Overuse Injuries

        Endurance running is a sport of passion. You either love it or you hate it. “You're running on guts, on fumes. Your lungs burn, your muscles are screaming. You throw up, you're delirious, but you keep running because there is no way you are giving up, because there is no way you're not crossing that finish line. It's a misery non-runners don't understand.”- Martine Costello This quote explains it will I think.  All the sweat, the sore muscles, blisters, sunburns, torn muscles, we runners put up with all that for the satisfaction of the finish line (whether that finish line be at the end of a race of the end of a training run). But all too often, we are seeing overuse injuries with runners. We don’t know when to stop. I know I’m guilty of it. We ignore the pain of aching muscles and the longer we do that, we will soon be ignoring a much more serious problem. In most cases, overuse injuries can be prevented, even for those die-hard runners, if a few steps are taken.

Foam Roller: The foam roller is a piece of equipment I think every runner or endurance athlete should have. It does wonders for alleviating soreness and helping reduce tightness in the muscles that are working while we run. The IT band is the area most in need of the foam roller. The IT band is a tendon that goes from your hip, down the outside of your leg where it crosses the knee joint to attach on the inside. If the IT band becomes tight, it will pull on the kneecap causing it to track improperly, which in turn will cause knee pain for the runner. Using the foam roller on this tendon can help elongate it so the knee tracks where it is supposed to.

Increase mileage gradually: Don’t do too much too soon. This is the most common mistake new runner make. Gradually build your weekly miles up rather than going all out the first week. Your body needs time to adjust and get used to the impact and toll running takes on the body. A general rule is to only increase your mileage by 10% each week. This will ensure your body has the time it needs and you will be able to continue running without an injury. Quality is more important than quantity.

Rest!: Believe it or not, rest days are just as important as training days. Without rest, your body can’t repair itself from the previous workout. Constantly subjecting your body to intense and grueling workouts is only going to burn you out and cause an injury.

Don’t ignore acute pain: Pain is your body’s way of telling you you’re doing something wrong. While often times endurance runners tend to ignore these pains (I know I do), doing so often leads to a more serious injury.  If you listen to your body and take care of the pain or discomfort as it happens, you’re more likely to be running pain-free much sooner than if you ignore it and hope it just goes away. Ignoring it will place more stress on other joints that now have to compensate for the pain and now you’re looking at another potential location for injury. RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) is essential for runners to know (and practice) to take care of these acute pains.  If RICE does not fix the problem, then it might be time to see a physician.

Cross train: This is another one that serious runners don’t always like doing. Their mindset is that they need to always run during their workout time. In reality, your body needs a break from the constant impact that running causes. Cross training provides a great way to still get a workout that uses the same muscles and running, just without the impact. This way, joints get to recover and prepare for the next run, while your muscles are still getting a workout.

While you can't always avoid injuries, following these steps will reduce your chances of becomming injured, and speed up your recovery if you already are.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure refers to the pressure from circulating blood being exerted on the walls of blood vessels.  Blood pressure is measured and recorded as two numbers (120/80).  The top number is called systolic blood pressure.  This is measured as your heart is contracting and pushing blood through your arteries. The pressure during this phase is great which is why the number is higher.  The bottom number represents your diastolic blood pressure.  This is when your heart is relaxing and filling back up with blood.

Blood pressure can have negative health effects if it’s too high.  Ideally, blood pressure should be right around 120/80, or slightly lower.  A blood pressure that reads 140/90 on two separate occasions is classified as hypertension (high blood pressure).  Having high blood pressure has dangerous health consequences and can lead to coronary artery disease, heart failure, or stroke. There are not really symptoms of high blood pressure which is why it’s important to have it checked on a regular basis.  It could be causing damage to the heart and blood vessels without your knowledge.

There fortunately are ways to reduce your blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle.  First of all, eating a nutritious diet will not only reduce your risk of developing hypertension, but decrease it if you already have hypertension. Decreasing your sodium intake has also been proven to help lower blood pressure. Your body only requires about one teaspoon of salt per day but most people eat significantly more than that. Lowering sodium intake can help decrease hypertension as well as make blood pressure medications work more effectively.

Being physically active is probably the easiest thing you can do to help lower high blood pressure. Those who are physically active tend to have lower and healthier blood pressures than their sedentary counterparts. Another important one is to quit smoking if you’re a smoker.  While smoking does not directly cause hypertension, it does speed up the process of hardening in the arteries and causes damage to the walls of the blood vessels, all of which increase the risk for hypertension.

Remember to check your blood pressure regularly, more frequently if you already have hypertension. Making small changes in your lifestyle can make a big difference in your overall health.