EXAMINING ENERGY INDICES IN RECREATIONAL RUNNERS: AIMING TO BETTER ADVISE PERIODIZATION

Abstract

Recreational running is a widely implemented form of physical activity, and it continues to gain popularity due to the associated cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and mental health benefits (Lavie et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2020). Running specifically triumphs over other forms of physical activity due to its simplicity—the activity lacks age restrictions, a need for a team or equipment, or technical training for a specific skill. Nevertheless, running is not a risk-free sport. Up to 92.4% of runners will experience a running-related injury, or RRI, each year (van Gent et al., 2007). RRIs diminish pleasure in exercise altogether and are associated with undesirable consequences, including temporary or permanent discontinuation of running (van der Worp et al., 2015). Around half of those injured will stop running for at least a year while others cease any form of physical activity indefinitely (Fields et al., 2010). For recreational runners, the annual rate of RRIs has remained high despite increasing attention towards injury prevention. Specifically, attention is currently given to intrinsic modifiable risk factors such as malalignment, tissue recovery times and procedures, and presumed injury-associated running techniques as well as extrinsic modifiable risk factors such as running surface, training errors, and shoe age, fit, and type (Aderem & Louw, 2015). Presently, researchers have only found evidence supporting the modification of one of these risk factors: training error.