How do I stop getting injured so frequently?
Every runner will eventually ask themselves this question at some point during their training cycle. And with the annual injury rate around 75% according to some sources, it’s a very relevant question.
Injuries are the bane of good training and prevent the consistency that’s needed for continued improvement.
Recently I polled my readers and asked what topics you’d like me to cover. Here are a few:
How do I prevent injuries?!
What’s a good strength training routine for women that can be used with my running schedule?
I want to know more about soft tissue injury prevention.
How do I deal with aches and pains that feel like they may become injuries?
Injury prevention – it seems like as soon as I take care of one, another one pops up!
Indeed, injury prevention is the #1 running question that readers ask about.
Injury Prevention with Coach Jeff Gaudette
To discuss these issues and help answer your questions, I sat down with Jeff Gaudette, owner and head coach at Runners Connect and a former professional runner for the Hansons-Brooks team.
As an Olympic Trials qualifier in both the 10k and marathon, he has personal bests of 28:46 and 2:22:02 respectively.
He’s been coaching runners for eight years and is the creator of the Strength Training for Runners program.
In our interview, Jeff shares his injury-prone past and how he was able to finally break the injury cycle. Here’s what we cover:
- Injuries vs. mild pain (3:45)
- The “injury cycle” (6:20)
- How to prevent injuries when you’re already healthy (9:20)
- The causes and treatments for IT Band Syndrome (14:10)
- Why a strong foundation is crucial before you build your house (20:00)
- Lightning round! Ice baths, kinesio tape, static stretching, and custom orthotics – do they work? (20:50)
Click the button below to listen directly from this article:
[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/StrengthRunning/Jeff+Gaudette+Interview.mp3]Or, click to listen in a separate window.
Topics, links, and resources from my conversation with Jeff:
- Runners Connect
- ITB Rehab Routine
- Strength Training for Runners (his comprehensive strength program to prevent injuries)
- Building your foundation, or “chassis“
- The benefits of ice baths
Thank you to Jeff for sharing his expertise, experience, and coaching wisdom! It’s illuminating to hear his prevention strategies after such high-level running experience.
Now over to you: what injury questions do you have? Leave them in the comments and I’ll reply to each one.
Struggle with injuries? See all the details of the Injury Prevention for Runners program here.
PS. I’m honored to be named a Top Running & Strength Training Blog for 2013 by Greatist and flattered to be in such good company!
