Use 3 simple tests to assess yourself, build a durable body, and run better for a lifetime
You love to run.
The wind in your face.
The sweat you work up.
The feeling of accomplishment you get when you’re done.
The aching in your back, knees, and plantar fascia…
Wait…WHAT?
If you’re a runner, you are familiar with pain.
The struggle to keep your tempo on a hot and humid day.
The mental strength it takes to ignore that first “warm-up mile” hoping that those familiar aches and pains work their way out of your body, even if it’s just temporarily so you can stay on track with your training plan.
You’re used to suffering.
But there’s a difference between pushing yourself to your performance limits and getting negative feedback from some area of your body in the form of pain.
If you’re experiencing pain you’re receiving a request for change from your body and brain.
Here’s the ugly truth:
-80% of runners sustain an injury that keeps them from running for at least two weeks every year. In comparison, 18% of competitive football players get injured every year.
-When your foot hits the ground during stride and your knee bends, you are loading your Soleus muscle (the muscle that sits behind your calf and crosses your knee and ankle) with 8 times your body weight.
-There is no evidence that your specialized running footwear will protect you from injury.
Those “Couch-to-5k” programs are just as likely to take you to your sports medicine doctor as they are to get you across the finish line.
So how do you do better?
Is it even possible to run without breaking yourself?
Running is a high-level skill.
And just like learning anything new, developing high running skill takes time and commitment.
We have observed several characteristics of the best runners we’ve worked with that stand out.
In the rest of this post, we’ll outline those characteristics so you have a real standard to compare yourself to and a goal to chase down to make yourself a healthier, faster, and better runner.
PERFORMANCE STANDARD #1
POSSESS AN IRON TRUNK
You may have heard some people describe running as a controlled fall.
We describe running (and all athletic activity, for that matter) as a challenge to your posture and position.
There’s no better way to evaluate and improve your posture than with our favorite warm-up exercise, The Dead Bug.
Click below to see how it’s done right.
When you can do 3 sets of 1-minute holds in Dead Bug Home Position (with 1-minute rest in between sets) you've met this standard.
RESILIENT RUNNER PERFORMANCE STANDARD #2
POSTERIOR CHAIN DOMINANCE
Your posterior chain-your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and foot intrinsic muscles-create stability and power in your lower body.
Your ability to express stability and power standing on one leg is critical to running well.
Our second standard is expressed through another of our favorite warm-up and evaluative tools, the See Saw.
Click below to see how it’s done right.
When you can do 3 sets of 5 reps on each leg without compensation or loss of balance, you’ll own this standard.
RESILIENT RUNNER PERFORMANCE STANDARD #3
LOWER BODY POWER
3 SETS X 5 REPS AT BODY WEIGHT IN THE BARBELL BACK SQUAT
Remember that section you scrolled past where we discussed how your Soleus muscle takes 8 TIMES your body weight when your foot hits the ground and your knee bends?
If there’s one thing we’ve seen that’s made our runners more resilient, it’s their ability to become and maintain a high base level of strength.
It may seem strange that we’re talking about barbell training in an article about running, but we’d ask you to pause and think about that for a minute.
If you expect your body to hold up to a load 8 times your body weight on one leg while moving through space, all of a sudden you can see how squatting a barbell loaded with the equivalent of your body weight 15 times (3 sets of 5) with both of your feet firmly planted on the ground isn’t asking a whole lot relative to the activity you’re preparing for.
Here’s how to execute the barbell back squat right:
WRAPPING UP
Running is an awesome activity.
Not because it’s a great way to lose weight or stay in shape.
But because it is a wonderful expression of your athleticism when you do it well.
We hope that you see today that running is not just something you stroll out the front door and pull off effortlessly.
The amount of progress, satisfaction, and joy you get out of running is directly correlated to your level of preparation and your ability to run with high skill.
I used to be where you are now.
Relying on my previous experience.
Wondering if there was a better way to feel and perform my best.
Wondering if I’d ever be 100% again.
If that’s you, I hope you can apply the lessons in this article today and feel empowered to do more.
And if you want to know where to go from here, let’s talk!
You can talk with an actual sports medicine professional for FREE and see if you’re a good fit for our clinic’s approach to building resilient runners.
Or if you’ve got another area of your body holding you back from feeling, moving, and performing your best, we’re here to help!
You can reach out to us by clicking the "Schedule A Consultation" button in the top right corner of this page or by reaching out to us at info@restorethrive.com.
REFERENCES
1 Injury-Stats-NSSF. (2006). chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://sssfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Injury-Stats-NSSF.pdf
2 Journal of Athletic Training. (2020, October 16). Can the “appropriate” footwear prevent injury in leisure-time running? evidence versus beliefs - PMC. PubMed Central. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7740063/
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