Some studies suggest that between 19% and 79% of runners worldwide suffer at least one injury a year. This is a really high ratio that both asphalt and mountain lovers should know how to reduce with certain basic training guidelines that would help us to take better care of our muscle and bone health.
Taking into account this reality, from RUNNEA, we want to focus on shedding some light on the trail running sector, providing some essential keys to reduce the risk of injury while enjoying the sport we love. However, many of the tips we will see below will be totally valid for asphalt fanatics. Shall we begin?
The 8 fundamental tips to avoid injury in mountain races
As we have already mentioned, there is a high percentage of runners who suffer some kind of injury, whether bone or muscle, throughout the season. The reasons can be very diverse and can occur in both asphalt runners and trail runners. In this case, we will focus on offering 8 basic tips for the control of training and mountain races that will help us to avoid injuries during mountain sports practice.
1. Don't want to burn stages too fast
Most runners sin in wanting to burn stages too quickly. We are always looking to run more kilometers, spend more time in the mountains or set ourselves much bigger challenges than our abilities can handle. The motivation and desire to improve and develop within a sport is usually a double-edged sword. While it encourages us to go out and train and get in shape, it blinds us to it, preventing us from recognizing that sports development, like any growth process, has its phases. That is why it is important to know how to be and 'endure' them all, in order to gain the experience and physical capacity necessary to face each challenge at the right time, without overwork or unnecessary wear and tear.
2. Give warm-up the importance it deserves
It is clear that the main course of a mountain training is to enjoy the trails and trails of our environment. But one of the keys to enjoy without demanding too much and getting injured or, at least, feel discomfort, is to perform a good warm-up. Therefore, it is advisable to perform a series of stretches and activations prior to the main exercise to get the body ready for action. In this framework we will also place the first3 kilometers of our race, which should be followed in a progressive and calm way until we reach our target pace with the muscles properly adapted to the exercise. Something that will prevent us from many scares in the long run.
3. Get the most suitable material for your needs
Sometimes, the most expensive or most advertised products are not the most suitable for our characteristics. Do we really need shoes with a carbon plate if we are amateur runners who do gentle runs at leisurely rhythms? No, of course not. That is why it is absolutely essential to know what we are like and what we need. Adapt our choice of all mountain equipment, especially trail running shoes, to our needs, depending on our weight, the usual use we are going to give to the material, our speed or our type of tread, among many other variables.
- You may be interested in: The best trail running shoes of each brand according to the distance you run.
4. Study the weather and terrain conditions
One of the biggest external factors that lead to injury in trail running is the weather and the terrain or its condition. We are talking about an environment that is usually hostile, full of irregularities, with a variety of surfaces to adapt to and exposed to any inclement weather. Therefore, it is vital when we go out to train or put on a bib to be clear about the weather forecast that is expected, in addition to knowing perfectly the route and its characteristics. If we do so, also adapting our clothing to each particular case, we will have prevented a large part of the problems that can arise from the practice of sports in the mountains.
5. Do not forget specific strength training
The gym, everything that a good trail runner knows is his 'necessary punishment'. And beware, by the gym we do not mean that it is vital to go to one and perform guided exercises on machines or with dead weights. But it is essential to add to all your training weeks a day in which you work on specific strength, either in the gym or through strength sessions with your own body weight. It is one of the few ways in which we will be able to strengthen our muscles to prevent any overload that the trail running sessions themselves can cause. A necessary 'toll' that will avoid us displeasure and despite not offering visible results in the short term, which can kill our patience, it will help us to improve exponentially in the long term.
6. Get adequate rest
As important is the strength work and the training itself in specific terrain as a good rest. And when we talk about rest, we're not just talking about sleeping more, which is just as important. The word rest for any self-respecting trail runner should have two aspects. The first, of course, is associated with the hours of sleep, in which the average duration of each day should be between 7 and 8 hours. But secondly, rest between activities must also be taken into account, i.e. the time needed to recover after certain training sessions so as not to arrive at the next session with muscular fatigue. Or, in other words, to have a good planning (and execution) of the workload that is bearable for our body and optimal for muscle development.
7. Maintain a balanced diet rich in nutrients
Another of the fundamental pieces, framed in what we could call 'passive training', is that of nutrition. It plays a fundamental role in providing us with the energy we need to carry out not only our workouts, but also our daily activities. To avoid running out of 'gasoline' and that this has an impact on the health of our muscles or our bone structure, we must know that it is necessary to carry out a diet rich in nutrients, appropriate to our usual volume of activity. A diet, to call it somehow, that offers us the necessary proteins to feed the cells of our muscle fibers and carbohydrates necessary to have as a reserve at the time of sports practice, which is where we will get the energy.
- You may be interested in: These are the reasons why you need a specific nutrition plan for mountain running.
8. Listen to your body at all times
Last but not least, perhaps quite the opposite, we must know how to listen. As mountain runners (or runners of any discipline) we must know our body perfectly. Identify the small symptoms that in one way or another warn us that a problem is occurring. And thus, before a major problem occurs, know how to stop, recover properly and be patient to return to the activity when there is no hint of discomfort. One of the great unfinished business, of course.
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