RECUPERATION in the OFF SEASON
RECUPERATION in the OFF SEASON
By Steve Manning – Podiatrist BPod (Hons), Level 3 Coach
The Berlin Marathon was on the weekend and the Melbourne Marathon is in 2 weeks. For most runners, October marks the end of the main road Running season and the start of the off-season.
You may have been carrying some niggles or injuries through the season and think it is now a good opportunity to have a good break from running. However, I would like to caution you that rest may not be the best way to vanquish your injuries.
Some injuries require stopping running completely like stress fractures. However, the vast majority of running injuries are soft tissue injuries. These often require you to have some running to achieve complete rehab. You could have 2 months off and these niggles may become even harder to resolve.
If you have been carrying some injury problems through the season, then the first step to resolution is to accurately diagnose the injury and the factors that contributed to it. Symptomatic treatment and rest may cure the pain but if the causes of the injury are not addressed then the injury will return when you start running again.
Long-term injury prevention should be the goal of your off-season efforts. A few months of easy training and focusing on gaining strength will help you start the next season refreshed and ready for your best running season ever. The reduced training allows you to work on improving your running without risking more injury.
Here are 6 key ways to recuperate during the off-season.
TRAINING in the OFF-SEASON:
1. Reduce Quantity and Frequency. You can give your body time to recover from a hard season of running by reducing the distance of most sessions and reducing the number of sessions. Long runs should be half to two-thirds of the distance and you should run them at a slower pace.
TIP: Have an extra day off or replace a running session with another activity.
2. Reduce Intensity. You should reduce the amount of intensity but maintain some high-intensity training. Speed sessions need to have shorter and fewer repetitions with extra recovery. This makes it much easier to have some higher intensity with less stress. It is also a good idea to run your speed sessions how you feel without thinking much about maintaining a particular pace.
TIP: Run unusual length repetitions or run for a set time rather than distance.
3. Address Weaknesses. Constant running especially on a flat road can lead to chronic weakness. This weakness is one of the most important causes of injury. With the extra time you have, you can fit in some strength sessions at the gym or add home pilates workouts that focus on strengthening weak core muscles. Poor balance and coordination can be quickly improved with proprioception exercises for a few minutes every second day. Try to balance on one foot and go into a calf raise to test your balance. If you have trouble getting up on your toes and can not balance for more than a few seconds then you may benefit from doing balance exercises. Running biomechanics may be a factor especially if you ran with an injury and ran differently with a compensatory gait. The motor pattern in your brain needs to be retrained with a strong efficient gait. Weekly running drills before a speed session can help you get back in the groove of running strongly. You may have to focus on a particular set of drills if you are weak in a specific area.
TIP: Look out for our next running biomechanics workshop.
4. Run on the Trails. A good way to gain strength in the off-season is to add hill training and trail running to your weekly routine. There is no better resistance training for runners than running hills. Both uphill and downhill running increase the load by simulating running biomechanics like single-leg eccentric contractions. That is very hard to reproduce in the gym. Running the trails is a great way to add hill training with the added advantage of the uneven ground improving the stability muscles in your leg. While there is an increased risk of falling on the trails in the long run it will give you better strength and control to reduce your injury risk when heading back to the roads.
TIP: Replace your road long run with a fortnightly trail long run. 20km on the trail should take about as long as 30km on the road.
5. Change it Up. Recovery during the off-season is about mental as well as physical recuperation. Set some new goals with new experiences to maintain motivation. This could be to do a trail race or triathlon. Maybe you want to do a big multi-day hike somewhere.
TIP: Mixing your running with a holiday location fights the staleness that can come from running high mileage on known routes during the road season.
6. Get Help. This may all seem a bit overwhelming. However, you can get advice on injuries from a running specialist. Now might be a good time for a running check-up to find what key areas you need to address.
TIP: Come to see me at intraining Indooroopilly and we can create an off-season plan of strength training and recuperation.
Steve Manning Podiatrist BPod (Hons), Level 4 Coach
Steve Manning works from the iHealth Centre Indooroopilly as a Podiatrist specialising in running injuries of the lower limb. He is also available for footwear consultations on Thursday evenings at Athlete’s Foot Indooroopilly. Steve is the Coaching Director for the intraining Running and Triathlon Club. If you’re looking for tips and advice on off-season training or an individualised running program, Steve can help with that too!