on running

Note/Disclaimer: I’ve been debating writing this for a while.  I’ve been thinking that these are just opinions and that I’m not really qualified to give advice.  But then I realised that I am and it’s time I started to give myself credit for the years I’ve spent studying anatomy and movement and holistic body awareness.  I’m not a dr though, or a PT, so this is just advice.  If you have an ongoing or acute problem, please go and see a medical professional

Albert Park, St Kilda, Melbourne – home of the Melbourne Grand Prix
and where runners run

I watch people – I watch how they sit, how they stand, how they walk.  It’s an occupational hazard.  I’m obsessed with posture, anatomy, the way bones fit together.  Sometimes I see people’s posture and it makes me want to weep.  I want to stand up and slap people between the shoulderblades and tell them to stand up straight.  They’d thank me for it when they were 70 (after they’d slapped a restraining order on me)!

I watch runners too. I watch how they move, how they hold themselves and sometimes it’s a beautiful thing.  More often, sadly, I weep again (although, y’know every time someone starts up running a massage therapist/PT rubs their hands in glee! ).  Sydney was a city with more runners than I’ve ever seen in my life and some of them were doing such terrible things to their bodies.

I don’t run.  I have a weird knee, a dodgy pelvis, scoliosis and a relatively mild dose of ME.  It would be foolish to run.  I did a 5k once just to prove I could but honestly, I fast-walked most of it because that way my hip hurt less.  However, I see a lot of runners at the clinic and in yoga classes.  It’s a shame that most of them come to me once they’ve injured themselves. “How long til I can run again?” they cry.  They never like my answer.

The trick is, as with so many things, to put preventative measures into action before there’s an injury.  I get that not being able to run is, to a runner, like me not being able to get on my mat for whatever reason.  So let’s make sure you can run, right?

1.  Get a professionally fitted pair of running shoes, change them often and have your gait tested.  All of these things can be done at most good sports shops.

2.  Work on your posture and your core strength.  So many running injuries could be avoided with proper posture and cores of steel.  Get thee to a Pilates class, or work with a Balance Board.  Sit ups and crunches don’t really work on core strength.  You might want to see a Pilates teacher on a 1-2-1 basis, especially if they work with a Reformer Machine – nothing works the core and lengthens the limbs quite like the Reformer! (Londoners might like to try Moss Pilates for this – they are truly awesome.  Tell Carl I sent you!)

3.  Get a good sports or deep tissue massage regularly – fortnightly at least.  I’m not just saying this to bring trade to me and my fellow massage therapists, it really is important.  Muscles and bones need exercise and running is great.  But they also get very tight and lactic acid builds up inside them.  Massage helps muscles recover by releasing this and released muscle is far less likely to tear or pull than overly tight muscle.  As a side note, even if it’s just your legs giving you trouble, go for a full body massage.  Everything is connected and tightness in the legs can play havoc in the back!

3b. Learn how to ball massage and do this as often as you can between massage appointments. Most massage therapists and Pilates teachers will show you how.

4. Learn a bit about anatomy – especially your anatomy – how you work, why, what muscles are making you run, which ones need to be stronger?  You get the idea.  There are some great and easy to understand books and DVDs out there.  The thing is that if you understand exactly what bit of you does what, your brain will send the signals to exactly the right place and both your body and your central nervous system will work more efficiently.  Working with systems such as yoga, Pilates and the truly wonderful Franklin Method will give you a deeper understanding.

5. Stretch.  Then stretch again.  You may think you stretch but I can guarantee that you probably don’t do enough.  Once you’ve done your stretches, do them all over again.  Please never say you don’t have time to stretch.  Make stretching as much a part of your routine as the actual running bit.  Stretch when you get out of bed.  Stretch before you get into bed.  Stretch in your lunchbreak.  Stretch every time you go to the loo.  No, I am not kidding!!

Here, have a free yoga for runners routine to start you off!

OK I’m done.  Exercise is gooooood.  Running is good exercise.  Sadly running can have a detrimental effect on the body if we are not careful, so be careful and be willing to spend time and money on yourself.  You’re worth it.  You get one body.  Use it well.

Love + oms

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 at 5:34 pm and is filed under anatomy, massage, pilates, yoga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.