Running: Expectations vs. Reality

So you want to be a runner? Go out, let the sun and breeze hit your face, and cruise down the path without a care in the world. Sounds nice. Maybe you have a race in mind. You’re going to run a local 5K/10K and have a nice after race beer. You’ll get your T-shirt, finisher’s medal, maybe even brunch with some friends on the way home. These are the ideal scenarios, but not always how things play out.

It’s no secret that running is one of the most popular forms of exercise around the globe. Every year, millions of people lace up their shoes and go run. The unfortunate reality however, is that the vast majority of those people wind up injured every year as well. What follows is often worse, those nagging injuries get ignored or trained around and lead to even more issues.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the more popular races, the marathon (26.2 miles).

– There are approximately 30 million regular runners in the US.

– There are over 1,100 marathons held each year in the US.

– ~90% of marathon runners sustain an injury during training.

– Each year, ~80% of runners sustain an injury that forces them to stop running.

– There is an inverse relationship between the cost of a running shoe (the US running shoe industry rakes in about $4 billion a year, by the way) and the likelihood of a runner getting injured. In other words, the more expensive your running shoe, the more likely you are to get hurt. “So which shoes should I buy?” you might ask… Well, that’s a topic for another day. My recommendation for now, just wear what is comfortable to you and don’t worry about the price, brand, features, or what your friend is wearing.

So now you might be wondering, how can you make sure you are able to run without being injured? Great question! Because let’s be honest, telling a runner to stop running is like telling them to stop breathing or telling a fish to stop living in water… That’s just crazy!

There actually is a way for you to run, enjoy it, get good at it and even stay healthy. Our running checklist below is a good place to start.

In this checklist we dive into the 12 essential areas that can impact your ability to run effectively. From head to toe, warm up to cool down, we’ve got you covered. To see our complete list click the link below!

Stay tuned for more running related posts as the weather continues to warm up!

Stay safe & stay healthy, 

Andrew