Probably the only things runners hate MORE than being called a jogger are injuries. Booooo…hisssss…throw a rotten tomato at stupid injuries! The thing is though, if you don’t know WHY you were injured in the first place, you’ll most likely wind up with the SAME injury again and again and again. A vicious circle, uglier than Groundhogs Day.
Why Am I Injured?
Sure, an injury can come from some running traumatic event, you stepped on a rock the wrong way, tripped on a root and pulled a groin. A running injury can also come from doing a stupid training mistake, ie: doing too many miles too fast (stress fracture!), doing too much hard running too fast, running in the wrong shoes.
Now, the WORST and most common reasons for getting stuck in the black hole of injury cycles are…
NOT FIXING A RUNNING WEAKNESS!! Ding, ding. I’ll tell you what you’ve won…an ongoing issue that your body is continually compensating for. The muscles stuck working overtime to cover that compensating are causing your injures.
Since you never fixed the underlying issues, no amount of icing the injury or rest will keep you from getting injured again. The injury is the symptom…not the problem.
What’s My Weakness?
Hey, I’m a Weak Butt: Everyone is different, but there are FIVE top culprits for runners getting injured. Weak glutes, hamstrings, hips, back, and ankles. I wrote a post HERE highlighting each one specifically as well as exercises to help fix that issue.
I’m a Tight Runner: Tied into weak muscles are also muscles that are so inflexible they’re tugging and pulling on every other muscle. Being inflexible is setting you up for injuries, and the bad news is the older you get the harder it is to ‘undo’ that inflexible nature. It’s possible, you just have to keep working at it! The other bad news, for those who DON’T embrace stretching…the older you get the more injuries you’ll get because of it. So stretch…I wrote a whole post HERE all about my journey to becoming a pretzel person. 😉
I brought it up so I HAD to post it. 😉
It Came From What??
The tricky thing with injuries is that the body is an interconnected machine…you could be struggling with a foot problem that is traced all the way to weaknesses in your hips! Crazy, huh? So it can be a bit of a Sherlock Running Holmes investigation to figure out the root of your injury, but the best places to start are the most common weaknesses, get strong there, rule them out, and see if you’re getting better. Here’s a post on my little ‘Injury from Whaaaa?” moment.
On a bit of a related note, bad form can also be an indication for where you are weak. A runner’s form breaks down as they tire, the more tired you get the more your body isn’t ‘thinking’ and slips into whatever ingrained habits it has. Usually your weaknesses will be apparent. Hey, another reason to fix those form mistakes, right?! 😉 Read some tips on that HERE.
So we said the dreaded I-Word about a bizzillion times in this post. Thankfully running injuries aren’t like Bloody Mary or The Candy Man, we don’t conjure them up by saying their name. It’s kinda worse, because they come about while we’re doing something we love.
Stop injuries from visiting you again and again and again and again…and fix your weak spots! 😉
1) What’s been one injury cycle you were stuck in?
Hamstring, adductor, glute trifecta
2) How did you get out of the cycle? Or, what will you do to get out of it?
Getting my stretching on.
3) What’s been a stupid mistake, or klutzy move, you did to get injured?
Hmmm…klutz ball here, I’ve fallen a billion times.
The IT band crazies got me in their grasp for a long time! But I (think) I’ve finally broken out with stability training & regular foam/tennis ball rolling! The right balance of strength and flexibility is key…but so elusive sometimes!!!
My biggest klutz injury was tripping over dirt (literally…this was on the least technical section of the whole trail) in a trail race, wiping out, and busting up my ankle pretty solidly. Four weeks before my target marathon. Not my brightest move….
banish those IT crazies!!! 🙂
oh you poor thing!! trust me, come run with me any you’ll like the most poised runner on the planet. 😉
I’ve had MANY stress fractures!! My husband always says its because I run too hard too often. I’m finally starting to believe he might be right and trying to run easier and longer again!!!
oh no, i’m sorry! 🙁 i do know some people are a bit more susceptible to them BUT definitely making sure to be cautious in the training is really important.
My shins are my running injury cycle! I have been working on getting out of this cycle by adjusting my mileage where needed, constantly listening to my body and backing off when necessary, icing and stretching like a fiend. *Knock on wood* things have been going smoothly so far.
i’ll be knocking on wood too! take care!