Tag Archives: track

Tips for Running Track

Posted on by
3

Track season is almost here, and that means a lot of meets right around the corner. Track can be a challenging sport, here are some things that I have learned for running during track season.

1. Get in a proper warm up and cool down.

Getting in a proper warm up and cool down is one of the most important parts of track. I find that getting a warm up and cool down before and after a workout makes running much easier. It can also help you to do better in races and can help you to avoid injury. Stretching before and after workouts is also very beneficial.

2. Wear the right shoes.

Wearing the right shoes is also important while running track. This can help you to improve your times for a race and it can also keep you from getting injured as well.

3. Keep the right pace.

One thing that I found very useful for running track is keeping the right pace. This is especially useful for distance events where you will need endurance over a longer distance and period of time. I found it helpful to keep a pace and maintain it throughout the race and then speed up closer to the end.

4. Get the right diet.

Having the proper diet and eating the right foods is very important for running track as well. It’s important to eat and hydrate before you run, especially before races. I also found it helpful to have a snack for after a race or a hard workout, as it helps to replenish some of the energy that you have lost.

5. Do a variety of workouts.

Doing a variety of workouts each time you train is also helpful for running track. Running the same workout every day can slow your improvement in running. Instead, it’s helpful to incorporate a variety of workouts when training, such as long runs as well as harder workouts. This can help with improvement and can be very useful, especially if you are running distance events.

6. Get good sleep.

Getting good sleep and proper rest is important for running track as well. Getting good sleep can help you to do better in a race, and being well-rested is one of the most important parts of running track.

7. Mentally prepare for races.

Finally, one of the most important parts of running track is being mentally prepared, especially before races. A large part of running, especially in track, is mental, and I found that a large part of running is being able to mentally ready yourself, especially before a race. I found that visualizing success and focusing on goals for the race was very helpful in doing better in a race as well.

Shin Splint Recovery

Posted on by
Reply
shin splints

During Track season, I have found a recurring issue that comes back around the same time every year, and that issue is both shin splints and soreness. To fix this problem I have started my journey of using a variety of techniques both individually and in combination with other methods listed.

  • Proper warmup/cooldown and agility stretching

Proper warmup/cooldown and stretching are essential for any runner who wants to avoid injury. From my experience, however, you should not rely on warmups or stretches alone to avoid or get rid of shin splints and soreness. This method works best to prevent further or new injuries, shin splints, and soreness when it is in combination with good running technique, other injury recovery methods, proper breaks between reps, and listening to your body. Nevertheless, this does not in any way mean that warmup/cooldown and agility stretches should be neglected because they don’t show immediate results. In the long run, a good warmup with agility stretches will get your body ready for plenty of running exercises. And a proper cooldown will prevent build up of soreness and tense feeling in your body.

  • Hand Massage

Overall, I did not find hand massages very effective in my recovery journey. However, this may be due to my massages being done at home with not much information. If you are looking into hand massages I recommend going to a sports massage therapist directly or talking to your schools sports trainer for tips on shin splints, injuries, or soreness. In the future I plan to try hand massages out again after finding more information on this technique.

  • Foam + handheld Rollers
foam roller
handheld roller

Foam rollers and handheld rollers have been one of the most useful items I’ve used for recovery and injury prevention. I definitely recommend getting a foam roller if you can. When I was recovering from soreness over winter break I used a foam roller to roll out. Over the next couple days with the use of a roller, the soreness went away very quickly and effectively. Foam rollers are very good for large muscle groups while handheld rollers may be better for more specific and smaller groups of muscles.

  • Ice Packs and Muscle Sleeves
ice packs for shins

Ice packs and muscle sleeves are good injury recovery items in order to reduce inflammation in muscle groups. Ice packs have proven to be very effective on my shin splints. Over the past couple of weeks of trying out ice packs my shin splints have gotten noticeably better and don’t get in the way of my workouts as much as they did before I used ice packs.

While using shin splint sleeves I have found that they provide good support, compression, and reduction of inflammation. I would however, definitely recommend that if you are going to use ice packs or shin sleeves, to combine them with another technique of recovery/prevention for a more effective and consistent result.