Recover Faster From These 3 Common Running Injuries

THE 3 MOST COMMON RUNNING INJURIES

1. Shin splints are often the result of exercising too much — specifically an overload of force to the shin or lower leg. If you have shin splints, you’ll notice pain, tenderness, and soreness along the shin or tibial bone.

What causes shin splints?

Shin splints are caused by an overload of forces to your legs. In other words, you might get shin splints if your muscles, bones, and fascia (the connective tissue around your muscles) are having trouble absorbing the impacts that happen during your exercise. Running is a high-impact activity, so the wrong kind of impact can do damage pretty fast. This overload to your legs can be caused by many things. For example, it can be caused by muscle imbalances, having a high arch or flat foot, or a sudden increase in the intensity, frequency, or volume of your training. Bad shoes, a poor warm-up, and running on hard surfaces can also increase your risk.

2. The iliotibial band (IT band) is a bundle of fibers that stretches from your hip to the outside of your knee. When your IT band gets inflamed or tight, you might notice swelling or pain, usually around the attachment site in your knee. Often the pain gets so bad that you can’t run at all.

What causes IT band syndrome?

During activity, the IT band moves back and forth across the outside of the knee. If your muscles aren’t pliable, this movement can cause friction, create pain, and inflame the knee area. Runners and cyclists are most prone to IT band syndrome because of how often they flex and extend their knees.

Besides overuse, other factors can put you at a higher risk for IT band syndrome. For example, you might be more likely to develop IT band syndrome if you lack pliable tissue or have a muscular imbalance at the hips or glutes. Poor technique, bad form, or an asymmetric body can also increase the risk of ITBS.

3. At the bottom of your foot, fibrous tissue stretches from your heels to your toes to support the muscles and arch of the foot. When this tissue gets tense, tight, or inflamed, you start to feel pain in the bottom of your foot. This inflammation is called plantar fasciitis, and it can make walking or running difficult.

What causes plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis, like ITBS and shin splints, can be caused by a lack of muscle pliability. Other factors that can put you at risk for plantar fasciitis include the following:

• Low arches (flat feet) or high arches

• Increased or decreased mobility in the bones of the foot

• Dense fascia or tight muscles in your calves

• Poor form

• Worn out shoes with too many miles on them

• Improper gait

If you already have these problems, how can you recover?

To recover from any of these conditions, you need to take three important steps:

1. Roll your muscles.
2. Hydrate.
3. Eat well.

We’ll talk about all three below

1. Roll your muscles

As you’re rolling, spend extra time on the target muscles or in the area of pain or discomfort. Doing this will maximize tissue pliability and decrease tension in the symptomatic areas. While taking time to roll your entire leg is important, you should target these areas in particular:

• Shin splints: Roll the front of the shin, the back of the lower leg (calf), and underneath the foot.

• Iliotibial band: Roll the glutes, IT band, quad, hamstrings, groin, front of the shin, and calf.

• Plantar fascia: Roll underneath the foot, along the calf, and the front of the shin

2. Keep your muscles hydrated by drinking enough water

As a rule, drinks half of your body weight in fluid ounces of water every day. Water can help your joints, muscles, and improve your pliability, which in turn helps your muscles to work better together. Hydration also contributes in the battle against inflammation, aids tissue repair and growth, transports nutrients to your cells, and helps with the removal of waste. Hydration is essential for preventing running injuries.

3. Eat a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet

Most of the injuries we just talked about are caused by inflammation through the repetitive forces involved in running. Therefore, minimizing inflammation in your body may help to reduce symptoms as your body heals. You can do this by changing what you eat. Minimize pro-inflammatory foods (dairy, processed foods, and gluten). Maximize anti-inflammatory foods (vegetables, fruits, and nuts). Each meal should be half colorful vegetables, half lean protein and whole grains. Limit refined sugars and trans fats.

If you’re healthy right now, how can you avoid injury?

The best way to maintain pliable muscles and limit muscle tightness is to do pliability work before and after your run. To maintain muscular symmetry, balance, full range of motion, and core strength without overloading the joints, spend time training with resistance bands. To help you get started, listed are some exercises below.

5 Exercises for Fighting Common Running Injuries

You can improve your pliability, mobility, and stability by adding the right exercises to your routine. Incorporate these five exercises into your workout to protect your body against shin splints, IT band syndrome, and plantar fasciitis.

