Running seems like such a simple activity and sport, yet so many people struggle with pain and injuries within the running community. It has plagued the community for as long as I can remember. I have had my own struggles with injuries due to running throughout my career, including shin splints, stress fractures, rolled ankles, and hip pain. There are many possible causes out there which the scientific community has proven, but there are two major reasons in which most runners get injured. Overloading the body too rapidly and improper muscle strength. I want to discuss the former a little bit more.
Overloading the body is key for making progress in any performance sense. The principle of Wolf’s law depicts how the body readily adapts to the stress put upon it and the overload principle follows along this same line by stating to continually improve a progressive challenge must always be present. So, what does this mean? This means the body needs a challenging stimulus to constantly adapt and become more efficient, stronger, and/or capable. However, that is only looking at one side of the coin. Yes, the body needs adequate stress to improve, but it also needs adequate time to adapt to those new stresses. Time for adaptation (TFA) is really where the running community tends to slack on. TFA is as critical to the body as the challenging stimulus. The body needs the appropriate time to make those desired gains. When there is little to no TFA, then the runner becomes more susceptible to injuries, pains, and training plateaus. All of these are obviously undesired outcomes for any runner.
The key is as simple as resting. I know this can be difficult for runners rather passionate or not, but the body needs it. My rest day is typically defined as complete rest with no physical training. However, the concept of a day off can be unfathomable for some runners or even other athletes. My recommendation is to still be productive but in another fashion. The body can take on stress in many ways, not just physically. I like to take these days off to de-stress completely. You can participate in light to moderate level yoga, read, another lower-level activity, etc. These activities are meant to act as meditation or soul-cleansing to allow the body AND the mind to rest. TFA needs to be applied to the brain as well. It is the true workhorse of our bodies.
TFA allows both mind and body adequate time to succeed. It allows any athlete or person, for that matter, to remain driven, revitalized, and feel stronger. When we incorporate TFA into our training regime, we can see greater achievements with decrease pains, injuries, and burnout. The take-home message is to take some time and relax!
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