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| Frequent site of shin pain/ stress fracture |
We runners have always been told to train and don't strain. Running too fast, too often, can be a sure recipe for injury. That's why we always have an easy day for recovery after a hard session, to reduce our risk of injury. No runner wants to hear that they have a stress fracture or a small crack in their bones caused by overuse.
We think that when we run faster, we put more strain and load through our muscles and bones. So chances of a muscular or bone stress injury should be higher when we run faster. We all assume that running slower (or slowly) causes less strain on our legs than running fast.
According to newly published research, fast paced running does not put any more pressure on your tibial (shin bone) which is a common area for shin splints and stress fractures than slow easy runs.
Runners in that study were asked to run at their own selected pace of slow, moderate and fast (but not all out). Reflective sensors were attached to their hips, knees and feet while they ran over force plates that measured impact (load) with each step.
I was really surprised to read that the slow paced runs (and not the fast runs) resulted in the most strain. Running at 'normal' or moderate pace for these runners caused less cumulative load than running the same distance at fast and slower speed.
The authors concluded that running fast does not necessarily cause more load on your tibial (shin bone) than slow running. Well, no excuse not run intervals once a week then if you're training for a race.
However, it may be too early to use this information to change our training habits as fatigue definitely does affect load when we run. Personally, I do feel I need an easy day of training to recover after a hard bike, run or weights session. Even when I was competing, it's usually 2 hard days of training back to back with a easy day (or total rest day) after. That way you won't have to worry about getting injured. Until an an accident strikes ......
Reference
Hunter J, Garcia GK, Shim JK et al (2019). Fast Running Does Not Contribute More Cumulative Load Than Slow Running. Med Sci Sp Ex. 51(6): 1178-1185. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001888
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