I hate running. Every year I go through a phase where I try to force myself to become a runner. This usually begins with me buying a cool new pair of running sneakers and a new pair of running shorts. I then excitedly lace up my new shoes and hit the road for an awesome run! About 5 minutes in, I want to punch myself in the face and I remember that I, in fact, loathe running. I know, I know..."you get used to it". I really do try and push myself through that miserable point and look for that runner's high, but unfortunately for me it is nowhere to be found. I have finally accepted the fact that I do enough and I am just not meant to be a runner. That said, I have many Pilates clients and friends who are avid runners and all suffer from common problems, two of which I will be addressing.
The first main issue I see a lot are tight hamstrings. Why do runners get such tight hamstrings?? First, a little anatomy lesson: The hamstrings are made up of three muscles in the posterior side of the leg (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and the semimembranosus). The hamstrings primary function is to extend the thigh and flex the knee. The more you run, the more you repeat these movements, the tighter the hamstring gets. Overly tight hamstrings can also lead to hip, knee, and back pain. We have already gone over why stretching is important, so at the risk of sounding redundant...streeeeeeeeeeetch before and after!!! A foam roller is also a great tool as a warm-up to get those hamstrings loosened up. If they are really in knots, use a lacrosse ball instead. Sit down on a chair and place the ball right at the point where your hamstrings attach to your tush. Roll around on that area for about three minutes, then switch legs. Just a caveat: this is pretty darn uncomfortable, but it will really loosen up those hamstrings pre-run. A great yoga stretch for runners in particular is Supta Padangusthasana, or supine head to knee. Begin this stretch by laying supine on the floor. Raise one leg up to the ceiling and begin to slowly and carefully pull that leg toward your body, trying to keep that leg as straight as possible with the hips square. Hold at least 30 seconds and repeat to the other side.
Another issue I often hear complaints about are bruised toenails. My years of pointe shoe torture makes me an expert on this :) Obviously the continuous pounding of your toes against your sneakers is what is causing this to occur. Make sure you are wearing properly fitting running shoes and that your toenails are cut as short as possible. If you put your finger on the tip of your toe, you shouldn't be able to feel toenail. If you make these changes and are still having problems there are some offbeat suggestions I have. First of all you can wrap your big toenail (or whichever one is giving you trouble) in tape. If you already have a loose toenail, do not put the tape directly on the nail, but rather wrap the toe in gauze, then tape over it. I personally always used the 1/2 inch waterproof tape from Johnson and Johnson. If this still isn't doing the trick, there are a few more options. There is a line of products for use in pointe shoes for ballet dancers called Bunheads. Bunheads makes a product called an "OuchPouch" which is basically like a thin gel covering that encases all your toes (like the top part of a sock). They also make a product called "JellyToes" which is basically like a gel condom for your toes. I think those are technically meant to help prevent blisters, but I always found them helpful with bruised toenails as well. Check out their complete line at www.bunheads.com
Hoping this post helps alleviate some issues for all you runners out there. Happy trails to you!
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