After the Newton Challenge, I did my regular training runs on the following Tuesday (easy run) and Thursday (tempo run). After the morning tempo run, my lower back started to ache badly when I back in office. So I need to break on Friday and cut short the weekend long run.
Looking back on the source of the lower back’s ache, I think it’s caused by the last few kilometers speeding in Newton Challenge. Even thought I throated the speed from starting of the race, the body fatigue over 25km still very significant, hence I didn’t focus on my running form when I pushed at the final leg. I forgot the correct pose to run fast, which can be summed up in the Chi Running picture. I ran in bad posture and lots of stress cumulated at my lower back area. It just exploded after my tempo run. For workouts in this week, I kept checking on the gait to make sure I ran with up right body, and keep the up & down body motions to minimum. So far, after 2 easy runs, 3 speed works and a 30km long run, the lower back seem recovered and not giving another problem.
Talking about relation between postures and running injuries, we often refer to running gait only. For us who work in office, the sitting posture is actually far more important then the running gait. You sit in your work desk for 8 hours x 5 days a week, and run 50km in 7 hours a week. The running potion is less then 20% from the 40 hours of sitting! Your sitting posture will post some serious effect to your muscles groups & even to the spinal. I am not a doctor so I will not able to explain much, if you are interest to know more, please refer to here.
Few things you can do on your sitting posture to reduce the impact and risk,
1. Stop crossing your legs.
2. Keep both of your feet flat on the ground.
3. Don’t lean forward.
Some training that can improve your sitting posture and reduce the pain (if you already suffering some pain on lower back),
1. Yoga Butterfly stretching.
2. Superman pose stretching.
3. Spinal twist stretching.
4. Lower back muscles strengthening exercise – V-Up.
All these training can be done in low intensity before your bed time.
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| Spinal Twist |
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| Yoga Butterfly |
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| V-Up |
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| Superman |
core training is often neglected in most runner's training program. As you have rightly pointed out, it is a crucial part of training with benefits of increasing gait stability thus reducing leg and back injuries. besides, it certainly trims the waistline too for aesthetic effects ;)
ReplyDeleteRunning is the effort from the whole body. Core training that improve the stability and interaction between muscles groups will definitely helps! But I am guilty too as I often skipping core training :P
DeleteThank god my work keeps me off my chair most of the time. Half the time I'm climbing here and there helping out with installing posters and backdrops that I have to be more worried about falling off a ladder ... hahaha!
ReplyDeleteBut you have good valid points about spending too much time at our desks and not having the proper posture. I'm guilty of that most times too.
You are working in high risk industrial :)
DeleteThis is a good post. I need to remind myself to keep good posture too, both at work, at home and while running.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the tips, Neoh.
This is also part of my learning :)
DeleteI havent been doing core works for too long, sigh... Got to get back to it lah. Great useful post bro!
ReplyDeleteI am only doing core training once a while. But I do the light stretching every night before bed.
DeleteLearned and corrected my sitting posture problem when I suffered the ITBFS. Sharing it out & hope others don't need to learn from the painful injuries :)