Seasonal Transition for the Endurance Athlete
Many endurance athletes around the twin cities area are getting their final races in for the months ahead and as usual are looking for ways to stay sharp and conditioned during the off-season to prepare for their last race and get an accelerated start going into next year’s events.
Let’s talk about 2 concepts that we often discuss with patients:
- Resolving any issues that may have caused you pain during your races this summer/fall
- Transitioning well into your winter sport/activity to help you maintain your conditioning and enjoy the winter.
While we all make our final push for that last race this fall it is a perfect time to take a self-audit of your season and take inventory of what went well and what your limiting factors were.
Did you progress your training volume well? Or was it sporadic?
Were you pain-free? Or did you have an injury set-back that forced you to adjust your training.
Most patients will tell us that they just didn’t know where to start once they started hurting. Often times it comes down to sorting out what variables are contributing to their pain cycle, and what variables are good to keep in their training progression along with treatment to get them back in running form.
If you have unanswered questions we recommend that you first start with researching your topic from a trustworthy source. We have put together an online group of runners that are committed to supporting each other and learning from one-another for this very reason called the Odom Running Club. Feel free to join to get started there.
Additionally, we regularly perform video gait analysis to pinpoint biomechanical regions that can be adjusted to improve running economy, performance, and build resilience in a runners gait pattern. If you are interested in getting a gait analysis or being evaluated by our Odom Team made up of our Sports Medicine Physician, Doctors of Physical Therapy, and carefully selected therapy team feel free to call in today at 952-224-1919. We also are able to offer nutritional services from our Registered Dietitian to help give our endurance athletes a nutritional plan to keep them competitive and help them recover well.
As temperatures begin to drop towards winter, runners in Minnesota, undoubtedly, begin to think about the long months of decreased mileage and less time spent outdoors. For some, this might be a welcome break to rest, recover and mentally prepare for springtime running. For others, the decrease in activity might be a weary ho-hum.
Minnesota winters present an incredible option that is potentially beneficial to runners. Nordic or cross-country skiing is widely popular in cold weather locations that have a lot of snow. Classic technique and skate technique are two styles of Nordic skiing; both styles utilize similar muscle groups as with running, and similarly challenges your cardiovascular endurance.
Runners who are looking to spend the winter in recovery mode will benefit from the low impact nature of cross-country skiing. While the classic skiing technique mimics the mechanics of running, there is far less stress on your muscles and joints.