Preventing the two most common running injuries

Staying free from injury is one of the best things you can do for your training. It's pretty hard to get better at something when you have an injury restricting you!

So here are two of the most common injuries that runners or running athletes experience, and how to prevent them.

1) Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (shin splints)

Ask some runners about their experience with shin splints and you'll probably get some dark looks and a few swear words. It's an incredibly frustrating injury due to the debilitating pain and the way it lingers for a long time.

There's conflicting thought as to the exact cause of shin splints, but there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best chance of avoiding them.

• Be mindful of spiking your running load. Typically, avoid increasing your volume by more than 10% a week (this may be different if your running load is very low or very high).

• Ensure your runners work for you. There's a lot more to a running shoe than just the logo on the side. Get a recommendation from a podiatrist or go to a specialty running shoe store that can give you good advice based on your foot and running mechanics.

2) Achilles Tendinopathy (AT)

This is an injury I've had a lot of personal experience with. I've had mornings where I've barely been able to

walk upstairs, but fortunately mine is now in a good place and I'm able to run consistently without pain. AT is another overuse injury, but there are some good ways you can prevent it.

Like shin splints, being mindful not to spike your running load is critical to avoiding AT. This includes running

surface, where transitioning from running on grass to pavement will significantly increase the ground reaction forces associated with your running load.

Establishing good calf strength is a great, proactive way to improve your running performance and reduce the

risk of AT. Train both seated and standing calf raises to bias the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. We're not talking bodyweight calf raises here. I've found moving 0.5 x bodyweight for 10 single leg reps is a minimum level to be at.

Developing tendon capacity with plyometrics is another great way to enhance your running economy and

reduce the likelihood of AT. Exercises like hopping and depth jumps help to create strong, springy tendons.

The realm of injury prevention is fickle, as it's often difficult to say what specifically led to an overuse injury. In

general, avoiding rapidly increasing your training load and building capacity in your muscles, tendons, and joints is the best way to avoid getting injured.

If you have any questions about training or athletic performance, then feel free to ask me in a free consult.