If you have been a client of Get Fit NH Bootcamp for any length of time, you are probably aware that I (Coach Dean) am not a huge fan of running in general, never mind as the primary way to lose weight and “get exercise”.
The former part of that actually puts me in the minority of our coaches, as Coach Nancy and Coach CJ actually enjoy running (they are a bit twisted 🙂 ) and I think Coach Erin has a bit of a love/hate going on with the whole thing.
What I really want to address is the “lose weight and get exercise” part of the whole discussion.
There are a lot of reasons that people tend to gravitate toward running as a form of exercise. It’s convenient, relatively inexpensive, and you can get out there and do it at just about any time of the day or year, even in New England (see the “twisted” part above). Running is the #1 participant sport in the world for good reason.
BUT…
Did you know that studies show that over 60% of runners get injured every year, 87% over a 5 year period, and 99% over 10 years?
Ouch!
If 60% of my clients got injured in a year, there wouldn’t be a business in year two!
But I don’t necessarily blame running, I blame the runner!
Because running is so accessible, too many runners don’t do the work necessary to keep their joints healthy and mobile. That work would include foam rolling and mobility work, proper warmup, a planned schedule, and flexibility work. You need to undo what you just did to your joints and muscles with the repetitive pounding – it’s just the way it is.
It drives me crazy (ok crazier) when someone tells me that are unable to make training (which is understandable at times) but it’s ok because “I’ll just go for a run”. I can guarantee 9 times out of 10 that means lace up the sneakers, bolt out the door, put in the miles, take off the sneakers, and go on with life. No warmup, no mobility, no cooldown.
That’s just not cool, and it leads to knee pain, hamstring pulls, achilles tendon problems, and plantar fasciitis, just to name a few.
Also consider running is very quadricep dominant. Most of the runners and triathletes we see have weak hamstrings and little to no glute function. This imbalance is also a huge factor in knee and hip challenges.
So the moral of that story is – There is more to running than just the running part, if you want to do it successfully for any length of time.
Part two of the discussion has to do with running for weight loss. I am going to start up front by saying that in my personal journey from 270 pounds plus to where I am now, running had nothing to do with it. I don’t remember running at all during that initial loss of 80 pounds. One reason was because of the discussion above. Let’s just say when I was in the service they had no objections at all to running in combat boots, and my hip is paying the price to this day.
One of the reasons I am not a big fan of running for overweight/obese populations is the ground reaction forces (impact) that are generated. A study in the Columbia University journal Clinical Biomechanics analyzed the ground forces of walking, slow jogging and running. On average the GRF increased in a linear fashion from 1.2 times body weight when walking at 2.7 mph up to 2.5 times bodyweight when running at 5.6 mph.
That means when I was 280 pounds the impact on my joints with every step would have been 700 pounds. For arguments sake let’s say I had a stride length of 4 feet. That means I would have to take 1320 strides over that mile, resulting in a total GRF of 462 TONS per mile. Now to be fair our bodies are amazing machines designed to take impact, but enough is enough!
The other interesting thing this study showed is that a longer, smoother stride resulted in far less impact forces. We have all seen the difference between the way a good runner looks while running, and the guy on the side of the road who looks like he is about to keel over. He looks uncomfortable because he is in the middle of beating the snot out of himself. Do you really think after his run he is going to do a proper cool-down? He is going to be prone on the couch!
The Discovery
After all that it might surprise you to find out that I have actually been running a bit as of late. It all started when we decided to do the Warrior Dash. I got back on the road with Andrew, my 8 year old and did some running on our road. (By the way if you need an ego check, go running with your 8 year old)
The results? My hip ached like crazy, but I kept after it. Nothing too crazy, just a mile or two every few days to try to build some wind for running and get my stride in groove. And yes, every day it hurt, regardless of the mobility, med ball, foam rolling work.
But then an amazing thing happened.
After the Warrior Dash, I felt great. No hip pain the day of the race, and more importantly no pain in the days following. The difference was that the race was held on a cross-county style course. Through the woods, fields, very little gravel. The difference from running on pavement was enormous. Less impact for sure, but the varying terrain requires that pace and stride length change frequently, which I also think contributes.
Since that time I have begun mapping some courses through the woods, and so far so good. I actually walk about 1/3 mile to the start of the trail as part of my warmup, and then go.
Wrapping It Up
If you just have to run, here’s some points for all levels of runners to consider:
- Start Slow – One of the reasons many people get discouraged with all forms of exercise, including running, is that they go all out, and either injure themselves the first day or can’t move the next. It may be necessary to start with fast walking, then you can start run/walking (alternate between telephone poles), then start stretching it out.
- Don’t go crazy on volume – 5 miles 5 days a week is not appropriate for the beginner. It might be a better tactic to set a time goal, rather than distance. Go for 20 minutes, and then increase by 5% per week.
- Do your recovery work – In this I would include foam rolling, active warmups, flexibility work, and planned days off.
- Balance your training – Strong hamstrings, glutes, torso (core) and arms all make for a better runner and athlete. You can’t get those by just running. A training plan off the road, like we offer at Get Fit NH Bootcamp helps make sure all of you is ready to hit the road.
As your coaches, we want to prevent injuries in our training facilities as well as give you the tools for injury prevention when you are on your own. It’s no fun to see someone not be able to do what they enjoy – so do what it takes to Make It Happen!
Coach Dean
Its not too late to join us in Amesbury, MA for the Spartan Sprint on Saturday, August 27th. Dean and I are in the 2pm wave. In fact here is a coupon code for $10 off your entrance fee – 2111 The Warrior Dash was held here in June and it forever changed the way I look at 5ks.
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