Eoin Everard Focuses On Making Runners Injury Resistant
My guest today has run on the international stage in his career and is currently the 3k European Masters Champion.
Along with an impressive running CV, he also has his PhD in biomechanics.
I am looking forward to going a few easy miles with Eoin Everard and trying to get to all the topics we can!
Eoin Everard
Sibling Rivalry
Eoin Everard has been athletic his entire life.
Growing up, he ran for fun locally but didn’t begin to take the sport seriously until around the age of 15.
At this time, his younger brother qualified to run and represent their country of Ireland.
Eoin quickly began to experience an extrinsic motivation for also wanting to represent his country in running.
He found that his natural talent coupled with hard work produced impressive results.
In a short amount of time, Eoin was running at the European Junior Champs.
Eoin had officially caught the running bug and it has been 20 years of consistent running since.
“What’s For You, Won’t Pass You”
An old Irish phrase that Eoin often heard was, “What’s for you won’t pass you.”
That phrase really stuck with him in 2012, when he was trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials.
Two years before the Olympics that Eoin was aiming for, he experienced his worst year of running.
With hindsight, he has since realized that his setback in the sport was actually a blessing.
Having struggled in the sport, helped him to appreciate it more in the future.
Eoin was placing too much pressure on himself and ultimately it backfired.
In the years since Eoin has found a training that suited him better.
Eoin Everard
Determinants Of Success
Eoin has learned a lot while running at a high level for so many years.
A lot of emphases is put on mental training, but Eoin has found that fitness is the true determinant of success.
Athletes training at a high level can hit consistency and intensity in training that’s not possible for the average person.
One individual workout, won’t make or break an athlete and their chances at success.
Eoin has also found that some of the most decorated runners in the world keep their stress levels relatively low.
He firmly believes that remaining calm is one key factor in success.
As Eoin has experienced himself, sometimes your biggest strength can also be your biggest weakness if not kept in check.
The Whole Body Connection
Eoin has his Ph.D. in biomechanics and has done movement assessments on thousands of people over the years.
He quickly realized in the classroom and out, that the entire body is connected through the kinetic chain.
A weak spot in one area can quickly begin to affect other areas up and down the chain.
One common cause of running injuries is muscles that get overloaded.
The solution to an overloading injury is to strengthen the surrounding areas.
Eoin frequently takes a joint-by-joint approach when treating his patients.
His main objective is to get the entire kinetic chain strong.
An Experiment Of One
Eoin has found that there are typically 3 reasons that people can’t move correctly during his assessments.
Those reasons are: the muscle is too short, the muscle may have knots or trigger points, or the issue could be a joint.
For each of those issues, Eoin has specific recommendations for how to begin to correct them.
Oftentimes, it is hard to know what will work for someone.
Each individual is unique and what works for one may not work for another.
Eoin recommends that each person try various approaches and see what works.
Patience is a key component of treatment because it can take up to 12 weeks to have physiological changes.
Train With Purpose
Eoin approaches each training session with a specific purpose in mind.
When doing so he can ensure that he is training the system that he intended.
A lot of runners inadvertently end up running in what he calls the “gray zone.”
The gray zone is where you’re not running fast enough to get faster, but not slow enough for recovery.
Training with purpose also extends to strength training.
If Eoin had to choose one exercise that is key to a stronger kinetic chain, it would be the single-leg deadlift.
Glute bridges and balance work are just a few suggestions of the endless exercises that can help one become a more injury-resistant runner.
If an athlete has the resources, Eoin recommends getting a VO2 max test done to help with training in the correct zones.
Eoin Everard
Mentioned In This Episode:
Stay connected to Eoin Everard by following him on Instagram.
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