The Ultimate Guide to Preventing Running Injuries
In any given year, 75% of runners will develop an injury.
That’s wild.
We all run for different reasons. Mental health. Chasing goals. Community. Connection. Vistas. Mindfulness. Exploration. Self awareness. The list is endless, and for most of us, always multi-hyphenate and changing.
All that to say: we can’t afford to lose time on the run to injury.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to running or experienced. Maybe you’re running for the joy of existing in a body that allows you to do so, or perhaps you’re chasing huge goals.
Running injuries are awful. In most cases, they’re also preventable.
Not that injury means that you’ve failed. Nor does it suggest that your coach is terrible, that you need to plan for a lifetime of weekly visits to a running physio, or that you’re doomed to endless battles with pain and injury. But there is a lot we can do to mitigate risk.
Let’s dive into what you can do to ensure that you defy those 75% odds and stay happy and healthy on the run! Sure, aches and pains will still happen (that’s just part of being a runner), but if you follow this advice you’ll dramatically cut down your injury risk, stay healthy for longer, and ultimately get faster.
Table of contents
Intentional Recovery: The most impactful factor in reducing injury risk for most runners.
What’s the link between running injuries and stretching?
Can you prevent running injuries by stretching post-run?
Overtraining is real: Why it happens, how to spot it and how to dig yourself out.
When in doubt, seek support from a running specialist (I.e. physiotherapist or chiropractor with a running focus)
Running injuries are multifactorial
As runners, we’re quick to want to find a single cause of injury. As physiotherapists, chiropractors and running specialist clinicians, we too would love for solutions to be as simple as identifying and managing an isolated cause.
The shoes that were too old.
The time crunched workout where we skipped a cool down.
The skipped strength sessions, lack of stretching and uneven terrain.
We are riddled with guilt as we consider the ways that we have been “bad” runners.
And while we see the temptation to seek a singular downfall, that just isn’t how these things work.
At their core, running injuries are a result of the load that we ask our bodies to tolerate exceeding their capacity for loads.
Seems easy enough. You load your body as you run. If you stay below a threshold, you’re good. If you exceed that threshold, not so much.
The trick is, what is that threshold?
The reality is, it’s a moving target. As in, even for a given runner in a single season, that threshold is constantly moving.
Why?
There are infinite factors that play into your capacity for load. Some are helpful, such as:
A great support system
Solid coping skills
Great recovery habits
Increased emphasis on process vs outcome goals
And others push you closer to the injury threshold:
Stress and anxiety
Poor sleep habits
Performance focus
Poor fuelling
So at any given time, you have multiple factors acting on how far you are from reaching that threshold.
Consider a student athlete during an exam period with a big race coming up.
They could likely tolerate a much tougher workout than someone who is untrained, but the presence of added stress and anxiety means that their risk is likely higher than it may have been without.
Perhaps that same athlete is in an environment where they are well supported by coaches, teammates, friends and family. Maybe they’ve worked to create strategies to manage the potential for overwhelm in this high stress period.
In either instance, the potential for injury is reduced due to more influence of “positive” factors.
And while this is simply a model, the effect is incredibly powerful in the literature as well.
In a recent study of endurance athletes, there was a 51% percent increase in running injuries reported in the two weeks following a single bad night of sleep (defined as any night with <7 hours of sleep).
Furthermore, there was a 32% increase in injuries reported in the week following any psychological or lifestyle complaint.
So what can we make of all of this? How can it help you avoid injury?
Look big picture!
What else is going on in life that could be inching you closer to that threshold?
How can you adjust training and life outside of running when making an upward trajectory towards injury?
How can you ensure that those positives outweigh the negatives by an exponential amount?
To avoid running injuries, start with the basics
While we all dream of low investment miracle shortcuts to injury free running, the “secret” to staying healthy is usually paying attention to the basics. While it may be tempting to take a deep dive into the nitty gritty of each run, training block and year, the best first stop is in assessing your overall approach to training.
Consider:
Are you running too hard, too often?
We’ve all been on the run that we intended to be an “easy cruise” but quickly evolved into a tempo effort progression run. That’s great on occasion, but reality is, most of us are probably running too fast, too often.
The 80/20 rule is a popular approach to running whereby runners do 80% of their running at low intensity and 20% of their time at moderate to high intensity. This approach gained popularity due to the potential performance benefits that it offered, and was based off of observations of many of the world’s greatest endurance runners.
While performance benefits are well documented, it’s also important to note that there is huge potential for reducing injury risk. Ultimately, staying injury free on the run is all about managing loads. When we run faster, the forces our bodies are up against are greater. By slowing down, we’re able to run longer before the demand on our bodies tips us into the realm of injury.
Slowing down also allows us to gradually build greater tolerance to loads so that we can run further, faster, and harder before the risk of injury is too great.
The 80/20 rule is one approach to training that ensures that you don’t hinder your performance or increase your injury risk by unintentionally approaching every run like a tempo run. That said, even if that specific approach doesn’t work for you, it’s worth considering whether you could benefit from slowing down on the vast majority of your runs.
As an added bonus, running more runs easy means that your body will be better prepared to show up and lay down big efforts when that’s on the plan.
2. Are you ramping up too quickly?
In a recent study of runners preparing for the New York Marathon, researchers evaluated numerous modifiable risk factors for injury to identify the ones most relevant in predicting who would develop an injury. Across all levels of experience, the strongest predictor of injury was rapidly increasing training miles.
In short, “too much, too soon” is a runner’s nemesis.
Historically, the “10% rule” has been used to determine an appropriate increase in training week over week. In actual fact, there is little research evidence supporting that number, other than the fact that being a nice round number makes it easy to remember.
