Greetings to another new year and another new set of resolutions! This is the time to welcome fresh starts, new goals, and an opportunity to look ahead at ways to challenge yourself and your body. If one of these goals is to improve your physical and mental health and you’re looking to begin a running program or you’re an experienced runner aiming to kick off 2024 strong, read on to find out how you can make this a year of healthy, consistent training and racing!
The reality is that running is a highly practical mode of exercise given its accessibility, many health benefits, and time efficiency. However, the reality is also that a significant majority of runners do little to nothing beyond run. This commonality is true for recreational runners to elite distance runners, and this alone can increase the chances of injury and an unplanned break in training.
Research suggests that upwards of 80% of runners are likely to sustain a running related injury over the course of a year that sidelines them from consistent training.1
While it’s impossible to prevent some injuries, specific measures can safeguard against injury and lead to consistent training and improved performance. Running is essentially repetitively bounding from one foot to the other which involves specific levels of coordination, load tolerance, and endurance. What many runners fail to realize is that strength training is the key to improving your body’s ability to tolerate these demands of running.
Although strength training is new for many runners, no matter the distance or goal you have in sight, the most important step is taking the first step. At Lakás PT, we have different mediums to help runners become the most durable athletes they can be. In clinic, we work with runners across the injury to performance spectrum to develop a strength program that targets different muscle groups and incorporates various movement patterns for a full-body approach. This includes mobility and strength assessments, appropriate progressions and regressions of exercises, relevant cueing for proper form, and plyometric progressions to tackle speed. We have also partnered with Fleet Feet to develop the Resilient Runnner Program, a 10-week strength training program, with in-person group classes specifically designed for runners to improve performance and prevent injury. To learn more about Resilient Runner, click here.
A new year of taking strides towards your goals is here. You can make 2024 your best year of running yet! What are you waiting for? Think we’re the right fit to work together, or do you have questions about our process? Book a discovery call by clicking below:
Best,
Dr. Jasmine
1. van Gent RN, Siem D, van Middelkoop M, van Os AG, Bierma-Zeinstra SM, Koes BW. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2007 Aug;41(8):469-80; discussion 480.
