Listen to your body.

The best thing you can do to prevent injury is listen to your body. If you can recognize signs of overuse, fatigue, tendonitis, strain, etc. and make changes before it becomes a big problem, you are way ahead of the game. I hear many triathletes talk about “running through the pain”. I would say there are times that are uncomfortable during the sport of triathlon and there is pain of giving full effort. However, true pain is a sign your body is giving you that something is wrong. Why ignore it?

I like to use an analogy of comparing people to cars when thinking of listening to your body. Some cars have temperature gauges with a red line. Other cars just have an “idiot light” that comes on when the engine is already overheated. Most people do not listen to their internal gauges, and instead wait until the “idiot light” comes on telling them they overdid it. This “idiot light” is pain. If you can listen to your internal gauge that is more subtle, you can back off before you hurt yourself. These more subtle signs might come as tightness in the muscles or joints, aching, an increase in effort to maintain the same pace, resting heart rate being elevated, etc. If you are working out you should not go full bore blindly without checking your gauges. Don’t workout through the pain to pay the price later. Don’t wait until the “idiot light” comes on, as it is probably too late. Think back to the last time you had pain during a workout. Chances are there were some signs prior to the onset of pain. It might have been achiness, soreness, stiffness, fatigue, or a change in your efficiency or form. Remember this for future workouts, as that is probably your “heat gauge” telling you to back off before you “redline” and get injured.

Do not increase any training variable by more than 10% per week.

This is a commonly broken rule among athletes, but breaking it usually comes at a price. The price might be paid as injury or breakdown weeks down the line. The more often you break this rule, and the higher percentage increase you break it by will increase your chances of injury or breakdown. For the best chances to avoid injury, do not increase more than one variable per week. For instance, do not increase the distance on your long run AND your total running distance in the same week. When you go long on one particular run, back off on other runs/workouts during the week to allow for rest/recovery before or after.

Common training variables to assess for the 10% rule:

Longest run/bike/swim

Total weekly distance

Terrain type (flats versus hills or asphalt versus dirt)

Total workout time per week including cross-training

Stretch frequently.

Stretching the muscles in the body frequently can help lower the risk of injury. Most stretches should be held with a very light sensation of stretch. I now tell my patients and athletes to change their thoughts on stretching to think more of it as “posing” in order to decrease their intensity. Contrary to some thought, stretches should not hurt! The longer you hold a stretch, the more flexibility you will gain. You don’t need to stretch vigorously, just often. Try to stretch four times per day when in intense training. Generally stretches should be held 30-60 seconds.

Alternate hard/easy workouts and feel free to skip some workouts.

Too often I hear of athletes trying to squeeze in missed workouts either due to time constraints or after taking a break due to injury. This is one of the easiest ways to over-train – by adding workload in a short amount of time. If you are doing a majority of your workouts, it is OK to skip a workout. That is so important I need to repeat it. It is OK to skip a workout. Chances are, after skipping a workout, or making a hard workout into an easy workout, you will feel better prepared for your next hard workout. Your body adapts to stress and will become stronger, but it needs time. Each body is different also, and we all tend to need more time to recover as we age. So feel OK about skipping or lightening a workout. You will be better off in the long run. I often aim for hitting 75% of my scheduled workouts in a program and feel really good about the results on race day.

Seek early intervention if you are having a body ache or pain.

Getting early help from a healthcare professional for your aches and pains will allow them to be treated with less expensive and less invasive interventions. We want you to meet your goals for getting fit, and the first step is getting to the starting line of your event injury-free. You won’t be likely to meet your goals if an injury is holding you back. The longer you wait to get treated, the longer you are likely to need to reduce or stop your workouts.

Do not skip your “core” exercises.

Core exercises are designed to target muscles that are not isolated with traditional exercises. Your “core” is made up of the muscles in your abdominals, lower back, pelvic floor, and diaphragm (breathing muscle). Contrary to popular belief, just doing sit-ups and crunches is not the best way to emphasize the core. The best core muscles are the deepest, most subtle, and hardest to isolate. I tell my patients that if they feel like they are doing nothing, they have it right. If they feel like they are getting a good “burn”, they are working too hard and missing the best layers of the core.

The core muscles help you absorb shock and transmit power from upper to lower body appropriately. These muscles are the foundation of your athletic body. Don’t neglect them. I feel the best methods to isolate the deepest and most important part of the core are Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga. More aggressive core exercises do not translate into better results for beginner and intermediate athletes and should be reserved for elite athletes only.

Matt Booth is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Certified Specialist with a clinical practice in Boise, Idaho. He started in triathlon at the Olympic distance in the late 80’s with recent significant finishes at Ironman Coeur D’Alene 2005 as well as the Age Group National Championships in Portland in 2007. He is currently training for Ironman Boise 70.3 with Performance High.

Matt Booth, DPT, OCS

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Certified Specialist

Clinic Director – Therapeutic Associates Boise Physical Therapy

(208)433-9211

mbooth@taiweb.com

www.therapeuticassociates.com/Boise

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