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Autor: Franziska Zehnder, Head of Performance Diagnostics Sports and Movement Scientist MAS Nutrition and Health at Medbase Zürich Löwenstrasse, Sports Medical Center

An injury during the preparation or competition phase can severely disrupt the course of the season and lead to a significant reduction in physical performance. The longer the rest phase lasts, the more time must be invested in reconstruction. However, once the physical and psychological setback has been overcome, many positive aspects of the development can be gained.

Most runners experience it once: an injury forces them to take a break. Having to give up the sport they love is hard enough. But to start training again after a longer break should not be underestimated either.

When to start training again?

Of course, the type of injury you have to deal with, the speed of your recovery and your level of fitness before the forced break is important. A runner with good basic endurance will be back in shape much faster than a poorly trained endurance athlete. But for all those returning to fitness, it is important that you consciously take your time, start training gently and listen to your body. Pain is a warning signal and should not be eliminated with medication in order to complete the planned training sessions. So wait for the right time and only start training when the inflammation has subsided and the pain has gone. A quick start with too big a goal can lead to a renewed injury or a chronic symptoms. It is best to listen to the advice of your doctor or physiotherapist. A well-considered training plan with sufficient periods of regeneration could also help to avoid carelessly intensive training sessions. Set yourself small, realistic interim goals and remain open to having to adjust them if necessary.

Before you start running training, the structures of the musculoskeletal system must be prepared for the load. Muscular imbalances, which have arisen from relieving posture during the injury break, must first be compensated. Otherwise the problems can shift to another part of the body. It is best to have a physiotherapist give you the strengthening and mobility exercises that are right for you. Stability exercises for the legs and trunk also support the running economy and reduce incorrect and excessive strain.

Use these first weeks for alternative sports like aqua jogging, swimming or cycling. This can already improve performance, but the region affected by the injury is spared. During the rehabilitation phase, running training on the anti-gravity treadmill (AlterG) can also be valuable. This can provide weight relief, which makes painless running training possible at an early stage.

How do I get back in?

After the general preparation phase, the running shoes can finally be laced. However, I recommend that you start with a few units of Nordic Walking before you move on to short, loose running units (approx. 20 minutes). Pay attention to how your body reacts to the stress stimuli. If you experience pain, reduce the load or stop the training. The body signals that it is not yet ready for this intensity of stress. If, on the other hand, you can easily survive the first few easy runs, the training sessions can be gently extended. However, do not overdo it and allow the body sufficient recovery between the units. Damage caused by overloading should now be avoided at all costs! It is quite possible that you will need some walking breaks between the runs at the beginning. These can be reduced over time.

Use the first 3-4 months to build up your basic endurance by doing mainly quiet endurance runs. Only increase the intensity or running speed of individual training units when you can run through an hour of relaxed and painless training. If you need help planning your training, contact a trainer or sports scientist.

The important thing is: Be patient and be happy about small progress. Take the positive out of this situation. Use the time you have gained for other valuable things that would otherwise be missed out due to the numerous training sessions. Get to know your body and its load limits better. This will help to prevent over strain symptoms in the future. As hard as setbacks can be at the moment, they make us stronger in the end!

Tipps:

• Listen to the recommendations of your doctor, physiotherapist or sports scientist
• Start slowly and take enough time for the reconstruction
• Supplement your running training with strength and flexibility exercises and alternative sports
• Define small, realistic intermediate goals
• Do not expose yourself to competition stress
• Listen to your body and build in enough rest periods
• Make sure you eat a healthy and balanced diet that provides you with sufficient energy

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No matter what level of sport experience and no matter how much time you have, a targeted training helps you to get the most out of your conditions and guarantees a long-term increase in performance. The correct dosage of load and break protects you from overloading and also maintains your performance in everyday working life. The content of the training and the scope of our advice is individually tailored to your needs.

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Help us further develop this App by giving us your vote! (click on the link).

