5 mistakes to avoid to prevent injury

A question we get asked often is:

“Why am I injured?”

1. The most frequent cause is overtraining. Whether that is in the long term- too much running or other exercise so that the muscle/tendon tissue capacity is overpowered by the amount of effort you’re putting in.

2. On the flip side of overtraining is under-recovering. Are you getting enough sleep or nutrition? Or are you getting up at 5am to squeeze your long run in and still going to bed working late and eating convenience foods? Recovery also includes your foam roller, ice baths, red light/laser and supplementation.

3. Running form- is your form letting you down? Does an old ankle sprain or knee injury etc mean you load more on your right side than your left? Or are you pounding the pavement as hard as you can causing a massive energy leak into the ground?

4.Lack of warming up. Do you just roll out of bed and drop a 10km PB? Warming up has been proven to reduce injury but also increase your speed. We know it’s not possible every time but even a 5minute warm up can prepare your tissues to accept increased load and that will certainly be better than going from zero to hero.

5. Reduced tissue flexibility- do you have a tight calf or hamstring that is asking to become a chronic issue? Is touching your toes a mythical goal? Or do you struggle with getting in the gym and lack the dedication to do a few squats and lunges? If you have poor mobility or are weak your running will suffer when you start to increase the distance or the intensity.

Keep the fast-paced January momentum going but keep it slow + steady with progression!