A Surprising Way to Reduce Your Risk of Running Injuries

Running Form Matters

Running more also leads to subconscious changes in running form that reduces stress on the lower extremities. Many runners don't realize that their stride evolves as they gain running experience. These subconscious changes in movement patterns are far more subtle than the crude changes runners make a conscious effort to improve such as switching from a heel landing to a forefoot landing.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst recently studied the biomechanics of "low-mileage" (less than 15 miles per week) and "high-mileage" (more than 20 miles per week) runners. They identified several consistent differences in the biomechanics of the two groups that "may explain the lower incidence of overuse knee injuries for higher mileage runners."

The key characteristics of the high-mileage runners' biomechanics were subtle and complexly coordinated—too subtle and complex to be consciously controlled. A low-mileage runner cannot fast-track the development of these characteristics by doing form drills or consciously copying the form of other runners. The only way to develop them is to run more.

More: Good Running Form for Beginners

The Crux

Here's the catch: While runners who run more get injured less, runners are never more likely to get injured than when they are increasing their mileage. So newer runners run a greater risk of injuring themselves as they increase their mileage to the level that optimizes their fitness, durability and form. Few runners are able to get through this process without suffering at least one overuse injury.

Injuries are not the end of the world. Each one teaches you something that you can use to avoid future injuries. You can minimize the risk of injuries as you increase your mileage by responding quickly and aggressively to unusual pains you experience in training. Dealing with incipient injuries right away will prevent them from becoming full-blown breakdowns that cause you to miss significant running time.

This approach can be a bit frustrating at times because it requires a willingness to take on step back in order to progress two steps forward.

But it's better than the alternative of being too afraid of high mileage to even try, because despite what some experts contend, there is no substitute.