Get rid of bad running habits

The way to a better runner Changing bad runner habits

Bad habit number 1 – You are your own doctor Bad habit number 2 – You never stretch Bad habit number 3 – You don't sleep enough Bad habit number 4 – You forgo sunscreen Bad habit number 5 – You hardly regenerate Conclusion – Your path to becoming an injury-free, high-performance runner Knee pain? Running already out once you are five kilometers on the road. Rest days? Completely overrated. UV protection? What for? We are not in the Sahara!

Recognize yourself? Yes, we runners tend to occasionally do things that are not necessarily conducive to good health. Not to lose track in the training schedule,
we ignore pain, maybe even numb it with painkillers and because we want to get faster as quickly as possible, we forego regeneration: In combination, these habits are an explosive mix that can lead to overuse problems and other physical ailments that ultimately paralyze us for longer than a generous regeneration phase lasts. Many runner's complaints like shin splints, knee pain or stress fractures could be avoided if we would listen better to our bodies and consider regeneration and tapering as a training boost instead of looking at it suspiciously as a loss of time.

How to change bad running habits into good ones with a few little tricks, we reveal in this article.

Bad habit number 1 – You are your own doctor

Runners listen very carefully to their bodies. If they notice deviations from the known norm, either all the symptoms are immediately identified using a search engine on the Internet – or the training plan continues to be followed through regardless of losses, according to the motto: What is not diagnosed is not there! In the first case, one quickly has various diagnoses at hand, mostly Driven by the very worst injury fears. And we runners act immediately in such a case, after all, a training day must not be lost under any circumstances. So we ice our aching knee and take prophylactic pills when the Achilles tendon hurts or there is a pull in the lower back. And of course we keep limping along, strictly following the training plan. That goes without saying!

Treatment on your own? "This is often a serious mistake", Says Lewis G. Maharam, medical director of the New York Road Runners Club, the largest running club in the world. "Improper treatment can sometimes lead to even greater discomfort and even create entirely new complaints."In this way, small injuries can develop into chronic complaints, which at some point can only be treated by professionals after all.

How to do it better

If you have a problem that plagues you beyond a single running session, see a doctor. Pain is particularly common among female athletes. Athletes a kind of cry for help from the body. It signals: Something is wrong here. So do your running buddy a favor and see a sports doctor, ideally one who runs himself or has dealt with runners on a regular basis. If you have structural problems, a movement analysis by a physiotherapist can reveal asymmetries and strength deficits, which you can work out with a targeted training program.

Our Tip: Ask local running clubs, your running buddies or club mates about their experiences with specific doctors and physical therapists. Your chosen sports medicine doctor or physical therapist should be able to identify the demands that running places on the body as potential causes of your ailments. Achilles tendon discomfort, for example, may have to do with improper footwear or unevenly developed gluteal muscles, declining running form with blood levels that indicate an iron deficiency or. Show ferritin deficiency. If you're physically unwell, part of an ambitious runner's routine checkup is getting a CBC. The sports physician may also suggest performance diagnostics on the treadmill. Let him advise you.

How to find the right running shoe

Bad habit number 2 – you never stretch

For many runners, it's often not that easy to maintain a certain running routine. For this, the demands of profession. Family too large. Good thing running is such a low time-consuming sport that you can do anytime, anywhere. A regular stretching program? Impossible in terms of time!
We say: It must be! Poorly moving muscles lead to injuries in the long term. Stretching promotes muscle regeneration and loose muscles can better store glycogen; the energy you need for running. Warm up with dynamic mobilization exercises before running. End running workout with two to three stretches. It doesn't have to be a 30-minute program, a few exercises for the decisive muscle groups, for example calf muscles and thigh muscles, are enough. Instead of running for 60 minutes, you only run for 52 minutes. Stretch for it the remaining eight minutes. Think of it this way: just because you stretch and mobilize your tendons, joints and muscles, you will be able to run longer and faster in the months, years and decades to come. Stretching and mobilization are a form of injury prevention.

Here's what runners need to know about stretching

Bad habit number 3 – you sleep too little

Runners who sleep little (less than six to seven hours per night) not only run the risk of not recovering sufficiently between running sessions, but as a result ultimately also permanently weaken their entire immune system. "Sleep, or absolute rest, makes it easier to replenish depleted energy stores and restore defective muscle cells," says Ralph Downey, who has been researching sleep for years at Loma Linda University in California.

How to do it better

While experts agree that the need for sleep varies from individual to individual – some people get by on five hours of sleep a night, while others need ten hours. "But Runners who work out several times a week, definitely benefit from not missing out on sleep in the process," says Downey.

Our Tip: Take advantage of a weekend day when you can sleep in without any problems to test how much rest (i.E. Sleep) your body actually needs:Go to bed well before midnight, make sure you get plenty of rest (close doors and shutters) and try out how long you sleep without an alarm clock. During normal training phases, you should avoid at all costs falling short of the determined number of hours by more than eight percent. And before and after a strenuous workout or competition, you should definitely allow yourself the full number of required rest hours.

This helps against sleep problems

Bad habit number 4 – you do without sunscreen

Runners have higher risk of skin cancer than non-runners. This is confirmed by a study that appeared in the U.S. Journal "Archives of Dermatology" back in 2007. Why? First, because of their running training, they spend more time outdoors than most non-runners anyway, and second, (too) high mileage weakens the immune system. As a result, esp ambitious runners are more susceptible to the negative effects of sunscreens the UV rays. Another study blames sweating for the increased risk – it increases the skin's sensitivity to light.

How to do it better

Before every run in the sun, rub your skin with a waterproof sunscreen (at least SPF15, but SPF30 or SPF50 is better) that protects against UVA and UVB rays. If you want to be on the safe side, avoid running in strong sunlight. If you still on the road in strong sunlight are, we recommend running clothes with long arms and legs. Naturally as breezy and functional as possible, which means clothing that keeps as little sweat on your skin as possible.

Sports sun creams for running in the test

Bad habit number 5 – you hardly regenerate at all

"If you never take a break, you run yourself to death", says Dieter Baumann. The Olympic champion knows what he is talking about. Daily training without rest days leads to overtraining in 99 percent of runners. This is shown by permanent fatigue, listlessness, poor running results and frequent illnesses. "A rest day is not 'no training,' it's part of the training," Baumann says. Only in regeneration phases can the body replenish its energy stores, even overfill them (= supercompensation), in such a way that performance progress is achieved.

How to do it better

Every weekly running program should include at least one rest day as well as two to three additional quiet running days (pace: 70 percent of maximum heart rate, also called feel-good pace). On the rest day, there should also be no alternative training such as cycling, swimming or similar on the schedule, but you should keep to absolute sports rest. "The healthiest running measure includes three to four running days per week with 40 to 60 minutes of running," says Baumann, who, however, runs six times a week himself. "For ambitious runners it is not only about health, but also about performance development", says the life runner and former running star, "but also for them a rest day is a must."

The best books, movies and series for runners

Conclusion – Your path to becoming an injury-free and high-performance runner

Training is an important component to become more efficient. However, not everything depends on the training. Some runners have habits that lead to not being able to perform as desired. For example, many runners neglect the Mobilization of her joints and muscles before or after running. That leads fast to one-sided load. Through targeted Stretching exercises we enable the muscle, to regenerate more easily and to better reabsorb energy (glycogen). Likewise, sufficient Sleep and training-free days in the training plan of every runner. If you have pain over several running sessions, it is important to fix it first before continuing with your training plan. Do not be afraid to visit a sports doctor or physiotherapist and have your complaints clarified.

Perfectly coordinated: Your completely individual running coaching from RUNNER'S WORLD