In this blog post – number 2 in a series of 5 on running – we look at why it is important for runners to take care of their bodies. Lize-Jeanne from Lize-Jeanne Coetzee Biokineticist in Stellenbosch compiled the content.
A runner’s body can be compared to a motor vehicle when it comes to maintenance. Both need ongoing upkeep to ensure performance and longevity.
As biokineticists we have no doubt that a runner’s focus on the maintenance of his or her body during a training programme, is as important as the emphasis on improving performance. Just like a car that needs to be serviced as it clocks up kilometres, runners must also be particular in their routine to maintain their bodies. This is essential for peak running efficiency, and to avoid injuries.
Maryke Fourie, a client of ours and a long-distance runner who has completed, amongst others, the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons, the Rhodes 52 km Run, the Washie 100 Miler and the gruelling Kalahari Augrabies Extreme Marathon, a staged self-sufficient 250 km desert foot race, agrees with this. She points out that running puts a lot of strain on the body and that those who think they can just continue to run and be fine, make a big mistake. She believes that runners need specialized assistance to keep their bodies in top form. Professional runners rely on qualified therapists to help them achieve this. Amateur runners should do the same.
Proper preparation is essential
Running is an amazing sport. It allows a person to train hard for short periods and to have an energized feeling for the rest of the day. Running, furthermore, offers an exercise routine to achieve various results – getting fit, enjoying social interaction when running in groups, sometimes even taking up a challenge and enter for a running event. What often happens is that those who engage in the sport for the fun of it, end up as dedicated runners who look forward to taking on new challenges, aiming to improve as they go along.
My concern, however, is that most persons engage in running activities without preparing sufficiently for the load that running puts on the body. Often they are also not aware of the principles of biomechanics. This results in running styles that are not in line with these principles, as they do not necessarily understand how muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments work together to produce optimal movement. Such runners are in general not ready to run yet, but they continue to do so as they’re not experiencing discomfort or pain when they run.
The body will not warn you not to do something, or that you’re doing something wrong, unless it experiences pain. And pain often comes too late and could have been prevented with proper preparation and an understanding of what running as an activity requires.
Doing things right – from the start
Preventative exercise to strengthen and condition the body is therefore essential. There will always be muscles in the body that dominate and compensate for those that do not perform as well as they should. The latter can be regarded as being lazy. Over time and, especially if a runner continues to run in a way that compensates for the lazy muscles, discomfort such as lower back pain, ITB symptoms, Achilles tendonitis and plantar fascia pain may occur.
It is therefore important to assess the complete body to find the areas where it compensates the most. As biokineticists we evaluate the body holistically and do specialized assessments to help runners understand their bodies better. This creates an improved awareness of the areas in need of conditioning and strengthening to prevent injuries and improve performance. Key to this is the ability to create unity in the body and to build muscles strong enough for stability and the strength required for running.
By following the right biokinetics programme, runners will enhance their running experience and be able to run uphill with greater ease, even increase their pace without the need to do speed training.
The practical value of proper maintenance
It was against the above background that we helped Maryke to identify the specific problems that were causing pain in her body when running. We prescribed a biokinetics programme that helped her to the extent that she’s been running without discomfort for more than a year now.
But for Maryke there were other benefits too. She told us that she now understands what caused her injury and that she is now also able to, while running, focus consciously on the areas that need maintenance to make sure she uses those muscles correctly. For her, biokinetics created a physical change in her body, and an improvement in her running style. Biokinetics, especially, changed her mindset as she is now able to base her running routine on a scientific approach, instead of just doing what she thinks is right.
More blog posts on the way
Be on the lookout for more informative blog posts to come in which we will provide information of value to runners. Also visit the Lize-Jeanne Coetzee Biokineticist website at www.ljbiokin.com.
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