The Ultimate Learn To Run Program - Learn from a pro!

Components of a great running stride:

As natural as running is for us as humans, it’s actually not something that many of us do very well. In my experience as a running coach 8 out of 10 people have issues happening in their running stride that is either creating inefficiency, or worse, resulting in a nagging injury.

As adults we often spend a good amount of time sitting at a desk or in a state of rest. This can often promote a weak core and poor posture. Quick reality check…..as you’re reading this right now, how is your posture? See what I mean!? You’re probably not sitting upright with your core engaged and feet planted solid on the ground are you? It’s ok….we’ll work on it!

Essential Running Drills:

Running drills are an excellent way to speed up your development and teach your body the neuromuscular patterns we want it to follow. Consider it programming the body to run in its most efficient manner automatically.

The more you practice these drills the easier they get, and the less you’ll have to be thinking about what your body is doing while you’re running.  

There’s a good chance that you’re experiencing some muscle soreness and tightness as you now have your first 9 runs under your belt. Your body is adjusting to the physical demands that you’re placing on it, and muscles that have potentially been inactive, are now being stressed on a regular basis.

The important lesson I want you to learn this week is the power of recovery, and what you should be doing between workouts. Rest and recovery are highly important components of your training and something you should take very seriously.

Consider recovery as part of your training. It’s not a sign of laziness, it’s essential!

When participating in a sport or exercise program, the risk of injury is always present. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most common for runners, with both new and experienced athletes at risk.

This program has been designed carefully, slowly progressing, and gradually increasing in intensity to help reduce the risk of injury and to allow your body to adapt.

Last week you learned about the importance of being proactive in your recovery to avoid injury in the first place, however there’s always a chance injury can occur even if you’re doing everything right.

The good news is that these injuries, although frustrating, do not necessarily mean you have to stop running and lose all of your progress. If you are quick to identify an issue and seek treatment, you can often continue to run and work through your training.

Neven ignore pain or something that is beyond the normal soreness in hopes that it will just go away. Chances are if something feels wrong, it probably is. Get it dealt with right away and move on!

Below I will walk you through some of the most common running injuries you’re likely to face at some point in your running career and give you some advice on how to treat them if they come up.

Important caveat - I’m not a doctor. I’m a running coach with a LOT of experience and thousands of miles under my feet. I have deep knowledge of these injuries, some of which I’ve worked through myself. My goal is to help you understand what is causing these injuries and hopefully avoid them in the first place, however you should always seek the guidance of a medical professional if you’re unsure or are experience pain that alters your running stride.

Ok, so now that we have that out of the way, let’s get to it. It’s important to start by understanding what typically causes injuries in the first place. Avoid these traps and you will reduce the risks significantly:

Causes of Running Injuries:

Unrealistic Goals - It's common for both new and seasoned runners to have race and distance objectives that are unrealistic. Physical capability or short timeframes set can be a cause of injury. It's important that you establish clear goals that are achievable.

Impatience - Similar to the above, over eagerness can often introduce the risk of injury. Running is a sport that requires a long term perspective for success. It's common to see major improvement at the beginning of a training program, especially for new runners where significant gains are obvious. Over time, as you reach your full running potential, improvement is less drastic which can tempt you to push too hard.

Poor Running Technique - Many runners have ineffective running strides, which introduces the risk of injury. As the mileage and intensity of a running program increases, the repetitiveness of the sport creates additional stress on the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, forcing them to work outside of their normal range of motion. It's important that you continue work on developing your stride and practice the running drills that you learned in week 3.

Overtraining - It's essential for runners to get adequate rest (sleep) and post workout recovery to have success in a training program. Without adequate recuperation time, the body becomes weaker, reaction time decreases, and the speed of recovery is slowed. Inadequate recovery can also compromise the immune system and increase the likelihood of sickness and fatigue.

Here are some common signs of overtraining:

• Easily Fatigued

• Getting adequate sleep (7 hours +) but still feeling tired

• Decrease in appetite

• Abnormal weight loss or weight gain

• Higher than normal resting heart rate

• Increased blood pressure

• Persistent sore muscles or joints

• Increased number of headaches
  
  

Common Running Injuries

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Runner's Knee)

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), also known as Runner's Knee, is a condition characterized by knee pain ranging from severe to mild discomfort, typically behind the back of the kneecap.

