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Strength and flexibility are your allies in the battle against this common running injury, and overtraining is your sworn enemy It doesn’t matter if you’re a new runner preparing for a big event like the London Marathon, or a regular pavement-pounder accustomed to training every other day throughout the year – picking up an injury can be a disaster. As the name suggests, Pure Sports Medicine, it can account for up to 30% of running injuries and the cause is usually a sudden change in training. “This injury is usually from overtraining caused by increasing the volume, speed or intensity of the sessions,” says Harrop. “For example, it’s often seen in runners who rapidly change their training when preparing for a big event such as a marathon.” Or, let’s say, starting to run every day to fend off the lockdown blues. Runner’s knee is an umbrella term for pain at the front of the knee, which is more accurately labelled Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). It’s easy to assume any pain that arises in the knee is runner’s knee, but it’s worth getting a proper diagnosis before starting your treatment. “Different conditions can also present in a similar way,” says Harrop.…

As Tour season starts, pro cyclist Chris Opie explains how it’s done. Double up No time to do sprints and a long session? “I often build sprint intervals into four-hour rides to sharpen up for a race,” says Opie, who rides for the Canyon Eisberg team. “You can use a turbo trainer for short, hard sessions which will pay off on the road.” Go aero “Minimise your surface area on windy roads. Aerodynamic or ‘aero’ positions can feel uncomfortable at first but you get used to it. Simply tucking your head down and getting low over the bars will let you get the benefit.” https://masterfitinc.com/product/ezfit-qf-snow-8/ Kit carefully “If you often average more than 15mph on your rides, it is likely you will benefit from aerodynamic equipment, such as deep-section wheels. If your rides are hillier, it makes more sense to invest in a lighter frame or wheels.” Be consistent “If you’ve got a favourite route, change your pacing to see what works. Often, riding at a more consistent effort, both up and downhill, may well mean that you complete your ride faster. You’ll feel better in the second half, too.” Written by Coach for Coach and legally licensed through the…

Work through this series of exercises to relax your muscles after a day in the saddle. Every keen cyclist knows that they should commit some time to recovery work after a long ride, but it’s fair to say that most skimp in this area. It’s understandable – after a few hours in the saddle, taking another 15-30 minutes to stretch and foam roll your aching muscles feels like a big commitment when you could be lounging on the sofa instead. However, your muscles really won’t thank you for skipping recovery work and you’re liable to feel twice as tight the next day, as well as putting yourself at greater risk of injury over the course of a tough training regime. We spoke to Phil Burt, former head physiotherapist at British Cycling, about the importance of stretching and other recovery work, and asked him for a simple routine to do after your long rides. Why is it important to stretch after a ride? “You’ve got tight muscles, and as you try and move them towards their full length you either meet resistance or pain. That’s why we stretch – so we have more muscle length available to us that’s restriction-free. That’s…

Running with power requires a mental shift, but it can help you pace your training and race efforts to perfection. There are three traditional methods that runners use to pace their training sessions and races. The simplest of these is to run on feel, gauging your effort based on your perceived rate of exertion. The most common is to run according to pace, especially in races when you know the target pace to achieve a PB. Finally, as heart rate monitors have become standard on running watches and fitness trackers, heart rate zones have also become a useful method to judge your efforts. All three have their merits and all can work for any runner, but all have their faults too. We’re all liable to misjudge our efforts and overdo it when running on feel, while a raw pace number doesn’t take into account hills or weather conditions. Heart rate is better on this front, but wrist devices can suffer from accuracy problems, and your heart rate can vary based on things like stress and how much you’ve slept. All this brings us to running power, which is a measurement that advocates claim is a better way to judge your…

Because sometimes, you just want to get away from it all. Heading out on an adventure and knowing that you are solely in control of where you camp, when you stop, and what you eat can be a thrilling feeling. “Solitude is so rare in this day and age that it can be really powerful if you seek it out purposefully,” says Amy Rathke, Environmental Stewardship Coordinator for the National Outdoor Leadership School. “Gear preferences, food preferences—ultimately, the trip is yours. If you want to sit by an alpine lake and sit in the sun and read your book in the middle of the day, you don’t have to answer to anyone else. ” These ten perfect hikes, from a few miles to a few weeks long, are waiting for you. How to Safely Hike Alone A solo hike can also lead you into dangerous situations, so prepare for the worst. “The top thing when you are considering any trip, but especially when you are going out alone, is to have good first aid training because you are going to be handling any emergency situations by yourself,” says Rathke. Along with first aid, know the area that you are going…

