Couch to 5K

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Nearly joined the one percent

Someone said a while back that they saw a poster on their physio’s wall that had a pie chart headed ‘CAUSES OF RUNNING INJURIES’ and it had just two colours:

1% I stumbled and twisted my ankle

99% I feel good today, I think I’ll do a bit extra.

Out in fading light today with my high vis on, decided to move from grass to path but didn’t notice there was a slight kerb - half way over on my ankle but I regained balance on time and only felt a slight twinge which I ran off in a minute or so. Boy that was close. Lesson for me, might not be so lucky next time so need to ensure there isn’t a next time and think about where I’m running as the winter nights approach.

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Well, it’s always better to be in the 1%

Could have been worse and you lived to tell the tale, so to speak. Do you have a headlight?

No I don’t actually get injured so I’m not in the one percent I don’t have a head torch - and it wasn’t fully dark yet - but I’ve entered an evening 5k in November where you get a head torch to take away as a souvenir instead of a T shirt

Sounds good to me... I’m thinking I may have to do a Santa run

Take it steady, I did that last year and it was several days before I had to stop running for a fortnight...............one of those hidden injuries.

Think I got away with it TBH but I’ll keep it in mind. Time constraints dictate two days off running now anyway.

Hi Arthur J G. I gave in today and headed off to the gym for a run on the treadmill having nearly come to grief running in the dark and with a head torch on too- it doesn’t illuminate the ground very well. It was the heat in the gym that really got to me this evening. Just not used to it I’m afraid but being able to do my stretches in the warmth afterwards was lovely so there are some consolidations. Do take care of yourself out there in the dark. Those pesky branches get everywhere!

I have a petzl tikka head torch. The lamp can be adjusted to hit the ground more if you need to.

It took some getting used to, but it works well.

Thanks for the wake-up call Arthur. It’s a fine line between injury/no injury, and whereas before I’d brush off a stumble or trip as being a mere annoyance, nowadays I think ‘nooo, my running will be jeopardised’ ...... (my recent toe/yoga mishap was a case in point a couple of weeks ago!) 🙄

So yes, with the daylight hours dwindling, we should all be careful out there! 🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♀️🏃🏃‍♀️

Glad you escaped, but what an awful poster!

Why? It makes a valid point, albeit in a simplistic and exaggerated way. Overdoing it causes more injuries than running accidents and it’s wirth stressing, especially to beginners who (as we know from posts on here) can be tempted to skip rest days, push through the programme too fast etc.

Overdoing it causes injuries in more physical activities than just running.

I’m sure that’s true but why does that make it a bad poster?

Wow! Apologies for having an opinion Arthur. I will be sure not to post on your thread again.

No need to apologise for having an opinion. I think if you check you’ll see I was interested enough in your opinion to ask you to explain it. It was reasonable to assume that by posting your opinion here you were open to discussing it. I said nothing to justify your hostile reaction.

I thought I had answered your question in my first response. I see no reason why running should be singled out for this out of all the activities this poster could be pertaining to. If thats not enough justification then:

Also, it offers no explanation as to what constitutes 'a bit extra' - 10 miles, 10 metres, 10 seconds?, nor does it give no advice on how to avoid overdoing it - how to build your running safely/ taking rest days, etc. It makes a very unclear statement

My reaction was not hostile Arthur. Defensive perhaps, but not hostile.

But the poster was aimed at runners- and this board is also about running. The fact that it probably also applies to swimmers or whoever else is neither here nor there. The point is it’s an important message for runners.

Thank you for advocating caution for runners. It is an important message and we have to ensure we get it across effectively. I hope my critical comments of the poster you described aren't seen as a criticism of you or your message within your post.

It is often the innocuous things that trip us up litterally , certainly in dim or fading light .. glad your ankle is ok ..

Head torch for the dark nights is the way to go 😊

I had been doing intervals (30 seconds fast run 2 minute walk x6) and was in the prescribed 10 minute easy run at the end going slightly slower than my usual ‘slow ‘. Just as well it didn’t happen on one of the thirty second fast spurts I think or I might not have righted myself on time.

No, you certainly need to be 100% sure of footfall doing speed intervals ..

I like to think I’d have enough sense to wait till the end of the 30 seconds to move on to the path. I LIKE to think that - but in the heat of the moment who knows?

Oh gosh I need to keep that chart in mind - what a great visual!! I am really sticking to Laura's instructions and not pushing on even when I've got energy at the end of the day's run.

That’s wise. As you progress and as you pick up more from more experienced runners here you get to know how much more is ‘safe’ - like WhatsApp said you won’t die if you run ten more seconds. But the programme is really well designed to maximise your progress while minimising the risk of injury. The way training works on the body complex and I’m happy to be guided by experts. And what the experts say with one voice is that more us not always better when it comes to training. Rest and recovery times are just as important as training times in the way training works.

Yes absolutely! This is my second go at c25k and the main difference this time around is that I'm taking all the advice from last time... I did take a lot of it last time but wasn't on the forum right from the beginning, and due to some joint pain and extra rest days to deal with it, I pushed myself a bit too much to get ready for a 5k event, then I had an injury (from a fall) but it left me wondering if I would have sprained my ankle from the little fall I had if I hadn't pushed it... like was my body prone to injury from 5k when I wasn't ready for that distance yet? Hmm... not taking that risk again this time around!

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