The rights and wrongs of running

HOW TO AVOID INJURIES
The majority of running injuries occur from overtraining. Avoid doing too much too soon. Your progress in mileage and speed should be a gradual one. An unrelenting increase in mileage from one week to the next will ultimately result in a breakdown.

It is important to keep in mind the principle of hard days and easy days being interspersed and also hard and easy weeks. Mileage should usually only be increased by approximately 10% per week.

Every third week, you should drop back a small amount. For most runners, one or two days a week, at least, should be devoted to rest or non-running activities. This gives your body a chance to recover and strengthen itself. Remember, pain is a warning, stop running and consult your chiropractor immediately.

Regular stretching may also help reduce injuries. Runners frequently develop tightness in the posterior muscle groups, such as the hamstrings and the calf muscles. The quadriceps and anterior shin muscles may become relatively weak, due to muscular imbalance.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT RUNNING SHOE
Joggers should wear a shoe with good cushioning impact. Running shoes are designed to provide maximum overall shock absorption for the foot. Such a shoe should also have good heel control. Although not a cure-all, these qualities in a running/ sports shoe help to prevent shin splints, tendonitis, heel pain, stress fractures and other overuse syndromes.

A good running shoe should have a wide, cushioned heel and sole. The heel should be ‘rockered’ at the back so that the heel strike is under the heel, not behind it. The shoe should be deep enough so that the toes do not press against the front and long enough to allow free motion and gripping during running. There should be about a thumb-nail length between the longest toe and the toe of the shoe. Unless there is enough space for the toes, the toe nails will be injured.

Running shoes should have ‘spring’ in the forefoot: that is, the forefoot of the shoe should tilt up off the ground when the shoe is resting flat on the ground. The shoe should be flexible but not limp and the heel counter firm and padded to support the heel.

The sole of the heel should be soft enough to absorb much of the shock of running. A soft neoprene sole is a great help in absorbing shock. Most running shoes have a cushion to support the arch. This is desirable to avoid the foot ‘going over’ or ‘pronating’.

Follow these simple guidelines when choosing your shoes
* Don’t just go by size. Have your feet measured.
* Visit the shoe store at the end of a workout when your feet are largest.
* Wear the sock you normally wear when working out.
* Fit the shoe to the largerfoot.

Running shoes should be regularly replaced as the shock absorbing capability will diminish gradually and may be inadequate after 350 to 550 miles. The upper part of the shoe may not show much wear, but the shock absorption may still be gone.

If you are running 20 miles per week, you should be replacing your shoes between 4 and 8 months, depending upon your shock absorption needs.