On Wednesday I was feeling pretty cocky because of how good I was feeling after doing a hard speed workout and then our challenge run that day (challenge= a lot of elevation gain)…. And then I woke up on Thursday and felt like a bus hit me.
The combo of doing speed and then trails the next day is really going to take things to the next level because it is a really hard combo for me! In the past I’ve always taken the day after a speed workout slow and flat!
Morning run with Emilee and she felt the same way I did. The training must be working.
A tree fell over on one of our favorite little flat trails.
I love this little trail because they have encouraging signs along the way!
This week has been a week of tuna between Andrew and me.
Dave’s Killer Bread + Tuna + Mayo + Special Sauce + Avocado = A fast and delicious lunch.
The highlight of the day was seeing Lion King together.
I’m feeling a loss of identity lately because I would choose popcorn over candy lately. Movie theater popcorn has my heart.
Oh and we went for street tacos before the movie too. This weekend we will all be at different places (except for Skye will be with me all weekend and Andrew doesn’t work one day:) so it was really nice to get a night all together.
My friends and I are getting in a lot of miles on the trails each week and besides the fact that they make you strong (SO.MUCH.CLIMBING), we do them because they are huge for injury prevention.
When I went to Golden’s presentation he shared that the two running surfaces that have the highest rate of injury are the track and the treadmill. The reason for this being that every step is the exact same on those two surfaces which creates imbalances. Uneven ground is key for our bodies because our bodies were designed for variability. Our muscular structure was built for it. He told us to do anything we can to add some variation to our running, trails, ducking under trees, on and off the sidewalks, rocks, grass, going on the messy part of trails etc. If you can, try to vary up the surfaces you run on to avoid those injuries!
Also, getting out and moving in different types of sports and switching up your running shoes (I usually wear 3-4 different running shoes ((lately the Launch, Hyperion, Ricochet and Glycerin)) each week can really help to reduce your risk of injuries. He also said the best thing that we can do to strengthen our feet is to walk around barefoot more often (especially on carpet and if your feet can handle it on hard wood) along with jumping rope barefoot.
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What are some things that you do for injury prevention?
Play any sports outside of running?
What’s your favorite surface to run on?
Question from Brooke: Where do you think is the most dangerous place to camp?
39 comments
Mollie
Where do you think is the most dangerous place to camp?! I literally laughed out loud. That’s such a funny question!
I was just thinking today how off I feel because I had to run my speed workout on the treadmill this week. We’ve been getting thunderstorms and one came right when I was about to head to the track. My whole right side feels terrible, and I remember that feeling from when I used to run on the treadmill a lot a couple winters ago. I think I’ll be pushing my workout from now on if a storm comes, it’s just not worth it!
Love your bright yellow sunnies btw!! :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahaha I did too… it might have been from watching Lion King and her thinking about how dangerous it would be to camp there. That is SO interesting about how off your body felt after that workout on the treadmill. No more storms! Thanks Mollie and I hope you have a wonderful weekend with a killer long run (and a happy right side:).
Lee
For injury prevention, the biggest thing I do is cross train. According to my orthopedist, I shouldn’t run every day. I changed my training to four days of running, two days of weights, and an off day. The off day is new. I used to run or do the elliptical every day. I learned the elliptical works the same muscles as running so it doesn’t count as cross training. I haven’t used my elliptical in months. My legs feel a lot stronger since adding 2 full hours of weights each week rather than doing them twice for twenty minutes each week. Hopefully this will fix my knee problem.
Tell Brooke that the most dangerous place to camp is outside. I don’t like bugs.
Have a great weekend!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahaha your answer to Brooke’s question is my favorite. I never even thought about how the elliptical uses the same muscles as running. Sounds like you have found the perfect schedule and 2 full hours of weights each week… BOOM. Keep me updated with your knee and I hope you have a fabulous Friday!
Kristin
Glute activation during warmup is huge for me! Ha, I’ve only been running on a treadmill this summer because it’s way too hot to be outside. Excited for when I get back outside, but for now it’s whatever works. I love running on trails because I feel a lot more connected to nature . . . but nice, wide trails that aren’t very technical. :-)
Does ping pong count as a sport?? My family plays a lot of ping pong!
