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The Balancing Act of Trail Running

September 10, 2003
Calgary, Alberta

Since we were born, balance and stability have been key elements in our development. They helped us to take our first steps, and eventually learn how to run, jump and kick a ball. Without adequate balance and stability, our body and our daily performances suffer. Every movement we make puts stress on the joints of our body. If the stability in our joints is poor, then more of that stress is translated into wear and tear. As the years pass by, that little bit of extra stress with each movement adds up to become a significant factor in how quickly our body begins to break down. The muscles that assist in stabilizing our joints, also help in reducing the joint stress. There are significant consequences to neglecting balance and stability throughout our lives including the early onset of osteoarthritis and/or a higher risk of injury.

For many of us, trail running is a passion or even addiction that we never want to stop doing as a result of injury or chronic pain. Many of us also want to be faster and more efficient runners. By finding ways to improve our balance and our overall relationship with gravity, we not only reduce the stress applied to the joints with each step we take, but we also conserve a little bit of energy. If you watch a good runner you will notice very little side-to-side motion occurring through their trunk, hips, and knees. This runner has good joint stability and therefore effective and efficient biomechanics. More of their energy is being translated into forward motion allowing them to run faster and longer. If you watch someone with poor running mechanics you will notice much more side to side shifting of the back, hips, and knees. More of their energy is being wasted since it is not assisting them in their forward motion and in fact can actually be acting like a brake. They will tire out more quickly and be unable to run as fast as they potentially could with good running mechanics. Eventually, their poor mechanics will catch up to them and their worn out joints will result in chronic pain that will likely end their running career.

Injury prevention is the major benefit of having good balance. Trail running involves many tree stumps, holes, ruts, and rocks and it will only take one unlucky step to sprain or even break an ankle. By improving your balance and stability, you will improve your reaction time when you start to roll your ankle and therefore decrease your chance of injury.

How to improve your Balance and Stability

• Use a wobble board. If you want to improve your balance and stability, this is a tried and tested product that is simple, fun and that will provide you with impressive results. Have one at home or at the office and try standing on it periodically throughout your day (for example, when you are talking on the phone). This will improve your reaction times so that you recover quickly when you start to lose your balance. It will also strengthen your stability muscles in your back, hips, knees and ankles. You can also try doing lunges or squats on the board along with a whole variety of other exercises
• When you put your socks on in the morning do it in a standing position. This will force you to balance on one leg while you try and maneuver the sock onto the opposite foot. It is an easy way to practice, and since you have to do it at least once a day you can't forget
• Stand with your eyes closed. It seems like it will be easy, until you try it. By doing this it takes away one of your body's major balance mechanisms. This forces you to rely on your internal balance mechanisms and therefore train those mechanisms
• Sit on a ball at work. Many of us sit inactive at our desk for 8 hours a day, five days a week. Why not use this time to improve your trail running abilities. Sitting on a ball is an unstable experience, which will require you to activate your stability muscles. It is not difficult to do. It will also help improve your posture, keep your joints mobile so that they don't stiffen up while you sit, give you stronger abs and back, and provide you with a fun, energized experience
• Do the alphabet. Stand on one leg and try and trace the alphabet with the opposite leg without putting any weight on it. Try and make it to Z without losing your balance. If you really want to challenge yourself, close your eyes
• Balance bounds. Bound from one leg to another but hold each landing for 4 seconds before you bound to the opposite foot. Tricky and dynamic
• Play with gravity. Keep finding ways to interact with gravity whether that means walking along the curb or climbing a tree. Kids tend to do this on a regular basis, and as a result they actually have better balance than most adults have. It is the old "if you don't use it you'll lose it". So get using it...

Make an exciting and positive change and start integrating some of these activities into your daily regime today. Investing a little time each day into balance maintenance is fun and you will experience results immediately. You will also have the tools to help reduce the wear and tear on your body with time, so that you can continue to hit those trails and age with grace. Young or old, it's never too late to start, and once you experience the benefits, you too will be hooked on the balance game for the rest of your life!

Courtesy Ben Vincent, Bkin., CFC
Fitter International Inc
1-800-348-8371
sales3@fitter1.com