Injury Prevention
How to train hard without breaking down. Training load management, volume caps, warning signs, and what to do when something hurts.
14 articles
Training Load Spikes: The Number One Cause of Running Injuries
It is not the total amount of running that hurts you. It is the sudden increase. The research is overwhelming: rapid changes in training load — not training load itself — predict injury.
Soreness vs Injury: A Simple Decision Tree
Muscle soreness after a hard run is normal. Pain that changes how you move is not. Here is how to tell the difference — and what to do about each.
The Warning Signs Your Body Is Giving You (And How to Listen)
Overtraining doesn't arrive suddenly. It builds through a predictable sequence of warning signs that most runners ignore because they feel like normal training stress. Here is how to recognize the pattern.
Coming Back After Time Off: How to Not Undo Your Recovery
The injury healed. The time off happened. Now the hardest part: coming back slowly enough that you don't get re-injured. Here is the return-to-training protocol that works.
Shoe Rotation and Replacement: When Your Shoes Are Hurting You
Running shoes degrade gradually. The cushioning that protects you at 100 miles performs differently at 400 miles. Here is how to know when your shoes need rotating or replacing.
Should You Run When Sick? The Neck Check and Beyond
The 'neck check' — above the neck, run; below the neck, rest — is a useful starting point but misses important nuances. Here is when running while sick is safe, when it is risky, and when it is genuinely dangerous.
Why Running Through Pain Makes Everything Worse
Toughness is a virtue. Running through an injury is not toughness — it is a decision that turns a 2-week problem into a 2-month problem.
Cross-Training for Runners: What Actually Helps
Not all cross-training is created equal. Some activities maintain your aerobic fitness during time off. Others feel productive but do not transfer to running. Here is what the evidence supports.
Runner's Knee: Training Load vs Strength vs Form
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is the most common running injury overall. The name 'runner's knee' implies running causes it. It doesn't. Training errors and strength deficits do.
Shin Splints: Why They Keep Coming Back
Shin splints are the most common running injury for beginners — and the most commonly mismanaged. The pain goes away with rest. Then it comes back because the underlying cause was never addressed.
Achilles and Calf Problems: The 'Too Fast Too Soon' Injury
The Achilles tendon handles 6-8 times your body weight with every running stride. It is remarkably tough — but it adapts slowly. When training increases faster than the tendon can remodel, problems follow.
Sleep, Stress, and Injury Risk
You cannot out-train bad sleep or chronic stress. Both directly impair recovery, increase injury risk, and degrade performance. Here is what the research shows — and what you can actually do about it.
Plantar Fasciitis: The Mistakes That Keep It Alive
Plantar fasciitis is the most stubborn running injury because the most common treatment approaches — aggressive stretching and complete rest — often make it worse, not better.
RED-S: Why Under-Fueling Is a Training Problem, Not Just a Diet Problem
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) affects runners at every level. It is not an eating disorder — it is a mismatch between energy intake and energy expenditure that degrades performance, health, and bone density.