Running is one of the best forms of exercise, boosting cardiovascular health, endurance, and mental clarity. But as rewarding as running can be, it’s also highly repetitive, which means it can take a toll on your body over time. From shin splints to runner’s knee, common running injuries can sideline you for weeks or even months.
The good news is that with the right strategies, you can avoid painful injuries and keep enjoying your runs.
Kristi Eramo O’Connell, a seasoned athlete in CrossFit and endurance sports, is no stranger to the physical demands of running and working out. With years of experience in competitive arenas like the CrossFit Games and marathons, Kristi knows how important it is to prevent injuries while maintaining performance.
Let’s dive into how you can stay injury-free by blending smart training techniques with strength work, mobility exercises, and proper recovery.
1. Understand the Repetitive Nature of Running
Running is inherently repetitive. Every step uses the same muscle groups in the same motion over and over again. This repeated action puts a lot of stress on specific parts of your body, leading to overuse injuries if you’re not careful.
To counteract this, it’s important to incorporate strength training into your routine, not just to “get strong,” but to build resilience as a runner. Strengthening opposing muscle groups and improving mobility can help balance out the repetitive stress running places on your body. Remember, the goal is not only to become faster or stronger, but also more injury-resistant.
2. Preventing Shin Splints: Strengthen Your Lower Legs
Shin splints are one of the most common injuries for runners, often caused by inflammation of the muscles and tendons around the shin bone. They can manifest as sharp pain along the shin and are often triggered by increasing your running volume too quickly without allowing enough recovery time.
To avoid shin splints, focus on strengthening the muscles that support your shins. Effective exercises include:
- Tibialis Raises: These can be done seated, with light resistance on your foot, lifting the top of your foot towards your shin.
- Calf Raises and Solus Farmer Carries: These strengthen your calves and supporting muscles, improving their ability to absorb impact.
- Single Leg Wall-Leaning Calf Raises: These target smaller stabilizing muscles that often get neglected in typical training.
Incorporating these exercises regularly can help you build endurance in your lower legs and reduce the risk of shin splints.
3. Preventing Runner’s Knee: Build Hip Stability
Runner’s knee is characterized by pain around or behind the kneecap, often caused by overuse or muscle imbalances. Weak hip muscles are a common culprit, as they can lead to instability throughout the lower body, putting extra stress on your knees.
To prevent runner’s knee, focus on strengthening your hips. Here are some great exercises:
- Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts: These not only target your hamstrings but also engage your glutes and improve balance.
- Goblet Hold Heel Taps: Strengthening your quads and glutes in a controlled manner helps stabilize your knees.
- Hip Hikes and Lateral Bounds: These exercises help strengthen the hip abductors, which are crucial for maintaining proper knee alignment.
By focusing on hip stability, you’ll protect your knees and reduce the likelihood of developing runner’s knee.
4. Dealing with IT Band Syndrome: Strengthen Your Hips
IT Band Syndrome (ITBS) is another common running injury, causing pain on the outside of the knee. Many mistakenly believe that foam rolling or stretching the IT band will resolve the issue, but the real solution lies in strengthening your hips and improving your overall stability.
Here are some exercises to help prevent IT Band Syndrome:
- Standing Clamshells and Modified Side Planks: These target the gluteus medius, a key muscle for stabilizing your hips.
- Banded Step Backs and Slow Reverse Nordics: These exercises focus on eccentric strength, which helps build resilience in the knee and hip area.
Strengthening your hips will relieve tension on your IT band, helping to avoid this painful condition.
5. Managing Plantar Fasciitis: Strengthen Your Feet
Plantar fasciitis causes stabbing heel pain, especially in the morning, and can make running almost unbearable. The pain is caused by inflammation in the tissue that connects your heel to your toes.
To reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis, focus on foot mechanics and lower leg strength. Key exercises include:
- Single Leg Balancing Exercises: Try standing barefoot on one leg to improve foot strength and balance.
- Calf Raises and Seated Calf Raises with Resistance: These will strengthen the muscles that support the plantar fascia.
Keeping your feet strong and flexible will help prevent plantar fasciitis and keep you running pain-free.
6. The Importance of Strength Training for Runners
Many runners shy away from strength training, but it’s crucial for preventing injuries. Running mostly works your quads, hamstrings, and calves while stabilizing your core. However, other muscle groups, especially in your hips, lower legs, and feet, don’t get as much attention during a run.
Strength training ensures that all your muscles stay balanced, reducing the strain on overworked areas like your knees and shins. Additionally, it strengthens your tendons and ligaments, which absorb impact when you run. Strong connective tissues help your body handle the stresses of running, lowering your risk of injury.
Incorporate strength training into your routine two to three times a week, focusing on exercises that target neglected muscle groups and opposing muscles. This will help balance out the repetitive motion of running and make your body more resilient.
7. Warm-Ups and Recovery: The Unsung Heroes of Injury Prevention
Warming up before a run is non-negotiable if you want to avoid injuries. Take five to ten minutes to get your blood flowing with light cardio, then do some dynamic stretches like leg swings or side-to-side lunges. This helps prepare your muscles for the run ahead and gives you a chance to check in with your body for any tightness or soreness.
Cooling down is just as important. Slowly lowering your heart rate after a run prevents blood from pooling in your legs and helps reduce muscle soreness. Stretching or foam rolling post-run also helps speed up recovery.
Recovery days are equally essential. It’s okay (and even necessary) to take rest days. Pushing yourself to the limit every day sets you up for disaster. Use your rest days to sleep, eat well, and allow your body to repair itself. This will make you feel stronger on your next run.
Final Thoughts: Stay Strong and Injury-Free
Running can be tough on the body, but with the right approach to training, strength work, and recovery, you can avoid painful injuries and keep doing what you love. Remember, balancing running with strength training makes you a stronger, more resilient runner. Gradually increase your mileage, pay attention to your body, and never neglect the importance of proper warm-ups and cool-downs.
By following these tips, you’ll stay injury-free and enjoy many more miles on the road or trail.
For more tips on mixing strength training with running, visit Kristi Eramo O’Connell’s channel.
image sources
- Kristi Eramo: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
