It’s not all about running!

18 AUGUST 2020

I have recently had an injury which has stopped me running all together, which for all of us runners, is the most frustration thing that can happen, because it’s our release, our space, our bit of freedom from the hustle and bustle of life.  This got me focusing on strength and conditioning, stretching, and having treatment and massage, which, even for a coach, gives you an opportunity to refocus and think about the bigger picture.

 There is more to running than putting your trainers on…

There is more to running than putting your trainers on and going for a run.  Constant pounding on the trails and roads can cause niggles and injuries, turning that ankle on a fast downhill can cause quite some damage, you need to strengthen the muscles and tendons, you need to stretch those tight muscles, and you need to flush the body of toxins and ease out those knots in the muscles, but other than a limited amount of strength and conditioning, which has made me look at becoming qualified with the UKSCA, I don’t know much about stretching, or about massage, so I have had two of my ‘running friends’ to contribute to this blog and put their expertise to paper for you.

First up is Sam Boswell, of SBR massage.  Sam is a triathlete, and not just a triathlete, but a medallist, I see her win many gold medals, but also an Ironman, and also a Kona Ironman.

Sam has been a sports massage therapist for many years and knows exactly how and where to apply the right pressure to smooth out those knots.

Benefits of Massage for Fell Runners, by Sam Boswell.

‘Sports massage or Deep tissue therapy is an invigorating form of hands on treatment. It is essential for athletes and relevant to everyone. 

You do not need to be participating in sport to feel the benefits of this therapy but for Fell Runners, working their bodies hard, a regular sports massage can play a large part in injury prevention and keeping training regular and consistent. It should ideally be a part of your training routine. 

Reduces risk of injury….

Some of the benefits of sports massage to Fell Runners include: 

Reduces the risk of injury through location of lesions, scar tissue or muscle imbalance. 

Extends life of sporting career by resolving and preventing injuries, this in turn keeps training and racing more consistent, giving better training and racing results. 

Warms and stretches muscles Improves flexibility and range of motion Promotes blood flow and helps with removal of lactic acid Reduces onset of D.O.M.S (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) Speeds up recovery time 

Relieves stress and tension and promotes relaxation.  Tight, stiff muscles from training or races can start to cause problems, increasing the risk of injury. Sports massage can prevent those injuries occurring and iron out those that have appeared leaving you a much healthier individual and a more resilient athlete.’

I try to see Sam once a month, or if training for an event every three weeks, normally on a rest day, a few days after a hard session or race, and not on a day I train.  One thing I do recommend after a massage, is to drink plenty of water, as it helps flush the toxins out of the body.

We now move onto stretching.  Stretching is so diverse and there are so many ways to stretch, however some of my Mercia Fell Running friends do yoga and swear by it.  My good friend John Atyeo, who is a fantastic fell runner and also a practicing Osteopath has provided us with the reason why yoga should be part of your training.

Yoga for Runners By John Atyeo

‘I think there is generally a consensus that practicing yoga regularly definitely helps all types of running, be it track, road, trail or mountain running. It helps both in improving performance and in reducing the likelihood of running-related injury. 

if I want to remain injury free, I would have to make a personal commitment to mitigate these changes…

Certainly, in my own case, I feel that practicing yoga has been one of the most important factors in allowing me to continue to run at the level I want to. In recent years, I passed 50 years of age and I also transitioned from a primarily road running scene into fell running. Although both forms have their impact on the human musculoskeletal system, these impacts are quite different. Road running is linear, on hard surfaces and requires maintaining a consistent pace for a considerable period. By comparison, fell running requires a lot of climbing and descending on uneven ground and frequent changes of pace. As the human body ages, it takes longer to recover and repair from the microtraumas and major injuries that inevitably occur with any type of running. The new tissue laid down is progressively more fibrous than elastic. Range of movement is lost from joints, which adversely affects performance and increases susceptibility to further injury. I realised that if I wanted to keep injury-free and remain running, and competitive, then I would have to make a personal commitment to mitigate these changes. 

This is where yoga comes in. it helps the body in its recovery and repair process, enabling it to retain the highest level of function available. I discussed this with Sally Brocklehurst, yoga instructor at Optimal Movement Yoga in Shrewsbury. She has produced this handy aid-memoire listing the benefits of yoga to the runner. In my view, these items in this list speak for themselves. As a registered osteopath myself, as well as a runner. I certainly endorse them. 

I use a relatively limited number of yoga poses which have proved sufficient for my running needs. I have found myself doing a lot of ‘Downward-facing Dog’ and ‘Runner’s Lunge’ poses over the years. 

o   Yoga specifically targets key muscles used in running.

o   It realigns joints, lengthen muscles and stabilises the body.

o   Improves posture-essential for ‘running tall’.

o   Optimise recovery

o   Improve balance and proprioception particularly important for trail runners

o   Reduce risk of injury

o   Enhance Physical performance.

One of the issues that some runners do have with yoga, is the perceived commitment required to attending of classes etc. Early this year, I collaborated with Josie Lloyd, herself a yoga instructor and a fellow Mercian fell runner to produce an article describing a small number of the most useful yoga poses for runners, ones that were relatively easy to do and which, collectively could be done in 5-10 minutes or so, such as after run or some other convenient time. 

Suffice to say, as long as I continue to run and have ambition with running, I will continue to practice regularly.’

So if you ‘just’ run, and want to see improvements in your performance, want to feel like you are floating again and want to feel tall, consider getting a sports massage and consider taking up some yoga, it may be the best training session you do yet!