PHYSIO ADVICE: How to Keep Training For That Fitness Event – Injury-Free

In these unprecedented times, our lives and lifestyles have changed drastically. Some people are seeing this as an opportunity to improve their fitness with amazing online classes and outdoor run’s whilst others are devastated as their training plans for upcoming events have been thrown into disarray. In this week’s blog lets address the latter.

The postponement and cancellations of all running events have left thousands of people very frustrated. It’s not only the fact that training has been thrown into disarray it’s also the fact that hotels, flights and annual leave have been disrupted.

It is likely that these events will be rearranged for the Autumn time so here are a few tips to allow you to firstly get the most out of the training you have already completed and secondly to be in the best possible condition/injury free when you reach the starting line.

One of the things we see so often with people training for events is that they do not take the adequate rest period before their events and therefore become injured due to increased loading & fatigue. Now is the ideal time for a small change of focus. Why not take a few days off and book into our online mobility & conditioning classes? I promise these will be a game-changer in the long term. So here are my top tips.

Top Tips:

1. If you were preparing for a summertime event with a high training load and you haven’t already taken a break, take 7-10 days off to allow your body to recover from the volume and load of your training to date.
2. Once you have taken your break return to your normal routine and frequency of training.
3. To offload your tissue and reduce the monotony of long-distance training direct your training towards shorter distance events such as 5k or 10k. This will help improve your fitness allowing you to focus on speed & cadence.
4. Do not complete the same type of runs each day- add interval/tempo and threshold runs into your program.
5. Re-introduce some strength/mobility and plyometric training into your program to help absorb the impact created with higher velocity runs.
6. Lastly address and niggling injuries that have been grumbling away in the background such as anterior knee pain, shin pain or Achilles discomfort.

To get more information on an appropriate strengthening program or on ways to treat and manage niggling injuries before they prevent you from completing that event in Autumn contact our Physiotherapy team at info@platinumphysio.ie or book a 1:1 video consultation online with Ben or Sinead HERE

Next week we will focus on the other percentage of the population who have returned to running and exercise after an extended break. Let’s not let that rush of getting back to exercise to be ruined by an unexpected but avoidable injury.