Sneaky Non-Running Related Injuries that Derail Training
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Sometimes I wish to wrap my athletes in bubble wrap and hazmat suits so they avoid injury and illnesses, but that isn't realistic. While I can't protect my runners completely, I can educate them on how to best protect them from seemingly innocuous activities and alternative sports that may impact training. Below is the email I sent to my athletes last week. It may be helpful for you too!
“If your primary goal is to train for a run race or event, take care when participating in other sports or activities of daily living during the training period.
When you are participating in something out of your usual routine - assess the intensity and the repetition or length of time of that activity. Any of those factors can cause a nonrunning-related injury that impacts your ability to train.
For example, alternative sports like Cross Fit, soccer, and pickleball may cause direct injury. One of my runners decided to participate in a Cross Fit competition, fell, and suffered a grade II ankle sprain. As a result, she had to stop training for her half marathon.
Besides a direct injury, when combined with long-distance running training, participation in additional sports like these decreases opportunities for recovery and can cause overtraining. Injury, burn-out, and poor performance may result.
I recommend minimizing the intensity and frequency of playing other sports while you focus on training for a running race or event.
One caveat: triathlon is different. Training in this multisport is designed to accommodate all three sports, and swimming and cycling are not loading the body like running.
Other seemingly innocuous activities can also impact training.
For example, one of my runners jumped up and down at a Chiefs game and temporarily injured her back. It is not a particularly intense activity for a runner, but it is atypical and, if done repetitively for several hours, can lead to an injury.
Don’t paralyze yourself with fear or avoid all of life’s fun activities while training. Just play smart and be aware, and if you are unsure whether or not you should participate in a particular activity while training, [check with your coach]. ”
No matter how careful you are, life happens, and when it leads to an injury, follow my Acute Injury tips and live to run another day!