Three cases:
[list=1]
[li]My fortyish neighbors have been running at least since college, marathon-class running. They run most days and, I assume, do a fair distance even when not training. I’ve never seen them wear a brace or any kind of support.[/li][li]I have a friend who has been running for about 10-12 years. He has intermittent problems which require him to stop or decrease his running and/or wear some kind of support.[/li][li]A co-worker started running a year and a half ago, but had to stop due to pain in his knees.[/li][/list=1]
My assumption is that all of these people follow good practices in warming up, stretching and the like (if this is a big assumption, tell me so), and they don’t strain or otherwise over tax themselves.
Is the difference in the injuries attributable merely to the general differences between people? Genetics? Luck?
I ask because I am attempting to start an exrcise regimen and I want to know the best way to prevent such injuries. And I know avoiding running is the best way, but I still want to give it a shot.
I feel silly posting this on New Year’s Day, but this isn’t a resolution, I’ve been working on it for some time. Really. I swear.
My knee injuries from running were destruction of the cartilage that holds the kneecap in place. Quite a drag. It was explained to me as being the result of repeated shock to the cartilage that became damaging because I ran in cheap (non-shock absorbing) shoes on concrete (the least forgiving of surfaces you might run on).
How well your knees do (or don’t do) depends on how much you abuse them, which is related to your running style and the shoes you wear, and how well they hold up under stress, which is mostly genetics. Make sure you develope a good technique that feels comfortable when you run, and make sure you shoes are comfortable. Grass or dirt is easier on your joints, but you also have to be careful because its often not a smooth surface and you can turn your ankle or stress your knees by hitting a bump wrong. Have someone watch you while you run, and make sure that your legs are lining up right. I used to run long distance (got some trophies in jr. high and high school even) but I absolutely had to wear New Balance sneakers because my feet would pronate in anything else. Then New Balance stopped making that model and I switched to Nikes and ruined my knees for a good while.
The key thing when you start is LSD, aka Long Slow Distance. Go long and slower rather than shorter and faster to build up your strength and endurance. Also make sure you give yourself at least a day or two of rest during the week or else all you will do is tear your body down and not give it a chance to rebuild.