When I started doing triathlon fairly consistently, I was always injured. As in 100% certainty that I was coming into my A race with no / little run training due to an injury.
Over time, I have become better but I am still struggling to go 12 months injury free. The protocol that I follow is:
Target a reasonable run volume. Typically around 45 kms / week (just under 30miles), specifically 40k in the winter; 55 in the peak season Hit the run target by running 5 to 6 times / weekMinimize the long runs. Only build some longer runs 4 - 6 weeks before the A raceVirtually no speedwork (Probably have done 3 slightly faster than race pace sessions in the past 15 months. Last one culminated in picking up plantar fascitis 4 months ago)Keep the pace under controlBuild to the run volume on a conservative basis, increase by 2.5kms / week (just under 2 miles)Recover week every 4th week. Typically 25 - 30km (15 to 18 miles)
Despite this conservative approach, I am nursing a strained adductor / psoas. Have taken 2.5 weeks off, but still sore…
For those who were formerly always injured, what winning steps / solutions have you followed to reach the nirvana state of non-injured?
PS1: in case relevant, i typically race 70.3. Am a FOP dude (40 - 44 AG) courtesy of reasonable swim and bike times. My run times are between 1.34 and 1.37.
It may even just be something outside your workout plan.
For me it was the treadmill. I usually ramp up my training in early January and by Feb or March I’d be be dealing with my knee (Patellafemoral). Because I’m in Canada, a lot of the early training in winter was/is on the treadmill. This year I connected the dots - it wasn’t the volume so much as how I did that volume - specifically a cheap treadmill that has a bit too much cushion. What I suspect is that I’m overextending relative to pavement.
This year, I’ve done it almost all outside, even in deep freeze or blizzard and I’m able to handle more volume than I ever have. Now that I’ve gotten my base, I can even go back and do once a week on the treadmill without risking it all. Though now when I do go to the treadmill I both check that it’s a good one and I make sure to change my incline or pace at least 1x per minute (so I’m not doing repetitive kms over and over)
For me it was keep trying things until something works. Gradually ramping up is a good idea. I tried dynamic stretching as my issue was recurrent calf strains. Then I tried strengthening calf muscles with heel dips. In the end the static stretching I did when I was in my teens worked. And a physio showed me how to do a soleus stretch with my knee bent in addition to a regular achilles stretch with knee straight. The other thing is if something hurts now I back off rather than trying to “train through it” My shoulder is sore now because I wiped out on it running outside on an icy day rather than using the treadmill.
I didn’t think any of those people were right at the time, but reading back on it now… they definitely were.
It wasn’t until this past summer that things finally started clicking. What worked for me (and this took years to develop and figure out):
Run slow at a conversational pace Almost all runs are in zone 1/ low zone 2 hr. Let the pace be whatever it is. This was the biggest thing that made everything click.
softer surfaces. I run on the treadmill most of time and try to find trails to run on. I do my best to avoid asphalt/concrete.
running form. Found someone who knew proper running form and showed me what I was doing wrong and how to fix it.
massage… i get a massage every other week
must address any little tweaks or tightness as soon as they happen (foam roll, stretch)
I’m now 9+ months without having to take a day off due to injury. Longest streak I’ve ever had since being in this sport.
Run slow at a conversational pace Almost all runs are in zone 1/ low zone 2 hr. Let the pace be whatever it is. This was the biggest thing that made everything click.
softer surfaces. I run on the treadmill most of time and try to find trails to run on. I do my best to avoid asphalt/concrete.
running form. Found someone who knew proper running form and showed me what I was doing wrong and how to fix it.
massage… i get a massage every other week
must address any little tweaks or tightness as soon as they happen (foam roll, stretch)
^^^^^This^^^^
Probably the most sensible thing I’ve read on this forum. Most of my runs are done ‘as they come’, and usually so that I can talk. A couple of tempo or interval sessions a week to lift things a bit. Most runs on trails and really focus on form. Good running form makes running look easy and is well worth taking some time to develop. I don’t get enough massage and I do need to stretch a bit more. But, I am 60 and run on average 70 kms per week (5 or 6 days) with some biking and swimming in there too.
I believe that spending too much time chasing numbers can be detrimental. Focus on the training, not the numbers.
I felt like I chased a goblin around from psoas to hamstring to calf to lower back for about 3-4 years, but have been able to (knock on wood) be pretty much good to go by doing a few things:
-A reduction in overall load, often to the point I was angry at my coach off and on for a year for leaving me “undercooked.” It took a long time for me to see his patience and accept it rather than do “bonus” workouts. Very gradually, incrementally, we’ve been able to build back up far, far past where I ever was, keeping in mind:
Avoid massive swings in overall load. “Overload periods” are a thing of the past. Instead, work to make it all very, very consistent.
