Cross Country Running:Risks andInjury Preventioni

王建业

越野跑是人類亲近大自然的一种运动方式，是运动就可能有风险、就可能遭遇损伤、就需要做好预防措施。医学博士罗伯.B.威廉斯（Rob S Williams， MD）科普了越野跑可能带来的风险损伤，给出了一些预防措施的建议，希望对喜欢越野跑的朋友有所帮助。

What is cross country running？ Cross country is anoutdoor endurance sport that can be mentally challenging andfun. This type of running and racing has both a physical andpsychological component. You' re not only putting one foot infront of the other; you' re also thinking ahead to obstacles andchanges in the trail or course.

For example， how will you clear that stone withouttripping？

Can you pass the person ahead of you safely withoutslipping in that mud puddle？ How should you handle hills orturns-in a short burst of speed， or at your current steady pace？

Typically， cross country races take place in all weatherconditions. which means you also have to worry about environmentalconditions that can affect your race performance： rain andwind， snow and ice. hail and heat waves. It' s rare for a crosscountry race to be canceled due to inclement weather.

Many runners love cross country and its sister sport， trailrunning， precisely because running in this way is not the sameas road running. The variations in the terrain and the mentalchallenges of pacing oneself over an ever-changing course makefor a more stimulating run.

However. the same aspects of the sport that make itdiverting and enjoyable also make it rough on a runner' s body，at any age. High school runners， college runners， and adultrunners all need to be aware of the risks of injury that come withrunning cross country.

什么是越野跑？越野是一项户外耐力运动，能给参与者带来精神挑战和乐趣。这种跑步与竞赛需要身心同时投入。参与者不仅仅是简单地迈步向前，还要预想前方路上或赛道上可能出现的障碍与变化。

例如：如何清走石头而避免绊倒？能否安全超越前面的参与者而不跌入泥坑？应该怎样应对山路和转弯——是短时间突然加速，还是以现有速度稳步前进？

越野赛通常在任何天气状况下都会进行，这意味着参与者还不得不考虑可能影响比赛成绩的环境因素：风雨、冰雪、冰雹和热浪。鲜有越野赛因天气恶劣而取消。

很多跑者之所以热爱越野跑及其姊妹运动——野外跑，正是因为这种跑步运动与公路跑不同。野外的地势变化，以及调整节奏以适应不断变化的跑道所带来的精神挑战，让越野跑更加刺激。

然而，让越野跑有趣、快乐的这些因素，恰恰也会对所有年龄段的跑者的身体构成挑战。无论是中学生、大学生还是成年跑者，都需要了解越野跑会带来的伤病风险。

Risks of running cross country

By running cross country over a mix of natural terrain andgroomed or paved trails， you may find yourself pounding notonly pavement. but also packed or loose dirt. sand， gravel，mud. leaves， pine needles. tree roots. rocks， grass， moss. andanything else you might find on the ground in a natural area（including， possibly， snakes）.

Though most cross country race courses are groomed andapproved ahead of race day， surprises can come up. Weather，wild animals. and falling foliage from trees can' t always becontrolled. And on non-race days， if you train m areas that aren 't approved courses （ such as running on wooded paths or throughparks） ， the level of trail maintenance isn' t guaranteed. You mayencounter unexpected. non- natural obstacles like trash ordiscarded bottles.

All running subjects you to the possibility of impactinjuries or repetitive motion injuries. But running over irregularor slippery surfaces can add to risk by changing your gait andcreating opportunities for acute injuries. You may overstretch toclear an object in your path， or you may swerve suddenly andpull a tendon. twist an ankle or knee. or trip and fall. Withfalls. abrasions and head injuries aren ' t out of the question， too.

In addition to changing surfaces， a typical cross-countrycourse may also involve t，^rists and turns and short-but steep-uphills and downhills. These rapid course changes can subjectyour feet， hips and legs to forces and stresses that may notaffect someone running on level roads or gradual inclines.Running downhill， for example， may lead to jammed andsprained toes.

Heat illness is also a concern. In Texas. with our strong sun（and on the coast， high humidity） ， there ' s the additional riskof dehydration. sunburn and heat stroke.

Cross country running is a wonderful sport if you love theoutdoors and nature ， and it ' s mostly very safe in comparison toother team sports-but before you begin training and racing，越野跑的風险

越野跑途中会经过多种类型的跑道，有自然地带，也有清理或铺好的路径。参与者可能会发现自己的脚步不仅落在人工铺好的道路上，也可能踩到压实的或松软的土地、沙子、碎石、淤泥、落叶、松针、树根、岩石、草和苔藓，以及其他任何自然地面上可能出现的东西（甚至可能包括蛇）。……