In the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, Concord boasts a wealth of biking opportunities for all styles, from scenic road rides to technical singletrack to cruiser afternoons on urban trails. To help you get the lay of the land, we’ve highlighted some of the East Bay’s best biking spots along with some local tips for getting everything you need to start pedaling around Concord. Cycle Trails Around Concord For the casual cyclist simply looking to get out and about on a sunny day, there are several easy bike paths in Concord and the surrounding towns. The Contra Costa Canal Trail traverses Concord, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Martinez in a 14-mile-long horseshoe shape as it follows along the namesake canal. This paved, mostly flat trail provides easy access to a collection of local parks, commercial centers, and public transportation, while also connecting to several other cycle paths such as the Iron Horse Regional Trail. Spanning a total of 32 miles, the Iron Horse Regional Trail travels a north-south route from Concord to Pleasanton and offers a safe, fun way to explore shops, restaurants, and parks in the seven towns it connects. Together, these two cycle paths form the…

While it’s a long way to run, pretty much anyone can run a half marathon with the right plan – this plan. Some people sign up for a marathon without being a regular runner and while it’s possible to get round on the day with a lot of hard work, it can end up being a bit grim. Half marathons are a smarter choice for the occasional runner who’s keen to tackle a big challenge. And if you follow a good training plan, you may even get around the course with a smile on your face – a training plan like this one by Justin Reid-Simms, UK Athletics-qualified running coach at Alamer Athletic. Bear in mind, however, that this plan is designed for people who can already run for 20-30 minutes – it’s not a couch to half marathon plan. On the other hand, if you take a look at the plan and decide you could tackle something more demanding, try this 12-week training plan by Reid-Simms which aims to get you to the finish line in under two hours. Unlike other training plans that ask you to cover a certain distance each session, this one just asks you to…

Running is very good for both your physical and mental health, and if you decided to take up the sport then congratulations! It’s a whole lot of fun once you get past the first few runs, which can feel really tough as you awaken muscles you’ve not used in a while. However, you do need to ease into running slowly, to reduce the pain of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and allow your body to adapt to the demands of a high-impact sport. If you go in all guns blazing and run every day for a week, you risk injury, not to mention the fact that you’ll probably start to hate running because of this over-intense approach. For advice on how to start running safely, here’s Laura McKay, musculoskeletal (MSK) therapies lead for Bupa Health Clinics. How often should you run when you’re starting out? Your body needs to adapt to your new training plan, so start slowly. Doing too much too soon will be difficult to maintain and put you at greater risk of getting an injury. You should increase the number of miles you’re running each week gradually, if you feel comfortable doing so. Running two to three…

By no means an exhaustive list, here are 11 hikes across the country that simply have to be on your radar. From the rolling mountains of the southeast, to the jagged peaks of the west, to the canyons, waterfalls, and old-growth forests of the Pacific Coast, these trails are ones for the bucket list. Happy hiking! 1. Roan Mountain Highlands | Asheville, NC Criss-crossing the Tennessee-North Carolina border for 14-miles, this section of the Appalachian Trail is easily one of the most beautiful stretches along the entire route from Maine to Georgia. The views from these ethereal highlands are stunning and constant, and bring to mind visions of Scotland and Wales. 2. Baxter Creek Trail | Knoxville, TN In truth, almost every trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park is eligible for your hiking bucket list, but one particular route that highlights the very best of this park is the Baxter Creek Trail- a 12 mile roundtrip with 4,000 feet of climbing, sweetly smelling spruce trees, and a lush rainforest understory. 3. Enchanted Rock | Fredericksburg, TX Enchanted Rock is a 425-foot pink granite dome that shoots up from the flat Texan landscape and offers hikers an amazing place to…

Find out what and when to eat before high-intensity, race pace and recovery runs – as well as races. Most of us have no problem devoting time to thinking about what we’re going to eat after a run. In fact, it’s pretty much the only thing we do think about during the last half an hour or so of a run, when the idea of the full English or 16in pizza to follow is the main factor in finishing with negative splits. Likewise, planning what to eat during a run is something that many runners will spend a lot of time on. Gels, energy bars, sports drinks, electrolyte tabs – they’re all commonly found in the pockets, backpacks and belts of serious runners, who will plan when to take each of them down to the exact minute or mile of their run. However, when it comes to what to eat before a run, it’s common for people to be more blasé, grabbing their trainers and heading out the door at lunchtime, straight after work or first thing in the morning, with little thought to when or what they last ate. Not only can that attitude lead to some gastrointestinal, ahem,…