Oh, we mentioned books a couple days ago . . . I loved the middle grade book The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise–sad premise but the story itself is so full of hope that I just loved it. I think Brooke would like the Princess in Black early chapter book series; they are so much fun!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I honestly thing it does because you are still moving around in different ways than you are when you are running… ping pong is helping your running. Oh glute activation before a run is HUGE for me too. I notice the biggest change in my runs if I take the time to do that first. Hahaha I love those wide trails too. I hope you get a great one soon when it cools off. I will totally get that book to read with Brooke. Thanks so much Kristin and I hope you have a really great weekend!
Corey
Mmm…you just prompted a tuna craving! Try skipping the mayo and using mashed avocado/lime juice in its place sometime. Love it this way!
I recently added walking backward up a steep hill at the end of my run when I noticed my hamstrings were really tight. I didn’t want to put more strain on them (and had to climb that hill to my house). When I turned backward, I realized my quads and shins were taking on the work and it might just be a good way to balance the muscle use from time to time. Years ago, I heard it was a good way to avoid shin splints, too.
I live near the C&O canal towpath, which is dirt and crushed gravel. It’s a forgiving surface, especially in the sections that the gravel is very finely worn down.
Thankfully, I’ve always felt pretty safe when camping, but I’ve seen pictures & videos of people hooking tents to the side of a mountain and just hanging out there! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvynyBcr2sc That looks pretty dangerous to me, even though I’m sure they check how securely they’re attached. I’ll stay on the ground!
The Hungry Runner Girl
That really is the absolute best way to eat tuna. I am fully going try that too because my hamstrings are so tight all of the time. Yep, you win… that is by far the most dangerous. It gave me sweaty hands just watching it ha. I’ll show this to brooke when she wakes up ha. Have a great day Corey!
sarah from switzerland
Good tip about the running shoes! I admit to owning 5 pairs of the exact same shoes (The ASICS GT Series has my heart, sorry it’s not Brooks Janae :)) so I will definitely have to reconsider that. But I’ve been doing some hip strenghtening exercises and some pilates too, and that seems to help a lot too.
Thanks for keeping us inspired! You are such a positive influence in my (internet and real) life :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
I will totally forgive you about your shoes haha… I am so happy you found a shoe that you love so much. Oh pilates and strengthening exercises = you are rocking it with your injury prevention. Thank you for what you said and please keep me updated on your life… I love hearing from you!
Chelsea
Is it wear different styles of shoes or rotate through a few pairs of the same type of shoe but all with different ages/wear patterns?
Also check out unshoes. Unshoesusa.com might be the website? Barefoot minimalist shoes. I don’t train in them but I love to wear them the rest of the day. I’ve actually lost a full shoe size since going minimalist on my shoes because my arch has gotten stronger on its own without having something pushing on it. So I went from super flat feet to having an arch. It’s like a Roman arch…if you push on the keystone, the arch collapses. Same thing with our feet.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I didn’t clarify that, thanks Chelsea! He meant wearing different types of shoes (trail, road, light etc)! Okay, that is incredible Chelsea… I will definitely be checking that out and I would love my arch to get stronger. Thanks so much and I hope you have a wonderful day!
Tessa
Such great advice! Very much appreciate you sharing. Training for my first full this year and have already felt some knee pain (ended my last half in tears). I’m determined to avoid injury and this is SO helpful!
The Hungry Runner Girl
TESSA! I am so so excited for your first full! Let’s get you there injury free:) . I am SO sorry about your knee pain and I hope that it is 100% gone soon. Have you tried running on different surfaces?! Have a wonderful day!
Tessa
Thank you! Yes, I’m on trails, pavement, and treadmill and just bought more shoes to switch it up. Saturday’s long run was completely pain free, woo hoo! Your tips and encouragement are so appreciated! Have a great week!
Becky Przy
I was just thinking about strengthening my feet the other day. I have been having calf and plantar fasciitis issues lately because I started biking–this happened last year too. My feet/body is so accustomed to running that if I add in any new sport/shoe/activity, I get injured or have “nagging” issues somewhere in my legs. Time to strengthen those feet and add in cross training activities with some regularity!
The Hungry Runner Girl
YES YES YES!! Boo to those plantar/calf issues lately. I hope that the cross training and strengthening really help:) . Have a fabulous day Becky!
