Improve your running with the 3 S's

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I've learnt a lot about jogging since I started a couple of years ago. The information has come from a wide variety of sources including my running group coach, other members of the group, the internet, magazines, books and my own experiences and mistakes.

I've learnt about the right clothing and equipment, how to pace my runs, how to eat right, where to apply Vaseline, how to fix a number to my top with safety pins, how to use a Garmin, where to find the best places to run, the importance of staying hydrated, and how to bore a non-runner to tears with my running talk.

I've learnt to like the taste of energy gels and drinks, to enjoy the feeling of sweat dripping down my face, to relish that euphoric feeling of having finished a particularly good run, to not care what people think when they see me in meggins, to appreciate the freedom jogging brings and to ignore the voice that tempts me to stay in rather than put my trainers on and go out for a run.

But there is another area of running knowledge that I am only now becoming more familiar with, and not by choice. It is a vital area that up until now I haven't taken very seriously because I didn't realise how fundamental it was.

On Monday I booked a physio appointment with Stuart Turner at ATR Sports Therapy to take a look at the injury I picked up playing squash last week. I'm so glad that I did as he was able to diagnose the specific injury, reduce the pain and discomfort and give me a rehabilitation programme to follow.

It turns out I have strained my hip flexor but also have problems with my femoral nerve which was causing the thigh problems. The reason for these issues was undoubtedly the extreme demand that I had put on my legs during the Ultra Marathon in June. This had caused tightness in my quads which in turn put pressure on the nerve. The sharp movement when I lunged for the ball had stretched the tight hip flexor too far.


Stuart explained the programme of rehabilitation exercises to me in detail and stressed the importance of the 3 S's:

Stretching. 
I've always warmed up before a jog and warmed down afterwards but never really appreciated the importance of regular stretching regardless of whether I am going for a run or not. Not only can this improve form it will help prevent injuries too.

Stability exercises.
I had never even heard of these but they go hand in hand with strength work. They help to correct any imbalances that place excessive strain on particular muscle groups that can lead to injury. 

Strength training.
Many runners (including myself) tend to think that to get better you just need to run more. While this does help there is more to it than that. Stuart says 'Many people believe you need to run to work out but you should work out to run.' Strengthen muscles in the legs and core helps to improve running ability and prevent injuries.


I have now implemented the rehab programme that combines all three areas plus some extra exercises focusing on my core and upper body along with some foam rolling. However I am determined to continue these after the injury is healed.

This has been a wake up call for me. I had heard about these types of exercise but until I got injured I didn't take them very seriously. The truth is if I want to be able to run well and injury free I need to incorporate these aspects into my routine along with my regular runs. 

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