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Four top tips to avoiding the most common injuries long-distance runners face

Running long distances will take your mind and body to places you never thought you’d go. Play your cards right, and you will come out stronger and fitter than ever before; but, make a few silly mistakes and you could be out of your running shoes for longer than you’d like. Injuries are very common during ultramarathons, but you can avoid a lot of them if you follow some of these tips.

1. Work on your running technique

As your running distance increases, you’ll be taking 40,000+ steps while you’re running. If your running technique is bad, that’s a whole lot of time for a small impact or for some friction to build up into a painful injury.

Here are a few of the most important points to help with injury prevention:

• Cadence, cadence, cadence: This is a measure of how many steps you take per minute. You should ideally be taking 180 steps per minute. This may feel fast to begin with; if that is the case, try using Spotify playlists to help you keep your cadence up.
• The heel-striker vs forefoot runner debate: There are countless articles and studies that argue both ways. In reality, the most important aspect of foot-landing is where you land in relation to your hips: your feet should land beneath your hips rather than far in front of them. This reduces the impact on your knee and hip joints, and ensures you are propelling yourself forwards rather than back.
• Stand up tall: Runners tend to lean forwards, especially when they get tired. Focus on standing tall and actively pushing your hips forwards.

A paid coaching session to improve your running technique is a small price to pay for miles and miles of uninjured fun.

2. Build up slowly

When you’re building up your mileage, you should try not to increase it by more than 10–15% each week. If you’re starting at 10k and working your way up to 50k, this should take you at least 15 weeks.

A common training strategy is to have 3 hard build-up weeks followed by one recovery week, where you drop your mileage to help your body recover. This week shouldn’t be a full rest week — instead, replace a couple of your runs with a cycle or other cross-training session.

3. Learn about injuries

The more you run, the more you learn about your body, and you will start understanding pain that is safe to push through and pain that is not. Reading up about common long-distance running injuries can help you distinguish between the two. Below are some of the most common injuries, but for more details, there is an extensive paper on ultra injuries here.

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Most commonly observed in female athletes, Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome causes dull, aching pain at the front of the knee. Pain can feel worse after long periods of sitting with bent knees.
• Stress fracture: A stress fracture is a very small ‘crack’ or fracture in your bone. Stress fractures are most commonly seen in the foot, tibia or femur of long-distance runners, and are usually caused by fatigued muscles no longer being able to protect bones from shock. These are difficult to diagnose, but may be present if you feel localized tenderness and swelling.
• Iliotibial Band (ITB) Friction Syndrome: The IT Band runs from the side of the hip down to the knee, and, if inflamed, will cause pain in the upper, outer part of your knee. Any sort of popping sensation while running may be a sign of this.
• Plantar Fasciitis: Plantar Fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain in runners. You may be suffering from Plantar Fasciitis if you feel pain at the bottom, inner part of your heel when pressure is applied, or if you feel deep pain or sharp stabs in your heel when running.

Understanding what the main running injuries are will help you identify if and when you should take a break from running. Remember, marathon and ultra running is a long game; if you feel an injury coming on, you’re better off taking a couple weeks off instead of injuring yourself beyond repair.

4. Strenghten your glutes

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body, so you might as well make the most of it. Strenghtening your glutes will help with your posture and will reduce risk of running injuries. Below are some exercises to try:

• One-legged squats: Do 3x 10 squats on each leg. When squatting down, try visualizing sitting down in a chair behind you, and make sure your knee does not move forward infront of your toes.
• Superman: Lie on your front, and lift up your legs and arms as far off the ground as possible. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 5 times.
• Glute bridge: Lie down on your back, with your knees bent, as if you’re about to do a sit-up. Lift up your right leg and bend your knee fully, and lift up your pelvis so that your back and left thigh form a straight line (see images below for proper technique). Repeat 3x10 times on each leg.

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Whether you’ve just done a 10k, half marathon, marathon or an ultramarathon, here’s how to recover like a boss.

After a long run, whether its 10k, 26 miles or 50k, your body will be crying out for some proper rest and recovery. The least you can do is comply and give the body what it wants and follow these steps to aid in your recovery.