The 43rd edition of the Lucerne City Run should have taken place on Saturday in Lucerne. Corona thwarted the plan of a normal run with contact to the opponents, cheering from the edge of the course and the smell of bratwurst. Instead there was a virtual version with app, headphones and funny looks from the roadside.

Background of viRACE

viRACE is the app that made the virtual execution of the Lucerne City Run possible. The app served as a registration platform, timekeeper, speaker and results service for the race and was developed by running.COACH within a very short (but intense) time during the lockdown.

“For us as athletes and companies that are at home in the running industry, the daily reports of cancelled runs were a stab in the heart every time,” says Stefan Lombriser, Managing Director of running.COACH. “We then had the choice: wait or throw everything on the scales and press the accelerator. viRACE is now the result of the second option”.

In cooperation with Swiss Running, the app viRACE was then developed, to make it possible to hold the cancelled races, albeit in an unusual form.

Virtual Lucerne City Run

After many small and medium-sized test runs, last Saturday’s Lucerne city run was the first big stress test for the brand new app. A total of 904 registered participants successfully completed the run.

The top 3 of the four categories offered are as follows:

1.5 km Saturday
1. Cedric Meyer, 00:04:25
2. Martin Winiger, 00:04:40
3. Kylie Jenner, 00:04:49

3.8 km Saturday
1. Janis Gächter, 00:11:48
2. Raphi Kunz, 00:13:03
3. David von Arx, 00:13:21

7 km Saturday
1. Jorge Garcia, 00:24:02
2. Elias Raemy, 00:24:45
3. Flavio Rieder, 00:25:00

1.5 km Sunday
1. Paul Jacquot, 00:05:13
2. Philipp Joller, 00:05:28
3. Selina Sidler, 00:05:40

A great summary of the experience was published published in the local paper.

Did you like the run?

If you enjoyed participating in the virtual Lucerne City Run, we would be pleased if you would continue to take part in virtual competitions in the future. The app is constantly being developed and new functions are coming.

If you would like to support us in the further development of viRACE, you can Vote for us by following this Link until Tuesday evening. Thanks very much for your support.

Exercise and fitness are a major factor in good health. That’s why SWICA supports its customers who have COMPLETA PRAEVENTA or OPTIMA supplementary insurance by making contributions of up to 600 francs towards their silver or gold six- or twelve-month subscriptions to running.COACH.

running.COACH is a SWICA-recognised partner, offering runners a comprehensive training platform with interactive coaching and training plans. Whether you want to improve your running style or get fit for the next marathon, running.COACH can help you along the way.

What do you have to do to claim the SWICA contribution?

1. Check whether you have COMPLETA PRAEVENTA or OPTIMA supplementary insurance from SWICA.

• COMPLETA PRAEVENTA: 50%, max. CHF 500 per calendar year (max. CHF 300 per preventive activity)
• OPTIMA: 90% of the costs not covered by COMPLETA PRAEVENTA, up to a maximum of CHF 300 per calendar year; together up to a maximum of CHF 800 per calendar year

2. Log in to www.runningcoach.me or register; buy a silver or gold subscription or renew your existing subscription.

3. Send the subscription confirmation to SWICA

You will then be sent a confirmation email with a subscription confirmation attached. Send this to SWICA. You should receive your refund within a few days. If you have any questions, please send an email to: info@runningcoach.me.

Click here to go to running.COACH

Optimum performance can only be achieved when a runner recovers sufficiently after training. Carbohydrates, protein and fluid play an important role in this.

What the petrol tank is to the car, the carbohydrates are to the muscles, which are stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. Intensive and/or long training drains these energy reserves in the muscles and liver. Anyone who trains loosely for up to five hours a week therefore does not need to worry too much about nutrition after training, as long as they eat a balanced diet.