1. Glute Bridge

2. Glute Medius Side Plank with Straight Leg Hip Abduction

Here’s what you do: • Lie on your side with your lower knee bent. • Distribute your weight between your lower leg and and elbow. • Lift your upper leg and upper arm in the air and hold both steady while contracting your core and glutes. • In a quick repeated motion, lift your upper leg straight into the air and lower it back down. Keep the rest of your body still. • Continue for two minutes, and then repeat for the other side.

3. The 90/90 single-leg balance

Here’s what you do:

• Hold your arms like you’re a field goal post — 90 degrees in each elbow, hands straight up. • Raise one leg and bend your knee at a 90-degree angle. (You can see why we call this exercise 90/90.) Your quad should be parallel to the ground. • Hold your balance in this position. Do not lean to either side or tap your raised leg to the ground. If you need to regain balance, try hopping on your plant leg instead. • Keep your glute flexed by “pushing” your plant foot into the ground. • Switch to the other side and hold balance on your other leg.

4. Four-Directional Toe Touches

Here’s what you do:

• Stand upright and balance on one leg. • Tap your elevated foot straight out to your side. • Then, tap that same leg back and diagonal from your body. • Then, tap your foot straight behind your body. • Finally, cross your elevated leg behind your planted leg. • Repeat this motion continuously for 2 minutes, and then switch to the other leg. During this exercise, it’s important that you keep your plant leg stable and keep your knee still

5. Anterior Reach

Here’s what you do:

• Stand upright on one leg to start. • Hinge at your hips and lean forward with your upper body. • Extend your arms overhead and lean until your upper body is parallel with the ground. • At the time time, elevate and extend your non-plant leg. • Return to the starting position, repeat for two minutes, and then switch to the other leg. During this exercise, it’s important to keep a straight back. Keep your plant leg stable YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

High School Cross Country Training: Are you running enough?

The discrepancy in high school cross country training is immense. I have coached individuals who maxed out at 30 miles per week in high school and others who exceeded 80 miles per week. There are so many different thoughts on mileage, staying healthy and avoiding burn-out.  The key is to find the optimal volume to ensure you reach your full potential as a runner. You need to identify the proper balance between enough and staying healthy – the edge. Approach it, but don’t cross over it.

I reached out to one of the top high school boy’s cross country coaches in the country, Coach Paul Vandersteen to take at closer look at the type of mileage the boys at Neuqua Valley High Schools are logging over the summer.

Freshman Boys: 35 – 40 miles per week

Sophomore Boys: 50 – 55 miles per week

Junior Boys: 60 – 65 miles per week

Senior Boys: 70  - 75 miles per week

*** However, their weekly mileage rarely exceeds 65 miles per week once school starts.

High school girls who want to follow this program’s volume philosophy should adjust accordingly:

Freshman Girls: 25 – 30 miles per week

Sophomore Girls: 35 – 40 miles per week

Junior Girls: 45 – 50 miles per week

Senior Girls: 50 - 55 miles per week

For more information about our personal coaching programs CLICK HERE

Arkansas Track and Field Recruiting - Class of 2022 - Men

College Track and Field Recruiting

Are you wondering what it takes to run compete in the SEC? See how stack up with the University of Arkansas incoming track and field recruiting class - 

Vernon Turner, High Jump | Yukon, Okla./ Yukon High School / University of Oklahoma
Event: High Jump
Personal Best: High Jump – 7’7.75”

Tre’Bien Gilbert, Hurdles | Converse, Texas / Judson High School
Events: 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles
Personal Bests: 110-meter hurdles – 13.53, 300-meter hurdles – 36.18

Rashad Boyd, Sprints | Houston, Texas / Alief Hastings High School
Events: 100-meters, 200-meters
Personal Bests: 100m – 10.61 (10.55w), 200m – 20.93
Accolades: TSU Relays 200-meter champion, 200-meter state qualifier, Texas Relays 100-meter finalist
Boyd on Arkansas: “What gets better than the Arkansas track team?”

Boyd was the twelfth-fastest high school 200-meter runner in the United States during 2018. He placed sixth in the 200-meter final at Texas 6A State Championship and was the Texas 6A Region III runner-up in 200m. His brother, Rakeem Boyd, is an Arkansas football signee.

