What to do When You Get Injured…

By Jay Stephenson
July 14, 2011

Unfortunately if you are a runner then you will most likely get hurt at some point and have to take some time off from your daily run. There are a few people that have a crazy streak of running consecutive days. If you are like most runners then you will want to keep moving even if you are injured. Or if you are a lazy runner then you will need some motivation to get going instead of doing nothing. If you are lazy then read our Coaching Philosophy section for some motivational tips to get you going. Another way to look at cross training is to do it when your running is stale to prevent injury before it begins. Anyway, here are two of my favorite ways to stay fit while waiting for your body to heal.

#1 – Mountain biking, Road biking or Stationary biking
This is one of the best ways to stay connected with your running group (unless you are on the stationary bike). I suggest that you start out biking with the group as usual for the first ½ of their run and then when the conversation lags or you get bored pedaling really slowly you take off and do one of the suggested workouts below:

Bike Workout Option 1

• 40mins warmup
• 10X2mins ON/ 2mins OFF
• 10mins cooldown
         

Bike Workout Option 1

• 40mins warmup
• 20X1min ON/ 1min OFF
• 10mins cooldown

These are both 90 mins of total biking with 40 mins of a workout. If you want a somewhat equivalent workout on the bike then you need to double the time that you would normally run for. This might not be a good idea if you are recovering from an injury. I would suggest just biking close to the same amount of time that you would run for.

For the ON portion of this workout you should try to keep you cadence at 90-100 revolutions per minute (or 180 to 200 strokes of the pedal). By keeping your cadence at 90-100 rpm and using low resistance for the ON portion you will mimic running form and help yourself transition back to running faster. I saw a video of Haile Gebresalase (one of the best runners in the world) doing this in his gym in Ethiopia. Also, I know for a fact that the ZAP fitness (post collegiate group in north carolina) athletes do this regularly. In addition to a quicker transition back to running your hip flexors will be stronger and you might even improve you speed.  For the OFF portion just relax and go at a comfortable pace.

#2 -  Pool Running or Swimming
Pool running is a must for the recovery process of a stress fracture and other impact injuries. Pool running is a great  way to maintain fitness or gain fitness due to an injury. Also, it is a very good way to improve fitness without the detrimental effects of having to recover from the impact of running on land. For example you can supplement your regular training with one of the following pool run workouts:

Pool Running Workout Option 1

• 15mins warmup,
• 20 to 50mins of 45secs ON/ 15secs OFF
• 4-6X 10 seconds as fast as you can
• 10mins cooldown

Pool Running Workout Option 2

• 15mins warmup
• 20-50mins of going fast on the long part of the pool and slow on the short part
• 4-6X 10 seconds as fast as you can
• 10mins cooldown

The form with a quick cadence in pool running is essential for solid workout. You will need a flotation belt. Most pools have these now for aerobics classes. If you don’t have a belt it is very difficult to maintain correct posture and to keep your cadence up. A cadence of 90-100 revolutions per minute (180-200 steps) will help you translate the hard work you do in the pool to the land when you start running again.