Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Run for your life
|
Wrong technique can ruin your running plan
|
Photo: Bijoy Ghosh
RUN RUN RUN... ... but carefully and wisely
Running is hard on the knees, ankles and back, and the feet withstand tons of weight for every miles run. Three out of four runners suffer over-use related injuries every year, and the causes are usually poor running technique, running too far, too fast-usually on the wrong surface, and using the wrong kind of shoes. Running more than 10 km per day increases the risk of injury, and it does little to improve health and physical fitness. Cut down on your running if you are clocking up more than 50 km a week.
A better alternative is to do cross training - doing weight-training or cycling, to supplement a 5 km daily run. This will provide a more balanced workout without compromising on intensity- a good thing if you are a post-exercise endorphin rush addict.
As beginners gain in strength, they are more likely to ramp up the number of miles they run daily. A rough guide to avoiding injury as a beginner is to increase running distance by less than 10 per cent every week. This will give muscles, tendons and ligaments time to adapt fully to a running load before being challenged with a heavier load.
Run on soft grassy terrain. Avoid uneven surfaces. Stop when running elicits pain. Knee and ankle injuries take notoriously long to heal, and they require rest and immediate treatment. Treat the painful area with ice and rest for a few days and see an orthopaedic as soon as possible.
Give yourself days off from running. The body needs time to recover from physical stress. Even hard core bodybuilders exercise only for four or five days in a week, and the same precaution applies for runners. Replace your running shoes every few months. The shock-absorbers in shoes lose their effectiveness long before your body can tell.
Stretching exercises before and after a run can reduce the chances of injury. Stretch until you feel tautness but not pain. Stretching the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and the groin before and after a workout keeps them loose and supple. A little bit of weight training also goes a long way towards preventing running injuries. Focus on all the major muscle groups in the gym, and your muscles will protect your joints from undue stress on the run.
RAJIV. M
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
