I am not a doctor and as such, I can only describe what has worked for me personally. Everybody and every situation is different. While I have been fortunate enough to avoid injuries, I am not naive enough to think there hasn’t been a lot of luck involved either.
Learning about running, or any activity, you’ll quickly realize there are a lot of contrasting opinions floating around. Clearly what works for one person does not always work for another. Personally, my mindset is that the body is an amazing thing and given the right environment, can adapt to a range of influences. This generally leads me down a more minimalist path until I am convinced to try otherwise. So far, this has only happened with shoes, where I have tried a handful of options and have had the best luck with a padded shoe with a bit of support. If I give any of these items another try and/or change my opinion on these items, you should know by now that I will be writing a post to share what I’ve learned.
Shoes: Personally, I feel starting with basic tennis shoes are fine, but when you are running more and more, you may benefit from an analysis at a running store to ensure proper shoe style and fit.
Form: I’ve read a bit about form, but I’ve also read that your body will make minor adjustments and keep the ones that work. I’ve been letting my body do its thing and it seems to be working so far.
Drills: I would like to try incorporating drills this is something I am planning to look more into during the summer. Remember in Arizona the seasons are “backwards” so in summer I tend to focus on the short work and in winter I tend to focus on the endurance.
Stretching: Stretching is another hot button item, some people insist on stretching, some active stretching, some say to avoid it. While I would love to be more flexible though I have not successfully incorporated a flexibility routine into my program. When I do, it’ll be a standalone activity as I do not currently do any pre-run stretching and that seems to be working for me.
Warm Up: Again, another hotly debated item. Most of my runs start with a 5-minute walk to make sure I’m loosened up, this does seem to help me feel more coordinated when I start running. If I’m going into running immediately after another activity (normally strength training or bike riding) I will not warm up before the run. At events, sometimes I have nervous energy, I try to walk around as much as I can, if I have room in my corral I may do a few leg swings or something simple, but do not have a structured program.
Cool Down: I don’t like to totally stop moving all of a sudden. I don’t actively plan walking for cool downs as normally when I finish running, there is enough other work to do (getting changed, putting things away, taking a shower, etc.) that I feel cover the cool down requirement. Once I do get to rest, I try to break up the rest to avoid getting too stiff, simply getting up every 20 minutes or so will be much easier than getting up after a couple hours.
Cadence: I’ve been letting my body do what’s most comfortable, I have experimented with trying faster cadence here and there but nothing has really stuck. This is something I will probably revisit, including selecting music with an appropriate beat, to see if I have more luck with a higher turnover.
Surface: I love the idea of a rubberized track, for the surface as well as the measurements, though it seems like all the schools near me have them locked up so I haven’t spent any time training on them. Most of my training is done on asphalt or concrete which has worked fine. I do try to be aware of any crowning (angled surfaces common on streets more than sidewalks) to make sure I attempt to equalize it. If you’re on open streets, you should be facing traffic which means you will generally have your left foot hitting lower than your right foot. In the parking lot where I do most of my training, I stay on the outside most of the time which gives me approximately equal time on either leg. Surfaces like sidewalks or paths are generally more level from side to side. You also have to be mindful of obstacles like broken sidewalks, gutters, etc. though it is nice to have a more consistent surface. Rock, gravel or dirt is a bit more forgiving with the cushioning but a lot less forgiving with the obstacles. I’ve done a fair share of hiking, but not enough trail running to comment on it, that’ll be coming as I start exploring the world of ultras. I would like to experiment with some barefoot running in grass to see if that helps my form, but I think I need to improve my overall health first.
Strength Training: I started running without doing any strength work. I have found that strength training is a great supplement, especially if you want to reduce running volume or if running feels tough on your body. I haven’t noticed big differences in specific workouts, but through strength training, I do feel like I’m getting faster. Over the past month, I think I’ve cut my pace by about 30 seconds to a minute per mile, though it’s not consistent enough to be confident. I do definitely feel like I am running better today than a couple months ago, and strength training may be part of the reason.
Overall you need to try things to see what works for you. If you feel any sharp pains or pains you wouldn’t expect, you will want to get them checked out with a professional. Finding the line between soreness and pain is difficult, but trust your body and when in doubt, error on the side of caution.