Trading more and more tempo-type work for top-speed type stuff. It also works that I’ve gradually transitioned from mostly a focus on draft legal sprints to XTERRA, so a 55 minute race with the 5k being the very defining feature to a 2.5 hour race that’s a bit less necessary for crazy top end stuff.
Getting more and more percentage of my overall aerobic loading from swim and bike. It certainly doesn’t translate 1:1:1, but there’s certainly a benefit.
I started running in “more” shoe. Specifically, I shifted from the Brooks Pure flow to the Launch, and for a while after the worst of my calf issues, even a pair of early Hokas for easy runs.
Lastly, what others have said, but do not ignore anything that seems out of the ordinary. Anything acute needs to be addressed somehow, or at least carefully monitored.
Me - anytime I got over 20 or so miles a week, injured. Every single season i’d be out for a month or two, usually calves but other things as well
Last January started working with an MAT practitioner. It has worked wonders, ran 1400 miles last year with a couple 140-150 mile months, without any injury (of course now o have some random abdominal pull…). I cannot recommend MAT highly enough
I have been plagued in the past but made it through a long season last year ok for the first time in years with a total of 1500 miles for the year on 48 year old uncooperative knees. What worked for me was more hills and less overall distance on longer runs, almost exclusively running in Hokas (bondi and speedgoat), using my Norma Tec fairly regularly and scheduling the long stuff-Iron distance and Ultras two months apart. For this year I did a proactive 8 week twice a week physical therapy program and continue with the exercises at home 2 to 3 times a week. I try to keep my bike sessions hard to brutal and run a lower intensity but higher volume type of thing. I foam roll my IT bands at least 3x a week, usually more. I do run a lot of hills but I don’t try to blaze them. Good luck.
I also seemed to be plagued with never ending running injuries. I think I have suffered, at one time or another, almost every leg/foot injury there is. Like other posters said it was a combination of things that have made me run relatively injury free.
no pre-run stretching, do after run stretching, if any.
speed work on treadmill only
strength training
easy run warm ups
find the right mix, mileage, long run length, frequency, intensity
finding the proper shoe (cushioning, more important than stability or anti-pronation) for both training and racing. After trying brooks, saucony, nike and asics, Mizuno’s became the brand of choice and I have not looked back They have been more consistent in making only minimal changes with each successive model.
I had two knee issues and some tendinitis in my foot in a span of 3ish years, 2013-2016 (this was as a runner, started triathlon during my recovery from tendinitis which made me intentionally walk my first 70.3 run in NOLA). Incorporated strength training into my in season workouts along with heavy weightlifting in the off-season, meaning enough weight that 3 sets by 5 reps does you in. I did 4.5 full distance races last year (.5 being IMMD) albeit very slowly as I try to rack up the legacy count, but still I think a testament to including weightlifting 1-2x a week during the season. Squats and deadlifts being the key workouts.
I had a few seasons of consistent niggles and then shin spints put me out of action for about 18 months. Now I am pretty bulletproof, the biggest thing that’s changed for me is that I started to listen to people and I started to do my runs a LOT slower.
I used to run 2-3 times a week and they were all shortish tempo/hard runs (maybe 15-18 miles per week) - every run was a race to me, now I run a 5-6 times (35-40 miles) a week and probably do 80% of the mileage at around or slower than 8m/miles, for context I am a low 18s 5KM runner.
Follow up question for those referencing pace (stevej, uk_bloke, etc): how does one identify the right pace for the majority of the (easy) runs? Eg: I am a low to mid 19min for a 5k. Should the bulk of my runs be around 5min/km (8min/miles) or 5:30min/km (9min / miles)? And if running that much slower, how does one maintain good running form?
I don’t think if you can go wrong if you use some thing like Jack Daniels running formula. There are loads of posts about it on here. But essentially you use your time from a recent race / test and it calculates your training and equivalent race paces.
It’s really important you use your current times, and not your PBs or your aspirational ones for the calculation and the e-pace is what you use for you the vast bulk of your running, and as you progress that pace will quicken. It’s also important you run at e-pace and not a bit quicker because you feel good, your mates are running quicker etc. I actually think that the e-pace is fastest a ‘slow’ run should be, and it doesn’t hurt going slower.
I am not a coach but I don’t think many people would wildly disagree with me.
You’ve received a ton of good information but I’ll add my experience as well.
Strength training and dynamic stretching, specifically hips, glutes, IT band. Those were always tight and causing a lot of issues. Since I have been crazy proactive about stretching those areas I have had no issues. Strength training in the sense of body weight workouts not like lifting weights. Dips, pull ups, push ups, planks, pistol squats, etc.
Another thing that I felt helped but couldn’t directly measure was eating better, specifically foods that reduce inflammation, but mostly fruits, vegetables and lean meats. In my mind this helped more than I can quantify as it helped recovery of workouts and sleep patterns and such so give it a try.