Running is a cheap and accessible way to get fit. You can literally put on a pair of trainers and hit the road. Couch to 5k is a great way to improve your fitness, however if you find you’re picking up more than a minor niggle along the way, then maybe it’s time to assess whether running actually is the best thing for you right now.
Running is hard on your body, there is no doubt about it. After all, it is a high impact activity, this means impact on your joints – ankles, knees, hips, lower back. If you’re running to lose weight, that’s fab, but remember all that weight has to go through your joints.
If you are running as your new way to get fit having done little to nothing beforehand, then this may be where you are going wrong.
Running doesn’t always come naturally
Some people are able to naturally run with little to no injury (lucky them), but the majority of us will have one niggle or another and when these niggles are ignored and turn to pain, we have an issue.
I used to run and I liked to challenge myself with longer distances, however my body isn’t really designed for running. I’m what you would describe as the complete opposite to long and lean. You know how greyhounds and whippets are long, lean and fast… well I am more along the lines of a Staffordshire bull terrier… strong, steady and robust!
Anyway, after many years of running and doing no strength training whatsoever to support my running (I was unknowledgeable back then), I finally succumbed to a knee injury whilst training for my 3rd marathon. Poor right hip stabilisation created ITB syndrome, which is basically friction of a tendon around the outside of the knee causing inflammation and pain…. And an inability to bend my knee three days before my race, but what did I do? I ran or more like…hobbled most of it..anyway. Needless to say I was not in great shape afterwards.
Image: HSS.edu
Me after my first marathon, injury free!
Anyway, the moral of the story is, if you have niggles now and you’re only doing couch to 5k, there are probably other things your should be doing to prepare yourself for running.
What can I do to prepare myself?
If you’ve been on the couch for most of your life, then you will need to awaken your body and your muscles to ensure they have the capacity to support you when you run.
Basic conditioning for runners include squats, lunges, calf raises. There’s also your core to consider.
Unilateral exercises
A fancy way to say single side exercises – you will need to be doing these if you’re picking up niggles or injuries mostly on one side.
If you’re not doing any balancing type exercises where you stand on one leg, then it’s time to get started. When you run (not shuffle) you will spend a lot of time balancing on one leg, so it’s time to hone that skill.
Stabilising through each hip and dynamically pushing through that hip. An inability to do either, will likely result in injury at some point.
Why hills might be better off left till later
A client I treated other day told me she had started couch to 5k but a pain in her left quads put a halt to it. The front of her hip tightened up when she decided to try running up a hill.
When I do soft tissue treatments, I learn a lot about clients and what their body is doing through what their muscles tell me.
This client had been doing glute (buttock) strengthening work, along with working her adductors (inner thighs), all good, however she hadn’t improved her hip extension (take her leg behind her), so when tasked with an incline (the hill), there was little power generating from the glutes to push her upwards. Instead the quads are somehow trying to take on that role.
If you look at professional runners, you will notice they move very gracefully through long strides, excellent hip extension enables this.
When your hip doesn’t extend, your strides will be shorter and you may feel your knees more. Your quads will most likely be super tight, but you probably don’t notice that till you go for a massage and you wish you hadn’t! Yes, it hurts!
You need to stretch
Your body has got used to not doing a great deal, your muscles and the other soft tissue need to be stretched and mobilised. Improving the range of motion through your joints means you’re able to move better and cause less strain on your body.
If you’re new to running and niggles seem to mounting up, it’s time to take stock. What aren’t you doing from what I listed above?
Need a reset to get you back on the saddle?
If you would like a reset, get yourself back to good place before you start running again, a soft tissue treatment with me can help get you there.
I use a combination of remedial massage techniques along with EMMETT technique. Clients appreciate that the way I treat creates little further discomfort for them, whilst giving them fast, effective outcomes more or less instantly.
I also offer personal training and movement coaching for those who want support improving their strength and fitness. Follow along my Facebook group for more tips to help you avoid niggles and injuries when running.
I am Sabrina Qua - Soft Tissue Therapist, Movement Coach and Personal Trainer based in Worcester Park, Epsom, who helps people resolve or significantly reduce their musculoskeletal aches and pains through an integrative approach, so they can live active, enjoyable lives. More tips and information available in my Facebook group Reduce Pain and Move Better.