Get off your feet

As soon as the race is over, try and elevate your legs if possible. Try and find a tree or wall that you can rest your legs against for a short while. This will help to reduce the fluid build up in your legs. It also means that when you put your legs down, you’ll encourage a healthy blood flow to your muscles. This is especially important if you are prone to injuries from running.

Stretch

Stretching tired and sore muscles after a long run is essential as it reduces muscle tension and helps to alleviate lactic acid and encourage blood flow. Stretching can also help to increase flexibility and most importantly, prevent injuries. If you leave your muscles and tendons all tight after your run, you are more likely to have longer-lasting damage to the muscles.

Nutrition

After a long run, no matter the distance, you body will have used up almost all (if not all) of its energy supplies so it’s very important to refuel. You should get right back on the food as soon as you can to get your carb intake back up to normal. This will help you to get some energy back, to start the recovery process effectively.

Water is the most important thing to get in. Hydration plays a very important role in recovery so make sure you knock back plenty of water over the course of the day.

Relaxation and Sleep

Make sure you get plenty of rest as soon as the race is over. You’ve put your body through a lot and it will need time to recover. Being too active too soon after the run will merely hinder your recovery process so keep it chilled for a few days.

Sleep is very important for recovery. Your muscles will repair the most when you are asleep so make sure you give them as much time to repair as you can.

Gentle exercise

After you feel well rested, try and do some gentle exercise to ease your body back into its old routine. A steady 20 minute walk will do wonders for getting you back into the swing of things and letting your legs recover without putting your body under too much strain. After a few walks, and if you’re feeling up for it, go for a gentle jog to really put the legs back to where they were.

As mentioned by Georgie Okell in her marathon recovery tips for Hip and Healthy, swimming is also a great way to recover. Swimming takes all of the weight out of your legs and arms and lets you just relax without feeling the strain of your muscles. Further to this, exercising in water is low impact and therefore great for your joints and your overall recovery.

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How to properly fuel yourself for your next marathon.

You’ve done all the training, you’ve got all your kit, you’ve planned your travel, now all you need to do is make sure you’re effectively and fully fueled up for your marathon.

Marathon Golden Rule — Don’t try anything new on race day

You shouldn’t experiment with any new foods or any variation from your standard diet. It’s very easy in the last few days to get nervous and be persuaded by a friend to try something new or see something new at the race expo or stores. It’s important to stick to what you’re used to so you and your body are relaxed and comfortable.

5 days to go

With 5 days till the big race, you’ll want to start increasing your carbohydrate intake by adding in more starchy foods like pasta. Don’t get bought into the outdated notion of depleting your body of carbs for the week before and then overloading it just before the race to trick your body into storing more energy. This is an old and outdated idea that doesn’t work and can hinder performance.

One way to keep your carb levels up is to ensure that a higher percentage of your calorie intake are carbs.

Do bear in mind that in the last week, you won’t be running as much as you have been so eating too much will make you feel bloated and lethargic.

48 hours to go

Your last big meal should be two nights before the big race. This will give your body lots of time to deal with the food and make sure that you won’t feel bloated on the day of the run.

A common mistake is to load up on pasta and bread on the night before the race and end up feeling bloated.

24 hours to go

The day before the race, you’ll want to just have the kind of meal you would have on a normal training day. Make sure you keep your fluid intake up. Drinking lots of water is a necessity — you could always carry a bottle of water around with you during the day to remind yourself to keep hydrated.

Your meals should consist of simple carbs such as sweet potatoes, pastas or white rice. You shouldn’t be overly active the day before the race so you may feel full quite quickly. This is normal and you shouldn’t try to completely stuff yourself.

18 hours to go

In the last 18 hours, you’ll be wanting to keep yourself topped up with energy filled food like energy bars, bread and small sandwiches. Try and avoid red-meat, fried foods, dairy and fats as these will only fill you up with the wrong stuff.

Make sure you keep drinking lots of water and electrolyte drinks to keep your water and salt levels in the right place.

4 hours or less

Before the race, you’ll want to have a small breakfast nice and early, to give yourself more time to digest it before the starting gun goes off.

Keep yourself topped up with water, but be sure not to try and down as much as possible. The trick is drink little amounts often, instead of big gulps every now and then.

You may want to knock back an energy gel just before the race to give yourself that last bit of energy before embarking on this mammoth run.

