Story and Looking for some Advice
4
Member
52 days
Heddi Porter posted 7 weeks ago.
I've had runners knee before from ramping up too quickly. It's important for the surrounding muscles to be strong enough to stabilize the knee, especially when you get tired.
Various strength exercises can help, the right shoes are super important, and recovery time between runs (especially longer/harder workouts) is crucial.
I also have to watch my blood sugar levels so that I don't bonk in the middle of a run, which really messes up my form. I use more GU than most runners, and it keeps me from getting sloppy. If she has blood sugar issues, she might want to be sure she has a gel with her during all runs.
Also, new runners tend to increase their stride when they get tired. That puts more pressure on the knee and can lead to problems. Have your friend work on increasing turnover if she wants to get faster, rather than increasing her stride.
Lastly, stretching & warming up beforehand really helped me, and building up hill work VERY gradually. I got injured when I added long steep hills onto the end of my longest runs--a sure recipe for disaster. She'll want to only do hills when her legs are fresh until they get used to the extra strain they put on her supporting muscles.
Tell her "good job" for going for it, and it might help if she starts running (when the injury is better) on a treadmill or softer surfaces until the knees are feeling strong again.
453
Member
495 days
stewarba posted 7 weeks ago.
Heddi Porter wrote:
Lastly, stretching & warming up beforehand really helped me, and building up hill work VERY gradually. I got injured when I added long steep hills onto the end of my longest runs--a sure recipe for disaster. She'll want to only do hills when her legs are fresh until they get used to the extra strain they put on her supporting muscles.
...and be especially careful on the down hills. Most newbies want to open up before their legs are ready for the pounding that coming down a hill puts on your joints and muscles.
Pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body!
221
Member
77 days
jnrice posted 6 weeks ago.
I was there. When I started running I way over did it, lost a lot of wt. got strong fast, but my body wasn't ready. I blew up, runners knee in both, hated everything. It's important to remind your friend that running isn't so much something we do train for races as it is a lifestyle and the races are more like festivals to go showcase what we can do, and see what other people are up to.
202
Member
1181 days
ht001 posted 6 weeks ago.
+1 on the advise to work on strengthening and stretching those muscles that hold the knee in the right place while running. Also would be good to discuss the old 10% rule for ramping up mileage with a moderate amount each week on the way to a goal. Tell her too, that even the seasoned veterans and the pros get injuries like this and its part of the lifestyle to figure out how to manage and heal them with rest or strengthening or other treatments so that you can continue to enjoy and reap the benefits of it.
For my own knee issues I've had incredible success with Active Release Technique (ART) therapy which I'm doing along with a prescribed strengthening program. Thanks to that I've been able to do fairly significant run mileage (45 - 50 miles/week) in prep for a marathon in 2 weeks. Even after a season with iffy knee issues which started with a vengence in May on my way to IMCDA. I only wish I'd discovered ART earlier!
There’s a 5k race tomorrow as part of the Twin Cities marathon (that I’m no longer going to be running in because of a head/chest cold). A group that I volunteer for (Critical Incident Stress Management) had a team put together for the race.
A friend with this group wasn’t sure if she should run in it since she’s not a runner. I sent her an email saying something to the extent, “you can do it”. Well apparently that was enough to get her out and running.
I talked to her yesterday and she told me that I’ve inspired her to run because of that email. The first week sucked for her, then she began to get the “runner’s high” and now she can’t stop. She's lost 10 lbs and feels better then ever.
I have no idea what I said, but I’m thrilled that she’s turned to a healthier lifestyle. The lesson learned here is to encourage those around you. You never know what you may say or do that will get someone doing something better for themselves.
The advise I need is now she has runners knee and is unable to race this weekend. Any ideas of how to prevent this injury in the future?
"To some extent, we are all labeled by what we're able to achieve. But more importantly, we are defined by what we attempt." --Scott Tinley
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