only and don’t increase the above by more than 20%.

If you’ve been injured in the past 12 months re read the first part of this a few times until it sinks in!

If you want to check your program is right for you, then to shoot me an email HERE.

What else can cause running injuries?

Mistake 2: Not Adding Strength Work. 

Strength work is one of the only evidence based things that has been shown to reduce injuries. The trick is to know when to put it in your program and how much. If your not sure where to start i’d suggest trying this nice little workout we created. You can click HERE to check it out. 

Mistake 3: Not getting assessed if you are getting niggles

There are a lot of muscle imbalances or technique issues that can be changed quickly. We highly recommend getting onto things quickly. We very really woulkd stop you running as most injuries need loading to help heal. The only exception is bone stress. So don’t be afraid of being told you can’t run. Get filmed. Understand what is wrong, how you can fix it and carry on training. 

Mistake 4: Not Having The Discipline To Rest!

Trying to play catch up on a session you missed earlier in the week is not a good idea. Your brain is telling you that you need to do more but doing too much is just as bad as staying in bed. It’s better to be underdone by 15% than over done. Trust me after 23 years this holds true. Making the start line is the biggest battle for professional athletes, so should be the same for you. 

Mistake 5: Running In The Wrong Shoes

Probably not that much of a big deal for the City To Surf but if you're training for the next half marathon or more it is. Going to a shoe shop that knows their shxx is worth it. Todd at the Running Company is my guy. I can’t recommend him enough. Worth the trip down to the shire. Click HERE for his details. I’ve seen it all, changing shoes the week of the race (yes even pros do it), going from super supportive shoes to minimalist shoes. Changing shoes then doing a 5km time trial. Don’t be that person. Invest in your shoes. It’s actually a pretty cheap sport. 

Mistake 6: Not tapering

Again the battle is to get to the start line. I hate tapering. It's the worst. You're addicted to running and you’re fit. Now you have to do very little. It’s absolute torture. Take it out on the race with a full tank of gas. Don’t go into a race with tired legs unless your coach is doing it for a reason. 

That’s it. Enjoy running. It’s addictive and great for your mental health. 

Can’t wait to see you all at the finish line.

Nick