Wanna Be Famous?
“You want to be famous? Learn how to take blood out of car
upholstery? John Travolta as Mrs. Turnblatt in the
movie Hairspray
This is the time of year for goal setting, for planning, as
was the subject of recent weeks posts.
Consider that, according to a piece in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
a couple years ago the ten most common overuse injuries that are
seen in the running population are:
1. Patellofemoral pain (21%)
2. ITB Friction Syndrome (11%)
3. Plantar Faciitis (10%)
4. Meniscal Injuries (6%)
5. Shin Splints (6%)
6. Patellar Tendinitis (6%)
7. Achilles Tendiniitis (6%)
8. Gluteus Medius Injuries (4%)
9. Tibia Stress Fractures (4%)
10.Spine Injuries (3%)
Note that the key word here is OVERUSE. Since we are only in
December, this is a golden opportunity to set up one’s schedule for the
training and racing season. Adam Zucco, Age Group winner at IM California
70.3 and Training Bible Coach would have his coached athletes list their
planned races for the upcoming season and the importance of each. Using the
periodization model, he’d set up a 3 weeks on/1 week rest repeating game
plan to slowly build, first the mileage, then the intensity (accompanied
by a decrease in volume). In other words, he understands the principle of
gradually increased load that the body will respond to rather than acute
increases in training stress. This will give the racer the highest likelihood
of both improving the level of fitness but doing so with the lowest
potential for injury.
Ben and Kerry are hosting a webinar 12/12 that you really should watch
covering this exact process and how it relates to you.
As you prepare your plan, remember that frequently runners/triathletes will
come in to the clinic and note that a
single work out pushed themover the brink. Oftentimes this was
something foolish like racing against a friend, pushing through pain when
they knew they should stop and walk, etc., that
will cost them a part of the season, and, as they used to say in the U.S. Army
commercials, the opportunity to “Be All You Can Be.”
was yesterday.