Minimising Injury

The day that we have to do 24 hours in approaching quicker than we want too, with less than 4 weeks to go we need to increase the gears a notch or two.  Continuing to do my rehabilitation exercises is still an important facet with my training and development, and this is still incorporated in my training schedule.  Minimising the possible risk of injury from lack of stretching and care, is something that I really don't want to happen, and think would be more frustrating since I would know I could have done something to prevent it.

Some time is take to roll out my quads, hamstrings and calves, and then with a band I do three sets of the following:

• Crab walks
  
• Clams
  
• Side Leg Raises
  

These are done to strengthen the muscles around my knee and to prevent ITB Syndrome, there is a great article in this months edition of Search 4 Hurt magazine that explains ITB Syndrome in a little more detail, also Runners World explains it, Click Here to read about ITB Syndrome.  By doing these exercises on a regular basis, my knee issues have subsided and I have started to increase my running, starting with 5km on a treadmill (I am still a little weary about road running, but this is because of rolling my ankle).

The next part of my rehabilitation program is my ankle, mainly trying to prevent any future possibilities of rolling my ankle, and minimising weakness especially on unstable surfaces.  Doing single leg instability exercises are helping, as well as stretching the ankle.  There is still a little tightness when I stretch it out, but this is gradually subsiding.  My ankle has definitely been a long and gruelling process to try and get better.  Continuing each of the exercises will help me preform better during the 24 hours, and of course during my 'break' I will be continuing to roll out and stretch.