I’m not a physiotherapist, I just run a lot.
(Did you read that and hear it in your head like that dirty chorus in that Big Pun song? Enjoy having that stuck in your head all day…you’re welcome!)
Back to running — I get asked all the time what to do for shin splints or IT band issues or some other running injury. Other than a few stretches for some types of aches and pains, I usually can’t offer much advice as I’ve — knock on wood — never had to deal with an injury (other than scraping the skin off both kneecaps when I tripped over my own two feet, and that doesn’t count) so I’ve never immersed myself into the topic.
But I do have some help for you now — check out this post I wrote for CanadianLiving.com addressing a few common running injuries and how you can prevent them.
November 6, 2013
Tips from my weekly half-marathon clinic. This week I had to skip my clinic for a work commitment (but I will be doing the run on my own to keep up with training!), but my very thoughtful running buddy shared with me tips from the speaker, physiotherapist Kathleen Shortt, who spoke about stretching. Here are some highlights.
High heels = shin splints. Well, more specifically, she said that women who wear high heels all the time tend to have a shortened shin muscle, so when they start exercising and stretching that muscle (ie. by taking up running) they will most likely develop shin splints. If you get shin splints, try toe taps (ie. keep your heel on the ground and tap your toe up and down; this causes your shin muscle to expand and contract).
Instead of stretching and thinking of holding a stretch for 10 seconds, think of it as holding for 10 breaths. If you don’t breathe when stretching you won’t be able to get a full stretch; remembering to focus on breathing will allow you to increase your reach and get a better stretch.
(Alexander Wang Spring 2011 Tempest High Knotted Sandal)
March 25, 2011
I’ve officially kicked off training for my seventh half-marathon, and I thought I’d share tips from my weekly clinic.
- You need new running shoes after logging approximately 500 kilometres. So jot down in your calendar or running journal when you start wearing a new pair so you have a record of it.
- If you forget when you started wearing a new pair of shoes, your body will let you know–you might experience shin splints when you previously were shin splint-free, or your back may start aching, for example.
- If you’re logging major kilometres practically every day, consider rotating two to three pairs of running shoes. The materials your soles are made of need time to rest and bounce back from all of that pounding of the pavement you’re putting them through.
February 18, 2011
