Blog Details

• 24 Sep, 2020

Coaches Corner By Ian

Lower leg injuries and their major causes !

This is an area that affects most amateur runners and often is 100% avoidable !

Tip 1 : The lightest shoe is probably not for you , the salesman will assure you that you will run faster in it , but the reality is that lack of cushioning unless your lightweight and already fast might result in lower leg or even back injuries … light doesn’t mean its the best , you will not find top Kenyan and Ethiopian stars running in lightweight shoes unless its a specific speed session or a race …rest of the time they mainly wear heavier well cushioned shoes and guess what they rarely get injured !

Tip2 : Running surface , running on tarmac or concrete roads might give you the feeling of running fast but they are also causing a lot of damage to your muscles … again venture to the Rift Valley and you will find Eliud and all running mainly on mud roads and grass …. in heavier shoes … it makes them stronger … which actually means they get faster when it comes to important races !

Tip3 : Do not run hard every time you go out of the house …. 2/3 hard sessions a week are enough for any runners whatever level.

Tip4 : Do preventative exercises to ensure that you do not end up with plantar fasciatis , shin splints or IT Band issues , I am copying 3 videos at the end of this post that are simple to follow, do not just use the exercises when injured , use them to avoid getting injured.

So in summary, medium to heavy shoes , soft surfaces and a mixture of training paces + exercises should take you a long way towards injury free running …. its not rocket science … just common sense ! 

If you see others banging out miles on hard roads do not be a sheep and follow them … if you see people racing every run , let them go… you will hammer then in the next race as you will not have used the energy bank 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5CYbfByXPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2G5WCJBpps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PeVmTMdWhk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wbFjIMFL4

These are simple exercises that can chase away or keep away IT Band and Shin soreness, recommend to all try them out a few times each week even if you don’t have those issues , this is called preventative exercises and will help alot.

Ian Dexter Ladbrooke is the Founder & Coach for Running4Health. For Individual training plans to match your needs You can Inbox him for more information. Connect at

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