Competitor - August 2017

TRAINING 43

FIRST LAP

Rest...sort of:

When your doctor says “rest,” ask

what that looks like. Because it prob-

ably doesn’t mean sit on the sofa and

binge on Netfl ix for the next six to eight

weeks. It usually means rest the injured

body part, but keep up your cardiovas-

cular fi tness. “Within two weeks of no

running, there’s a signifi cant decline in

your VO2 max [or aerobic capacity],”

says Jason Karp, exercise physiologist

and creator of the Revo2lution Running

certifi cation program.

Know what “keep running”

means to doctors:

That’s not code for “stick to your

training program and just hope the

pain goes away.” Many injuries crop

up due to less-than-ideal running

form, which is often amplifi ed when

you get tired. Suppose you have a

biomechanical problem that’s causing

plantar fasciitis. Even if you take time

off , the problem will come back once

you start running again, explains

physical therapist Michael Conlon,

owner of Finish Line Physical Therapy

in New York City. “Unless you’re

addressing the biomechanical issues,

the idea of rest and nothing else isn’t

that eff ective,” he says. Make an

appointment with someone who can

help you correct the underlying prob-

lem that’s causing the injury. And do it

now. It’s much easier to address acute

issues than ones that started months

ago, says Conlon.

Add and subtract:

When you’re forced to subtract

some miles from running, add

another type of exercise to the mix.

If you had a two-hour run scheduled

and you can only do 60 minutes

until you hit the pain wall, then do

50 minutes of physical training and

finish up on a different piece of

equipment. “I’m not preoccupied

with what exercise you choose,” says

Jonathan Cane, co-founder of City

Coach Multisport, “as long as it’s

intense enough to elicit a training

effect.” So if swimming isn’t your

strong point, then pick something

else, as long as what you choose

doesn’t aggravate your injury. (It

should be a linear sport, Brough

points out. Basketball and tennis

involve a lot of lateral cutting, which

can create new injuries.)

Create new patterns:

Even if part of your run trouble is

that your glutes are weak, strength-

ening those muscles with isolated

HOW TO STAY FIT

WHEN YOU’RE

INJURED

Use these smart strategies to

keep up your running fi tness.

BY MARTY MUNSON

You might not believe it when your

IT band is giving you trouble or your

plantar fasciitis is fl aring up or even if

you sprained your ankle, but there’s

good news about being injured.

“The number of times I actually

advise injured runners to stop running

is very, very few,” says Colleen Brough,

director of the RunLab at Columbia

University in New York. “If you’re

dealing with a bony stress injury, then

you’re going to need to sit it out.”

But when most of the other common

running injures rear their ugly heads

and threaten your next race, try using

these approaches to fi ght back and

stay on track.

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Injury-

proof your

body with

this 10-minute

strength routine

for runners.

CM0817_T_FIRSTLAP.indd 43 7/27/17 12:42 PM