Runners Knee

RUNNERS KNEE

The number 1 sport injury you that we will experience is runners knee Pain will be felt in the area of the kneecap. This is not caused by any external trauma but by the repetitive forces that are generated by the act of running. With out treatment this will become worse and heavy training & long runs in particular will exacerbate this. Discomfort will be felt when you bend or straighten your knees & walking up and down steps

TIPS To Avoid Runners Knee

1 Make sure you have the right footwear for your foot type

2 Regularly change your running shoes (300-500 miles)

3 Alternate direction & surface of your running routes

4 Build up your training volume slowly (Rem the 10% Rule)

5 Make sure you stretch after every every training session

Treatment Of Runners Knee

1 Back of your training and no long runs

2 Replace some of your runs with cycling to keep fit

3 Ice the knee for 15 minutes 3 times a day to reduce inflammation

4 A knee support left on overnight will heat the area up & speed up recovery

5 Be sensible and know when not to do any running

6 The body will repair itself just be patient.(6 weeks is normal)

Running Injuries Part 1

Why are you injured ?

As a runner it is inevitable you will pick up an injury some time during your athletic career.

Injury Progression Levels

Level 1	You will feel pain after exercise and possible for the next few hours
Level 2	Discomfort is felt during training but not severe enough to effect performance
Level 3	Serious discomfort. Pain will be evident leading to reduced performance
Level 4	The injury is now so severe that running is out of the question

An injury should always be acted on ASAP as it can quickly progress from mild to severe.

There is a reason for picking up an injury and you need to look for the reason

Potential factors include

Have you recently changes your shoes.

Shoes are designed to last 300-500 miles so make sure you change them regularly.

Make sure you have various types of shoes available. Do not run off-road in road shoes.

Is most of your running on the roads. You will suffer from the camber & hardness of the running surface The ideal surface would be a soft level surfaces. The best advice is to vary the types of terrain and direction of your running routes.

Do you do a warm up. Is stretching part of your routine.

Did you increasing your training mileage by more than 10% from week to week.

Is the long run too long. Are you resting enough and are your recovery runs too hard ?

What running style do you have ?

Are you a pronator , supinator or normal.

There are different shoes for each type

Check your shoes wear pattern or visit your local running shop for advice.

I will be discussing treatment of injuries in part 2

Marathon Recovery

Congratulations your have completed the marathon

Now to the recovery process. Your body will been taken to its limits. There will be physical damage which the body need time to repair.

This starts with refueling those depleted muscles, This is best achieved within the first 60 minutes of competing the race but be flexible it is not always possible at the big city events.

If you find it difficult to eat post race then use a liquid recovery drink Keep drinking to replenish fluid losses. Pale straw colour urine will tell when you are hydrated

You legs will now start to seize up & walking will become more difficult and tonight you sleep will most likely be very eventful. A massage if available is also a good idea. This can reduce your marathon recovery time & make that journey home just a little bit easier.

Your immune systems will be reduced over the next 2-3 days so there is an increased chance of picking up a infection. So eat healthy and increase your vitamin intake Also coming down the stairs the next day is one experience you will never forget.

During the first week you should do no running but stick to lower impact activities like cycling & swimming. My favorite was always cycling. Starting with 30 mins & building up over the week to 1 hour. Do not rush back to your normal running training. Build it up over 3-4 weeks

Now when do you go back racing. The standard rule i is use for every mile you have raced allow 1 day. But for the marathon  increase this to a ratio of (1.5) So no racing for 5-6 weeks

Do your recovery correctly and you will look forward to the rest of your racing schedule and will even start to look for your next marathon

Motivating Your Running

So you are a runner and you are looking to improve your fitness levels You are a consumer of magazine and internet web sites which cover your sport. You have gained information on the various types. of training and have implement them into your training schedule. All this is great but to keep this up well require you to keep motivated.

The hardest part of training is not the actual process of the physical exercise but pushing your body outside the home and away from all entertainment distraction that lies within.

We all have our excuses of why we have missed that session and wonder why  are fitness is not progressing. Our motivation drops and it gets harder to get out and do it. Before you know it you back with the majority of the population transfixed by that large screen television.

So we join a running club to part of fellow athletes. This certain helps but over time life changes and our priory are rearranged. It could be a new job or a growing family and our leisure time available for running is compromised. Like many I have looked for an answer on how I can fit in my running fix.

