Written by Rick Platt
My June 2011 column discussed the most common mistakes runners make on race day. Now it’s time to talk about common training mistakes made by both novice and experienced runners. If you avoid these six mistakes, running can be a daily joy—and you can run and race healthy for a lifetime.
1. TOO MUCH, TOO FAST, TOO SOON
By far this is the biggest training mistake, and is the major cause of running injuries or burnout. Training in running is essentially adding incremental stresses for the body, and allowing the body to adapt to those stresses, increasing its strength or capacity to do work at a faster or longer level, before moving up to the next step. The body has an optimum level of adaptation. If you push the body too much it will break down with injuries, either to the bones (stress fractures or shin splints) or to the muscles, tendons or ligaments (tears, strains, cramps or inflammation).
The key indicator for optimum training is the weekly mileage total (hint: always keep a training diary). If you’re doing less than 15 miles per week total, don’t increase that weekly total by more than one mile per week. If doing more than 15 miles per week, don’t increase by more than two miles per week.
In terms of long runs (the key for training for 10-mile, half-marathon or marathon races) don’t increase those runs by more than a half mile if currently doing less than five-mile long runs, and don’t increase by more than one mile weekly if doing more than five-mile long runs.
In terms of running frequency, a good plan is to start with running three times a week. Then slowly build up to four, five and six days per week.
For all runners, the first thing you work on is increasing your distance gradually. Then you can gradually work on adding speed. Half-mile repeats or “intervals” are the optimum distance for most runners, so start out with two repeats, gradually building up to as many as eight (four miles total in speed workouts is common for area club runners).
2. IGNORING OR MASKING WARNING SIGNALS
This is the second most common mistake. A danger of taking painkillers or anti-inflammatory medications is that you can mask the body’s natural warning signals of possible injury. Or you can feel those danger signals and think you can run through them. Many injuries are avoidable if you just stop, slow down or do loosening-up exercises whenever you feel twinges or pain, rather than pushing through that pain. A slow, gentle warm up to each workout is critical.
3. BEING TOO AMBITIOUS
Too many novice runners decide to get into running by training for a popular half marathon or marathon race, and going on a crash three-month or six-month program to get ready. Better to get into running and racing slowly, starting out with a 5K race and building to at most a 10K in your first racing season. Build your distance base in the winter for spring races, and build your distance base in the summer for fall races. Then six months later, increase your goal race distance to 10 miles or a half marathon. Avoid the temptation to run a full 26.2-mile marathon until at least a year after starting regular running training and racing (if at all—for many runners, stopping at the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles is enough as a lifetime goal, to motivate fitness and to conquer a strenuous challenge).
4. TOO MUCH TRAINING ON HARD, UNFORGIVING SURFACES
Running on dirt, grass, gravel or an all-weather track is better for your knees, joints and muscles/tendons/ligaments than running on harder surfaces. Asphalt is more forgiving than concrete. This is especially important in the opening miles of your workout, as you warm up.
5. NOT VARYING YOUR TRAINING ROUTINE
It’s actually a mistake to do all your training at the same distance and the same pace, as that stresses the same muscles in the same way, potentially leading to injury. Better to vary your routine with easy (“recovery”) days, regular distance days, and one longer run every week. It’s also good to incorporate various cross-training into your routine, whether cycling, swimming, stair-stepping, elliptical or rowing, all of which add strength and aerobic conditioning, without adding to the stresses of the pounding from running.
6. NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR RUNNING SHOES
Rotate at least three pairs of running shoes in your training. Wearing the same pair for every workout breaks down the shoes quicker, and can lead to injury. And whenever you start feeling new aches and pains, the first thing to look at is replacing your old, worn-down shoes, as 300 to 500 miles is the standard recommended usage. Visit a specialty running store to get the best advice on running shoes and selection.
