Post by Whitney
Running injuries are unfortunately fairly common for runners from beginners all the way to seasoned pros. The monotonous motion using the same muscles over and over can lead to issues. That is part of why I chose to make the investment in a running coach last year while training for my first full marathon. I am a naturally inflexible human….. like there are rocks with more range of motion than I have. I knew that combined with past injuries from my high school glory days and that one time I tried to beat the softball to third base (I was safe), my intense training could lead to problems. I needed the expertise of a coach to help me train holistically.
How did it go? I didn’t suffer one single injury! How you ask? Core and strength. Hands down. I have always been active and have even lifted weights quite a bit, but having a naturally flat stomach lead me to neglect core workouts. I have read much literature about how important a strong core is. What the heck does core mean, though?! I pretty much knew abs were good but that was it. Core basically includes all the muscles in the core part of your body (duh). They are what provide stability and take a lot of pressure off your legs as you cover many miles. It’s not just your abs either. It’s your sides (obliques), back, hips, and glutes, too.
The red areas are what comprise your core muscles.
Having a history of hamstring injuries, I truly believe that focusing on building core strength and even greater leg and upper body strength through weight lifting, kept me from injury. I did have a tiny twinge of a tendon issue in August from slipping on gravel, but that was a freak incident, not from overuse.
A strong core may allow you to learn weird, useless tricks.
So, how do you add core and strength to your training? I enjoy random videos, pinterest ideas and body weight moves. Think crunches, planks, light dumbbell weight moves like bicep curls and shoulder press, superman back extensions, lunges, squats, calf raises galore.
Core can be a game, too! Challenge friends to hold death moves like “6 inches” where you hold your feet up as long as possible.
If you want more specific ideas, look for my next few posts where I will suggest work outs to try!
Until next time, Whitney
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