After a lengthy break, I am back to my morning runs which give me the boost I need to get through the day. It surely feels good and I’m loving every bit of it.
I have had to deal with chronic knee pain for a while which led me to take a long break from running as it had become unbearable to perform the activity. I’m very thankful for that break I took because it gave me time to research and consult with some experts so as to get an effective recovery mechanism that would get me back to my morning runs.
In my research, I discovered that running wears out muscles especially lower body muscles so it is not enough to run alone but strength training should compliment running since it will help build the worn out muscles. Taking a lot of proteins also helps to build back and replenish muscles especially if you are a frequent runner. It is also worth noting that strength training will facilitate quick recovery for a runner as the replenished muscles have the capacity to handle the runs and therefore, the muscles will be used to such movements and therefore running will not take a huge toll on them. When strength training, it is also important to incorporate flexibility exercises where the emphasis should mostly be training to the full range of motion of a particular joint in order to reap the benefits of being strong in the extended and fully bent ranges of the particular joint. Flexibility, especially for the hips will enable opening of the hips which will greatly improve your stride (lengthen it) which in turn will save lots of energy as you run. Short strides have been known to consume lots of energy for a runner which in turn will affect your overall distance covered.
Hip flexor muscles are also important as they help a runner to lift their legs as they are striding during a run. Strong hip flexors makes us faster and taking a long stride is easier as you are able to effectively lift your legs from the ground one after another.
Back to the main issue I had, knee pain. As I was doing my research, I came a cross a unique guy who provides very unconventional mode of training. His name is Ben Patrick, popularly known as the ‘Kneesovertoes guy’. Ben advises that athletes, and basically anybody, can exercise specifically to acquire longevity of their joint by exercising in full range of motion thus the name ‘Kneesovertoes’! He emphasizes that the more the knee surpasses the toes when doing a particular movement, the more pressure is places on the knee thus strengthening the tendons and healing the knee as the pressure leads to more blood supply on the particular joint which in turn supplies nutrients to the joint that enable healing. I’ll not delve so much into his philosophy but you can learn more from his videos:
I was particularly interested in knee strengthening and rehabilitation exercises so I took to step-ups and ATG split squats. The good thing is that Ben gives detailed information on how you can start from the basic movement, scaling up slowly as your knee stability improves thereby avoiding pain when doing these exercises. So, I ventured in these and some other of his exercises which would strengthen and lengthen my muscles in the full range of motion. Slowly scaling up as I progressed has made my knees much stronger and stable. Slowly I was able to lower the pain to the minimal and I must admit that the exercises really work. I am currently specifically doing the poliquin step-ups and the ATG split squats have done wonders to my knees. I can now run pain free and focus on improving my distance and speed. Strength training at least thrica a week added to my training schedule has done lots to improve my runs. Running pain free means that runs are not only enjoyable but the mental boost is humongous.
Dear recreational runners of any age, please make time for strength training in your exercise program. It will do you a lot of good and guarantee you longevity even as you pursue this passion. Let it not end prematurely because of ignorance.
I am currently doing an average of 13km thrice a week. I have been adding a kilometer every two weeks and soon,I’ll be back to my 20km+ runs in a stronger and more functional body than before.
There are a lot of resources online that might confuse you as to the training program that you can follow. In this regard, I have written an eBook that is very well researched and give very helpful tips for general fitness as you age. Take a read and tell me what you think. Follow this link to download it:
Have a blessed day and keep running!
