Running Injury Prevention: How To Stay Consistent Without Getting Hurt

The most common running injuries are not bad luck — they are predictable and largely preventable. Here is how to stay on your feet.

Running Injury Prevention: How To Stay Consistent Without Getting Hurt

The most common running injuries are not bad luck.

They are predictable, largely preventable, and almost always the result of the same mistakes: too much, too soon, with too little preparation.

The Most Common Running Injuries

Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome). Pain along the shin bone. Almost always caused by rapid increases in running volume on hard surfaces with inadequate recovery.

Runner's knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome). Pain around or behind the kneecap. Often related to hip weakness, poor running mechanics, or excessive downhill running.

IT band syndrome. Pain on the outer knee. Frequently linked to hip abductor weakness and excessive training volume.

Plantar fasciitis. Pain in the heel or arch. Often related to inadequate footwear, tight calves, or excessive training load.

Achilles tendinopathy. Pain in the Achilles tendon. Caused by rapid increases in training load, poor calf strength, or inadequate recovery.

The Prevention Framework

Build volume gradually. The 10% rule: increase weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week.

Strength train. Strong hips, glutes, and calves are the best injury prevention tool for runners. Weak hips are implicated in a huge proportion of running injuries.

Run on varied surfaces. Concrete is hard. Grass and trail are forgiving. Vary your surfaces where possible.

Prioritise footwear. Get a proper fitting. Replace running shoes every 600–800km.

Do not run through pain. Discomfort is acceptable. Pain — sharp, localised, or persistent — is a signal.

Warm up and cool down. Dynamic movement before. Static stretching and foam rolling after.

Run with the community at RUNVO Run Club. Build your training structure at Movement & Training.