The most common training errors in running
By Gold Coast Running Physio Kyle Weise
Dealing with injured runners on a daily basis allows me to develop a very clear picture of the common training errors that lead to running related injuries. There are always some very clear themes when I sit down and chat with a runner about their running prior to the current injury appearing.
When I ask a runner what they think caused their injury to occur, I generally get a few common answers:
- “I have no idea” and
- “I haven’t been stretching enough”.
But It’s only when we dive deeper into their training that we generally find the main causes and I’m going to go through these causes below in the hope that a few people reading this are able to be more aware of when they are making a mistake.
So What Are the Most Common Training Errors in Running?
1. Too quick of an increase in volume – Trying to make up for lost time (Returning too quickly post injury/holiday)
This is by far the most common factor we as Physio’s hear when seeing a runner for a new injury. The two most common reasons this seems to happen is: 1. Someone trying to “make up for lost time” after having a break due to either a previous injury or a holiday, or 2. Entering a race a little sooner than they should and trying to cram in as much training as they can. It is very easy to fall into the trap of running too much too quickly, but better to slowly progress your training then smashing it for a few weeks then ending up side-lined with another injury
2. Running easy runs too hard or with too much intensity
This is something I see every single day and I believe there are a couple of reasons for it: People that come into running from a gym/strength or team sport background are used to being able to push themselves to the limit on a daily basis. Now when you are at the gym and working different parts of your body each day you will get away with this as each area gets adequate recovery, however, running will in most part load the exact same structures every run and therefore pushing your body too hard every day is a recipe for disaster; Also, Beginners can get away with this as they don’t know any better, but the longer term runners who do this consistently tend to be the ones who like to impress their friends and show them just how fast they can “run easy”. Doing this does not help your long term fitness and can easily lead to excessive/unwarranted fatigue and subsequent injury.
3. Addition of hills to quicky
This one is for the trail runners. It’s something that not a lot of runners pay attention to as most runners track distance or time, however, I frequently see runners present with injuries and say how their loading has been consistent. However, when they look into their elevation change statistics, it tells a different story. Downhill and uphill running loads your body differently to running on the flat and therefore sudden changes in hill running can be a risk for anyone who has not run hills regularly. So if you are someone who is thinking of introducing hills into their running, start slow, perhaps only once per week initially and let your body adapt to the new terrain.
4. Copying the training of elite runners
We all love to follow our favourite elite athletes, however, sometimes we need reminding that these people are professionals and do this for a living. Yes, there are able to perform tremendous amounts of training but they are also able to perform tremendous amounts of recovery. Remember, you need to treat yourself as an individual and not copy someone who is at the top of their sport.
5. Not scheduling in recovery
This flows from the last point. Recovery is key to making gains from the training stimulus. If you aren’t recovering from the training you are performing then you aren’t benefitting from it. When you’re recovering from a run is when your body is adapting to the new stimulus that you have placed on it and this is where the magic happens. The last thing you want to do is head out for another run just after you have done a big long or hard run and haven’t fully recovered. Runners are general very dedicated individuals who are will to push their bodies to the limits. But it’s the ones who can hold themselves back at the right time that tend to be the long term winners.
6. Finally, a bonus mistake (and my personal favourite) – trying to impress your friends on Strava. I see this daily and trust me, it doesn’t end well!
The above informaiton only relates to training load errors & I have not discussed other external factors that may contribute to Injury, or factors that help a runner avoid injury like sleep/nutrition and strength & conditioning.
There are many more pieces to the ‘avoiding-injury-puzzle’, however, hopefully after reading this you can take away one or two key messages and start to apply the to your training. The smartest thing you can do is learn from other peoples’ mistakes and put yourself on the path to successful running.
If you are a runner who would like to sit down and discuss your running plan, or if you’re currently suffering from a running injury that you can’t seem to get on top of then you can visit me at our Ashmore clinic.
For more information or to book in for an individualised run screening that can help identify factors that will help you perform better, or be a possible injyr risk, call the clinic at anytime ph 07 5500 6470 or Book Online at www.mygcphysio.com.au
Note: Kyle leads the monday morning Run@mygcphysio Trail Run Crew and can give you tips and tricks on that run. If you would like more info on our cool Trail Run Crew, click here