According to ASICS FrontRunner, Kerry O’Flaherty – an Athletics Coach and Sport Massage Therapist – it is as important for runners to strengthen their feet as it is glutes, calves, quads and hamstrings. Here’s how:
Stretch and Roll
We foam roll our calves, quads and hamstrings so why not our feet. Kerry uses a small pedi roller to roll the bottom of her feet, a small ball can also be of use to go across the fibres and also help mobilise the big toe joint and other metatarsal heads that tend to tighten up.
Activate and Engage
Start small with simple toe curling exercises such as towel scrunching, pushing the towels away, lifting and relaxing the arches and toe lifts. Toe lifts can start with lifting the big toe individually, then lifting the little toes together leaving the big toe down - it’s important to maintain a lifted arch doing these and not to flatten out the foot - this helps maintain a strong arch, a strong plantar fascia and also helps strength the Tibialas Posterior tendon (Tib Post) which many of us experience problems with. Toe lifting can progress onto lifting each toe individually.
Mobilisation
Our ankles can easily lock up and the big toe joint can also become stiff. Ankle rotations an be completed actively or passively by using your hands to help get that extra mobility. Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the foot (or in ballet sometimes referred to as good toes bad toes) is another good exercise. Knee over toes in a lunge position also helps to mobilise and unlock that ankle joint. The big toe joint can be mobilised rolling a hockey ball under the joint area, or by taking the big toe joint with one hand, stabilising it and with the other hand moving the big toe up and down, it’s very effective and should not hurt.
Active Stretching
Bear foot (as in the animal) calf raises can help strengthen both the feet and the tendons, especially the Tibialis posterior and the Achilles. It is a good habit to complete these before every run. High heel toe walks can be very effective and as you progress a weighted jacket or carrying a medicine ball is a great progression.
Strengthen
It doesn’t take much resistance to get an effect and these exercises can be completed little but often. Resistance bands can be used during the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion exercise and also for inversion and eversion of the foot. A soft small ball can be used to strengthen the Toe flexors by trying to grab and lift the ball, it’s a tricky one to start but works a treat.
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This Virtual Run is unlike any of those we’ve done before though. It’s a six week programme - see it as your motivation to get back out there and in hot shape for summer. Oh and there is of course a lot more in it for you with six levels to unlock (one each week). With that comes 300 pairs of ASICS shoes up for grabs plus tons of other gear from our partners. So sign up here to kick things into high gear, get moving and Feel the Difference with ASICS.
