Hi Everyone,
In this monthly newsletter of “Sage Words from Coach Sage” I wanted to talk about running gear and injury prevention tips and tricks!
First things first, mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 19th at 5:00PM PST for an exclusive virtual seminar with Coach Sage, and our Field Experience Rep, Nathaniel Chan based in Phoenix, AZ to run through the latest and greatest HOKA technology, and injury prevention as you head into peak marathon training
By now you are hopefully progressing in your Marathon training and staying healthy. If you are following one of the specific marathon training programs I’ve created on Final Surge you may notice that the mileage has been increasing as well as the specificity of your workouts. With these increases in training load it is essential that you listen to your body day by day and don’t hesitate to “dial things back” a bit, take an extra Recovery Day, and/or cross-train with non-impact exercises instead of just running on all the scheduled days. Realize that the mileage ranges are just rough guidelines and that they can and should be adjusted to fit your individual needs and schedule. The most important thing for this whole training program is that you stay as healthy and happy as possible! With that being said, let’s talk about how some new shoes (or rotating through different models of shoes) can help empower your stride and keep things fresh:
GEAR:
Of course the essential gear for marathon training are shoes designed for running! Over time and hundreds of road miles these shoes often need to be replaced – and one of the best recommendations I can give here is to go check out a local run specialty store. Long before I became a HOKA sponsored athlete I worked in run specialty and fit hundreds of runners at all levels in all brands of shoes. Employees at these stores are often very knowledgeable about fitting shoes properly. Quite often you’ll have to go up a half or even a full size of shoe depending on a specific model or brand. Specialty running store employees can also look at your foot shape and mechanics, hear your feedback, and even analyze your running form a bit (sometimes!) to make some specific shoe recommendations. Better yet, you can also then try on a variety of different shoe models to see what might feel the most comfortable for you.
One key to a great shoe fit is to make sure that your toes aren’t too restricted and that you have enough “wiggle room” as this can impact your stride, absorption of impact (as well as pronation and toe-off movements!). As I recommended in my Facebook group post last week it can also be advantageous to have a few different kinds of shoes and “rotate through them” during the week depending on how you feel and the nature of the run workout:
For example, in the HOKA shoe line-up, a lot of people might like a “plush and soft” cushioned ride for most of their Easy Mileage and Long Runs so something like a HOKA Bondi 9 might be a good fit for that.
On other short speed workout days (and even for Race Day) some runners might like a lighter “supershoe” with very responsive and bouncy PEBA foam and a carbon fiber plate. An example of one of those kinds of shoes might be something like the HOKA Cielo X1.
Proper fitting and appropriate run specific shoes can go a long way in helping you feel more comfortable as you get into the bulk of your training later on this month and into March. On that front, another great way to help empower yourself at this time is to be aware of common running injuries and some basic strength training exercises to help prevent them.
STRENGTH TRAINING AND INJURY PREVENTION:
As we increase our weekly mileage and then also add in speed and intensity (as well as hills) there is always a risk for injury.
Some of you are probably already quite experienced in this regard (hopefully not!), but a few of the most common issues to look out for may include the following:
Calf muscle strain or Achilles Tendonitis or Plantar Fasciitis.
These types of issues can be caused by sometimes weak and/or tight calf muscles as well as over-use. Adding in speed work and especially uphill running can aggravate the calf area as well as “pull” on the Achilles tendon and even under the foot around the arch and heel area (plantar fascia).
One way to help prevent the risk of issues in this area is to ensure your calf muscles aren’t too tight. After a gentle warm-up (i.e. like walking) sometimes I like to use a massage stick and/or lacrosse ball and roll it under my calf muscles before and after my runs.
You can also do some very light stretching and eventually some “calf raises” on a step as long as you are pain free.
This can help strengthen and engage your calf muscles as well as provide a nice range of motion and stretch as long as you are feeling good and in control. Take great care in this kind of exercise though (stop immediately if you have any pain!) and consult your doctor or a PT/medical professional if you have any previous or existing pain…especially around the Achilles area.
Finally, since we are training for a very hilly marathon race and introducing uphill as well as downhill specific workouts it is paramount that leg muscles like your quads (front of the thigh) are ready for eccentric loading and the additional pounding of downhill running.
Again, if you already have some existing knee or ankle joint pain (or quad or hip pain) consult your doctor/PT/medical professional before trying any of this!
Otherwise, I’ve found simple body weight “split squats” like the motion shown here can be great to strengthen the quads.
Focus on keeping your torso fairly upright and then slowly drop your hips down slowly while feeling your quads engage over the course of about 3 seconds before pushing down into the ground with your main planted foot and rising up to the starting position. Try to keep your knee from “wobbling” from side to side and don’t let it “collapse inwards” towards your midline as you squat down. For an added challenge you can elevate your back leg on a chair or box and/or add small dumbbell hand weights.
I usually try to do at least 10-20 reps per leg (or until failure) before switching sides. Eventually work up to 2 sets for each leg as long as you are pain free when doing these.
That’s it for now! There are of course many other exercises and specific strength routines you can add into your training (if you haven’t already), but I wanted to just mention a few of these major ones as they can be very specific to hilly marathon courses and reducing the risk of injury in general.
Be sure to RSVP to our video call Seminar scheduled for later this month (Feb. 19th – Add to calendar) and for more tips and tricks! Enjoy your training and stay healthy!
Best, Coach Sage