Carbohydrates are important for the immune system

The situation is different for runners who train more than five hours a week and some of which are high intensity. In order to regain performance, it is important to replenish the carbohydrate stores after training, preferably with starch supplements such as rice, pasta, potatoes or muesli. Exercise causes a slight stress and inflammatory reaction in the body. Carbohydrates counteract this. They are also important for the immune system.

Protein for the muscles

The first meal after training should contain not only carbohydrates but also protein. If the protein intake in the diet is insufficient, both the repair processes and the muscle building suffer. This can last up to 24 hours after training.

It is therefore not enough to supply the body with protein only immediately after training. Rather, it is important that each meal contains 20 to 25 grams of protein – whereby not all proteins are the same. This is because animal proteins (in fish, eggs, meat or dairy products) are generally more digestible by the body and therefore of higher quality than vegetable proteins.

Good vegetarian combinations

If you want to cover your protein requirements purely from plants, you must consume 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal to achieve the same value of 20 to 25 grams of animal protein. It is best to combine different vegetable foods with each other to increase their value, for example soy with rice and lentils or potatoes with beans and nuts. Such combinations offer a greater variety of “essential amino acids”, i.e. the protein building blocks that the body cannot produce itself, but which are essential for the muscle.

Triple good – the milk shake

If you don’t have a proper meal immediately after running, you can take protein and carbohydrates with a banana milkshake or chocolate milk, for example. Such drinks also help to compensate for the loss of fluid through sweating.

Fluid replacement is the third important point that runners should consider after training. An additional requirement of five to eight deciliter per hour of training is expected. Exactly how much fluid is needed varies greatly from individual to individual. The easiest thing to do is to pay attention to your urine: if the fluid intake is correct, it is about the color of white wine.

With sweat, the body loses not only fluid but also salt. A salty snack or a salty meal makes up for this.

Tips when overweight or underweight

Anyone who trains to lose weight must be careful not to treat himself to more than necessary after training as a reward. A simple rule of thumb is to fill 1/4 of your plate with carbohydrates, 1/4 with the protein component and the remaining half with vegetables and/or salad. In order not to consume additional calories, it makes sense to complete the workout shortly before the daily main meal and to avoid a regeneration snack.

Runners who tend to be underweight are best advised to increase the proportion of carbohydrates and reduce that of vegetables. Some olive or rapeseed oil and a few nuts can provide additional calories.

Tips

• Snacks immediately after training: fruit smoothie with yoghurt/curd cheese, chocolate milk, muesli, sandwich with dried meat or cheese, cereal bar, bread with nutmeg.
• Runners who follow a vegan diet should seek nutritional advice to prevent long-term deficiencies of certain food components.
• Magnesium rarely helps against muscle cramps. It is more important to compensate for the loss of fluids and salt during training and not to overload the muscle too much.
• Food supplements are usually unnecessary if the basic diet is correct. Pay attention to a balanced diet.
• Sports drinks are not necessary for low training volumes and during weight reduction.
• Alcohol can directly and indirectly reduce performance. It has a draining effect, influences the quality of sleep and thus hinders regeneration.

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No matter what level of sport and no matter how much time you have, a targeted

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The impact of the coronavirus has extended far beyond those who have become infected and has changed how everyone lives their day to day life. In these unfamiliar times, amid a global pandemic, it is important to remember that we will get through this and amazing things can still be accomplished. running.COACH teamed up with orienteering world champion Matthias Kyburz setting out to prove this by breaking the 50 kilometer treadmill world on Thursday April 16th record while helping raise money to for the COVID-19 crisis.

Everyday life is anything but ordinary now. The necessary official measures regarding social distancing force us to drop deeply ingrained routines and stay at home whenever possible. However, regular exercise and athletic activities are still recommended by experts. From experience we know how difficult it is to maintain a structured training without a competition goal. In cooperation with Swiss Running we have therefore developed ViRace. The app should enable the participation in cancelled competitions without having to be on site and with virtual instead of direct contact to the competitors.