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Top Training Tips For Ultra Running

1. Strength & Fitness Training

Ultra Marathon training will require less interval training than other races. Aerobic running is what an ultra is made of. Some speed training will be necessary of course. But mostly you should be doing low-impact cross- and strength training like hiking and cycling that will double as a help against running injuries. And it’ll make ultra marathon preparation more enjoyable.

2. Back-to-back training

Being able to run on tired legs is the key to Ultra Marathon training. You’ll be physically and mentally capable if you’ve practiced it beforehand. Running two long runs back-to-back once a week is the key. Which means that either you run morning and afternoon or on two-days running (probably the weekend). Split up in whatever way a distance to achieve over the two runs and try and manage the whole thing. Aim to do the full distance over 2 days 6–8 weeks before the event and forget about timing it.

3. Know the course

Knowing the course, the kind of terrain you’ll encounter, where the aid stations are placed and even the weather forecasts can help you train for your ultra marathon. You can practice it in the likely conditions and even cut up your training runs into achievable segments in the same way as you would on race day. You’ll never be sorry for over-preparing.

4. Terrain training

Most ultra marathons will have softer trail terrain that is better for our bodies than road-running. But the uneven trails have their own dangers and you’ll need to train on them as well. Aside from injury prevention though there is also the fact of just a different running experience. Accommodating for trail hills in training will be a key part of any ultra plan.

UPHILL TRAINING

Hiking is a good place to start with uphill training. You can build up stamina that way. Knowing that you can go as slowly as you like makes the training a little more bearable. Take small and sharp strides uphill — don’t make your life harder by taking long and lunging ones.

DOWNHILL TRAINING

Going downhill the wrong way can wreck your knees and legs. Working on shifting your body forward, and making short and fast strides with a flexed knee and loose arms is key. It also definitely requires strength and conditioning training and core body fitness training so don’t neglect those either.

5. Gear Testing

It’s not the first time you’ve heard it, but trying out your gear, in the right environments & on the right terrains is a must-do in ultra marathon training. Avoid chafing, avoid rubbing, avoid discomfort generally by trying it all out. Break in everything you plan to wear on race day. Shoes, socks, clothes, race pack, energy gels, electrolytes, race day meals and snacks. All of it should be well practiced and you should be comfortable with it beforehand. Buy spares of your gear so that you aren’t caught out by production stops.

6. Hydration and Running Nutrition

Aside from testing all your race day foods during training, your body should be in the best possible shape before you start your ultra marathon. Ultra running is too long to rely on one good meal the night before and drink day of. You should be eating and hydrating well for as long as you can beforehand — definitely a week of good water consumption will make all the difference.

For more info on Running Nutrition guide see What To Eat Before A Run

7. Event preparation

Get there early. Scope out where it is the day before. It’s not worth turning up late or stressed. Make everything as easy as possible for you, so don’t leave things up to chance. Have a running plan based on the course. Know how you’re going to segment up the course mentally and possibly physically (walking is fine sometimes) will hopefully help you realise that the whole ultra is achievable.

8. Keep training.

Just remember. You signed up for an ultra marathon for a reason. Remember that with any mantra you may need to keep up your running motivation. It will take a long time — but by the time you’re in the swing of things running training will be part of your life. You’ll love and hate it. But it’s all worth it for the achievement.

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Eating the right food after a run can have a big impact on the effectiveness and speed of your recovery, and can stave off muscle soreness and improve your overall performance.

After a run you should try to consume carbohydrates, protein and fluids. Your body eats into its energy stores and so replenishing these with carbohydrates in the recovery period after a run is really important. Helping muscle recovery is essential and that’s where having protein comes into play. Finally, drinking lots and getting some fluids and electrolytes back into your body is key. The following are a few ideas of post-run foods to help aid your recovery.

1. Chocolate Milk

Chocolate milk has the perfect mix of carbs and protein as well as fluids and electrolytes and will not only help with recovery but also tastes delicious! Chocolate milk rehydrates, helps revitalise glycogen levels and stored carbs and the protein helps rebuild and recover muscles after exercise. On top of all that chocolate is a known mood improver!

2. Oily fish

Oily fish can work as a larger main meal or as a post-run recovery snack. Fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel and sardines can minimise muscle soreness, improve joint health and are extremely important for muscle recovery. They all contain omega-3 and anti-inflammatory compounds which can really aid in all exercise recovery. Try adding some fish to your next post-run recovery meal to reap the benefits.

