Imagine Running Pain Free
Is Running Without Pain Possible?
You all know the drill— you sign up for a spring or summer running race, optimistically intending to start your training in early January. But then life happens, and now its March, with your training just beginning. The calendar says that 25k is only 2.5 months away, so you start aggressively building mileage until suddenly- pain, stress fractures, or shin splints derail your progress.
Is there a better way? Is it possible to begin spring running without injury, pain, or both? The answer is yes. With gradual training and a focus on strength work, you can help yourself avoid injury, and maybe even hit some PRs in the process.
Key Steps to Start Your Spring Run Training
The first step, of course, is to start small. Taking three months off from running during the winter and then expecting to go out for a 10k trail run isn’t a great idea. While our cardio conditioning may be ready, our soft tissue (ie muscles and tendons) need time to adapt to training loads.
The second step is to STRENGTH train. Yep, that’s right. Runners need to engage in strength training, just like any other athlete. Do you need to gain muscle enough to look like Arnold? Of course not! However, strength training promotes muscle fiber adaptations that enable us to run longer and faster without injury.
Strength training prepares the muscles for the stress you’re subjecting them to during a run.
Strength training helps your body’s brain-muscle connection. The patterning you learn through functional movements help build better neuromuscular connection, which translates into better coordination, output, and balance.
Strength training helps develop your stride efficiency via the above mechanisms.
How to Begin Strengthening for Running
So, you are convinced you want to dabble with some run-specific strength training, but where do you start? We’ve covered for you. This month, we are sharing four of our favorite exercises to help you train pain free this spring. The goal is to add in 2-3 days per week of strength training, which may reduce as you get closer to race day.
When doing your spring run strength training, don’t treat your lifting sessions like cardio sessions. It is ok if your heart rate is way lower than during a run. The goal here is to promote adaptation in your muscle fibers, not build endurance capacity for your heart and lungs.
Strengthening Exercises for Running Success
Soleus Heel Raises off of a Step (3 sets of 15 reps on each foot)
Last summer we wrote all about the secret super powers of your soleus muscle in this blog post. Clearly, we think its a pretty important muscle. To recap, the soleus is responsible for the push off movement of your foot during the run stride (also known as plantar-flexion). You want it to be as strong as possible to keep up with the demands of running.
Reverse Lunges (2 sets of 10 on each leg)
Reverse lunges are a cousin of the traditional walking lunge, but serve a very different purpose. When you step backwards in the reverse lunge, you work your gluteus maximus (hello running power!), gluteus min and med (joint stabilization), quadriceps (necessary for absorbing the impact of running), and your adductors (those pesky inner thigh muscles that always get pulled or sore). This is a powerful exercise that yields results in injury prevention. When you get comfortable with this move, try holding on to a pair of dumbbells in both hands.
Medicine Ball Hamstring Curls (3 sets of 15 reps)
Runners need their hamstrings. This muscle is utilized for contraction and extension during the run stride. They serve to stabilize your leg, which is essential for balance. Strengthening them properly also lengthens, which allows you to run pain free. Focus on slowly extending the legs back out (5 seconds). When both legs becomes easy, try doing this with a single leg and really feel the burn.
Single Leg Romanian Dead Lift (3 sets of 10 on each leg)
This classic strength training move offers excellent benefits for runners. If you could do only one exercise, this would probably be it. This exercise trains hamstrings eccentrically, hip stability, and even your core. In addition, because you are doing a single legged motion, your balance is challenged which helps your neuromuscular system and coordination when running. Once you’ve mastered this move, try adding dumbbells to either one or both hands.
By following this suggested strength training routine, and scaling your return to running, you can enter the summer race season with confidence, less pain, and maybe hit some PRs. This is not intended to be medical advice, so as always, only perform this routine if you’re cleared to exercise. If you’re experiencing any pain or discomfort with performing these exercises, please reach out for assistance.