In the last decade we have seen the growth of social media networks which can be invaluable in organizing people into groups of like-minded individuals, The one that has changed my life the most is TWITTER. By following people who are into running you read about what they doing and all this talk about their running will motivate you like no other means. You find yourself communicating with people all over the world. A lot of useful information can be found this way and friendship can be developed with people who get you and your love of running. You may never meet up in the real world but these connections are what being human is all about and the internet is excellent in providing this facility and will certainly revitalize your training

Marathon Tapering

So your planning to run a spring marathon. You have built up your mileage over the winter and stuck to your individual schedule. There may have been a few hiccups along the way but this is normal. You have done those long runs and you are used to spending long periods of time on your feet. Now comes the fun part

Your main focus you should now be to ease back on the training so you will be fresh and fully recovered to enjoy the experience of marathon day. Running a marathon when you are not fully recovered will be a experience you will not forget. Personal targets will go out of the window and the challenge of the marathon will not be a pleasant memory In the last 3 weeks reduce your training so you can give it your best effort

The Taper

• The last long run will be 7 days from the race and at minimum effort (60%)
• The short run the day before is optional. Only run this if you are a competitive runner. If you are new to the running game take another recovery day..
• This taper is a template. If your body is telling you it needs more time do not be afraid to take more recovery or easy days
• Carry on with your stretching routine.
• Look after you feet and lubricate any area which may experience chaffing on race day

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
WK2	REST	8	6	4	6	REST	15
WK1	REST	6	4	REST	6	REST	10
WK0	REST	6	REST	4	REST	2	Marathon

Carbo Loading

On the first 3 days of week 0 cut minimal carbohydrate. Your body will use up its glycogen store and will then start to store extra glycogen The rest of week you should be consuming primarily carbohydrate. Your body will tell you when it is full but you can increase your intake by carbohydrate drinks. They have 2 advantages in giving your extra fluid and increasing your glycogen levels.

RACE DAY

On race day make sure you are up with plenty of time. This one day you do not want to be rushing around. Fill with a hearty breakfast and plenty of fluids.

Make sure your kit bag is well-organized and book in to the race early.

Do not get carried away by the adrenaline of the race. Stick to your target time.

Finally enjoy the race and good luck

The Long Steady Run & Improving Your Aerobic Ablity

Long Steady Running.

The foundation of any athlete running performance is based on endurance.

The main focus in your training should be on developing this aspect.

You should build up the base of the pyramid and the key to this is the Long Run.

Your basic resistance to fatigue and the development of the slow twitch fibers and capillaries will increase leading to increases aerobic performance.

The distance of the long run will depend on your current weekly mileage.

I personally favor basing it on the time you spend running as your mileage can vary depending on terrain. So yes log both your miles and duration.

I would personally recommend your Long Run to be double your medium run.

If you current medium steady run is around 40 minutes the long run would be 80 mins

Do not jump straight in build up that long run over time. This build up will take 12 weeks

Week 1	50 mins	Week2	55 mins	Week3	60 mins	Week4	40 mins
Week5	60 mins	Week6	65 mins	Week7	70 mins	Week8	40 mins
Week9	70mins	Week10	75 mins	Week11	80 mins	Week12	40 mins

The perfect distance for the long run is around 2 hours but this is for experienced runners who have build up their schedule and whose medium run is at 60 mins.

If you are looking to increase the body’s ability to burn fat you need to run for more than 80 minutes because is when the carbohydrates reserves start to run out and your body starts to draw on your fat burning resources.

Fat Burning Long Run	Exercise at 60-65 % Max Heart Rate
Aerobic Long Run	Exercise at 65 -75 & Max Heart Rate

See article on Heart Training for Runners on Blog if you are unsure about Heart rates and how to use them into your training.

Because long runs are stressful and will burn up a large amount of energy make sure you take plenty of fluids and some emergency food with you

Would also recommend running on mixed terrain as spending a long time on tarmac will increase your fatigue and effect your recovery from the session.

Recovery & improving your fitness

Recovery & improving your fitness

Improving your running fitness is what we all aim for.

The human body requires stress followed by periods of recovery to adapt. Resulting in higher levels of fitness.

When explaining on how this works I use the following explanation.

You are standing in front a wall with small hammer. Every time you go running you are hammering that wall. Harder sessions increase the force applied and eventually the wall will collapse and your fitness level will increase to a new level.

The wall will now reappear but it will now be longer and higher and will require an increased time line to break it down. As you approach your physical limits this period needed will become increasingly longer.

The main mistake many runners make is not having enough recovery in the believe that more miles is better.

The number one tip is to take your resting pulse on a daily basis.

If this reading is 10% above normal this is your body telling that it requires a recovery day.

When it reaches 20% above normal you should not partake in any exercise.

Recovery runs should be carried out at low levels of stress.

You should keep your heart rate below 60%

Keeping you heart rate at this level will take practice but keeping your heart level will help you in recovering and maximum your body’s adaption to current exercise plan

Recovery Run Maximum – Resting Pulse X 60 + Resting Pulse

Recovery Run	Maximum HR	Resting Pulse	Effort	Resting Pulse	Target HR
	185	35	60	35	125

If you are running 4 times a week make sure you have 1 recovery run every week and directly the day after your most stressful session.

A competitive runner will be working out 6 times a week and will have 2 recovery runs and again on days after the 2 hardest running days.

Use the recovery days as a reward to enable you to put extra effort in your hard sessions

Plan your Training with purpose and you will reap the rewards !!