3 Quick Tips to Help Prevent Injury

1.  Wear good shoes (when running and not running).

   Ensuring properly fitting running shoes can prevent injuries in your body. You want shoes that accommodate your level of pronation and provide the proper amount of support. Replacing shoes when they are worn out also reduces the risk of injury. However, it’s not just the shoes that you wear for the time spent running that matter. The shoes you wear to work, doing errands and during the remaining hours of the day can cause lower extremity injuries. High heels can irritate the calf muscles and Achilles tendon and flip flops can cause biomechanical issues that negatively affect your running form. Wear supportive shoes if you know you will be on your feet for a long period of time. You’ll not only be less prone to injury, but you’ll be comfortable too!

   2. Gradually increase your mileage

   Overuse injuries are the result of doing too much running too soon in training. Your body requires time to adapt to higher training loads. Too much refers to volume (how many miles you run, both on a daily and weekly basis), intensity (how hard a given run is), and frequency (how many days you run per week). The common rule of thumb is to increase mileage by 10% every week. That may not provide the body with enough time to adapt to higher mileage before increasing it again, nor does it allow for time to increase intensity. Instead of increasing mileage by 10% each week, try this 4-week cycle for safely increasing your running mileage:

   Week 1: Increase your weekly mileage 10-20% by adding 1-2 miles to your long run and 1 mile to each other run. Keep most, if not all, of your runs at an easy effort.

   Weeks 2 & 3: Maintain your new mileage and add in one to two-speed workouts.

   Week 4: Reduce your mileage by 10-15% for a cutback week.

   3. Rest

   You don’t need to run every day, and maybe you shouldn’t! Neglecting rest causes injury because your body never gets a chance to heal from all the miles you’re running. The recovery process is what heals the microtrauma in your muscles after each run and makes your body stronger. When you don’t let your body recover enough, your joints, bones, and muscles can become weaker over time. Depending on how many days per week you run, take 1-2 days per week to rest from running and cross-training. You may choose to do yoga on these days or go for a light walk, but all activities should be low intensity and gentle.

   Rest days are especially important if you are training for a long-distance race such as a marathon or half marathon. The harder you train, the more recovery your body needs. After a race, take 3-7 days off from running if you ran a half marathon and 1-2 weeks off if you ran a marathon. A week off from running may seem like a long time, but the time off is well worth avoiding 2-6 weeks of being forced to the sidelines by injury.

The 6 Most Common Running Injuries

With everything it takes to keep up with an exercise routine, the last thing you need is for a running injury to throw a wrench in your plans. According to Dr. Alysia Robichaudolor, running injuries are typically joint issues that arise in the lower extremities. The most common reasons for a runner to be sidelined are from overuse injuries that develop over time due to issues like increasing mileage too quickly, improper running form, not giving your body adequate time to recover, having tight or weak muscles and wearing improper footwear.

The most common running injuries include:

1. Runner's knee – dull pain around the front of the knee, felt either while active or after sitting for a long time

2. IT band syndrome – aching or burning pain on the outside of the knee (which may extend up to the hip), typically felt when active

3. Shin splints – pain at the front or inner-facing portion of your lower legs that worsens with activity

4. Plantar fasciitis – pain at or near the bottom of the heel, typically felt after activity (not during) or early the next morning.

5. Achilles Tendinitis – pain in the lower leg just above the heel that may be accompanied by restricted motion when attempting to lift your toes

6. Stress fracture – pain or aching (usually in the shin or foot) that's felt during activity and that worsens over time.

7 Ways to Prevent Running Injuries

1. Have a plan and progress slowly

   Any time you have a running-related goal in mind, your first question should be: How can I get there without mistreating my body? There has to be a plan and a progression when it comes to a running program. Any kind of physical activity that's advanced too quickly can lead to injuries. As a general rule of thumb don’t increase your run mileage by more than 10% a week, which is about a mile per week. Add more than 10% a week and you risk overtaxing your muscles and joints, leading to inflammation and injury.

2. Don't increase speed and distance at the same time

   Focus on adding distance to your runs or quickening your pace, but not both at the same time.

3. Give your muscles what they need to recover

   What you do to recover after your run is just as important as exercise itself. Proper recovery doesn't just ensure your body is able to perform as desired on your next run, it helps prevent overuse injuries. Giving your muscles time to rest is a big part of recovery, but so is eating healthy, staying hydrated and getting plenty of sleep — all things you do to take care of your body.

4. Know the difference between soreness and pain that signals injury

   If your running goal is to challenge your body, prepare for muscle soreness and discomfort. But never ever ignore pain. You can expect to be somewhat uncomfortable for a few days after a run, especially if you're adding miles or quickening your pace but sharp pain is never OK. Neither is pain that continues to linger.

5. Make time for cross-training

   Running might be your priority, but it's important to recognize that limiting yourself to a single, repetitive type of exercise is an easy way to pick up an overuse injury. Cross-training with weights and core activities strengthens the muscles that support your body as you run. This not only helps you run better and longer, but also with less risk of injury. Adding weights or a yoga or Pilates session is also a great way to stay active as you give your running muscles a rest. This is called active recovery.

6. Don't discount the importance of quality running shoes

   It seems that there's a shoe for every activity these days, which might make you question whether you really need running shoes. But you should know that wearing improper shoes on a run can affect your normal foot movement and increase your risk of a running overuse injury.

7. Stretch

   Stretching helps keep your muscles long and flexible, reducing the amount of direct force they take on during a run. Additionally, a tight muscle is harder to move properly and effectively, which can lead to poor running form. Stretch before a run but stretching cold is never a good plan. Try doing a brief warm up — 25 high knees, 10 squats or 50 jumping jacks — and then stretching.

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