Running Without Injury: Warming up and Cooling down

Ellis, Joseph. Running Injury-Free: How to prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Splints, Sore Feet, and  Every Other Ache and Pain. Rodale, 2013.

I'm sure that no matter what kind of physical activity you've done before, there was always someone (usually the person facilitating the activity like your gym teacher or your coach) that told you to warm up and sometimes even cool down. 

Most of us, I imagine, thought that the warm up session is tedious because it's the same thing every time, it takes away time from the main activity, or it takes up our energy and by the time we do the main activity, we're already gasping for air. Some people don't like doing physical activity in general but at least do the warm up when you have to participate in physical activity such as in gym class. From reading the book, "Running Injury-Free: How to prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Splints, Sore Feet, and  Every Other Ache and Pain" by Joseph Ellis, I learned that the warm up session is very important as well as a cool down session.

I learned from the book that cold muscles (your muscles before you warm up) are more likely to get injured than when you warm those muscles up. The book says," As you start moving around, your muscles stretch to their normal resting length,..., A longer muscle is much less likely to become injured than a short, tight muscle,...,Through basic laws of physics, a muscle is more efficient and much less likely to become injured when it is longer, since it can exert more force with less effort" (Ellis 240).

As important as a warm up session is, cooling down is equally as important. The book states," Many runners try to get the most out of their runs by sprinting the last couple hundred yards or so. Then they stand and try to catch their breath. This is asking for injury. It is also the time when susceptible individuals are most at risk of having a heart attack,..., This is because when you exercise, your body relies on your muscles to help pump or push the blood from your legs to your heart and brain" (Ellis 240). When I first read this, I was really worried because I am guilty of coming to a complete stop after a long run. Then I remembered my gym teacher from a couple years ago telling me to keep walking after a long run. This shows how people can easily look over very important stuff that might be tedious but is keeping you healthy and potentially not dead. 

So what should you do as your cool down? The book says,"Keep walking for a few minutes, at the very least, after every run until you have cooled down" (Ellis 241)

Warming up

Cooling down

Are you guilty of skipping the warm up or cool down sessions too? What warm up or cool down routines will you try to do next time you do a physical activity?

Running Without Injury: Streching

Ellis, Joseph. Running Injury-Free: How to prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Splints, Sore Feet, and  Every Other Ache and Pain. Rodale, 2013.

Many people, including myself, take stretching for granted and at times even skip doing it because we're lazy, or really eager to do the main exercise, or we just simply don't see the point in it. But after reading the book, "Running Injury-Free: How to prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Splints, Sore Feet, and  Every Other Ache and Pain" by Joseph Ellis, I will never look at stretching the same way again.

I learned from the book that without flexibility, you are more likely to get injured. The book states, " Without flexibility, your legs are an injury waiting to happen. That's because the muscles can't go through their normal ranges of motion when they are too tight. The best time to stretch is not before you exercise but after a run when your muscles are already warmed up and elongated" (Ellis 241).

That quote shows just how important stretching is. Although know how to stretch is important too. The book says, " Flexibility exercises always stretch the muscles slowly and gradually. Stretching movements should never be jerky, stiff, or hard. The proper way to stretch is to stretch the muscle gradually for 30 seconds at a time to allow it to lengthen. Do this three or four times per area, daily. Never stretch a muscle to the point of pain. If you feel pain when you are stretching, you are either stretching too hard or some injury needs attention" (Ellis 241).

There is a lot of stretches to choose from but I will demonstrate 3 that I think will benefit me the most. The 3 stretches are called: hip flexor II, calf stretch (with wedge) and hamstring stretch I.


To do the hip flexor II, stand next to a wall, chair, or table to support yourself with one hand. Bend one knee and grasp the ankle of the same leg and gently pull your ankle towards your lower back. Do this without bending forward and hold. You should feel a stretch across the front of the thigh and the front of the hip. Repeat with the other leg.

Hip flexor II

To do the calf stretch (with wedge), put one foot on a wedge (a slant board at about 30 degrees) with your heel resting on the floor. I did it with the edge of a shelf because I couldn't find a wedge so I used something that was as close to it as possible. Keep your toes straight and get something to support yourself. Then press you entire body forward and hold. You should feel a stretch in the lower back of your leg, closer to the heel. Then repeat with the other leg.

