IN JURY TOOL KIT

“I’ve had injuries on and off over my 20 years of running.

The first major one was problems with the alignment of my pelvis, probably from overtraining. I delayed getting treatment and it led to problems in my lower back. The first physiotherapist I saw told me to give up running; I just accepted what I was told and stopped for about a year, but then I was encouraged to see another physio who helped me to strengthen my back and return to running.

Have you ever thought about the role that nutrition plays in keeping you running comfortably and injury-free? Proper nutrition is important not only in athletic performance, but also injury prevention. Here are 5 tips for maximising your nutrition to reduce your risk of injury...

#1 Eat a healthy diet. Check the nutrition tips from registered dietician Hannah Holzum on the previous page. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk of injury.

More recently, my knees have been the issue; one due to aflare up of an old skiing injury and the other thanks to my dog, which resulted in me not being able to walk properly let alone run!

#1 Ensure you’re eating enough calories. If you’re in a calorie deficit, your training suffers, which increases your risk of developing injuries. Eating enough for your body and your training ensures you replenish glycogen stores and repair muscle tissue during rest.

#2 Always warm up. Don’t skimp on the warm up. Take 10 minutes before you run to warm up your muscles and joints and to get your nerve pathways between your brain and body activated. A brisk walk, some dynamic stretches and some sideways skipping is all you need.

Have you ever been injured? It’s the pits! While running helps you to stay mentally and physically well, not being able to do it is incredibly frustrating. And it’s all the more miserable when you miss a race you’ve trained for or aren’t able to join friends for a run.

I ignored all my own advice and knowledge with my latest knee injury and returned to running very quickly. This made it worse and I know I’ve been out for longer than I needed to. I’ve worked really hard on a rehab plan with my physio and focused on using Pilates to help too.

#2 Eat antioxidant-rich foods as well as healthy fats to combat inflammation. The more colourful the fruits and vegetables, the higher the level of antioxidants. Aim for three servings of fruits and three to four servings of vegetables daily. Choose richcoloured berries such as strawberries and blueberries and dark, leafy greens like broccoli and kale. Many of these also contain vitamin C which helps keep cartilage healthy and strong.

#3 Recover well. Build plenty of rest days into your training plan. It’s when you rest that your body repairs and heals itself from the stress that exercise has caused. That’s what makes you stronger and skimping on it will increase injury risk.

According to medical studies, around 50 per cent of recreational runners get injured every year. That’s a huge number, and if you’ve had an injury, you’re at higher risk of having another one too.

While injured, I feel gutted, frustrated and annoyed. When I see other runners, I want to shout, “I run too!” It’s hard to stay motivated but I teach canicross and needed to get back to it. I decided to set myself a challenge to keep me on track; I’m aiming to run an ultra next year with the dog. For extra motivation I immersed myself in the running community and started reading ultra-runners’ books. I also tried to imagine myself running one next year; I’ve never used this mind trick before but it’s made me determined to work hard and get back to running.

#3 Consume adequate calcium and vitamin D. Stress fractures are a common running injury and you can reduce your risk with enough calcium and Vitamin D in your diet. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that runners consume 1,000mg of calcium daily. Dairy products such as milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium. You can also find calcium in dark leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and bok choy.

#4 Increase training load gradually. Whether it’s the number of miles you run, the speed you run them or the number of times per week that you run, it’s wise to build up gradually. Let your body adjust and adapt to the training load.

While your heart can sink at the thought of it, having an injury can be turned into a positive. There are so many things you can do to injury-proof your body; simple everyday steps you can take to reduce your risk of being side-lined or having to hang up your trainers for good. Time invested today will brighten your running future.

#4 Eat adequate protein with branched chain amino acids (BCAA). BCAAs help prevent muscle degradation and strains. All three BCAAs – leucine, isoleucine, and valine – can be found in foods such as eggs, steak, salmon, tuna, and chicken. Although BCAA are more available in meat than plant sources, you can find BCAAs in plant-based foods such as legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas) as well as soy, nuts, and whole grains.

#5 Don’t ignore niggles. If something keeps twinging when you run, don’t be in denial. Yes, some niggles settle down but if it’s a recurrent pain then it’s best to get it checked out. Early intervention can often prevent significant injury and minimise time off running.

We’ve created this injury toolkit to help you become a runner who isn't always asking, ‘What if?’ What if I’d warmed up properly? What if I’d stopped running as soon as the pain began? What if I hadn’t wobbled off the kerb? Instead, be the runner who is proactively looking at ways to prevent and overcome injury.

The biggest thing I’ve learnt about my body from being injured is how my body works as a whole, and how I can come back stronger both physically and mentally. I think, especially as we get older, we become more aware of our body’s needs and how we can adapt our training so we can continue to run.

#6 Add in balance and co-ordination activities. This is particularly important as you age. Keep the neural pathways between your brain and muscles and joints active by using them frequently. Check the ankle sprains advice for some ideas.