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Family Tents
Family
tents are usually large tents with good living space and are
suitable for family or a group of people staying together in a
camping trip. Usually cabin tents are employed by families or
large groups that can provide enough living...
Fly Fishing Gifts for Christmas
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year unless you're having
problems coming up with gift ideas. Here are a few fly fishing
gift ideas.
Okay, I'll be the first one to admit publicly that buying gifts
for the holidays can be a pain in...
How To Get Discount Golf Fees
How To Get Discount Golf Fees Once considered a game for the elite, Golf is now no more restricted to them only. With many schemes and plans floating in the market the expensive game of the past is now within the reach of the masses. With many...
Scuba Dive the Florida Keys
One of the best areas to scuba dive within North America is in the Florida Keys, a long string of islands just south of Miami. For any scuba diver traveling to southern Florida, even a quick day trip to the Florida Keys is worthwhile. There's great...
Treadmill Reviews – Helping You Find The Best Treadmill For YOU!
With a multitude of different treadmills and treadmill reviews available today, it an be extremely difficult to know which one might be the best one for you – it can be so overwhelming that you simply don’t know where to start! If you go to one of...
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Implement Trail Running in Base for Injury Prevention
The shoes we run in today are great for reducing impact. There are a myriad of devices, gels, air channels, etc., designed to lesson the compressive loads on the joints and body. One drawback, however, is that if you do most of your running on even, paved surfaces the lower leg muscles and joints do not have to work as hard to stabilize. Joint stability and integrity is crucial for injury prevention. This is where trail running comes in.
Running over uneven and varied surfaces makes the muscles of the lower leg work especially hard. Think specific strength training for the lower leg muscles. I recently observed how sore my lower legs were after a competing in an off road multi-sport event. The tendons, ligaments, and muscles all get stronger in response to this type of stress.
There are a few considerations when integrating trail running into your training plan. Unless you run in off road events the best time to incorporate trail running into your plan is in base. As with any new type of training stress it is important to implement it gradually. You may want to start off with one work out per week of limited mileage and steadily increase the duration. Off road surfaces vary from crushed gravel, sand, grass, single track hiking trails, to rough back country trails. The more varied the terrain the more your lower legs and body will be
stressed. On extremely rough and elevated terrain, hiking may be just as effective (and safer) than running. You will likely enter your aerobic base zones in this type of terrain as well, and may not need to run.
Trail shoes offer more support and traction but much less cushioning. Trail shoes vary from running shoes with a more aggressive tread all the way up to hiking shoes which may not applicable for running. Make sure you consult with a salesperson to get the right shoe for your type of training. I do not recommend doing any road running in a trail shoe, but you can take your running shoes off road if the surface is relatively stable, such as crushed gravel.
Trail running does not just work the lower legs, but all the muscles associated with running, including lateral knee stability. It also will help develop coordination. You can continue to incorporate trail running throughout the season for strength maintenance. An added bonus is that it adds variety to your training, and the scenery is better.
About the Author
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt has coached athletes for CTS (Carmichael Training Systems), is an Ultrafit Associate. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information.
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