Staying healthy is priority number one
Our first pillar is the most important and seems self-explanatory, but there’s more to it
One of the most off-putting aspects of running I hear from people is that they’ve injured themselves doing it before, or they’re worried about getting hurt.
For example, “I can’t run because of my knees,” is something I hear a lot.
I don’t discount anyone’s injury history and certainly take the fear of an injury, whether new or an aggravation, seriously.
If we’re trying to get fitter, the absolute worst thing we can do is suffer an injury that will take us off the road, trail or track for weeks or months.
And that’s what I constantly remind myself of in my own running, especially when I’m tempted to go that bit longer or that bit harder.
I’ve managed to run consistently - at least 5 days a week on average - for well over three years without ever sustaining more than a minor injury. I’ve never been forced to stop running for more than a week.
Some of that is luck. I believe much of my success is driven by natural caution, and also coming to running in my late 30s and being more injury conscious.
I’ve also followed some basic principles I believe are essential to minimise injury risk:
Building rest days in to my program
Listening to my body
Not overdoing it
Increasing load gradually
Building in easy training weeks to my program
I didn’t set out with a schema in mind. I learned as I went, often from experience, and sometimes from learning by talking to other runners or reading articles.
Making “staying healthy” your number one priority as a runner seems so obvious as to barely need restating. So why then are injuries so common among runners? There’s clearly a bit more to the story. Fundamentally, it’s constantly reminding ourselves of the importance of this philosophy and sticking to our principles.
In my case, niggles have arisen from time to time. A hamstring tweak. Soreness in my foot. Tightness in my lower back. On each of these occasions, when I thought about why the problem arose, it was nearly always because of one or more of the following:
Overdoing it with my training, especially when tired
Getting carried away on a run and going too hard
Not warming up properly, particularly in cold weather
Ignoring a niggle
Departing from my program
These are all mistakes that could have been avoided by sticking to my principles and my program.
It’s not possible to guarantee an injury-free experience as a runner. However, the risk can be dramatically reduced by keeping core principles in mind, and always reminding ourselves that staying healthy should be goal number 1.
If that means skipping a harder session due to soreness, having a day off when we didn’t plan to, or shortening a long run because we’re tired, so be it. Fitness isn’t lost on account of missing one run. Oftentimes, extra rest means we’ll come back feeling better equipped physically and mentally for the next run.
It’s easy to get carried away with running, especially when we start to notice improvements or are caught up in training. There is an addictive quality to it, no question.
But we must always be able to step back and think about the bigger picture of why you’re running, and doing it sustainably. At the core of it is being (and staying) healthy. Best not to risk it due to short-sightedness.
That’s why I believe getting fixated on goals is misguided. Some runners become obsessed with arbitrary goals such as maintaining a daily running streak, hitting an exact pace on every rep in session, or reaching a specific weekly mileage number.
Goals are good, but they should be underpinned by a system that prioritises health and sustainability above all else.