Travean Caldwell, Sprints and Hurdles | Crossett, Ark. | Crossett High School / Arkansas Baptist College
Events: 400-meters, 400-meter hurdles
Personal Bests: 200-meters – 21.69, 400-meters – 47.30, 400-meter hurdles – 52.77
 

Kevin Wilkinson, Middle Distance | Moorpark, Calif. | Bishop Alemany High School / Arizona State University
Events: 800-meters, 1500-meters
Personal Bests: 800-meters – 1:50.91, 1,500-meters – 4:00.81
 

Trey Grayson, Middle Distance | Glenpool, Okla.| Glenpool High School / Oklahoma State University
Events: 400-meters, 800-meters
Personal Bests: 800-meters – 1:51.49, 1,600-meters – 4:16.10, 3,200-meters – 9:43.63
 

Carl Elliott, Sprints and Hurdles| Fort Pierce, Fla. | Fort Pierce Central High School / Edward Waters College
Events: 200-meters, 110-meter hurdles, triple jump
Personal Bests: 200-meters – 21.66, 110-meter hurdles – 14.24, TJ – 45’1.25”, LJ – 21’7”

Kyle Costner, Multi-Events | Brentwood, Tenn. | Brentwood High School
Event: Decathlon
Personal Bests: 100-meters – 11.41, 400-meters – 50.2, 110-meter hurdles – 14.81, LJ – 22’1”, TJ – 42’5”, HJ – 6’2”, PV – 13’, SP – 40’, DT – 114’, Decathlon – 6,309-points
 

Brittan Burns, Multi-Events | Prior Lake, Minn. | Lakeville South High School
Event: Decathlon
Personal Bests: 100-meters – 11.85, 400-meters – 52.99, 1,500-meters – 4:52, 110-meter hurdles – 15.24, LJ – 21’8.75”, HJ – 6’4”, PV – 12’6”, SP – 38’1”, DT – 109’4”, JV – 117’8”, Decathlon – 5,873-points

Daniel Spejcher, Multi-Events | Bloomington, Ill. | Lake Park High School
Event: Decathlon
Personal Bests: 100-meters – 11.2, 200-meters – 22.3, 400-meters – 53.2, 110-meters hurdles – 14.99, LJ – 22’11.75”, HJ – 6’3”, PV – 10’6”, SP – 45’4”, DT – 127’6”, JV – 125’8”, Decathlon – 5,715-points
 

Connor Holzkamper, Multi-Events | Keller, Texas | Liberty Christian School
Event: Decathlon
Personal Bests: 100-meters – 10.90, 200-meters – 22.48, 400-meters – 55.18, HJ – 5-6

Jon Conley, Sprints/Jumps | Fayetteville, Ark. | Fayetteville High School
Events: 100-meters, Long Jump

When To Start Nudging Our Young Track and Field Athletes Toward Greatness

MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD TRAINING

Parents of track and field athletes

In a recent conversation with a parent of an elite 7th Grade runner from Massachusetts, I was asked when would be the best time for her to start getting serious about her training. I realized that despite my thirty years of NCAA I Head Coaching experience, I had never given this subject matter a great deal of thought. In my role as a college coach, I was accustomed to dealing with older runners and had never really given much thought to the beginning of the process.

We often read about college coaches signing multi-million dollar contracts, and yet the men and women in the trenches of creation – the coaches out there helping plant the seeds of determination and skill development are typically volunteering parents. As a result, it is easy to assume that the system works and that the most talented athletes will eventually rise to the top. However, it is quite possible that this “wait-for-the-fire-to-ignite-within” approach to skill development and commitment levels in the sport of track and field is selling our future elite athletes short.

Imagine a young musician, artist or scientist delaying the development of their skill-set simply to avoid burnout. As coaches and parents, we oftentimes sit back, waiting for the young athlete to find their passion – as if it is sleeping within simply waiting to be awoken. A new joint study by researchers from Yale- Singapore and Stanford University states that “the ‘find your passion’ mantra may be a hindrance, distracting the individual from the actualization of their potential.”

In that study, researchers asked the question, “Are interests there all along, waiting to be revealed or must a spark of interest be cultivated through investment and persistence?” From the results of this study, it appears that developing and nurturing passion can be highly effective, particularly when compared to taking a wait and see approach. With more deliberate action, it becomes the responsibility of the participant and their network of support to help grow that “passion” through a systematic plan of logical progression and pedagogy. 