Cause - Runners Knee results when the kneecap is not tracking in its ideal path, usually due to tight Hamstrings and/or Overpronation when running.

Symptoms

• Pain immediately below the kneecap

• Soreness is aggravated when going up and down stairs

• Clicking and pain in the knee when squatting

Treatment & Prevention

• R.I.C.E. Protocol (See Below)

• Follow the prescribed stretching routine before and after running

• Massage Therapy

• Daily Foam Rolling

• Look for possible shoe alternative to better match foot structure and running stride

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.

Cause - Plantar fasciitis is a condition caused by drastic or sudden increases in mileage, poor foot structure, and inappropriate running shoes, which can overload the plantar fascia, the connective tissue that runs from the heel to the base of the toes, resulting in heel pain. Plantar fasciitis-related heel pain tends to strike those who overtrain, neglect to stretch their calf muscles or neglect taking adequate recovery.

Symptoms

• Tight calves.

• Pain along the inside of foot which can be more concentrated near the heel.

• Most soreness is often felt after running and first thing in the morning on rising.

Treatment

• Look for possible shoe alternative to better match foot structure and running stride

• Orthotics

• Stretching of the Achilles Tendon and Calves

• R.I.C.E. Protocol (See Below)

* Note - Plantar fasciitis can be a nagging problem, which gets worse and more difficult to treat the longer it’s present. To prevent plantar fasciitis, run on soft surfaces, keep mileage increases to less than 10 percent per week, and wear the proper shoes for your foot type and gait. The running shoe that you wear should have plenty of arch support.

IT Band Syndrome

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is one of the most common overuse injuries among runners. It occurs when the iliotibial band, (the ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin), is tight or inflamed. The IT band attaches to the knee and helps stabilize and move the joint.

Cause - ITB syndrome can result from any activity that causes the leg to turn inward repeatedly. This can include wearing worn-out shoes, running downhill or on banked surfaces, running too many track workouts in the same direction, or simply running too many miles. Unlike many overuse injuries, however, IT band pain afflicts seasoned runners almost as much as beginners. When the iliotibial band comes near the knee, it becomes narrow, and rubbing can occur between the band and the bone. This causes inflammation. Iliotibial Band Syndrome is more common in women, possibly because some women’s hips tilt in a way that causes their knees to turn in.

Symptoms

• Outer knee pain

• Pain in a single leg squat to 45 degrees of knee flexion

• Swelling can occur on the outside of the knee

Treatment

• Massage Therapy

• Daily Foam Rolling

• Orthotics

• Look for possible shoe alternative to better match foot structure and running stride

Shin Splints

Shin splints are very common for runners due to the impact placed on the lower legs. Shin splints can be both anterior or posterior. (Front or back)

Cause- There can be a number of factors at work, such as running technique, inadequate stretching, worn shoes, or excessive stress placed on one leg or one hip from running on cambered roads or always running in the same direction on a track. Typically, one leg is involved and it is almost always a runner’s dominant one.

Symptoms:

Anterior Shin Splints

• Tenderness/pain on the outside to middle of shin

• Pain occurs when lifting the toes

Posterior Shin Splints

• Pain & tightness in the back of the lower leg (e.g. in the calves)

  
  

Treatment

• R.I.C.E Protocol (See Below)

• Wearing compression socks while running

• Daily Foam Rolling

• Orthotics

• Reduce training volume or stop until the pain is gone

• Shoes with higher cushioning amount

When to run. When to rest

One common question I often get from my athlete’s that are experiencing an injury or soreness is:

“Is it ok to still run”?

While this is a tough question to answer as each case is slightly different, there are a few rules that I recommend.

Rule #1 - Is your running form impacted?

The first rule to follow when experiencing pain is determining if your running stride is being altered when you run. If there is some soreness but you can still run normally, that might be a sign that you can continue to train while treating the issue. However if your running form is changing because of the pain and you cannot run normally, then it’s a good idea to take some time off and rest.

