What is the key to improvement in running?
Most coaches would probably agree that the answer to that is consistency.
Consistency means both training regularly as well as staying healthy.
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You have a goal race picked out and your training is going better
than ever, including some PRs in tune-up races, only to suffer some
minor but debilitating injury only weeks before race day. Unfortunately,
this is an all-too-common scenario and you’re not alone if it’s
happened to you.
Now, the question is – how do you avoid that?
John Davis, our RunnersConnect Head of Running Research, has had his
fair share of injuries and setbacks to his training and racing. He
started asking himself the question: “Why do runners get injured?” and
began writing about it. He has come up with some interesting
conclusions.
John generously shared his ideas on injury prevention and training with us. The key points of our discussion were:
How increasing one’s stride frequency can help reduce injuries and how to increase itHip strength and its connection to a number of running-related injuriesThe concepts of aerobic and anaerobic thresholdSome key workouts to learn how these intensities feel rather than adhering to certain pacesWe’d like to thank John very much for his time and wish him continued
health as he returns to racing. (Ed. On February 7th, John bettered a
4-year-old indoor mile PR by running 4:25.11 at the Carleton Invite in
Minnesota)
If any of John’s advice or comments resonate with you, please don’t
hesitate to tell us. We’d also love to know what you think of our
podcasts. You can leave a comment here or on our iTunes page. You can also leave us a voice message at (617) 356-7969. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for listening.4 Simple Methods to Improve Consistency and Reduce Injuries. Interview with research expert John Davis