5 Rules for Preventing Injuries on the Trail This Summer.

…..these rules also work for those stuck on a treadmill.

I love being in the woods during the summer. When the snow melts and the trails firm up, I prioritize getting out on my preferred hiking trails. On any given day, I can be found hiking with my dogs, getting in a quick trail run, or rucking(hiking with a weighted backpack) long distances. Now that I am a 50+ year old athlete, I have to spend time both preparing my body for all those trail miles, but also recovering from each and every workout. To prepare for my trail season I strength train, work on my breathing and then I progress my mileage slowly. Additionally, I focus my daily recovery routine on my feet, ankles and low back. Below you will find my 5 rules for preventing overuse injuries as you log those trail miles this summer.

Goblet Squat

Rule #1: Strengthen your legs. Developing stronger legs to hike and run may seem like a, “no-brainer,” but my experience as a Physical Therapist has shown me that a lot of you don’t do it, at all. A common refrain from runners and hikers is that they will build strength in their legs, “on the trail.” This is true, you will build strength in your legs by consistently hitting the trial, but this approach does not build the adequate strength needed to prevent injuries and improve performance.

While there are dozens of lower body exercises that will benefit you on the trail, I recommend you start with a simple squat. The logic for this is straightforward, when squatting we flex the hips, knees and ankles, moving all of the joints in the lower extremities and stimulating all of the muscles that move those joints. Try starting with bodyweight squats and then slowly adding weight to progress your strength. While I love a good barbell squat, a more effective squat for running, as it emphasizes quadriceps (thigh) strength, is the goblet squat. To perform the goblet squat, just hold some weight against your chest and start squatting.

Rule #2: Progress your miles slowly. I know, I know, you section hike the Colorado trail and/or run a marathon every year. You still need to progress your distance slowly. Full disclosure, I don’t like progressing my distance slowly, but it always pays dividends in the late summer, and fall. Injuries from running and hiking are more often than not from too much volume, overuse. Progressing your distance slowly gives your cardiovascular system time to adequately adapt. Early on in the training cycle adaptation is most acutely felt in the lungs and heart rate. After you put in a few weeks of training, you will start to notice that you are not breathing as heavy and your heart is not beating as fast/hard for a given distance. This means you are getting better at gas exchange at the lungs, getting more oxygen in and carbon dioxide out. However, adaptation in muscle tissue takes longer and adding too much distance, too early is a recipe for injury. Start your early season training with shorter outings. After that, layer on more frequent, but still short, hikes or runs. Once you have built up some physical competence with short and frequent sessions, add intensity. Intensity in this context can be speed or a weighted backpack for the hikers. Once you have built a strong foundation, then you can start layering on longer runs and/or hikes.

Rule # 3: Work on your breathing. Breath work is one of the most important habits for hikers and runners alike. What is breath work? Breath work is intentional breath training to maximize your athletic performance. Start your breath work by shutting your mouth. Whether you are sitting around or out on the trails, stop breathing through your mouth. Using your nose to breathe regulates what energy system you are using to fuel your exercise. With your mouth open, you are using a larger percentage of glucose as fuel. Using glucose is both unavoidable and perfectly appropriate, but glucose is a finite resource. Once you have burned through your glucose, you will bonk and your day will be over. If you breathe through your nose, you will use a larger percentage of fat as your fuel. Even the most fit athletes have an almost inexhaustible amount of fat to utilize for exercise. Given distance is a major factor when we run or hike, breathing through your nose is the most efficient way to fuel your endeavor. Yes there will be some steep hills that require you to breathe through your mouth and that is fine and expected. But while hiking and running you should always endeavor to return to nasal breathing as quickly as possible.

Plantar Fascia Release

Calf Release

Rule # 4: Pay attention to the recovery of your feet and ankles. You need to give your feet extra attention after running or hiking. Any seasoned endurance athlete knows this as they are most likely currently dealing with plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis or chronic calf tightness/strains. As you add up the miles over the spring and summer, the fascia, tendons and ligaments in the foot and ankle complex absorb a lot of punishment and damage. Because this tissue is poorly perfused with blood, relative to muscle tissue, it takes longer to recover than the muscles intrinsic to the foot and calf. To facilitate the body’s natural recovery process, you need to incorporate a nightly (or morning) mobility practice for the foot and ankle. I use both a lacrosse ball and foam roller for this task. I use a lacrosse ball to massage and stretch the plantar tissue on the bottom of my foot and a foam roller to massage and stretch my calf musculature and Achilles tendon.

Rule #5: Flex your lower back. After I have finished with my mobility routine for my lower extremities, I turn my attention to my back. If you are putting in long distances (or even not so long distance) on the trail, odds are your back stiffens up during and/or after your outing. This has to do with the natural posture of our lumbar spine (low back). The lumbar spine naturally sits in an extended position when we are upright, standing, walking or sitting. This extended posture helps our body absorb the stress of impacting the ground while running or walking. Furthermore, hiking with an extended lumbar spine helps absorbs the stress of the weight of a backpack. To offset this extended lumbar spine posture, we need to periodically reverse the lumbar spine curvature with stretches and motions that promote spinal flexion(bending forward). A wall supported low back stretch is ideal. Stand against a wall with your knees slightly bent and your low back flattened to the wall. Bend forward and reach to the ground, slowly pealing your back off the wall until you feel a stretch in you low back. Once the stretch is felt, hold that position and engage your abdominals while exhaling. Hold this stretch and continue to engage your abdominals for a few sets of 30 second holds.

If your goal is to maximize the amount of time you spend on the trails this summer, you have to be strategic, present and consistent with your fitness habits. Prepare for the miles with strengthening and breathwork. In the beginning of the season add more frequent and intense outings before logging long miles. Lastly, develop a daily mobility routine to help your feet, ankles and back recover from your workouts.