How to Learn From Running Injuries and Rethink Your Daily Routine

Running injuries are the most severe. They undermine your motivation and make you sit back and watch your hard-earned fitness go down the drain. If you are anything like me, you have had your fair share of running injuries that quickly put an end to your running goals.

This post was originally published on the Strength Running website .

In fact, I used to be chronically stuck in an endless cycle of trauma due to:

• Achilles tendinopathy
• Plantar fasciitis
• Countless arched deformations
• IT group syndrome
• SI joint imbalance

But these injuries made me stop and assess my daily routine. Once I learned that injuries can be a blessing in disguise, my running flourished. I’ve learned to do a lot differently. My approach to light jogging has changed dramatically, I have completely revised my structure and training scheme, making strength training a top priority.

The worst trauma of my life – being fired with IT Band Syndrome for six months after my first marathon – made me experience the best running of my life. It made me stronger – both in the gym and in my ability to run more. This caused a new wave of self-confidence.

I soon broke my personal best in the marathon and ran 2:39:32 in the Philadelphia Marathon . I don’t think that without the injury of the IT group, I would have recovered as quickly and so quickly.

Getting the most out of my injury made me rethink my training. And these changes led to strength running – many of my guiding principles and general philosophy are focused on prevention.

Because if you stay healthy, you can run more. You can match your mileage, workouts, and long runs more closely. You will be much faster soon. These principles are at the heart of SR’s Free Injury Prevention Lessons .

And today I’m going to help you learn from your next trauma so that you come back stronger, smarter, and faster.

Trauma Identification: What Went Wrong?

The first step is to determine what kind of injury you have and why you were injured. Too often, I hear a runner say, “My leg hurts.” This is unfortunate, but the details are important if you want to make progress.

The most common injuries have the following telltale signs:

• IT bracelet syndrome almost always causes pain on the outside of the knee. Worse on descents and may hurt going down stairs.
• Runner’s knee (PFPS) can be a dull or sharp pain in or around the kneecap that almost always only hurts while running.
• Achilles tendinopathy manifests as pain in the Achilles tendon, aggravated by running fast, and may be painful even at rest.
• Plantar fasciitis usually worsens in the morning with acute heel pain that gets better after some activity.
• A shin splint is a frequent burning or painful sensation on the inside or outside of the lower leg. They are more suitable for beginners.

Runners should see a physical therapist or other healthcare professional if they are in pain but are unaware of the injury they are getting. But it’s important to understand your body, its signals and learn to take care of yourself. If you run to the doctor for every little thing, you will soon go broke.

Now, figuring out why you got hurt can be tricky. Review your workout log and notice these red flags:

• Has your total weekly mileage increased significantly in a short period of time?
• Is your weekly mileage inconsistent with the peaks and valleys?
• Do you run more than 20% of your weekly mileage with great effort?
• Are you constantly skipping strength work ?
• Are you all running in the same shoes, at the same pace, in the same terrain?

There are almost countless reasons why you could get hurt. But these are the most common reasons I’ve seen looking at the workouts of thousands of runners over the years.

With more information, you will be ready to treat the injury , recover, and prevent recurrence.

Change your training to prevent more injuries

At this point, you have identified your injury and have at least a general idea of ​​why it happened. Now you can change your run so that it doesn’t happen again. After all, making the same mistakes and just hoping to stay healthy isn’t too smart!

Take a look at the causes mentioned above that may have caused your injury. If you suspect that one of them is the cause of your injury, do the opposite in training. For example, if more than 20% of your mileage is hard effort, then slow down and run calmly for at least 80% of your total mileage.

Here are some more examples:

• If you’ve never trained for strength, start now.
• If your running lacks variety, repetitive stress injuries often occur.
• Use constant mileage if your mileage often changes dramatically from high to low.

You can also look at your injuries from a historical perspective. This is where your training log comes in handy so you can remember your previous injuries. Does it always seem like you have leg injuries? It ‘s time to strengthen your legs . Do you always get injured if you run a certain weekly mileage? Slow down and get stronger before increasing your miles.

If you are unsure about what injuries you have, why they occur, or how to change your workout to prevent injuries, it may be wise to learn more about running. The Injury Prevention Materials from Strength Running is a good place to start (and it’s free).

How do the best runners learn from injury?

I always love watching the best runners in the world deal with their injuries. Do they know of a strategy to help prevent injuries that regular runners don’t have? What changes in thinking allow them to become strong again?

I pulled out my copy of Coming Back Strong: Distance Runners Injury, Cross-Training and Rehabilitation to see how the elite dealt with injuries.

Patrick Smith (2015 world alpine running champion – I interviewed him here ) was asked what he learned from the injury:

Take small preventative measures. I’ve included proper warm-up, extra strength, icing, and general recovery on every run / workout and even cross-workout days.

Also, be extremely careful when building up after a long break, as this happens when a lot of injury occurs.

I incorporated a more solid general and auxiliary strength program into my general regimen and took my warm-up and recovery process more seriously.

Alan Webb is another great example. He holds the American mile record (3: 46.91) but has a long history of injury.

Here are his thoughts on injuries:

On your way back [from injury], do it slowly. No need to hurry. It is difficult and very important to have a coach you trust.

Running is a contact sport in which the strength of each step is 3-5 times the body weight. If you can look at running this way, you and your coach will become more aware of the risks of intense training and therefore plan more accurately, resulting in fewer injuries and faster running.

I could quote elite runners all day. The consensus seems clear: do the little things, gradually increase your mileage and intensity, get stronger, and focus on preventing injury.

If you do not prioritize prevention, you are destined to suffer many more injuries.

Injuries are the perfect learning experience

Your body is not a machine. He can get stronger, but only with the right levels of stress and recovery. If you were injured, something happened that did not take into account this stress and the recovery process. Like Goldilocks, you must strive for the right balance:

If this fatigue falls too low (in other words, the training stimulus was too intense), you are likely to get hurt.

But we learn by trial and error. Sometimes trauma is just what you need, it is a real test that you are human and that you must respect the training process. So channel your frustration and anger into cross-training to keep you fit.

Accept flexibility and understand that training plans are just examples of ideal workouts. They’re fluid, so remember to listen to your body and reschedule your workouts if you’re not ready.

Learn more about injuries (and why they happen) to stay healthy longer.

Why? Because you can do everything by staying healthy: run faster, train smarter, have more fun and more enjoyment from our wonderful sport.

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