On Wednesday evening, we hosted and co-delivered a workshop we called "Run Strong + Injury Free: A Complete Runner's Performance Workshop". I delivered the workshop with Anna and Sasha as we outlined gait analysis, physiotherapy insights and strength coaching to give a complete picture of how the body works and how to minimise the chances of running-related injury. We connected the dots between these key three areas to help attendees fix weak links and run consistently with fewer setbacks.
It always touches me when we are asked to deliver sessions like these as it reminds me we must be doing something right and making an impact in the local Bristol running to be identified as reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy speakers.
Anna kicked things off with a physio's perspective on running. She is the founder of Anna Sanders Physiotherapy and is a fully qualified and experienced physiotherapist who provides one-on-one, evidence-based care to help people recover, prevent future injuries and unlock their full potential. She began by outlining some key causes of running-related injuries such as training load errors, exceeding tissue capacity, insufficient adaptation time and neglecting recovery. Next she highlighted warning signs to pay attention to in order to know when to stop and when to continue running. Anna's part ended with an overview of four common running-related injuries and how to treat them.
Next up was Sasha who gave an overview of important considerations from her perspective as a personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach. Sasha Bridgen is an online coach for busy runners and hybrid athletes who helps them fuel and perform without sacrificing aesthetics. She started things off by outlining why many athletes' performance plateaus despite them training hard. This is because more doesn't always equal better. The missing pieces for so many athletes often relate to a lack of strength training and insufficient recovery/adaptation time. By restructuring and reframing training, so many athletes can invest the same time and effort but yield better results.
I finished the workshop by talking about gait analysis and running footwear. I started with a very brief overview of feet biomechanics, pronation and gait analysis to provide an understanding of how we move and why it is important to know your gait and movement style in order to move comfortably and reduce the chances of injury. Next I outlined some different types of running shoes and the importance of figuring out what is the most suitable type of footwear for your needs and gait. This led me nicely into a practical gait analysis demonstration. Anna was my volunteer and I demonstrated our unique approach to gait analysis and how we help people find the best footwear for them.
Thank you very much to Anna and Sasha for collaborating with us on this running workshop and thank you to everyone who attended the event and listened to what we had to say!
