May 18, 2024
Training Tips by Runzy Director of Coaching Joe McConkey
Maximize Healthy Steps
Our body is always ready and willing to adapt to whatever we are doing, or not doing, at any moment. If we are running often we are adapting so that running is less laborious. If we are not running regularly but are watching Netflix often we are then adapting so that watching Netflix becomes harder to stop. Finally, and most pertinent to this article, if we are running with a minor twitch in our stride, or with an acute muscular tension, we are adapting to this altered stride by making this pattern more and more common, more pronounced, and eventually more severe.
The number one goal of all runners should, first and foremost, be to maximize the percentage of healthy, fluid, efficient strides. The goal of course being 100%. 100% of your strides during your run should feel healthy, without pain. If you go out on an easy run and feel something is off, like your hamstring is grabbing a bit, your calf is tight, or your hip feels stiff, the percentage of healthy strides start to lower. Instead of pushing through and running with perhaps 80% of your strides feeling healthy, there might be another path to consider.
Minor soft-tissue sensitivity and tension from repetitive motion often comes from stuck inflammation within the cells of the muscle, tendons and fascia. Stopping the run and addressing these areas with a few minutes of targeted self-massage, stretching, or mobility drills can result in increased circulation to the area, which can in-turn help clear out the inflammation and result in a quick return to healthy strides.