Calf Stretch (with wedge)

To do the hamstring stretch I, lie on your back and lift your leg straight up so your hip is at a 90-degree angle, clasp both hands behind the knee to stabilize the thigh, and straighten the knee as far a as possible. Keep your ankle flexed toward the knee and keep the opposite leg straight unless you experience back pain. Hold. You should feel a stretch in the calf, behind the knee, and in the lower part of the thigh. Repeat with the other leg.

Hamstring Stretch I

Do you have certain routines such as stretches before or after exercises? If so, what are they?

Running Without Injury: Alternating hard and easy training

Ellis, Joseph. Running Injury-Free: How to Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Shin Splints, Sore Feet, and Every Other Ache and Pain. Rodale, 2013.


Another thing I learned from reading the book, “Running Injury-Free: How to Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Shin Splints, Sore Feet, and Every Other Ache and Pain” by Dr. Joseph Ellis is to alternate “hard” and “easy” training.


According to the book,” This is why most experts recommend never performing hard workouts 2 days in a row. Give yourself at least 1 day of easy running or rest between hard workouts. This is known as the "hard-easy” method of training. If you run fast 1 day, train slowly the next. You’ll simply cancel out the gains of the long or fast workout, because your body is desperately trying to recover. You’re stressing weakened tissues that the body is trying to repair” (Ellis, 259).


I started the test by doing a “hard” workout by doing a half mile jog, then did a few sets of suicide sprints, then a few sets of full-on 40 yard sprints.

"Hard workout"

The next day I did an “easy” workout by just jogging 1 mile on a treadmill. Before knowing about this “hard-easy” method of training I always tried to do as many “hard” workouts in a row as possible because I thought that the more you train, the more you’ll improve. I did think that having these occasional days of “easy” workouts or breaks are important for your body to rest and recover but i wasn’t 100% until now. Now I know that doing too many “hard” workouts without breaks will actually cancel your progress.

'Easy workout"

After trying this method out, I felt like I gained more from doing this than doing multiple "hard workouts" in a row. I would highly recommend trying this method out, not just for running but for anything you do for example: weight-lifting, drawing, writing, this could apply to anything.

What kind of routines do you have? Do you think they are efficient? 

Running Without Injury: Nutrition

Ellis, Joseph. Running Injury-Free: How to prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Splints, Sore Feet, and  Every Other Ache and Pain. Rodale, 2013.

Have you ever eaten something then ran or did some sort of physical activity right after and felt sick? I certainly have. One time, before my family and I went out on a hike, I ate a hamburger and a tray of fries and I felt so, so sick during, after, and even a little bit before the hike.

Okay so eating eating fast-food or any kind of oily food is bad before running. I guess I won't eat anything before I exercise then. WRONG! In the book, "Running Injury-Free: How to Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Shin Splints, Sore Feet, and Every Other Ache and Pain” by Dr. Joseph Ellis, it states,"You don't have to eat a lot, but get some food into your system so that your body has something to feed off of. otherwise, you start to break down muscle. That's precisely what you don't want to happen, since your goal is to build more muscle, not lose it. Muscles create efficiency. Fat is your enemy" (Ellis, 227).

But what do I eat then? Later, the author wrote, "'Not all calories are alike,' Gina told him. A candy bar is not the same as a nutritional bar or a protein shake, even though they all might have the same calorie count. Good protein and complex carbohydrates were the keys. The complex carbohydrates--like whole grains, vegetables, and certain fruits--have great nutritional value, especially compared to simple carbs like refined sugars and white flour" (Ellis, 228).

A water bottle

Okay cool, so I just need to eat complex carbohydrates before I run and I'll be set. But wait! There's more. The author also wrote, "While most of us take water for granted, water is essential to ensure proper digestion, lubricate the joints, and carry nutrients to the tissues. It also helps regulate body temperature--a very important factor in running" (Ellis, 229).

A pear

As much as I love eating food that are high in sugar and calories, if I want to make the most out of my exercise, I need to eat healthy foods and drink lots of water before and after my exercise.









Do you have a certain food or drink that you consume before doing a physical activity? If so what are they? And will you change that food or drink after reading this?

Running Without Injury: Picking a friendly surface

Ellis, Joseph. Running Injury-Free: How to Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Shin Splints, Sore Feet, and Every Other Ache and Pain. Rodale, 2013.

Before getting into the main part of the blog, I’d like to give a little background information about me and why I chose this topic.