So, how does this apply to your elite junior high track and field athlete? Maybe, it is time to rethink the traditional model in our sport of waiting for that inner fire to ignite or for the tangible line in the sand to be crossed at a particular age. Perhaps, with a sound training plan and the right encouragement – we can develop these middle school athletes into highly successful high school, collegiate and post-collegiate runners by getting them started earlier.

We must ask ourselves how do we start developing this passion in a healthy manner. A former runner of mine at Columbia University and highly touted author, David Epstein (See – The Sport’s Gene) suggests that positive feedback is linked to higher performance. He cited research by sports psychologist

Christian Cook in which subjects performed better and were less likely to repeat mistakes when they were given positive feedback at an early age of participation. “I don’t know if it’s counterintuitive that positive feedback works, but it’s not the intuitive way for [coaches] to act,” Epstein says, explaining that coaches naturally identify what’s wrong and instruct athletes how to improve. “If you had to choose between needing feedback when we did something wrong or when we did something right, I’m convinced now it’s when we did something right. And that’s when people don’t give feedback,” he says. “They pay attention to what’s wrong.” So, during this time – clap before correcting. There will be plenty of time to correct in the future.

Epstein’s thoughts were reiterated in a recent article by Jenny Anderson entitled, “ Parents: Let Your Kids Fail. You’ll Be Doing Them a Favor”. She lists three ways in which we can help younger athletes develop their passion and succeed:

            1. Praise efforts, not outcomes (clap before correcting)

            2. Cheer like a grandparent, not a parent. (clap before correcting)

            3. Realize the coach is your partner, not your adversary.

For a tangible example of how effective helping younger athletes develop their passion can be -  look no further than this year’s World Cup. According to Troy Engle (former USMA Head Track and Field Coach and current Director of Coach Development for Sport Singapore), Belgium and France have  “Two of the greatest sporting systems and coaching development programs in any sport in the world. Hardly a coincidence that they are among the four remaining team…there is a lot for all of us to gain from their best practices”

To answer the initial question of when is the logical time to get started with a more formalized plan for younger runners hoping to become elite runners. I would suggest somewhere between ages 11-13.

Training with Olympic Gold Medalist William Tanui and Fast Track Recruiting

 Want to train like an Olympic Gold Medalist from Kenya? If so, William Tanui has provided Fast Track Recruiting with unmatched access to the inside through an open discussion about how he trained. Below is a summary of the Kenyan training philosophy and practices following the conclusion of their outdoor season.  
 

NOTE: William Tanui was the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in the 800m and placed 5th in the 1500m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.  Tanui has PR’s of 1:43.30 in the 800m, 3:30.58 in the 1500m and 3:50.57 in the Mile.
 

Phase I – rest

You need to fully recover, both mentally physically, from your previous season. I suggest a complete shutdown. Use this time to ensure that you are completely recovered and fully prepared to resume training.

Editor's Note: Kenyan runners place a high premium on rest - "complete rest". It is imperative that you incorporate this phase into your summer training as it is equally as important. In the US system, we are often extremely impatient and rush back to training and quality running way too quickly. 

Phase II – General Preparation - During this phase, your focus should be on leisurely low-end aerobic work. I suggest focusing on very easy running and cross training during this phase – swimming, biking and strength training. Everything should be performed at a low intensity. In the prime of my career, I would perform five two-hour sessions per week. I would advise that you start with a much lower goal duration.                                                                                                                                                                    

Editor's Note - The Kenyans use this time to develop a massive aerobic base with low-intensity work. Many of the top collegiate programs loosely adhere to this same philosophy as most good programs avoid quality work as they ascend to full volume. 

Phase III – Early Season

During this phase, we start to increase the intensity. At this point, you should start doubling when appropriate. You should focus on high-end aerobic work during this phase through progression runs, runs at a steady pace and hilly runs ( Editor's Note - read Run With The Buffaloes or research old-school Arkansas training).  This is a great time to focus on hill repeats to strengthen your quads. We also perform two days of strength work a week to strengthen our arms for the push to the finish line.

Phase IV – Late Season

This phase will be the most intense period of your training. We do traditional interval work two days a week, if not racing. We do a great deal of ladder work, often including short speed reps toward the end of the session. We also did a fartlek session once a week in a wide open field where the focus was on very fast running.

Look for future articles from William Tanui about coaching, international recruiting and other subjects related to running and track and field.

See how 2017 World Championship 1500m FInalist, Johnny Gregorek trained over the summer while in college here: https://www.fasttrackrecruiting.com/training-blog/2018/1/18/how-they-trained-in-college