Meg Takacs
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- Meg Takacs
UESCA Run Coach/NASM CPT, founder, writer
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Calf raises are good⌠but if you have shin splints, give tibialis anterior raises a try. â The common âshin splintâ pain is in the front of the shin, right where the muscle connects to the bone. That inflammation is painful, but the stronger the muscles are around the shin, the less likely you are to experience shin splints. â Shin splints can happen from things like, jumps, unfamiliar forces, and running too much volume too soon. â The tibilias anterior muscle is responsible for dorsiflexion and inversion of the foot. If this muscle is weak, the shinâs take more impact. â For knee pain: when you have strong tibialis anterior muscles, it reduces the amount of force, when you do things like decelerate, on the knee joints. Look at it like a layer of protection. â Give it a try! â And join my app, Movement & Miles for more tips, workouts and training plans.
Donât be ashamed to take control of your ego. Listen to your body. â You donât have to go hard, or âpush throughâ something your body isnât ready for, in order to get a âgood workoutâ in. â I was on an 8 mile run yesterday and around mile 6, I felt my heart rate come up higher than it should have been and I got a little nauseous. â My first thought was, âman, I always do this run and this effort, maybe Iâll push through it anyway.â Then I thought to myself, âNo, thatâs never worked in the past. If I make the rest of this run an easy effort, Iâll have a better workout tomorrow since I wonât be wrecked from today.â â Training plans are not set in stone. Pushing through with an effort you arenât feeling great at is okay in a race, but in a training run? Not so much. â Training plans should be flexible. Donât be afraid to cut the run short, or slow down your pace. That self-control is way better than feeding the ego.
Most runners go harder more often than they think. â Runners have a âhabitualâ pace. An effort/intensity youâre used running or working out at. â And it feels weird to go âeasyâ right?! â But hereâs the thing: adding in more easy effort days gives you more distance (endurance) with less effort and quicker recovery. â My advice for each week you run: more easy days than anything, 1-2 hard days, and a few âhabitualâ pace (average pace) runs. â Tips: â A run I call âeasy effortâ run: these types of runs are beneficial for building aerobic fitness. The secret to running faster is to run further and longer, at a lower intensity. â The pace you should run at, is something you could effortlessly sustain if I told you to run 90 minutes without stopping. I should be able to have a conversation with you during this run. â The benefits of easy effort runs is in distance and time; stronger gains in overall endurance and fitness. â An âaverage effortâ run: this type of run should be right around your medium level threshold - shouldnât feel too easy, shouldnât feel too hard. â With speed work (example: mile repeats), the goal is to run each repeat faster than the last, working up to a hard effort at the end. 11 w
If you experience overuse injuries from running like knee pain, ITBS, or calf cramps/fatigue, give some of these a try. â 1ď¸âŁ Eccentric Strength: helps runners absorb force more efficiently and with stronger muscle control. Downhill running muscle control, knee protection, and stronger gains in muscle through active lengthening and the breaking down of muscle fibers. â 2ď¸âŁ Frontal plane movement: anything side to side works adduction and abduction. This give your stabilizer muscles and glute medius more attention, which is crucial for runners who want more stability and less it band strain. â 3ď¸âŁ Soleus/calf strength: if your calf muscles fatigue, or if you experience weakness in the ankles, these are great for you. The stronger your calf muscles are, the more functional your ankles can get. â âĄď¸ Not sure where to start? â Join my app, Movement & Miles for beginner-advanced training plans!
40 miles this week⌠zero strength training. Couldnât quite balance out the motivation. Never said I was a pro; just a human đ Itâs hit or miss for me. Any other runners relate? đŤśđ
Is that a serial number or the name of the shoe? I shared some shoe recs in my story and man, I had to go back and forth between the shoes like 90 times to make sure I got the shoe model spelled right. Like what is this⌠code? Am I learning code? Why.
Even just once a week, with consistency, mobility and strength training can make all the difference in your mental and physical relationship with running. Helps prevent injuries; more confidence. Improves power; sustaining pace gets easier. It also allows you to take a break from running and find value in complementary skills to running. Versatility is key!
