Long Distance Runner's Guide to Injury Prevention and Treatment: How to Avoid Common Problems and Deal with Them When They Happen

by Brian Krabak (Editor), Grant S. Lipman (Editor), Grant Lipman (Editor)

An indespensible safety guide for professional athletes, coaches, lifelong runners, and beginners.

For any runner who loves hitting the pavement and conquering half-, full-, and ultra-marathons, getting injured is a terrifying, and often heartbreaking, setback. Yet, almost three-quarters of long distance runners will suffer from a serious injury several times in their athletic career.

Although it may be impossible to completely avoid injury, The Long Distance Runner's Guide to Injury Prevention and Treatment is a vital source to help those who love to run understand some of the most common causes of injuries, and learn how to best avoid and treat athletic ailments. In this book, expert editors and long-time runners Brian Krabak and Grant Lipman combine valuable insights, tips, and tactics from more than a dozen medical professionals who specialize in treating endurance athletes.

With chapters on important and diverse topics such as proper nutrition, muscular ailments, skeletal injuries, medical illnesses caused by racing and proper recovery, The Long Distance Runner's Guide to Injury Prevention and Treatment is a must-have on the shelf of every runner.

440 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Running--it's more than just a sport, a hobby, or a way to lose weight--it's a part of who human beings are; a unique species that evolved not only to sprint, but to run great distances for survival. Over the past half-century, more men and more women are running for longer distances for more years than ever before. Between 1976 and 2014, the number of Americans who participated in marathons increased form 25,000 to 550,600. Shortly thereafter, half marathons in the United States grew in popularity from 303,000 participants in 1990 to over two million from 2014. [...] As more people participate in long distance running, there is a greater opportunity to understand the risks of running related injuries or illnesses and opportunities for prevention.


~~A woman runs down a trail in the woods. Those who run, know its addictive properties of mood elevation, stress reduction, and empowerment. Maybe not at first, and definitely not every day, but most runs leave one feeling better after than before. Except for those pesky injuries. Some studies suggest that "up to 79 percent of runners may sustain an injury in a given year." (342). The authors of this book hope to lower that statistic. There are in-depth chapter on foot care (including management of blisters) and musculoskeletal injuries/strains. I will also refer back often to the detailed information in the chapters on hydration and nutrition. For those who love trail running, there's a chapter on environmental hazards such as thunderstorms, flash floods, and wildfires, as well as a chapter on first aid after animal or insect bites. Running with chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma is also covered, and there's sound advice on recovery after runs. The combined knowledge of the dozens of contributing authors in this book can go a long way to keeping those who want to run on their feet, and (mostly) pain-free.

First two sentences: Most present-day humans spend an inordinate amount of time sitting, and mostly locomote (move around) by walking. Running is employed almost exclusively for sport or exercise, which is hardly surprising given its greater metabolic cost and higher likelihood of injury.

Vital Statistics: Year written: 2017
Length: 350 pages (and then over *50* pages of references...this is an extensively researched book).
Genre: non-fiction book for health-conscious runners who want to prevent injury, improve their nutrition, and know how to care for themselves if they do become injured.
Read if: the above sounds like you! :)

My two cents: I started running after I woke up one morning and realized I was in my 40's, whether I liked it or not. This realization led to a resolution: I am determined to leave my 40's healthier than I was when I entered them. And so I began running. Very awkwardly and very slowly at first--but still I ran. My only goals my first year were to avoid injury, have fun, and maybe run a few relaxed 5 K races in my area. I didn't expect running to positively affect my life in such profound ways. I've joined a women's running group, made friends, lost weight, and discovered a store of strength inside myself that I never could have imagined I had. Fast forward three years, and I've been talked into registering for my first half marathon. (GULP!!) Enter this book.

Because I would be a bold-faced liar if I said running has been 100% positive. I've had shin splints, and sore knees. I've had to figure out how in the world to run on days when its 91 degrees with 80% humidity....and days when it's 11 degrees with gusting wind. I have much to learn in the areas of nutrition, recovery, and cross-training. There is an abundance of knowledge to be found in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to or is running, and I recommend it as a purchase, not a library check-out. I'll be referring back to various chapters often as I (hopefully) continue running for decades to come. Cheers!

[W F]

good reference material. I might check out again from the library if/when I encounter specific problems in my training

buy better shoes; dial-in your nutrition, specifically getting enough calories, nutrients, and calcium, etc.; use cross-training and recovery runs; journal your feelings (ie: pre-workout, sleep quality, perceived effect) along with mileage; be consistent with strength training and mobility work; get consistent 9h of sleep; always protein/carbs w/in 30m of workouts
use smart goals (specific, measurable, action-based, reasonable, time-oriented)
nutrition: it's about practicing, fine-tuning, and experimenting with plans; practice to find patterns of eating that are sustainable, attainable, and specific/measurable to your needs
anti-inflammatory: dark green veggies, berries, fatty fish, ginger, turmeric, olive oil, nuts; bone-health: calcium, protein, fat, vitamin D, vitamin K, potassium
protein for 150lbs is about 75-120g for 20h/week; low: 135-150g (.7-1.0 grams/lbs BW)
many runners are more mindful of their pace than their plate; timing is super important (book-end your workouts with nutrients to ensure that the right fuel gets to the right place)
mental note on energy requirements for me: when you increase training volume, the acceptable range for caloric intake widens; this means you can comfortably eat less/more as long as it falls within the given range week-to-week; modify your intake based on getting sufficient nutrients and monitoring measurable factors like bodyweight, perceived effort during runs, perceived sleep quality, and heartrate (not too high/low during the day)
energy requirements: (sex/age matched resting energy expenditure) x (activity factor)
for Males 18-30: (15.3X BW in kg (lbs/2.2) + 679) x (1.6-2.4)
ex: 150lbs: 2756-4133/day
ex: 165lbs: 2923-4383c/day
for Males 30-60: (11.6x BW + 879) x (1.6-2.4)
improving training load (volume x intensity) improves skills according to the specific training tasks (you improve at exactly what you train for) through progressive overload
most of the gains for endurance running come from improving running economy (ease of running by using less oxygen for the same amount of work); base-building and increased volume accounts for the majority of long-distance adaptation; HIIT load is 10-15% or less
metabolic adaptations from training: increased glycogenesis (storing more glucose in muscles), better substrate maintenance (regulating blood glucose levels), increased fat metabolism (relying less on carbohydrate and liver glycogen), increased insulin sensitivity

[Mwenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the broad coverage of topics, from nutrition through injuries. Several chapters became quite technical with medical terminology not useful to the average runner, but overall a helpful book for learning what you can do to be a better runner.

[Patrick Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it and earned a lot.

[CherylR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very detailed regarding running injuries as well as environmental exposures and medical illnesses.