Reducing injuries in runners.

The biggest frustration for any runner is the injuries which prevent us from running.

They tend to occur at the worst possible times, as you are reaching new levels of fitness or increasing your distance in preparation for that big race.

Lot's of work has been done into the amount of runners who get injured every year and the statistics in these medical studies vary wildly.  But for an average long distance runner who trains regularly and takes part in the occasional long race, the overall yearly incidence rate for running injuries varies between 37 and 56%. 50-75% are overuse injuries and recurring episodes of these injuries sits at 20-70% - Sports Med. 1992 Nov;14(5):320-35.

Different people approach running in different ways, with varying degrees of success. I know people on runstreaks into the hundreds or even thousands of days without injury  and others who crosstrain like crazy and then deliver on race day.

But as shown above, for the majority of people running regularly, increasing distance and effort will lead to an injury and there is a strong likelihood that it will recur.

Where most novice and amateur runners let themselves down is in core strength and proprioception. A lack of either of these will lead to imbalances which will cause wear and tear on unintended areas leading to lower back pain or patellofemoral pain (runners knee) among other common runners injuries

In this post I am going to look at core strength and explain why it's so important. Let me start by saying that I am not recommending hundreds of ab crunches. Your six pack (rectus abdominis) is largely unused in running. The reason it becomes so apparent in distance runners is the lack of body fat, not the required strength in that area. 


When you run the body makes thousands of minute corrections to your balance through the central and peripheral nervous systems. These minute corrections allow you to remain upright, allowing for the angle of your foot, the floor, your pace, shoes, incline. posture, load, terrain and so on and so on. In my opinion, best thing runners can do to reduce the risk of overuse injuries is improve core control.

There are two muscles in particular which give core stability and with training will improve control. Transversus Abdominis (TVA) and Multifidus (Mf).

Details on the structure and innervation of the TVA can be found here. The TVA works in tandem with the Mf to stabilise the lower spine. And while we are hard wired to have this control from an early age, start running longer distances, or at a more intense level and any weaknesses become more apparent.

But as runners the main thing we want to do is run. The issue is that it is the increase in distance without developing the supporting muscles that cause injuries.

Imagine having a small car. Cheap and usually reliable. One day you decide you want to tour the world. You would need to adapt the car in a number of ways. You may want to put better tyres on it, make it faster or more economical. Get a trailer to carry more stuff maybe?

If that car is fundamentally weak in it's structure, you can have all the performance in the world and a great looking car but it won't make it to the end of your journey. A corny analogy but I hope you see my point.

By training the TVA and Mf, you increase your core control, spinal stability and the ability to transfer power from your body to the extremities. In other words, for your body to have good control and placement of the legs when running, you need to have a stable spine and an engaged core.

How to train the TVA.

The most common and very effective exercise for training the TVA is abdominal hollowing.

1. Lie on the floor, legs out straight and with a comfortable curve in the spine. Never try to straighten your spine out to match the shape of the floor. Your spine should look like a gentle S from the side not a I.
2. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, pull your belly button in towards the floor, this hollows the abdominal cavity (hence the name).
3. Hold the contraction for a count of ten, breathing normally.
4. Relax and then repeat the exercise for 5-8 repetitions.

A toned TVA will increase core stability and flatten the stomach. Think of it as a corset which wraps around your core and holds your insides in. As it tones and tightens, so does the corset.

But you shouldn't develop one muscle group without training the opposing muscles or you're likely to introduce an imbalance which may not have been there before.

The antagonist to the TVA is the Mf. It is a series of smaller muscles which run the length of the spine and stabilise the joints/segments.








Think of a house cards. Wrap a corset around the bottom half of the house and it becomes more stable. Add a series of bands that connect each floor to the one above and below it and suddenly the structure gets strong.
















To strengthen the Mf, try the following exercise.

1. Adopt a box stance, on all fours. Check your knees are directly under your hips and your hands directly under your shoulders.
2. Lift your right arm out in front of you and your left leg behind you so that they are parallel to the floor. Your arm should be by your ear, hand pointing forward.
3. Hold this position for a count of five, return to the start position and repeat on the opposite side. Left arm and right leg.
4. Repeat for 5-8 repetitions.

Regularly adding these exercises to your workouts will increase core strength and control. This will allow your body to better adapt to load, fatigue, terrain or distance and reduce your chances of injury.

