Late Spring and early Summer are busy racing seasons, and we at Mountain Fitness are happy, once again, to serve as sponsors of the Bob Beckert Memorial 5-K Run, Sun., June 5th, 10 a.m. at Watchung Hills High School. Applications are available at the club, or through run4RJB.com.
Running is one of the best form of exercises. It's my personal favorite, both for the feeling it gives me (physically and mentally), and the competitive aspect. You can constantly challenge yourself with races of varying distances and terrains.
As I've gotten older (58 in September!), I've been injured more often, due to the effects of 40-plus years of moderate (25 miles) to heavy (60-plus) mileage; the workouts I do on my own and with clients at the club; and my tendency to jump back in, while I should be resting or re-habbing an injury. Frankly, I'm better at giving running advice than listening to it!
All that being said, here's some good wisdom, courtesy of Dr. Frank Cardone, in a recent Family Medicine column in the Star-Ledger. Dr. Cardone notes that 40-60% of runners have at least one significant injury per year. I can raise my hand there, and add that many injuries I've suffered are compensatory for another ailment that hasn't quite healed. For example, a strained right Achilles that changed my gait, resulting in a meniscus tear on the same leg. Cross-train, ice, run, race, and now a strained right hamstring that I'm struggling through! You can imagine how it feels after a six hour drive to visit our son at college in New Hampshire!
As per Dr. Cardone, here's some general tips to remember when hitting the roads:
*Don't increase your mileage more than 10% per week, and also be careful about ratcheting up the intensity too fast.
*Although they are a necessary and essential component to any training strategy that involves racing, don't overdo the hill work or intervals.
*Higher mileage corresponds with greater frequency of injuries. This has proven true in my case.
*Don't run seven days per week. Every other day is optimal for injury prevention, and cross-training activities like swimming, rowing, or the elliptical trainer can take the place of running on the alternate days. That will keep the cardiovascular conditioning up, and emphasize some different muscles and movements.
*Softer running surfaces are better, but also be careful of uneven terrain on trails or grass.
*Use proper running shoes and replace them every 400 miles or six months.
*Listen to your body, and don't run through pain. To that, I always joke, "Then I would never run!"
Good luck on the roads this summer, and hope to see you at the Beckert Run on June 5th!
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