Stay Injury Free this Running Season

Tips and Tricks To Keep your Summer Running Program Injury Free

Keep your running program on track this summer with these tips to avoid common injuries.

Common running injuries:

• Plantar fasciitis

• Runner's knee

• Ilio-tibial band syndrome

• Achilles tendonitis

• Shin splints

• Stress fractures

Tips and Tricks:

1. Wear proper fitting running shoes and replace every 600-1000km

2. Heel drops to stretch calves and roll out the feet

Heel Drop

Roll Out Feet

3. Dynamic stretching before running: hip openers, hamstring stretch, quad stretch, calf stretch. Dynamic meaning movement

Dynamic hamstring and calf stretch – sweep left leg forward, draw toes back, walk forward and switch to right. Repeat.

Dynamic quad stretch – draw right leg towards glutes, keeping knees together and hip and knee in alignment, walk forward 3 steps reverse with left leg. Repeat.

Dynamic hip openers – Lift right knee, circle hip open to side, lower right leg. Step forward and reverse with left leg. Repeat.

4. Static stretching after running focus on lower body

Static hamstring stretch

Dynamic hip flexor stretch

Static calf stretch

Hip and Glute opener stretch

5. Progress slowly to allow the body to adjust to both distance and intensity of the run

6. Focus on form first then mileage and speed

For more tips and tricks on running form, ask one of our experts. Contact personaltraining@heavensacademy.com