Avoid Repetitive Motion Injury At The Track By Mixing It Up

 

Hi folks,

Had a great track run today, after warming up on PowerCranks (get those hip flexors moving!). Whilst doing my coach-mandated run (but at the track instead of trails, so I could spend time with my kid), I was thinking, as I ran around and around and around, about varying my stride to avoid repetitive motion strain. I’ve noticed that when racing completely flat courses I have more trouble with my legs than on rollers. Rollers provide some healthy variation. Thus I think that it might pay to consciously change up your running style in order to share the load between different muscle groups and different muscle fibers (slow versus fast twitch OR oxidative versus glycolytic). So I varied my run, from (1) long slow, core engaged, shoulders driving my run, to (2) high cadence shuffle, and (3) everything in between. It worked nicely, with no agro.

Give it a try!

-k @FitOldDog

 

Comments

  1. Pauline Watson says

    I have been researching Power Cranks. They seem to be available only on the internet, not in the local bike stores or at the gyms that I frequent. What would you suggest for a basic setup – buy them from the internet and put on a training bike, a second bike, or a stand?
    I will soon need a variation from my “injured runners” workout, in the pool. This is a 1 km warmup front crawl working on some of the style tips from the video you mentioned last week, then 25 minutes legs (kicking, side flutter, egg beater), 20 min core (various synchro based sculling exercises), leg swings in the hot tub from Earl Fee’s book, followed by weights (legs only) in the gym. I’ll try pool jogging if I ever don’t get my own lane for swimming!

  2. Hi Pauline,
    My bike guy bought mine and put them on my indoor trainer. I wouldn’t recommend using them outside. They are best used as a component of strength and spin quality training, but they really work well.
    I have to confess to an aversion to the term jogging, as running is what one is doing, whether fast or slow. In your situation I would definitely build up to one hour of water running over a period of a few months in order to master the skill. You can use a floatation aid at first if you need to, but after a while it isn’t necessary. This will really kick your butt, and should not be neglected. I use it as part of my regular aerobic conditioning and running skills work. ONE PROBLEM with water running, it is very very very boring! Sorry about that, but it does provide great mental training, too.
    I like your conversation with Jacques.
    -kevin aka @FitOldDog

  3. floatation or flotation

    This word can be spelled either way, although the second spelling is more common.

  4. I believe that avoiding prepared foods is the first step in order to lose weight. They will taste very good, but highly processed foods have very little nutritional value, making you try to eat more to have enough strength to get over the day. When you are constantly ingesting these foods, moving over to cereals and other complex carbohydrates will aid you to have more vitality while taking in less. Great blog post.

  5. Hi!
    Your site reminds me of the Golden Compass so I decided to not block it as spam. Are you spam? I suspect that you have no great interest in the post to which your comment was linked.
    Happy New Year (belatedly),
    -k @FitOldDog

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Disclaimer: As a veterinarian, I do not provide medical advice for human animals. If you undertake or modify an exercise program, consult your medical advisors before doing so. Undertaking activities pursued by the author does not mean that he endorses your undertaking such activities, which is clearly your decision and responsibility. Be careful and sensible, please.