Are you starting marathon preparations for the Autumn, or simply just enjoying a summer of running? The one thing constantly at the back of our minds is not getting injured. Injury can leave you feeling frustrated and helpless; Jamie Lloyd, health and fitness coach and personal trainer, gives us 10 tips on remaining injury free.
- Be Realistic– set yourself realistic targets and don’t overdo it- I see so many runners jumping straight from a 5k into a half marathon without even dabbling with any 10 mile plus training runs and end up getting injured.
- Build Your Base– generally 3-4 training sessions per week is suffice. This allows enough recovery time between training and still gets enough mileage and base training in the legs.
- Add Variety– instead of running, why not add in some cycling, swimming or yoga into your sessions to give your tired legs a rest.
- Record Your Mileage– a way to monitor your weekly milage is to write down and record how far you run, instead of guessing and causing injury!
- Step Back and Build Up– if you have a race coming up don’t hammer it by making up for lost time, build up gradually and don’t forget if you have a race coming up, rest up!
- Day Off- Don’t forget a rest is just as good as a run! So rest up, your body will thank you for it and will give you time to recover, heal and ultimately get stronger!
- Get Strong- Don’t forget to add in some strength training into your training regime. No, I don’t mean doing bicep curls at the gym! I mean doing specific exercises for running like squats, box jumps, deadlifts, lunges and core work at the gym a couple times a week.
- Massage – massage should be included in your training regime too- not some me time just on holiday! If you want to stay injury free and knock off a few minutes on your long runs then having a massage will improve elasticity in the joints increase blood flow and improve your performance and recovery too! Read more about the benefits of massage HERE.
- Nail Your Nutrition– as runners you’ll know you cannot survive on takeaways and skipping meals. So get your nutrition right and eat healthy organic foods daily – not just before a race! Read more about nutrition tips HERE.
- Magnesium oil – soak yourself in the bath, adding some magnesium oil 1-2 times week to allow yourself to recover and recuperate – your body will love this! You’ll have the best night sleep ever too!
Jamie Lloyd is an award winning fit pro and British Kettlebell Champion. He is available for private coaching, nutrition coaching and massage therapy – contact him via his website HERE.