As you can imagine the topic is a lot more detailed than I have covered here. What I want to do is get you thinking about alternative training and strengthening your body to help your running, not replace it as an exercise. I maintain there is nothing better than running.

My aim is to get people stronger and fitter so they can run further and faster.

If you have any questions get in contact with me via danrunning.co.uk

A tale of two halfs...

In the last two weeks I have run two half marathons.

Brighton and Silverstone Half Marathons could not have been more different.

And also similar.

In the wake of the floods and storms that swept the country in February, Brighton had been repaired and cleaned, ready to welcome the runners. The day was warm and got even warmer. As the crowds of runners and supporters descended on Marine Drive, the sun shone down, unseasonably warm and after a long grey winter very welcome. The onshore wind made for breaking waves and a genuinely picturesque start to the day.

Fast forward two weeks and I'm stood in an old World War 2 airfield converted over the last 70 years into Silverstone Race Circuit. Brutally cold and exposed to the wind, a light mist of rain fell and the runners huddled around garages and tea wagons in an attempt to shelter and find some warmth. Despite promises from others, the sun never broke through and the wind never let up. It started and remained very, very cold.

I'd booked Brighton ages ago. It was to be the first time I'd run the same race as my brother, Joe, in a long time. Having had two lots of back surgery recently, he was looking for a finish. I was looking to PB. I'm not a big fan of road running, mainly because the scenery sucks compared to the trails, but Brighton boasted a quick lap of the town and then a coast view the rest of the way. We had set off early and I'd driven us down. Joe was doing his usual race-preparation. (Immodium and lucozade). It was the first time I'd been to Brighton and I loved the place. Good views, nice coffee and the promise of chips afterwards., Who could ask for more? As they called us to the race start we went to our individual starting pens, agreed to meet afterwards and awaited the starters gun.

Silverstone, on the other hand, came as a last minute thing. A friend of a friend couldn't make the race and although I know you're not supposed to, I gladly took his race number with just a week to prepare and only a week after Brighton. I love motor racing, I loved the idea of running around an F1 track and I was in it for the medal and the goody bag. As part of training for an ultra I was due to run 15 miles that day any way. This was just a structured distance in my mind. I drove up with my daughter, we froze our arses off waiting for the race to start and as I joined the starting grid I made my way to the front. All the way to the front!

Two different races, two different mind-sets, trained for one, unprepared for the other.

In Brighton I wanted it. I was hungry to PB I had plans and aims and splits in mind and this was to be my fast HM before a year of ultras and trails. My A race. The result of lots of cross training, intervals and speed work.

With Silverstone I had no clue. An unknown entity, still a bit worn out after Brighton and the weather totally against me, I didn't really know what to expect or what I could achieve.

But here the differences end.

Both races went like clockwork.

In Brighton I set a PB of 1:31.16.

Two weeks later in Silverstone I went even faster, 1:30.27(chip time).

Now I'm not expecting the Olympic committee to come knocking. I know lots of people who run faster than this and I think I could probably go faster myself (although I don't really think I want to). But that's not what these races were about.

Although this is a tale of two halfs [sic], it makes one whole story.

For the first time in a long time I loved the racing. I had done my own training for it, my own plan using everything I've learnt. Although I'm not a fan of running the roads and I haven't run a HM on the road in years, my last one took over 1:40!

I described it to someone afterwards as feeling like I had more gears. It was like I had previously been a two speed runner and all of a sudden I could switch cadence or ratio. Whatever the incline, or the wind blowing against me, I had a response to offer. I would find a different groove and run in it. My splits were even throughout and there was always enough in the tank for a fast finish.

Running means different things to different people, and it's the same with races.

In a month I run the South Downs Way 50 and I have gone against the norm with my training. I've not had time for lots of mega miles so I've relied on quality over quantity in my training. Its not what I've read I should do or what others are doing. It's what feels right to me and what I believe will work, for me.

These races and the results I got have given me the confidence to meet my next challenge head on. I enjoyed how hard I was working and how fast I could keep going. I smiled the whole way around, cheered back at the crowds and celebrated at the finish lines. I hope  that SDW50 goes as well as either of these races, but I'll take the Brighton sunshine any day of the week.

Laid back and loving it, unlike the guy I'm racing!

