Inspired by Eliud Kipchoge's amazing feat or the 37,185 people that took part in the 2019 Melbourne Marathon Festival? It is hard not to be! While we're all for people getting out there and having a crack, you must consider several things to reduce your chance of running into trouble:
1. Get any niggles checked out first
While we may be biased, previous injury is indisputably one of the biggest risk factors for reinjury. Consult a health professional to get any niggles checked out before getting started to make sure that they don't get in the way of you achieving your goals.
2. Runners looking worse for wear?
If your runners are looking worse for wear they will not be doing you any favours and probably stopped doing so long ago. We recommend visiting our friends at The Running Company in Clifton Hill who will help you find a new pair of runners that fit well and feel comfortable.
3. Ease back into it
Many people forget that you lose aerobic capacity and general conditioning quite quickly when you take a break. As a result, they try to start off with what they were doing before taking a break. While you may have forgotten that you've put on 10 kg or been restricted to chasing rug rats around your house in this time, your body won't. Scale back your training load for the first couple of weeks to see how your body adapts and adjust accordingly.
4. Mix it up
Running is a very repetitive activity which means that a similar amount of stress is applied to similar parts of the body each time you contact the ground. This can increase your risk of developing an injury. Mixing it up can help. It can be as simple as alternating between two different pairs of runners or running on different surfaces.
We hope that you have a safe and enjoyable return to running. Get in touch or book an appointment online if you need a hand.
Author: Shaun Bergin