Click the photo,you can see the large size.
Changes to Stride, Surface and Form to Avoid Injury
Simple adjustments to your routes,
form, and mileage can help sidestep injury.
Running may be the quickest, the most invigorating, and for many,
the most enjoyable way to get and stay fit. So it is doubly
frustrating when youfre sidelined by aches, pains, or, worse,
injuries. Easing up—on surfaces, strides, and miles—can help you
stay healthy. gYour body absorbs about three times your weight with
each step that you run,h says Bert Fields, M.D., a five-decade
runner who heads the sports medicine fellowship program at Cone
Health in Greensboro, North Carolina. gSo the most effective way to
cut back on injuries may be to cut back on the pounding.h Herefs
how.
Run Soft
Whether softer running surfaces are less injurious—and by how
much—is debated among sports scientists: The studies are few,
inconclusive, or conflicting. Complicating matters is that the
answer may depend partly on your stride, foot type, weight, weekly
mileage, injury history, footwear selection, and so on. Still, many
coaches and elite runners believe that soft surfaces rule. For
decades, elites have favored running as much as possible on dirt,
grass, and sand rather than asphalt and concrete.
gUp to half of my mileage is off-pavement, on Eugenefs logging
roads, wood-chip trails, and grass fields,h says Lauren Fleshman, a
5000-meter track star. gTherefs a noticeable difference in the
amount of shock I feel on trails compared to the roads, especially
in my quads and feet.h Fleshman says this lets her recover faster.
Besides the advantages of a softer surface, trails are on varied
terrain, which makes you constantly change your stride length and
direction, says Erika Lindland, D.P.T., who trains and treats
runners at Fairfax Wellness in Northern California. gThese changes
in muscle-use patterns reduce stress on muscle and connective
tissue,h Lindland says, gwhich allows for better recovery and less
injury risk.h
That doesnft mean you should go out right now and run on nothing but
trails. If youfve been running only on roads, you should adapt
gradually with a few off-road miles each week. The uneven surfaces
will vary the stresses on your feet and body, challenge you more,
and let you recover faster between runs. If you have poor balance or
are prone to ankle twists or Achilles injuries, avoid uneven,
hazardous surfaces like rocky trails and spongy grass.
Run Smooth
When you land hard on your feet, the impact radiates up through your
muscles, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue, from feet to
hips. That takes a toll, sometimes leading to a breakdown on this
kinetic chain. Smoothing out your stride can lessen the force of
each landing, says Chris Johnson, a running coach and personal
trainer at Boston Sports Club–West Newton.
Johnson encourages runners to consult a coach before overhauling
form but says there are a few minor adjustments that are safe and
simple to try on your own. First, try pushing off your big toe, with
the foot under or slightly behind your hips. gThis disperses force
more effectively throughout the lower body,h Johnson says. gThink of
the push-off as a clawing motion, pulling the ground back as you
launch forward.h
Another easy fix is to run with a slight forward lean. gRunning with
no lean forces you to land hard on your heels,h Johnson says. (A
study published this year by the American College of Sports Medicine
found that heel-strikers had about twice the repetitive stress
injury rate of forefoot-strikers.) gBut keep your torso straight,
and donft lean more than a few degrees forward or youfll limit your
ability to open up your stride.h
Swing your arms close to your sides, with hands between hips and
chest. gExcessive arm swing results in hip and leg rotation that can
cause overpronation,h he says, gand that concentrates too much
ground-reaction force near the big toe.h
And on downhills, resist the temptation to lengthen your stride and
gbrakeh on your heels. gRun as if youfre pedaling a bike rather than
drilling your heels into the ground,h he says, gand try to roll your
feet from midfoot to forefoot.h
Run Less
For those who love to run and only run, the sad truth is that more
isnft always better. The only sure way to reduce your injury risk is
to reduce your mileage, according to a 2010 review of running-injury
studies. gHigher mileage is the factor with the highest correlation
to running-injury frequency,h says Fields. gIt appears that most
runners can safely build up to 40 miles a week, but unless theyfre
biomechanically perfect, the injury risk starts climbing when they
go above that. Thatfs why so many coaches are replacing some mileage
with cross-training.h
Nonimpact activities like deep-water pool running, cycling, and
elliptical-trainer workouts give you almost all of the benefits of
replaced runs, from cardio fitness to calorie burning. Your running
muscles are used, though in a slightly different way, and you can
even mimic a speed workout doing them. Low-impact activities like
hill walking and snowshoeing also take some of the gpoundh out. And
whole-body activities like swimming and strength training make you
all-around stronger. The best bonus of all? Youfll feel even fresher
on the days you do run.
Reach, Touch, and Rope
Do these exercises three times a week to gsmoothh your stride
Single-Leg Reach: Stand on your right foot with the
left foot inches above the floor. Slowly move your hips back while
leaning forward to touch left hand to right foot. Return to start;
do 15 reps for each leg.
Why: Improves hip and ankle stability, letting you land and push off
the midfoot more easily.
Bird Dog with Touch: From your hands and knees,
reach one arm forward and extend the opposing leg back. Touch that
armfs elbow to that legfs knee. Release; do 15 reps for each leg.
Why: Improves force transfer from your limbs to the torso, which
stabilizes the pelvis.
Skip Rope: Skip for 30 seconds at a quick tempo
(land alternately on each foot between rope turns), rest 30 seconds,
repeat five times.
Why: Improves strength in the ankles, the runnerfs shock absorbers.
FEEL BETTER: Running on trails? Go by effort,
not by pace; your trail time will be slower than your road times for
the same distance. Better to enjoy the scenery!
Thank you all very
much,all the whole worldwide runners who applied today for the Great
Wall of China Marathon(GWCM)2013.
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Countdown of Great Wall of China Marathon on May 1,2013:
155 days to go
@
Great Wall of China Marathon 2013 Tours
Online Application for Great
Wall of China Marathon 2013:
http://www.greatwallmarathon.com.cn/application2013.htm
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