Melissa
Hi Brooke,
I think the most dangerous place to camp would be at the edge of a volcano! Like the ones in Hawaii where you can get really close. I think I’d rather not sleep there :).
Where do YOU think is the most dangerous?
Great question!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I can’t wait for her to read your answer when she wakes up… and I think you are right!
Last night she told me Antartica or Africa but let’s see what she tells you soon. Have a wonderful day Melissa and thank you!
Nina
It’s been a while, but it’s cool that we get a question from Brooke, so here I am! “Camping” while suspended in the air, on the side of a mountain (as someone else mentioned) is just unimaginably dangerous in my world!! Really no idea how they do it.
As far as injury prevention, cross training is my friend. I do kettlebell workouts twice a week and yoga twice a week. If I’m really on top of things, there is some Pilates in there as well. My boyfriend and I do a daily workout that’s specific for golfers too. Speaking of sports besides running…
Skiing and golf are my non-running sports. I’ve been thinking about tennis for some reason lately. Haven’t played since college – a looooong time ago!
Face surface is a good trail. I mostly end up on streets/sidewalks though. They’re OK, but I don’t like when they’re flat, so I guess I can think of those hills as injury prevention too!
Have an awesome weekend…Cheers!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I do not know how they do it either… they must not move while they sleep like I do. It makes me sweat and brings my heart rate up just thinking about it! You are rocking it with all of your injury prevention and sports. Get back into tennis! I’ve been wanting to also:) . Thanks so much Nina, you too!
Rachel
For me, I think doing yoga regularly has made the biggest difference in injury prevention! I have fallen out of practice lately (sigh. why is it so easy to stop doing what we KNOW is good for us??), but when I was taking 3-4 flow style classes each week I felt so so strong and balanced.
I use to play tennis competitively and still love it! I want to get my skills back up and have a goal of joining a rec league soon! (as sooooon as grad school is over!)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh yoga is HUGE for me too for injury prevention but I know what you mean about it being so easy to drop the stuff we know is good for us. I hope you are able to get in some great yoga classes soon. Golden mentioned how good tennis is for our running… way to go Rachel! You have a log on your plate and I’m cheering for you:) . I hope your day is a great one Rachel!
Christine
I just came to say – your running shoes! I love them. I obviously missed the post where you shared these, off to find it now.
Also, I would find it really difficult to do those 2 workouts back to back. Of course I’m about 2x slower than you :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Aren’t they just so beautiful? I’m going to be wearing these ones a lot! Have a wonderful day Christine and try the back to back workouts (speed and then trail)… they are rough!
Emily
For Brooke, I think anyplace with bears (like Yosemite) would be a dangerous place to camp. Do not watch Grizzly Man ever if you want to go camping around bears!!
I have about 4 pairs of shoes that I rotate on a regular basis, but I do a lot of different workouts, so they’re task-specific. So one pair is good for ellipticals, one is for HIIT workouts, etc. It can get confusing, though, and I wore the wrong shoes the other day and they kept literally falling off my feet when I was doing rowing sprints at the gym! oops…
April
After my right foot screamed at me after my last half I choose a training plan with strength and cross training for my marathon! All I did was run for half training, oops.
Favorite surface is road, followed by trails. Happy weekend!
elizabeth
SO much good info Janae!! I did not know that about TM running.
I’ve been doing very basic mat Pilates (my gym has a virtual class) to help me recover from my hip/hamstring injury and it really seems to help. I also do lots of lunges because I like the way it stretches my hip and legs. I was focusing on dead lifts, but my body seems happier with more lunges. I think riding a bike and weight training help running too. I can tell a difference if I have to skip a weight workout.
A nice shaded road or trail is my favorite place to run. I do not like bike paths or brick roads!
I have those shoes too and I’ve already gotten them dirty :)
jenny
I love all the family dates you all go on! And I love those signs! It makes me want to post signs similar to that on my trails!
For injury prevention I take 2 rest days a week and go to the gym 2x/week and focus on glutes, hips and balance work. I’ve been using a half bosu to stand on while doing squats, deadlifts and weighted arm exercises to build up my ankle strength and I’ve noticed a HUGE difference! I don’t feel so week in the ankles and I’m not rolling my ankles as often on the trails.
