Posted: January 10, 2005

Science of Sport: "Ask Owen" Weekly Feature

Ask Owen Q and A Index

Visitors are invited to submit training questions for exercise physiologist Owen Anderson, Ph. D. to answer in a weekly column.

Owen currently writes a weekly column for the Runner's Web.

Questions can be emailed to: Ask Owen.

Each week, Owen will pick the most interesting question(s) and publish his answer(s) on the Runner's Web.

Question::
I am an 18 year old female distance runner who previously ran a 1:23 half marathon and a 61:38 10 mile race and was successfully running 75 miles per week for over two years. However, last summer I suffered a pubic ramus stress fracture on my right side and have been out for nearly 6 months. I am just getting back to running now, and am very scared of re-injuring the area. I have consulted a physical therapist, who says my legs are the same length, and I see a massage therapist for work on the adductor and gluteus medius group twice a week. However, I was wondering if you could suggest an 8 week plan of return to mileage, as well as how to keep this stress fracture from happening again, as I know it is of relative obscurity. I have checked my bone health (normal) and take a calcium supplement, but I wonder what else I should do. thanks.
Sarah

Answer:

Hi Sarah,

Thank you very much for your note; it was good to hear from you. I would like to congratulate you on your outstanding running - 1:23 for the half-marathon and 61:38 for 10 miles are terrific times.

I recommend approaching this problem from a strengthening standpoint, in addition to being cautious with future increases in mileage. I believe that the best way to prevent this injury from re-occurring is to improve your running-specific strength, that is - your strength during the actual movements involved in running. By shoring up your muscles and tendons in a running-specific way, you will take the pressure off your skeletal structure and decrease your risk of another stress fracture.

The movements involved in this strengthening process should bear a close resemblance to the biomechanics of running; otherwise, you will simply be building general strength, and you may be stronger in the gym but not be much stronger each time a foot hits the ground during the act of running. This means that your strengthening exertions should revolve around one-leg exercises (with full body weight supported by just one leg at a time, as is the case with running), carried out at movement speeds which resemble those used during running.

About six weeks of a gradually progressive strength-training program which focuses on one-leg squats, high-bench step-ups, partial squats with a barbell, runner's poses, bicycle leg swings, eccentric reaches with toes, single-leg heel raises, one-leg shin raises, and toe-walking with opposite-ankle dorsi-flexion will do a great job of upgrading your running-specific strength. As you get stronger and more coordinated, you can add reps of the exercises and carry them out with dumbbells or a barbell for greater resistance. You can also increase the dynamic nature of your drills, adding in one-leg hops in place and one-leg squats with lateral hops, for example.

You can then top this running-specific period off with about four to six weeks of careful hill training for further strengthening. Hill length is not so important, but the inclination should be challenging (4 to 10 percent or so), and when you begin you should simply walk back down the hill for recovery to avoid excessive pounding. Start with a very small number of climbs to begin, and gradually increase your number of repetitions.

During this 10- to 12-week period of strengthening for running, please don't worry about hoisting your mileage at a rapid rate. In fact, I think it would be reasonable to run for about 20 to 30 miles per week during this period, to avoid adding volume stress to the challenges of the running-specific strength training and hill work. At 18 years of age, you have lots of time to develop and much great running ahead of you! Don't feel under pressure to get back into 1:23 shape in a very short time period. Once you have completed the strengthening period, you can certainly increase your weekly mileage gradually, but continue to carry out at least a mini-version of the strength training a couple of times per week to keep yourself strong and injury-resistant.

Please don't hesitate to write if you have any questions.

Very kindest regards,

Owen Anderson, Ph. D.

www.RRNews.com

About Owen Anderson
Owen Anderson, Ph.D., is the editor and founder of Running Research News and the author of the books Lactate Lift-Off (http://www.rrnews.com/products.htm) and Great Workouts for Popular Races (www.rrnews.com). An exercise physiologist and training expert, Anderson coaches and offers training camps for runners. He's based in Lansing, Michigan. To learn more about Owen and his work, please visit www.rrnews.com

Running Research News is a monthly newsletter which keeps sports-active people up-to-date on the latest information about training, sports nutrition, and sports medicine. RRN publishes practical, timely new material which improves workouts, prevents injuries, and heightens overall fitness.