FINALLY! We made it to October; the first time of the school year that we can walk to class without arriving with a sweat-drenched shirt. For anyone who owns a pair of running shoes, October is also the golden month for our favorite activity. It continues to baffle me how running can be the most simultaneously loved and hated sport across so many populations, but to all the Tulanians, our campus is thankfully situated in a prime location for any kind of running whether it be speed work, a long weekend run, or just a casual jog through Audubon.
Seven years of near daily running has taught me that there are four essential aspects of healthy running: (in order of importance) Form, Rest, Food, and Foundation. Follow these four principles, and we can all avoid the heartbreak of running injuries.
For the first post of a four-week series, we’ll be talking about form and how to ensure that we are strong enough to maintain proper running form. Although no one likes to admit it, before we can run, we have to be strong. The countless complaints from runners about injuries, sore joints, and aching muscles almost all result from poor running form due to weak stabilizing muscles (think glutes, hips, hamstrings, quads, and abs). The two go hand-in-hand: if our stabilizers are weak, our form will be bad and if our form is bad, an injury is not far off. For any runner that wants to avoid the ice-pack and ibuprofen regimen, we must subject ourselves to strength training at least once, but preferably 2-3 times per week.
However, for me, Tulane’s weight room is one of the most intimidating places on campus. Between the lack of available free weights to the abundance of testosterone on the benches, it’s hard for me to motivate myself to compete with bulky frat boys for a few reps on a machine. Luckily there are some fantastic, strength-centered classes at Reily that allow us to forgo the 5 PM weight-room happy hour. If you do better with someone pushing you to do one more squat or five more burpees, then you would thrive at these classes. Some of my personal favorites are ABT, Bootcamp, Barre, and Power Circuit. All of these classes supply a killer lower-body workout and cross-training opportunity without any awkward confrontations at the weight rack. They are also easy to schedule around during busy weeks, and they take away the pressure of having to come up with a new exercises and reps since all of these classes vary their routines.
As the weather improves and our runs lengthen, we have to remember the importance of strength training so that we can take full advantage of the gorgeous New Orleans Fall! Check back next week for information on the most under-appreciated aspect of healthy running: The Rest Day.