The only thing I do outside of running is an occasional hike and I try to cycle 1x/week for cross training.
My favorite surface is trails for sure! I run a lot of roads though because as a 4:30 am runner and later sunrises trail time is becoming few and far between. I don’t mind running trails in the dark (like twilight dark just before sunrise) alone but I definitely feel more safe, relaxed and have more fun when I’m with a friend. I had a hunch about TM’s but only because I personally cannot run much on them or my pinched nerve in my back will act up causing my legs to go numb. It makes sense now why that happens – there’s no variation.
My most dangerous places to camp would be in the back country with the most dangerous of wild animals, specifically mountain lions – they petrify me! Also, the mountain climbers who sleep while hanging off of the side of a mountain/boulder … heck to the no!
Have a great day!
Loribeth
Great question Brooke! I think it’s dangerous to camp where 1) no way to contact anyone (no cell service), 2) where it’s really cold (like Alaska or the top of a snowy mountain), or 3) in Africa with the lions.
I like running on roads and paved trails best. And I have been injury free, other than shin splints and occasional runner’s knee!
Kathy McElhaney
My worst injury happened on the trail! I can’t really blame the surface, I stepped wrong and ended up with a severe ankle sprain. My marathon PR happened when I consistently rode my bike on my easy run days – that made a huge difference for me. Easy runs are hard to do sometimes so hopping on my bike was a game changer.
Brooke, Our family use to camp on the central coast of California and the only “danger” there was raccoons who liked to steal food. Are you planning on camping somewhere dangerous??
Kami
I have to know where those street tacos are from?! They look absolutely amazing. I need them!
Melissa
I have the most issues with my lower back. I go to the chiropractor and that seems to help me stay injury free.
Is sitting on the beach a sport? ?
I like running on woods trails the best. Interesting views and easy on the feet!
Ooo Brooke good question. I live in New Jersey and when we camp we sometimes see bears!
Have a good weekend!
Gillian
Oh my gosh your tuna sandwich combo made my mouth water! Doing that sometime soon yum!
The thought of jumping rope barefoot makes me cringe for some reason lol. But I could see that helping for sure.
Dangerous place to camp- currently my backyard… We have a family of skunks that currently reside underneath our shed!
Stephanie
Hi Janae! I listen to this podcast called How I Built This where they bring on entrepreneurs who made really big companies like Kate Spade, Ben and Jerry’s, and Lululemon and they recently did one on Dave’s Killer Bread! I learned about Dave’s through you and now it’s the only sandwich bread I’ll eat! So I instantly thought of you and hope you’ll get a chance to listen. It’s a really amazing story and makes me love his bread even more. I hope you have a great weekend! :)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daves-killer-bread-dave-dahl/id1150510297?i=1000443291697
Erica
Would a 4 year old be too young to enjoy “lion king”??
The Hungry Runner Girl
HEY YOU!! I would say yes in my opinion… and it wasn’t my favorite to be honest. Brooke and Knox loved it and I love going to the movies (and the popcorn and being together) but the actual movie was just okay… not amazing like I expected!
Tracie
I am chronically injury prone so this summer while I’m off from teaching I have been experimenting with rotating several different brands of shoes (including a pair of Altra’s) and cross training with a weight lifting program twice a week. So far, so good, except when I lost a battle with my coffee table leg and my little toe. It’s getting better though. :)
I think the worst place to camp would be in the middle of either a cougar trail or a bear path. I’m a giant chicken about wildlife, even though I love animals. Today a wild turkey chick ran into my basement when I let my dog out into her yard. (I live in Oregon, we have loads of crazy wildlife here!) and that alone nearly made me lose my mind. I hope Brooke grows up to love camping though. So many great memories.
Stacey
My biggest injury prevention trip is to EAT. I used to get injured constantly when I was anorexic. Now that I am fully recovered, even when I train, I very rarely get injured. The body needs plenty of fuel to function and perform well.
How on EARTH do you go to a movie with Skye??!! Share your tips, please! haha I can’t imagine my little guy sitting on the couch to watch 15 minutes of a movie, much less two hours in the theatre :)
Have a great weekend, Janae and family!