Rule #2 - Pain while running

The second thing to consider when dealing with an injury is the type of pain you’re experiencing while running. If the pain is sharp and stays constant throughout the entire run, you should stop running and take some rest. If the soreness gradually subsides as you start to warm up and your running stride is not being impacted, this is a good sign. You will still want to reduce the intensity and take it easy and ensure you’re following your stretching and recovery protocol.   

Rule #3 - The 3 day rule

It’s never a bad idea to take a few days off and allow some additional time for your body to recover if you’re experience pain and soreness. Often by doing this you can prevent an injury from becoming too serious and forcing you to stop all together. The 3 day rule simply suggests that you take 3 full days of rest from all activity. You will not lose any fitness in this short period of time and the extra rest will help speed up your recovery. If after 3 days the pain has not improved when you run, a more intentional recovery program is required.

Rice Protocol

The most common First Aid treatment for runners that experience a musculoskeletal injury is R.I.C.E. which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. This is a highly effective approach to initially deal with the injuries described above. Often this will help to quickly resolve the issue before it manifests into something bigger.

(R) Rest - As soon as an injury occurs, it is important to stop running and give the injured region a break. Another important thing to keep in mind relative to RICE injury treatment is that if running causes pain, you should stop doing it or take a break. Pushing through the pain will only cause additional damage over the long term.

(I) Ice - Applying ice is an important step of the acronym RICE. Ice should be applied immediately following an injury and during the recovery process. The benefits of ice are that it reduces pain and swelling and can slow bleeding (if applicable). Ice should be applied for 10 to 15 minutes several times a day for the first few days following an injury. The ice should not be applied directly to the skin; blunt the cold by wrapping it in a towel or something of that nature.

(C) Compression - Wrapping the injured or sore area with an elastic bandage, will help decrease swelling. Don't wrap it too tightly, because this can cause more swelling below the affected area. Loosen the bandage if it gets too tight. Signs that the bandage is too tight include numbness, tingling, increased pain, coolness, or swelling in the area below the bandage.

(E) Elevation - Elevation involves taking advantage of gravity as part of the RICE acronym injury treatment. Keeping the injured area above the heart can reduce swelling by allowing extra fluid to drain. When sitting down or icing the injured area, one should elevate the injured area on pillows.

Week 5 Runs

Warm Up - Run 3 Minutes. Walk 3 Minutes.

Workout - Run For 3 Minute, Rest for 2 minute. Repeat 6 times.

4 Minute Cool Down Walk.

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One way to improve your running performance and reduce the risk of injury is by increasing running cadence. This week I’ll explain what it means and give you some homework!

This week I want to talk to you about using a treadmill as part of your training. Perhaps you’ve been running on one for a some of this training or maybe you’ve never set a foot on a treadmill before. Whatever the case may be there are some big differences between running outside on the roads and running on a treadmill.

The treadmill can be a great option to incorporate into your training, especially when used correctly.

For most people, thinking about breathing is not something you ever consider. It's an automatic physiological action, and at best if you're someone that meditates you may spend some time paying attention to your breath.

When it comes to running, your breath is something that you might start to dial into, especially when you're out of it.... keeled over, holding your knees after a hard effort.

As a running coach I find that "How do I breathe"? is not usually the first thing on a list of questions my athletes bring, but it’s one that inevitably comes up. The question is usually seeking to solve the problem of how to better control breathing, in hopes to perform in a run.

One of the most powerful habits you can form as a runner is tracking your progress. For some this will come very natural and for others it will feel like a bit of a chore, but trust me it is a valuable routine to implement.

So what type of things should you track? Great question! There is no limit to what you will want to measure, it’s really up to you, however here are some ideas to get you started:

The success of any given run is directly related to the quality of your nutrition and the timing of when you eat. Often what you eat (or don’t eat) before you run will have a noticeable impact on how you feel.

In this section I will outline some basic guidelines that will help you to develop your plan. You will want to consider your own dietary needs and seek the advice of your doctor for more specific diet programs if required.