Housekeeping
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Audio version
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The post
I spent the summer bulking up with the wise Josh Bryant. Now that I’m no longer the skeletor-like figure I was after my 850-mile hike, I’m spending more time running on the trails in the Mojave Desert near my home.
That’s my happy place, and no matter where you live, fall is the best time to go outside and run.
But I’m approaching my running with a great deal of consideration and caution.
Research1 finds that the injury rate for running is comically all over the place. One study noted, “The incidence of lower extremity running injuries ranged from 19.4% to 79.3%.” Military research indicates that running is, by far, the primary cause of injuries among soldiers in training. Not to mention, how many people do we know who say, “I can’t run,” or “I had to stop running”?
At the same time, newer studies2 show that running can actually protect your knees in the long run. It’s the same as many biological systems: By impacting your knees, your body makes the area more robust to deal with the stress.
Plus, a person who can run into old age is better set up to live healthily over the long run.
The point: we should all occasionally run and strive to maintain the ability to run until we’re dead. Hell, human beings evolved to run long distances3, and if we can’t do that, we miss out on something fundamental.
But doing so takes specific strategies and tactics. And I’ve found that those strategies and tactics for the average person will often be different than what you hear from the hardcore running community.
Consider this post a guide to avoiding running injuries for the average person who wants to maintain their fitness, be able to run whenever they want, and live long and healthy life.
From here you’ll learn:
-The number one way to reduce running injury risk.
-Why you should ignore most race training plans.
-The right way to strength train for running.
-How to benefit from running pains.
-Why running form recommendations are often wrong.
-Who is most likely to get injured running.
-Nutrition strategies that reduce running injury risk.
-The right shoe to reduce running injuries.