Subject: RE: Running Injury Detroit Dan - 2009-08-26 11:06 AM OK. As usual I don't get it. I was reading in some other threads about possible injury from running. I'm getting ready for a marathon, 9 weeks from now. So... naturally I'm running more. I don't understand things like "Running base", "ramping up". Well, I guess I understand the terms just not the risks. For example: If I run to far in training, (farther than I am ready for) Then the next day or for a few days, my legs are going to hurt. Is that a injury? A set-back? Aside from blowing out a knee or twisting an ankle, or maybe a heart attack, what injury are we talking about that would end my chances of doing a marathon? Ramping up - Just the process of adding more mileage. The biggest risk is adding too much too quickly, and not giving your body enough time to recover. All sorts of muscle strains/tears/inflammations can start cropping up, and they can take a lot of time to heal. That takes away from training time. And, if you are too sore from an overly hard workout (Compared to your fitness level ) to do the next scheduled workout, then you aren't doing yourself any favors either. Running base - Just like anything else, your "history" of running is your base. The analogy I used with my team was that every workout they did was a brick. The more bricks, the higher a pyramid you can build, so the higher your "peak" can be. So someone that does their summer workout is already starting with 40 more bricks towards their peak than someone who didn't. As far as what types of injuries, the three biggies would be plantar fasciitis, ITBS and shin splits. All of these are overuse injuries that severely cut back on the workouts you can do, and they can be a right $#@!! to get rid of. Twisted ankles etc, those can happen even if you're running 5 miles a month. John |