3. Fruit

Having a diet packed with fruit can really aid all forms of recovery. Bananas are easy to digest and help replenish lost electrolytes, oranges will improve your vitamin C content which can help with muscle damage while berries are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are key for clearing the muscles and helping you feel fresher on your next run. Try adding these fruits to juices or smoothies to break down the fruit faster.

4. Yoghurt

Yoghurt can make a good addition to your post-run routine. Low-fat natural yoghurt provides a good source of calcium, Vitamin D and also offers a good amount of protein. Try adding granola for additional fibre and carbs, honey for natural sweetener that gives you an instant energy hit or berries for the additional benefits of antioxidants.

5. Quinoa

Quinoa is one of the most protein-rich foods you can eat so adding this to your post-run food options is highly recommended. Not only does it contain protein but also iron and other nutrients that can really aid a runners recovery.

6. Mixed nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds should be a staple part of any runner’s diet. They have a ton of benefits from vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats and fibre. Almonds, for example, are a great source of Vitamin E and can help lower cholesterol while most nuts contain magnesium which can help with muscle cramps.

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It’s not a crazy idea to think that running clothes and gear doesn’t really matter if you’re just a beginner. But investing even just a little time, effort and money in it can make a surprising difference to your running experience.

1. Synthetics

Avoiding chafing is a number one priority. Wearing clothes that are sweat resistant — like those made out of synthetic materials — is the best way forward. Your everyday cotton unfortunately will encourage rubbing. That’s especially the case with socks and tops, so it’s worth a couple pounds to make sure material and skin don’t come up against each other.

2. Fitted Running Shoes

You’ll see it again and again. But paying a bit extra for the right running shoes will make a massive difference. Going to most sport shoe shops will give you the opportunity to have your feet and gait measured properly. They’ll set you up with a video camera and find the right shoes for you. Don’t worry if they’re suggesting a ½ size up from your normal one. Break them in gradually and well before your event and you’ll avoid discomfort and unnecessary running injuries.

3. Base layers in winter

You can find breathable winter running gear that will keep you warm and dry in your average winter conditions. They won’t drown you — they’ll be comfortable and lightweight. You also shouldn’t overheat or feel a sweaty cold. Gloves and running jumpers can be added for the same, and you’ll be able to avoid the treadmill even out of season. Plus it’ll allow you to do your fitness training in conditions closer to those that your running event is probably taking place in.

4. High-visibility clothes

It’s so easy to not be seen by the things around you. Staying safe by not wearing headphones while road running is one tip; another is to invest in some high-visibility clothes if running in the morning or late afternoon. They’ll add an extra (probably waterproof) layer as well as keeping you running for a little longer.

5. Spare cash & snacks

In the interests of running safety, bringing a bit of cash in a pocket is a good shout. It’ll just be a safety net — whether you get lost or are just in desperate need of a bottle of water or a snack that you haven’t managed to fit in one of your pockets.

6. Iphone Running Armband

Listening to running music or a podcast — provided you don’t on roads — can make long and repetitive runs a little more interesting. Where a strap around armband holder for your phone is better than just a pocket is that you can check the time, change song, and start your Strava app to record your distance.

7. Vaseline & Blister Plasters

Not exactly running gear, and hopefully you’ll already have them at home. With blister plasters you should be able to carry on running, and maybe prevent the bigger blisters from forming by catching them early. Vaseline or BodyGlide is good to prevent (or minimise) any chafing you’re still experiencing, whether it be your nipples, feet, or thighs.

8. Running water bottles

You’ve probably seen runners with easy-to-hold bottles. You can buy them incredibly cheap from any sports store. They’re worth it if you often get a dry mouth when running and obviously if you often suffer from dehydration. You can definitely take them on race day, although for long-distance running events they will have water stops throughout the race.

9. All the gear, some idea?

What to wear running is not a difficult question. But it can make the difference in comfort and occasionally in minor to moderate running injuries. It’s worth investing, and usually not very much.

Don’t let your gear go to waste and head over to Let’s Do This to find your next Beginner-friendly race here, https://www.letsdothis.com/gb/running-events/beginner-friendly.

