The Secret to Running Without Injury

How to enjoy running without getting injured? Follow these 7 points.Written / Xiao RunEdited / Xiao YeProduced by / Ma Kong Duo Running Research InstituteRunning is a relatively high-impact sport, every time you take a step, the body will withstand a force several times its weight from the ground.Therefore, runners have a high probability of injury. According to data, about 65-75% of runners are injured or sick, and almost none of them have ever been injured.Injury can be very frustrating, such as being unable to prepare properly, or even being forced to give up the competition near the race, so it is sometimes a victory just to stand on the starting line healthily.So how to run without getting injured? Follow these 7 principles, and you can do it.01. Don't take too big a stride.One study shows that one of the main causes of running injury is too big a stride.As shown in the diagram, the larger the bottom dashed line, the larger the stride.A large stride means that the center of gravity of each landing is in front of the body, what consequences will this cause? Not only will the legs withstand greater impact, but it will also transfer some of the impact to the upper body. Over time, the body will cause various injuries.Generally, a large stride also means a lower stride frequency. How to solve the problem of a large stride?First, when taking a step, pay attention not to land too far ahead, then increase your stride frequency.02. Always warm up before runningOften, we always suggest that novice runners warm up before running, but many experienced runners often ignore this. About the benefits of warming up, no need to reiterate. In fact, the best way to prevent injury is warming up and stretching after running. No matter how urgent your time is, you should at least spend 3-5 minutes warming up. For example, high knee march, high kick, back kick, running forward and backward kick and single leg stance with leg extension.For example, Kipchoge participated in a business event in China and ran 4 laps on the field in just 1600 meters, although it was only a short distance, Kipchoge fully warmed up before running, and after running, he still performed a 10-minute relaxation and stretching, treating every run meticulously, never sloppy.The best way to warm up: 5 movements:1. High Knee March2. High Kick3. Back Kick4. Running Forward and Backward Kick5. Single Leg Stance with Leg Extension03. Don't always run on smooth surfacesIt doesn't mean running on smooth surfaces will reduce injuries. Research shows that the human body is adaptive, and when you run on different surfaces, the body will adjust accordingly to respond to the impact of different surfaces. Therefore, running on different surfaces can keep the legs fresh and exercise different muscles.04. Gradually increase your weekly mileageMileage and injury are also corresponding. The more mileage, the greater the probability of injury, but it varies from person to person. Some people can withstand a large mileage without injury, while others cannot.Therefore, how to increase mileage is to use a scientific approach, and a very important principle is to gradually increase the mileage, no more than 10% of the mileage increase each week, or increase the mileage every two weeks.05. Improve running mechanicsAccording to a recent study by the University of Harvard, they tracked 249 runners for two years, and found that runners with good running mechanics had a much lower injury rate.Normal running should maintain a moderate level of tension, with the core driving the thighs, the thighs driving the calves, and the landing is light and graceful, which is a good running mechanic. However, many people cannot achieve this when they run, either landing too heavily or taking a large stride.If you want to improve running mechanics, try to land gracefully, run smoothly, and have no unnecessary movements.06. Know when to restMany runners, in order to achieve good results, often run non-stop all year round. No matter how the body feels, they insist on running, which is often not worth the effort.A runner should be wise and understand his own body. Know when to rest. Constantly pushing the body to the limit will easily lead to overtraining, which is obviously not good for injury.For example, Kipchoge schedules one month of rest each year to recover his body. Of course, everyone's situation is different. For example, Chu Yiyi participates in dozens of races every year and trains heavily, almost never rests. For him, this may be appropriate, but it is not suitable for most people.07. Learn about sports injury knowledgeThe editor participated in a cross-country race and met two novice runners on the road who were chatting. They heard that many runners were injured. One of them said that he ran a half marathon last year and his outer side of the knee was very painful. After a week or two of rest, the pain eased, but as soon as he ran, he would hurt. This state lasted for several months.Hearing this, the editor sighed, it is true that running is prone to injury, and more importantly, they didn't understand the injury. This is obviously a lateral femoral cutaneous syndrome caused by insufficient strength of the gluteus medius. As long as you slightly increase the strength of the gluteus medius, the lateral femoral cutaneous syndrome will not become a problem.Although running looks like a simple sport, we need to learn how to run, how to deal with injuries, and how to adjust diet and lifestyle, if we balance life and training, how to adjust our diet, this will make us enjoy the fun of running better, why not?

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