Intelligent Injury Prevention: Slowing the Torture to Your Body

This is a Guest Post written by Tim Z. You can see more by Tim at his blog.

I injured myself several times now while running. I thought, in order to prevent these injuries I need to understand why they happen in the first place. It is a bit obvious, since in a way I am torturing my body and a while ago I didn't. Still, I started doing some research to at least find out how to minimize these injuries.

Image Credit: moodeous

1. Wearing Proper Shoes - I actually went to pediatrist to check my feet and shoes didn't seem to be a problem. I think this is a fairly decent shoe that I'm wearing, but I'll probably get something a bit better. By that I mean making sure that if fits better and it's easy to walk. This is common sense, nothing new.

2. Proper Stretching - Understanding what muscle you're using is important to knowing how to stretch. This is probably true since I have a stretching routine after 10 minutes of running usually. I have never thought about whether this routine is good enough though. I googled the topic and sure enough, there are lots of stretching. This is definitely something I can work on. I will post more on this! Reading a few articles on about, I find these general guidelines: - focusing on the muscles you're using: stretching your hands is probably not going to help much

- warming up: a definite must before any workout

- starting slowly with the run: this will gradually losen up the muscles and you'll probably last longer

- don't overstretch: this can be painful and harmful. no details here...

3. Avoiding too much workout - Overtraining will almost always result in injuries. This always happens to me with weight lifting. One of my trainers said this is a good news and it means that the burn triggers muscle growth and its a sign that it's working. However, you probably want to account for joint or other injuries. These injuries can take longer to heal.

Image credit: DJ Bass

4. Running on the right surface - You probably want the ground to to absorb the shock. Trying to avoid concrete as much as possible. Its probably the worst surface for running, about 10 times harder than asphalt. Grass or gravel is probably the best surface for running.

Last 10k I think I might have injured my knee a bit. Maybe this will be okay by Wednesday, and hopefully all healed by Sunday, the race day I'm preparing for.

Now get out there and go run! If you liked this post, you should bookmark it at del.icio.us to let ohters know about it. For more information about training for a triathlon, subscribe to my site feed.

Conquer the Swim!

Dating back to ancient Greek times, a triathlon tests the skills of athletes in a competition comprised of three different events. The most common triathlon involves swimming, cycling and running. In this order, it is the swimming portion of this competition that sets the tone for the rest of the contest. Athletes participating in modern triathlons usually tackle all three events back-to-back. The official time received by athletes is a combination of their overall performance, including clothing changes and transition times from one event to another.

Training for these individual events includes learning techniques that help to preserve the energy and endurance of an athlete. There are various strategies and training approaches that both amateur and professional triathlon athletes adhere to. Not all triathlons are the same in distance or details. For example, the Ultraman Triathlon, held every year in Hawaii, takes three days to complete, including 320 miles of total distance.

Triathlon Swimming

The start of the triathlon begins with the swimming portion of the competition. Athletes prepare for the swim by changing into appropriate swim gear. Different starts are used for various races. This will depend on the number of people in the race or how much distance will be covered. Traditional Iron-distance races use a mass start, where all athletes enter the water at the same time. Another approach is the wave start, which allows athletes to begin the race in intervals. This is a common practice used in amateur competitions.

Athletes swim around numerous marked buoys, completing the race at the same place where they started. Once the athletes are out of the water, the next phase of the triathlon begins that requires a change of clothes into cycling gear.

Triathlon Strategies

When preparing your game plan for the competition, you should aim for going long, easy and fast. This takes a lot of practice to master. Most cyclists and runners believe that the endurance they already possess will make them a better swimmer, but this is not always true. Cyclists and runners need to strengthen different muscles for the swim.

Triathlon Training Tips

1. Start your training early for best results.
2. Always take heed of the importance of proper breathing, have a relaxed state of mind and body, maintaining good body position and having a positive attitude.
3. While training, avoid movements by any part of your body that may slow down your forward movement. This includes no deep kicking and minimal head movement.
4. To increase the speed of your swimming, interval training is a must. Rotate timed trials using very short, medium and long rests. A popular training exercise is the 2000 ladder, which consists of 400, 4x100; 300, 4x75; 200, 4x50; 100 and 4x25.
5. Join an organized group to swim with that will eventually push you towards a higher level of competition, filled with an extra boost of confidence and encouragement.
6. Consider the use of fins during training to burn calories, strengthen legs, increase speed and improve stroke.

Start Training For a Mini Triathlon

The best way to start your entry to triathlon is by joining mini triathlon. In this way, you avoid over-training yourself that might end up losing your stint in the competition. Still, the mini triathlon is a real triathlon and therefore you must give yourself enough time to prepare for it.

To preparing for mini triathlon, you need to remember 4 words: strengths and weakness, goal, and caution. These 4 will take you to the finish line if not the podium.

Strengths and Weaknesses

We all have strengths and weakness. And recognizing each of them would provide you with the best tool in making it to the mini triathlon. Knowing what are your strengths would mean knowing where to begin your training. They are your blueprints. Admit it, you may be good on swimming but not in running. You might be one hell of a runner but suck on the bike. The thing is: knowing where your strong and weak points are would let you know what to improve and what to keep on improving.

Goal

If you want to cross the finish line in one piece, you need to have a goal. And this would mean drawing up a plan (a realistic plan) that would take you to your goal.

First: Set your goal. In this case your goal is to finish the race in one piece (you may also consider other goals, it’s up to you).

Second: Make sure you have identified your strengths and weaknesses. In this way, you know how to keep on track with your plan.

Third: Devise your training schedule. Set schedules when, where, and how you should do it. Give yourself enough time to rest. A good rest will keep your body in tacked at the same time, improving as your training progresses. You may want to consult some expert on this.

And finally: Stick to your plan. Self-explanatory.

Caution

While improving your running, swimming, and biking is a good thing, there is nothing better than making a preventive measure every time you train. You will never know when injuries come but you can prevent them from happening. Take the necessary precaution to avoid ending up injured. Do some stretching before you begin the training. Wear appropriate gears. These include swimwear and shoes. Remember that running shoes are different from cycling shoes so you may want to consider buying at least one pair for each of them.

You should also take gradual training a good rest to keep injuries away.