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If you’re thinking about Ultra Marathon running you’re probably already pretty clued up on reasons why running is great. So why bother with an ultra? These 8 points scratch the surface of why ultra running might be absolutely perfect for you.

1. It is beautiful

Trail running will always be nicer than road running. Training for and running an ultra marathon will keep you running in beautiful scenery. What an opportunity to explore different places. And all packed with endorphins.

2. It’s not just for the super-human

Ultra running has a reputation of the insane to it. Actually, especially for shorter ultra marathons, it really isn’t necessarily more training than for a marathon — if anything it can be easier in that it is much less about speed and more about manageable pacing for a long time.

3. Ultra Marathons are all different

The world marathons may all in some fundamental ways resemble each other quite a lot. You might expect to get a fairly similar time for each marathon you do — or at least you will likely compare your times. It’s fairly impossible to do that for ultra marathons. They’re all so different. A runner might do one ultra marathon in 3.5 hours, and another in 6. The terrain dictates the running event — and so, each ultra is a new experience and a new kind of achievement.

4. It’s about the finish line not the time

You might well time yourself. But ultra running is really not about the time. That’s partly because they’re all different. But it’s also because it’s more of an endurance test than a speed one. There really is no pressure. To do it at all is a huge achievement. To pass the finish line at all will give you something that few people can claim to have and so it doesn’t really matter about the time.

5. It’s more intimate than a marathon

Where marathons are completely filled with people — happy though they are — ultras are not. Instead of thousands of runners, there is a different kind of companionship and intimacy with only 400 (for example). It might not appeal to you, but if it does then an ultra is better suited for you than a standard marathon.

6. It’ll be part of your life

If you’re into running, you make it a part of your life. That means training doesn’t need to be the massive sacrifice that some probably think it is. Training for an ultra marathon is by all accounts pretty relaxing. Most of the time you can pace it slow (and chat with your running partner), enjoy the view, and feel great at the end.

7. It’s breaking another barrier

It’s not something everyone thinks they’ll do in their life. So when you do it, you are breaking barriers all over. That’s not to say you didn’t do the same for your first marathon. But you get to do it all over again with a completely new sense of achievement to it. Passing through the ultra threshold and you will feel the euphoria of running.

8. It’s a life adventure

It may not even be the running that appeals to you. An ultra marathon is often called a life experience. Something completely different and exploring somewhere completely new strikes many as an adventure. And an adventure that should not be missed if you are capable.

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These 6 top tips will prepare you for your next obstacle course challenge.

Run. A lot.

All obstacle course events will include a fair amount of running, normally up to 80% of the event itself so make sure you are adding running to your training schedule. Try for one long run, one shorter run and one hill interval training session in your weekly plan. You could also add in some off-road runs to give you some confidence for event-day.

2. Circuit training

Circuits should be a key part of obstacle course training as it will help your overall fitness but also replicate exercises you’ll likely be doing on event-day. The best exercises for this revolve around working with your bodyweight — similar to event day. Try adding press-ups, squats, burpees, planks, pull-ups and sit-ups into your training sessions.

3. Wear the right shoes

Shoes can have a huge impact on how comfortable your event is and also how well you perform so ditch the running shoes and get yourself a pair with lots of underfoot grip. Investing in some will help you tackle the steep hills and the thick mud that coats everything but make sure you train in them before event-day to have them well worn in.

4. Rope in your friends

Find a bunch of people that you can train with and cross the finish line with and you’re guaranteed to have a good time. Training as a team can help boost motivation and help push you to achieve new personal bests. A lot of obstacle course events, like Tough Mudder, are all about teamwork and camaraderie so bringing people together who are going to help, support and push you to do the best you can are a definite plus.

5. Technique

For most obstacle events, new obstacles are introduced every year, but there are some obstacles that are far more common and that will appear in most courses. Things like monkey bars, high walls, net climbs and crawls are worth practising beforehand if you can. Or even if you can’t practise them, have a look at technique videos online that show the best way to tackle them. This will save you time, energy and reduce the risk of injury on event day.

6. Accept the mud and enjoy it

Mud is a given. It’s going to get everywhere. You’ll need to accept this and embrace this. Try and attempt every obstacle so that afterwards you can feel that you’ve given it your all. Get covered in mud, keep going and enjoy the whole experience.

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