Too many of my running blogger friends have suffered injuries this year, though I am happy to say that almost all of them are well on the road to recovery and getting back to running. In pretty much every case, the blog leading up to the injury detailed workouts, plans, upcoming races and so on … and quickly transitioned to research about the injury and what was required to heal properly.
The expectation – which is being borne out based on my reading – is that these blogs will transition quickly back to running activities once the injury and recovery are in the past. That isn’t a bad thing – it is runners focusing on running. But is how much we miss running and our rush to get back out there setting us up for the NEXT injury?
That is where an article at RunnersConnect comes in, talking about ‘pre-hab’ to prevent injuries. Here is the intro:
Anyone who has ever had a running injury (and let’s face it that probably includes most of you) will be familiar with receiving a list of strengthening exercises designed to help get you back to 100%. Most therapists will tell you (myself included) that the runners who recover the quickest tend to be those who find/make time to do their rehab exercises.
Unfortunately, once runners are back on the road, that’s when the strengthening exercises normally stop.
Basically what the article is saying is that by keeping the strength training elements in our routine (that were so important during rehab) we will do a better job of preventing NEW injuries!
Strength training can reduce sports injuries to less than a third and overuse injuries by almost 50%.
I make no small point that I have been very lucky to have run for so many years without serious injury. I also admit to never being very good about cross-training or doing other exercises to limit my risk of injury. This past year I started doing some bodyweight exercises from BMax, but once the weather warmed up I pretty much just went back to running.
So my question for everyone out there … now that you are healthy, what are YOU doing to prevent your next injury?
Running Around the Bend 
I have learned that I NEED to do strength work to avoid injury. I do tons of core work that include abs, hips, and glutes. I feel like it has really made me a stronger runner! The only downside is it can be a little time consuming and sometimes I feel like it takes away from time I can spend running….but then I remember that it will keep me from having to take time off due to injury!
Great attitude – and it is always so important to listen to our bodies and learn! I know folks who build in recover / taper cycles in their normal routines for that reason, and others like you who embed strength training. So important! 🙂