NB There is an absence of people in this story who I want to include. Firstly, my wife who lets me disappear at weekends, wearing shorts and hyped up on coffee and run, a lot! You need support at home or none of this is possible. It also helps to get back to a cold beer (or two) and a nice dinner. x

Secondly, the great Twitter folk I met, Neil (bit of bromance there) who finished moments behind me at Silverstone and Susie who I met as I made my way to the starting grid. Of course Lozza, one of the first athletes I met on Twitter some years ago. She was at both races, has a great outlook on running and racing, strives for personal achievement every time and in both of these, scored PB's as well.

Lastly, my brother. He got me into running 4 years ago (a story for another time) and I never looked back. Despite a lot of set backs he does not give in to circumstance or bad luck and despite being the most laid back person I know, has a determination which surprises most people he meets.

Planning an interval workout.

Interval training is physically demanding. Like any effective workout, there is planning and preparation that you can do in order to optimise your performance and the benefits you can get from it.

In last week's post I wrote about the various energy systems that get used by the body when working at different intensities. With interval training, you switch clearly between different demands on the body and these various energy systems.

Just to recap, this method of training allows you to work at higher intensities for longer periods than you normally can. Your muscles store enough energy to deliver their full potential for very short periods. The Phosphocreatine system (see last weeks blog) delivers its potential in about ten seconds. It's what gets used for a 100 m sprint, for example, and why that will drain you physically as much as a longer, slower paced run.

When exercised regularly, the body goes through a process known as adaptation. It changes in order to meet the new demands. Chasing the bus once won't change anything. Start running a 100m sprint a few times a week and you'll undergo physiological change to meet that demand. Improved blood supply to muscles and proprioception (your ability to know where all of your body parts are) as well as better recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibres; your body adapts to meet the new challenge.

Training at 100% of your potential is draining, you can't maintain it for long. But it brings many rewards, so interval training allows you to maintain higher intensity for longer periods.



My advice with intervals is to go in with a plan.

This is the bit where the stat fans and geeks among you will get excited. In order to get the most from your interval training you get to adjust the variables of your workout to target the right systems. After a warm up of continuous training, you start going from work period to rest period. The work period pushes your Heart Rate (HR) to the desired target, the rest period allows it to return to a comfortable level and for your body to start recovering and replacing energy. This is repeated for the desired number of repetitions, then a cool down period of light exercise to bring the HR down safely.

You can adjust the following variables:

• Length of work period,
• Length of rest period, and
• Number of repetitions.

Depending on how hard you're working will depend on the desired HR, although this is an outcome of training rather than an adjustment.

Increasing the length of the work period and the number of repetitions will increase the exercise effect, so will reduce the rest period.

Interval training can be done outdoors, running or walking depending on your fitness level or in the gym using any CV equipment.

An example of this would be on a spin bike/exercise bike.

1. Use a continuous intensity level of exercise to gradually raise you HR to approximately 100-110bpm. This should take about 5 minutes.
2. Increase intensity, such as cadence or resistance during the first work period to reach the desired HR or intensity level, maintain this effort for the period, 30 seconds in this example.
3. Drop the intensity, by reducing effort/cadence/resistance to bring the HR back down to 100-110bpm, this period should last 90 seconds.
4. Repeat 15 times, the aim being to reach the same level of intensity each time.
5. After 15 reps, reduce intensity to bring HR safely down.

As a result of this workout you will spend 15 sets of 30 seconds (7 and a half minutes) at your maximum intensity, something you probably couldn't do in a single block , but you'll reap all of the benefits of having done so.

Be warned, this is intense and you will feel shattered!

Also, this is just an example of a workout. Depending on your desired outcomes, you will adjust the variables above, but I'll get to that next time.

For now, think of how you can build intervals into your training and how the effects can improve your performance in your sport.



I am writing for a mixed audience and try to pitch this appropriately, but if you have any questions and want more advice, or need anything clarifying please contact me at dancartwrightpt@gmail.com

As a thank you for reading I can offer anyone who purchases from inknburn a 15% discount on their first order. Use the code dantoldme at the checkout and if you want any advice or suggestions on their products I'm happy to help.

Lastly, I'm passionate about this stuff, so if you have any feedback or advice or contrary views to mine on training please get in touch.