I love soccer. I love playing it, I love watching it but before my passion for soccer, I really enjoyed running.

Soccer is a very physically demanding sport and if you’re not fit for it, you will get injured. I have experienced this myself. I was plagued with injuries: a hamstring injury in 7th grade, a calf injury in 8th grade, and a calf hamstring injury in 9th grade limited my playing time, as well as my development because I was still relearning soccer after abandoning it to focus on music. Though I still scored in my first season, I could’ve done better, and I could be better today had I not been injured so much.

After my injury in the fall of 9th grade, I realized that I needed to take better care of my body and keep it conditioned to not get injured. And I did just that. I was injury-free ever since that injury and I went through the soccer season in the spring of 9th grade without getting injured. Let’s hope it stays that way. After losing the blistering pace that I once had, I’m trying my best to stay fit to maintain the pace that I do have and even improve on it as being fast is very important in the modern game

While reading the book, “Running Injury-Free: How to Prevent, Treat, and Recover from Runner's Knee, Shin Splints, Sore Feet, and Every Other Ache and Pain” by Dr. Joseph Ellis, I learned some helpful tips and tricks to prevent injury when running.

According to the book, “The best surfaces for running are firm (not mushy or slippery), relatively flat (without camber), smooth (without ruts or holes), and provide some degree of shock absorption. The more angled the surface, the steeper the incline, the harder the surface, the greater are the chances of an injury” (Ellis, 238). This might seem obvious, but this leads onto something eye-opening for me.

“Grassy areas such as golf courses make relatively poor running surfaces. This may surprise some people who choose grass because it’s soft. But grassy surfaces are also uneven. And many of us--more than half the population have some biomechanical abnormality. So, running on grass makes the muscles and tendons in your feet and legs work harder and leaves you more susceptible to injury” (Ellis,238).

I found this surprising and I think it would surprise a lot of people too. I usually run on grass surfaces because they are easily accessible and when everyone first started out running when they were toddlers, they most likely were outside in the park or in an open grass field of some sort so we’re used to this type of surface for running.

Jogging on grass field

When I was jogging on a grass field, it was definitely not flat because there are lots of holes and small lumps and hills. Although it’s soft, it’s unevenness and inconsistent condition makes for a very bad place to be running or even jogging on.

Jogging on tartan track

When I was jogging on the track field or tartan track, which is designed so athletes can compete even in bad conditions. I definitely felt more safe and consistent than on the grass field where I felt like I could’ve injured my ankle by accidentally stepping into a hole.

Have you ever gotten an injury? If so what did you do to prevent them from happening again?

Speed Workouts

Wessinghage, Thomas. Running: Detailed Advice on Equipment, Technique, Training, Competitive Running, and Sports Medicine. Barron's Educational Series, 2001.

While reading the book "Running: Detailed Advice on Equipment, Technique, Training, Competitive Running, and Sports Medicine" by Thomas Wessinghage, I found out to employ different speed workouts to put into my running.

According to the book, "Speed workouts are challenging in different ways than long runs, but, like your high-mileage days, they can be enormously satisfying. With elevated endorphins, you'll find that running fast is exhilarating and can provide a big boost in fitness when it's a part of a well-developed training program" (Wessinghage, 42). For my activity, I employed speed workout into my running.

I had used mile repeats in my workout, "3 x mile at goal 5K pace within a 2-minute jog recovery" (Wessinghage, 43).

While running around my block, I did a cycle of 1 mile at my 5K pace (5000 meters) and underwent a light jog for two minutes afterwards, in a repeat of three times. As I performed the activity, I had to push myself physically to keep up with my required 5K pace, a challenge I knew I had to keep pace during off-season.

At the end of the third set, resting a little bit made me feel relieved and happy about what I accomplished. I had found a way to incorporate speed workouts into my training and surprised at how effective it was at preparing my body for more running. During practice in XC, the coach had mentioned this technique but it never sunk in as much until now to use it in my daily exercises.

I had always loved running and I always feel a certain exhilaration when I run, similar to how the author felt. After the run, I felt refreshed. I'm eager to work out with my newfound tips and repeat it more consistently! To me, running was a way for me to relieve stress and find joy in my activity.

Have you ever done something that made you feel happy and all your worries go away?

Jog at 5K pace for a mile

Recovery jog for 2 minutes