Competitor - August 2017

44 TRAINING

FIRST LAP

The Injured runner’s

BesT FrIends

Physical therapist Michael Conlon

recommends these tools to lend a

keep-yourself-fit hand.

AlTerG:

This “anti-gravity”

treadmill lifts you up

via air and a pair of

neoprene shorts that

more or less suspend you to reduce

gravity’s impact while running (you

hit the belt at a fraction of your actual

body weight). Found most commonly

at offices that do physical therapy and

some gyms.

ellIPTICAl:

Runners often prefer

this since it mimics the

motions of running

better than other cardio

gym machines do.

BIkInG:

You don’t have to go

outdoors to get a great

workout. An indoor

trainer or indoor cycling

bike works fine. In a way,

the indoor options are even better,

because you can get a quality workout

without having to worry about terrain

or traffic and may be able to ride with

upper body injuries. Try to match

your RPMs to what your run cadence

should be, and adjust the resistance

according to what type of workout

you’re going for (tempo, hills, speed

work, etc.).

deeP-wATer

runnInG BelT:

“Deep-water running

is a more difficult and

better workout than most

people realize,” Conlon says. The belt

holds you vertical in the water so you

can work your legs and heart without

spending time and energy to stay up.

gym exercises might not be enough to

get you pain-free again. You need to

learn how to use that strength while

you run, says Brough. “I often give

running homework—cues you can use

while you’re running to correct your

mechanics,” she says. For instance,

if someone’s knee drifts inward and

contributes to knee pain, she might tell

them to squeeze their butt as the foot

hits the ground to better align the knee.

Or maybe for the next 100 feet, they cue

up a lower abdominal exercise or exper-

iment with placing their foot flat on

the ground rather than striking it with

their heel first. It’s called real-time gait

training, she says, and it teaches you to

create new movement pathways that

help you run strong, not just be strong.

You can strengthen a troublesome

muscle, but if you don’t learn to engage

it while running, it can’t help you out.

Vary your intensity:

Mimic the original training plan’s

intensity, Cane says. If it should be a hill

day, do hill repeats on the bike. Tempo?

Do that. Since heart rates can vary on

different pieces of equipment, train

by perceived exertion. True, nothing

exactly mimics running—“You can’t

train for a marathon solely on the bike,”

Conlon says. “But even when you’re

injured, you can do quality exercise and

still maintain your fitness for whatever

it is you’re training for.”

Be honest with yourself:

Tempted to do your race even though

you probably shouldn’t? Karp suggests

asking yourself: “What is the purpose

of running the race when injured? What

do you hope to get out of the race that’s

worth the increased risk of making the

injury worse?” Pho

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CM0817_T_FIRSTLAP.indd 44 7/12/17 5:49 PM