AS TEMPERATURES COOL AND LEAVES BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR, RUNNERS TEND TO FIND THEMSELVES ENTERING THEIR OFFSEASON. ALTHOUGH CONTINUOUS RACE TRAINING KEEPS RUNNERS, INCLUDING MYSELF, FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED, IT CAN EVENTUALLY BREAK DOWN THE BODY. THE RISK OF BURNOUT, INJURY, AND LINGERING FATIGUE BUILD AS EACH RACE IS COMPLETED. I AM NOT SUGGESTING YOU BECOME A COUCH POTATO AND BINGE WATCH NETFLIX! BUT I AM RECOMMENDING THAT OFFSEASON TRAINING BE A PART OF EVERY RUNNER’S WORKOUT REGIMEN.
THE OFFSEASON SHOULD BE USED TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS IN RUNNING BIOMECHANICS, REST AND RECOVERY STRATEGIES, NUTRITION PLANNING, FLEXIBILITY, STABILITY, AND DYNAMIC STRENGTH AND POWER. WHETHER YOUR OFFSEASON IS THREE DAYS, THREE WEEKS, OR THREE MONTHS, OPTIMIZING HOW YOUR BODY MOVES MUST BE A PRIORITY IN ORDER TO DECREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF RUNNING RELATED INJURIES AND IMPROVE OVERALL RUNNING PERFORMANCE.
OVER THE NEXT SIX WEEKS, OUR BLOG POSTS WILL FOCUS ON SIX TOPICS WITH INFORMATION AND VIDEOS TO IMPROVE YOUR RUNNING PERFORMANCE AND DECREASE YOUR RISK OF RUNNING RELATED INJURIES. YOU WILL FIND THAT THE PRINCIPLES LAID OUT IN THESE POSTS CAN AND SHOULD BE APPLIED AND ADAPTED DURING BOTH THE OFFSEASON AND ANY PART OF YOUR YEARLY RUNNING TRAINING. MAKE SURE TO READ UP ON THIS BLOG POST BY DR. DAN BENSON SO YOU CAN GET A HEAD START ON THE COMPETITION – AND MAKE SURE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE NEWEST BLOG!
BLOG POST TOPICS:
1. FOOT AND ANKLE MOBILITY
2. POSTERIOR CHAIN MOBILITY
3. ANTERIOR CHAIN AND CHEST MOBILITY
4. RUNNING BIOMECHANICS
5. RUNNING RELATED AGILITY
6. RUNNING RELATED STRENGTH TRAINING