Training from home.
5-10 mins read – grab some rays !!
Extremely pertinent topic for this months article ….How to maintain and some areas improve whilst we are all experiencing the unique and unprecedented restrictions that COVID-19 has brought to our lives!!
To start then your running based training (unless you have viral symptoms or you are in full isolation) shouldn’t be hugely impacted upon as you are still permitted to exercise daily and running meets government recommendations as this form of exercise. But this can also be where we have an issue !!
Due the effects of the virus you may have been furloughed or simply have more time on your hands and secondary to this, often to ease boredom you have actually INCREASED your weekly mileage in what is quite a short space of time (refer back to the article on load progression I wrote in August 2019). One of my colleagues has termed the phrase ‘COVERLOAD’ when he describes acute training overload from the effects of COVID-19. Essentially too much volume too soon with an increased training frequency per week/month.
The flip side of this coin is de-conditioning effects when people alter their normal training excessively i.e stop running or if they take an aspect out of their normal training plan i.estrength and conditioning due to gyms being closed. Or finally the effects of low motivation and people just feel lethargic/low in mood which we know people are beginning to experience at this stage of the ‘Stay at Home’ guidance.
A lot has been spoke of ‘flattening the curve’ at the momentwith respect to virus transmission but the same principle can be allowed to the ‘training load curve’. If we alter the training load curve too aggressively up or down it can increase injury risk …So a few points to help you all remain fit, healthy and un-injured !!!!
1. Focus on the opportunities not the problem – use this enforced time of altered lifestyle and training to spend time addressing the things you normally don’t. For example I hear many runners tell me they have ‘shocking mobility/flexibility’ …Well use this time to address this and come out of lockdown in a more mobile position.The same can be applied to strength/balance/nutrition…Happy to help in any way I can !!!
2. Vary loading patterns – mix up runs with longer walks/cycling to avoid loading spikes caused by excess runs per week. You can maintain ‘physiological fitness’ with lower ‘mechanical loads’
3. Address niggling injuries !! – it probably seems I’m biased but so many runners run on niggles/injuries and never address them fully…Now is the ideal time to get an injury assessed and rehabilitated fully (I am very busy providing online video consults with people all around the UK and even Abu Dhabi !!!) – see https://www.active-therapy.com/online-consultation/
4. Sleep – we all lead such busy lives and this is an ideal opportunity to monitor and regulate your sleep pattern…Dysfunctions in sleep are linked to an increased injury risk and illness…So working on ‘sleep hygiene’ helps keep you healthy during the virus pandemic but also re-sets the system ready for resumption of more normal life…. A great reference for this is Dr Matthew Walker who is an internationally recognised expert in the field…Look him up in amazon/You-Tube…
5. Nutrition – not only to build a healthy immune system but also to address those areas of nutrition you know are contributing toward poor sleep, excess BMI, fluctuating energy levels, recurrent injury and/or pain….There is a handy group of tips in this leaflet
I hope you have found this article interesting.
Active Therapy is a specialized clinic of The Running Clinic who are world leaders in the field of injury risk reduction and treatment of running injury. We have completed intensive training over several years and we are experts in running injury assessment and treatment. We have a high level of clinical competence and serve as a reference to other health professionals and contribute to advancing knowledge through scientific research and education.
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