Ten Quick Fixes to Save Your Running Knees and Joints Long TermWritten by Matt Russ
1.Take at least 1-2 rest days per week. This means no impact giving your joints a rest from pounding forces that running produces. Less experienced runners may need 2-3 rest days per week.2.Perform no more than 1-2 "break through" or high intensity interval work outs per week. Speed work puts more stress and body, and requires more recovery time. This type of work must performed prescriptively and carefully. Try to schedule your speed work or intervals work outs day prior to a rest or recovery day. 3.Train in 2-3 day cycles, with a rest or recovery work out in between cycles. This allows your body to adapt to stress of training. Some athletes will need more rest and less training, especially as intensity increases. 4.Change your shoes out frequently. A good rule of thumb is at least 3x per year for a high volume runner. You may want to write date you purchased your shoes in permanent ink on your shoes for reference. Buying shoes is expensive, but so is your insurance deductible. 5.Take supplements Chrondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine. I don't recommend a lot of supplements, but this combination has shown promise in clinical studies, and in control groups of people suffering from knee pain. One works as an anti-inflammatory; other helps regenerate cartilage. I know of several orthopedic surgeons who are recommending supplement to their patients. It is definitely worth a try. 6.Increase your volume of endurance training by less than 10% per week. Bringing your mileage up too quickly is a sure fire way to promote injury. Your body adapts to stress (training), compensates for it, and builds or gets stronger. If you put too much stress on your body, it can't compensate and breaks down further instead of getting stronger. 7.Listen to your body. In my experience your body gives you an indication that you are about to sustain an overuse injury. This may be in form of a slight or nagging pain. If you stop training at that point, you will more than likely be all right after a bit of rest. If you try to push through pain you may end up with a more serious injury.
| | Mental Skills-Adapt and OvercomeWritten by Matt Russ
We have all heard phrase “adapt and overcome” but when faced with a situation that challenges us it takes skill, practice, and discipline to implement this strategy. To adapt requires flexibility; to overcome- resolve. These skills are not necessarily innate, but can be learned and practiced. A key mental skill of successful athletes is ability to push on, even excel, despite obstacles, setbacks, and failures. A good example is Craig Walton, winner of Saint Anthony’s International triathlon. Craig entered his swim to bike transition only to find he had left his cycling shoes at home. Instead of giving up on race he excelled. Cycling in his running shoes he caught pack, passed them, and won race. Here are a few ways you can learn to adapt and overcome. 1.First identify exactly what you want and need out of a situation, and what is most important to you. Many athletes walk back to transition after having a flat that could have been changed in a few minutes and got them back into race. 2.Do not get mired in problem, look for solutions. Try to come up with several solutions to a given situation and then choose best one. Focus on solution and how to implement it; not problem. What are consequences of each decision? 3.Try to take emotion out of your decision making. It is easy to get frustrated, angry, and emotional but this really does not get you anywhere. Again, it causes you to focus on problem and not find a solution or it may keep you from making best decision. It also makes you look like you are not in control. I recently observed a racer screaming at an official to tell him where to turn (as he took wrong one). If this person had just slowed down and listened he would have heard official tell him “left.”
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