Runner injuries and sore muscles

It doesn’t take heavy weekly mileage for muscle soreness or minor injuries to aggravate us and impede our training for races.  It’s vital to keep injury prevention on our minds if we want to continue to enjoy pain-free running.  Some thoughts to stay out of trouble (and out of the doctor’s office):

Warm up, cool down and stretch as much as possible.  Even if you’re in a hurry, don’t skip you’re stretching due to not having time.  It isn’t as obvious as hydrating, but abusing your muscles and tendons without easing off and caring for them makes you more susceptible to soreness and possible tears.  

My achilles tendon is my achilles heel
After a few years of experiencing soreness in different parts of my legs at different times, I realized that my most common ailment was soreness in the achilles tendon.  Once it’s sore, there’s not much treatment other than rest and icing.  I incorporated more regular stretching for that particular area and am more aware of even the slightest tighness that tells me to back off or just run more carefully. 

Even though I’ve determined that my “safe” weekly mileage limit is around 45, I went over that on consecutive weeks approaching my California International Marathon in December 2009.  The achilles flared up, but I was at the height of my training, so I didn’t back off.  The soreness increased and I was just barely able to taper enough to have a pain-free race. (But maybe my reduced mileage in final couple weeks was a factor in my sub-par race day performance!)

Non-running injuries require attention too!
On a recent weekend, I did a bunch of landscaping work which involved lifting, pulling, stretching and all kinds of related physical activity the body hates.  I made the mistake of not taking a few days off to get rid of all the pain.  By running a few days and increasing the soreness, I had to take more time off than if I had originally taken a few days to recover.  Just because soreness isn’t related to running doesn’t mean that it won’t have an effect!

Know your body
Athletes are probably more aware of their bodies’ than couch potatoes.  We feel that we’re our own best doctors and usually learn what we have to do to stay healthy.  The trick is to follow our own advice and our best instincts.   For the long term (and even shorter term), cutting back on training or workout intensity, noticing early stages of soreness, and seeking real medical attention when necessary are critical to enjoying our sport.

Develop good habits
Incorporate all the usual running advice into your regular routine.  Keep track of the mileage on your shoes (and wear the right type).  Get used to hydrating, then warming up, and stretching and hydrating once your finished running or jogging.  Fuel your body as much as you are able to.  Try glucosamine for better joint health.  Wear clothes and shoes that won’t cause irritation or blisters.  Dress for the weather conditions.
…and even when you don’t take your own advice, listen when your friends have suggestions!