5 key habits to help minimise the risk of running injuries

Running has seen a massive growth in popularity since the pandemic, with an increasing number of people attending local run clubs, Park Runs and signing up for their first race. Although running has numerous health benefits, approximately 50% of runners will have to take time off from their training each year due to injury, with over-training often being the culprit. 

Whether you are new to running or training for your next marathon PB, below are a few fundamental tips to help keep you on track for your running goals:

1. Load Management

Managing increases in your running training is vital in allowing your body to gradually adapt to the demands placed on it over time.

There are three variables that can increase the load placed on your body when training, and they should be gradually increased over time:

• Frequency: how many times you are running a week. 
• Intensity: how fast or how much effort you are putting into each run
• Time/Volume: how far you are running on each session and your total mileage throughout each week.

Research has shown that for your longest run of the week, increasing the distance by more than 10% is associated with an increased risk of injury. For example, if last week your longest run was 20km, running more than 22km this week may increase your risk of injury.

While you are building up your training, it is also vital to have regular ‘de-load’ weeks. This involves having a week where you reduce how much you are training to enable your body to recover and adapt from the previous weeks’ training. 

2. Strength training

Regular strength training has been shown to reduce the risk of running injuries, improve running efficiency, and improve endurance. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also recommends that all adults should complete at least two days of strength training a week.

Strength training should be prescribed on an individual basis, and a Physiotherapist can help set you up with a tailored programme which ensures your body is ready to meet the demands of your current training regime. 

3. Recovery

Optimising your recovery is important in allowing your muscles and tissues to adapt and rebuild in between training sessions.

The quality of your sleep can dictate how well your body recovers from training, and poorer sleep has been associated with increased risk of injury. Similarly, high stress has a similar effect on recovery and injury risk. Although these factors cannot always be fully controlled, recognising their presence can help you identify if your ‘body battery’ is low and you can adjust the intensity of your runs accordingly. 

4. Fuelling

Feeding your body and muscles with enough fuel is important for running performance and should be broken down into 2 main sections

• Pre- and post-run: ensuring you are eating before every run and soon after finishing your run to replenish your energy stores
• During: for longer runs, using energy gels to top-up your energy levels is important in maintaining performance. For runs longer than one hour, aim to consume 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour, whilst for runs longer than 2 ½  hours, aim to consume 60-90g/hour (energy gel companies display the carbohydrate levels on their packaging).

5. Footwear

Making sure your running trainers have enough life left in them is important in ensuring you joints, bones and soft tissues are getting enough support whilst running. Most manufacturers recommend replacing running shoes after 500-800km, so keeping track of how many miles you have run can help you plan when they are due for replacing.