4 Tips for Injury-Free Running

Running has a lot of health benefits; it helps with weight loss, it can help relieve stress, it improves your mood and is a great way to boost your confidence one you start getting in shape. However, if you run long enough, you are bound to get injured sometime. While these injuries can seem inevitable and can be weighed against the benefits of running, you should be doing everything you can to avoid injury. Below, we will look at a few things you can do to have an injury-free experience while experiencing all the benefits that come with running.

Do Not Copy the Pros

Everyone is different and pros often have personal trainers who have helped them tailor their running style to their specific biology and mechanics. It might seem tempting to copy a pro’s smooth running style or body movement, but this style of running might not be for you. Instead, it is always better to improve how you run and to find the best style and for your specified biology and mechanics. Get the basics down, such as making sure your feet are under your hips while you run and then find a trainer to help you improve your running economy later on.

Don’t Do Too Much

There is the common misconception that you need to run more to gain more. Many people want to push past the point of discomfort because this is where they think the gains are. This is not always correct and is, in fact, one of the main reasons why runners get injured. Running puts a lot of pressure on the joints as well as on various other parts of the body. Too much running, in particular, affects the knees and increases the risk of knee bursitis. This is a painful inflammation of the bursa sacs of the knee. 

If you have any pain after running, especially if it is more pain than you are used to, you might have knee bursitis. To learn more about the condition, you can find more information on the condition on this knee bursitis guide put together by Kneecare Clinics. The guide also provides more information on treatments and remedies so that this does not become a recurring problem for you.

Combine Running with Strength Training

Running will make you stronger, but your body will have to cope with the changes that come with this. These changes can cause injury and so it is best to train your body to adapt to these changes, especially the stresses it will be put under while you run. One of the best ways to do this is by combining weight training with running. While strength training can be beneficial, it is important to start out slow and not jump right into intense training routines. This can lead to injury – exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Vary Your Intensity

If you want to get faster, it might seem obvious to increase your pace. However, increasing your pace too fast will lead to injury. The best way to go about this is to run 80% of the distance at a comfortable pace, and then sprint or increase the pace for the last 20%. This will help you maximize gains while minimizing the risk of injury.

Discomfort and even injury might seem like part of training, but they should not be. You should learn how to avoid injury if you are to see the benefits that running affords you.