Continuing Strong during Marathon Training
Two Final Tips for Staying Injury-Free All the Way to Race Day
Aug 4, 2009
This article on marathon training and injury prevention is the last in a three part series. To read the first four tips detailing the importance of rest and stretching, and scheduling and nutrition, refer to parts one and two.
Tip #5: Keep Inflammation Down
The classic prescription for running injuries is RICE – that is, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation – because of each component’s ability to help alleviate inflammation and speed the battered joint on toward health and recovery. Ice in the form of ice packs, ice cubes (homemade ones in paper cups are easy to make and use), and ice baths (extreme, but powerful) can quickly and effectively relieve inflammation in susceptible joints such as ankles, knees, and hips.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (e.g. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen) are helpful when used appropriately, but they are not a miracle pill. When used appropriately, NSAIDs (pronounced “en-sayds”) can effectively reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling, but runners should opt against taking them as a “preventive measure” prior to a run.
While the use of such drugs will mask any nagging pain which may arise during training, muffling the body's cries for help can actually endanger the body. How? Put simply, the body is designed to sense – and react to – pain when it is in peril. The pain receptors send messages to the brain, telling it to make the body stop doing whatever it’s doing that is hurting it so much. And when those pain receptors are muted by the effects of NSAIDs, the body is unaware that it is being hurt, and injury can occur.
Dr. Patrick Milroy, Medical Advisor to Runners World UK, published an article on this topic in June 2006, stating that the "only time it can be beneficial to run through pain is during rehabilitation," when it may be necessary to overcome atrophy on your journey back towards mobility.
Given that they follow the package instructions, runners are encouraged to use NSAIDs and take advantage of the anti-inflammatory benefits of scientific discovery. After a long run or an intense hill session, reducing pain and swelling is indeed a good thing. But one can't presume that popping a pill will provide exemption from the other necessary disciplines of icing, stretching, and eating well.
As one final word on foods, crucifers such as broccoli; dark leafy greens such as molokhia; salmon; and blueberries are a few tasty examples of foods with anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, herbs like arnica, devil’s claw, and white willow bark; and spices such as turmeric, garlic, red pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, all contain potent anti-inflammatory substances as well.
Tip #6: Heed the Warning Signs of Flagging Health
Some mornings, Jenny Runner wakes up and tries to use every excuse in the book to avoid going out for that long run. But she's committed to train for and run this marathon, she's told people about her goal, and she's already invested a lot. She also knows that the only way she will make it to that starting line is by disciplining herself to attack the roads even on days when she would rather sleep a little longer.
On those days, she must be her own coach and taskmaster, forcing herself through the motions, even when heart, mind, and body whine in protest. Tie the shoes. Clip on the hydration belt. Walk out the front door. While the first mile is the hardest, it's never long until the body finds its rhythm. And as the endorphins carry her high and triumphant, she wonders how she could have ever forgotten the brilliance of this simple sport. Willpower won the day.
But there may come other days when it becomes obvious the body is teetering on the edge of illness or exhaustion. The eyes are droopy; the energy levels are low; the tenderness and swelling in that rolled ankle from last weekend’s long run still haven’t gone down. To try to crank out another hill session or interval run on this kind of day could push Jenny Runner over the edge of good health, and it is at this point when she needs to learn how to let herself off the hook.
Missing one run will not sideline anyone's marathon training. In fact, taking that day off and allowing the body to recuperate before the health declines too much, could actually be a strategic measure towards staying on track. If it becomes necessary to miss two or more training sessions in a week, then runners should get serious about performing some low-impact cross training exercises such as rowing, cycling, or swimming to maintain cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone.
Missing a week or more of workouts, and then trying to continue the training schedule as before, could put the body at more risk of injury. If this happens, particularly as long run distances increase, it may be wisest to choose an alternate marathon date later on in the year, and then recommence training upon complete recovery.
In taking these different elements of injury prevention into consideration, marathon hopefuls can position themselves for health and success throughout their training. But if something goes wrong, they must bear in mind that bowing out of a race, even one which they had set their heart on and already spent a considerable amount of time training for, is exponentially better than persisting against caution and ending up inflicting serious, potentially permanent, damage on the body.
Runners' bodies, unlike their shoes, can't be upgraded when they wear out. But with conscientious care and a vigilant approach to maintaining physical health, the completion of a goal as lofty as the marathon is well within reach.
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