6-packs are overrated âĄď¸ functional core is underrated. â â Runners: donât waste time working on superficial core with sit-ups, crunches, etc. â â Tap into your deep core more! Your core is what stabilizes your pelvis and spine when you run and itâs connected to your legs. â It consists of SO much more than just abs and obliques. Itâs also hip flexors, adductors, back, psoas, glutes, etc. â Incorporating more dynamic, slow, controlled, core exercises helps make the connection between your core and the rest of your body stronger. This helps create better foot positioning, posture, stability, and hip flexion/extension when you run. Stronger mechanics, means stronger strides. â Try incorporating some of these variations into your routine for a stronger core while running. â âĄď¸ Not sure where to start with core work? Join my app, Movement & Miles for beginner workouts and training plans.
Stick to the plan. Or donât stick to the planâŚ.? â Does going off âhow your body feelsâ matter more than sticking to the plan?! Does it ruin the plan? If it happens often⌠yea probably. Strength training is still a MUST and should be done consistently, even just 1-2 times a week â Do we rearrange the plan⌠but still do it all? A lot of times, yes. â Thereâs no absolute certainty, or one right or wrong answer for every single individual runner. â Sure, you can run off a vibe, but thereâs also a lot of science behind programming⌠and itâs a delicate balance. Both running and strength training are a necessity for most people! â What do you think? How many times do you do this?! đ â ď¸
I run on a torn meniscus in my left knee (never got surgery). â Luckily the type of tear I had didnât require surgery (it was optional), and I went into rehab acting like it was my biggest training block yet. I was there for every appt, and was eager to learn everything I could to prevent this from ever happening again. Biggest takeaway: my IT band was hella tight, glute medius was underactive, and I had imbalances in hamstring strength. â âĄď¸ These exercises are what I PERSONALLY do. Are they right for you? Maybe. ***But if youâre experiencing knee pain, see a PT or doc first.
Truthfully⌠I stopped wearing headphones after I got hit by a car while I was on my bike. Consequentially, although it wasnât the most ideal way to learn this lesson, it helped me level up my running game immensely. â Without music, even though I love music, Iâm way more in tune with my body and thoughts. That brain body connect is real, and when it clicks, itâs almost better than listening to your favorite song. â Kettlebells⌠game-changer for cross-training. Way more versatile in terms of movement patterns and exercise options. They also require far more balance and stability and tap into more intrinsic foot muscles and stabilizers. â These are also great for muscular endurance and power; explosive movement.
My bad⌠I didnât realize how many people on the internet coach Meb and Kipchoge. Never claimed to be a pro athlete. Just here to share and help when and where I can đ If itâs not your thing, itâs not your thing. And letâs be real⌠comparing ourselves to the elites isnât really even a thing lol. Some of them lift and I guess some of them donât? Like who knows⌠instead of worrying about what other people do, do whatâs best for you. Your goals should be specific, measurable, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, and time-basedâŚ. Putting yourself ahead of your own needs, or in a class you donât belong in, is how you get hurt. Thereâs no ONE RIGHT WAY TO TRAIN! Find what works best for you and stick with it.
Where thereâs a âwhy,â thereâs a way. What motivates you matters. All your miles and reps are cumulative. They donât just go away. Sure, you have races and PRâs, but those are just minor events in light of everything else youâve already done 𫶠My motivation used to come from a mileage obsession and body image issues when I was younger, now it comes from lifeâs challenges.
Just a friendly reminder to all my runners (and their precious joints, bones, and ligaments): Weights are your friend. New running shoes donât build muscle for you.
Iâve seen a lot of posts lately saying things like, âthis is the ONLY thing that works!â Or, âDo this ONE thing and youâll PR.â â And while I think itâs awesome to share what works for us personally, what works for me, doesnât always work for you. â Running well is all about trial and error. We try one thing, it doesnât work, and so we modify. â Do we do speed work before or after a long run? Do we strength train heavy and run easy the next day, or do we rest? Itâs totally up to you. â Sure, there are general guidelines that work for some or most people, but before you commit to someone elseâs plan, test what works best for you. Donât fix whatâs not broke.
4 ways to target glute medius muscles for stronger strides â If you experience IT band syndrome or knee pain, improving glute medius strength might help you out a ton. â Glute medius muscles produce a ton of force when you run - the help you absorb forces from the ground, prevent your knees from adducting, and help stabilize the pelvis. â âĄď¸ Looking for more exercises or tips like these? Join my app, Movement & Miles, for video-guided workouts
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