A few thoughts to consider:
“10%” is often mistakenly considered to suggest a 10% increase in weekly volume or mileage. Even more than mileage, we need to be considering overall training load.
To demonstrate this, in a recent editorial, researchers compared the loads of a hypothetical runner tackling an easy 10k to the same runner taking on 10 x 1k at a hard effort. The 1k intervals meant 3,200 fewer steps, but 12% greater ground reaction forces and 21% greater loads through the Achilles tendon.
Big picture, we need to be considering the overall load of training in order to avoid the trap of underestimating training stress. That means considering volume, intensity, duration and frequency, and recognizing the need to adapt to the ebbs and flows of life outside of training. The 10% rule makes it awfully easy to fall into the trap of focusing too heavily on a single element of overall training load.There are a lot of cases where this approach wouldn’t actually be reasonable. Take, for example, a runner who has high mileage as a baseline. In this instance, a “ceiling effect” may come into play where much more than fractions of a percentage increase in training load may inch them dangerously close to the injury threshold.
In short, a slow, progressive approach to running with plenty of runway before a big event is ideal.
Unfortunately, there’s no formula to help us determine what the sweet spot is for each individual runner (and each individual season within the career of a given runner), but when in doubt, we always recommend a more cautious approach if injury prevention is a top goal.
3. Are you overlooking the importance of periodization?
Periodization is a term that means proper planning by breaking your training into segments, or periods. Most runners are used to considering the phases within an official “training block”. As physiotherapists and chiropractors specialized in running, where we tend to see runners go wrong is at zooming out further to view their running goals and training from a year out, or even further.
Two key things that we want to help runners understand when it comes to periodization:
Off seasons are important
First up, it’s impossible to be at our peak fitness all the time. The pros sure aren’t, so the average runner definitely needs to plan and honour the need for some prolonged downtime on occasion. Our bodies need to recover and a week off post-marathon simply isn’t enough.
While it seems counterintuitive to let adaptation and fitness gains lapse, the result will be a faster, healthier runner.
As an added bonus, you’ll have a little more time to tap into realms of life outside of running.
Plan and be intentional as you progress through your season.
Runners can be in “intense” training for 8-10 weeks before we’re likely to see dips in performance (not to mention injury risk and a fast track to mental and physical burnout). If you’re stretching for huge performance goals, that sometimes means that you’re dancing a delicate dance around a threshold of overtraining.
Regardless of whether you’re shooting for huge goals or simply looking to enjoy the build towards a local race, here are a few strategies to periodize your training:
Early season training should be much easier than later in the season.
That means that you can still do workouts, but the overall intensity and stress on your body should not be excessive. This ensures that over-training, injury and mental burnout are less likely.
Progress your volume gradually over the first two thirds of the training program.
That means gradually building mileage, long run distances and volume of higher intensity workouts.
Increase your intensity and consider a decrease in volume in the final third of your training block.
Remember how training load isn’t only determined by mileage? As you reach the point where you’re honing that speed to ensure you’re fast, fit and ready to fly, consider that a slight decrease in volume will allow you to do so without tipping the overall ask on your body into higher risk for developing an injury.
Trust us; this will allow you to push without loading on the fatigue and will put you in a great position for a huge race.
Move from general to specific over the course of your season.
Initial sessions should cover a wider range of paces and overall conditioning. As race day appears, you hone in a little more on the specific demands of the task at hand.
At the end of the day, your best performance isn’t going to be the result of a single training block where you nail every workout. It’s going to happen when you’re able to successfully string together multiple healthy blocks.
Periodization is an important component to ensuring that you’re able to tap into your full potential in a given season, while also helping you remain resilient to running injury.
What role does run technique play in running injury risk?
A lot!
…maybe.
Some studies suggest significant reduction in injury risk when healthy runners undergo running gait training.
For example, one recent study followed a group of runners for one year following two weeks of gait training and compared them to runners with no training. At the start of the study, all participants were healthy.
One year later, the gait training group reported 62% fewer injuries than those in the control group. That’s an exciting statistic for any runner!
“Percent survival” refers to number of runners who remain uninjured. The green line represents those who underwent two weeks of gait training, while the red line represents a control group who did not.
With gait training, we can also see changes in biomechanical measures that have previously been demonstrated to be likely contributors to injury.
For example, in a study of runners with “Runner’s Knee” (aka patellofemoral pain syndrome or PFPS), a few sessions of gait training was shown to reduce both pain and pelvic drop. Pelvic drop has previously been linked to increased load on the knee and greater risk of injury (80% increase for every 1 degree of drop). So it is assumed that the gait training was a contributor to improvement.
On the other hand, there has also been some suggestion that we need to be cautious in how much we emphasize the role of running gait assessment and training to reduce running related injury risk.
For example, when considering running economy (or how efficient a runner is), we know that experienced runners tend to see less benefit from gait training as they naturally select their most efficient movement strategy.
Adding further complication, we have also seen some studies suggesting that changing gait in uninjured runners can lead to increased injury risk.
So what can we make of this?
Remember the whole running injuries are “multi-factorial” thing? Running gait can absolutely have impact. But it is unlikely to play a huge role in the event that the rest of the big picture is battering you into the injury valley.
We also know that any change to the running gait won’t reduce overall load, but will redistribute it. Meaning that change does come with some risk as you move load from one tissue or structure to another. That tissue that is now taking on more ask isn’t necessarily accustomed to meeting that demand.
And finally, individual differences in training habits, injury history, experience and more mean that some runners may see more or less benefit than others.
All that to say, running gait or technique is one piece of the injury puzzle. It’s not enough to use it in isolation and expect to mitigate all risk for developing a running injury, but when used appropriately, it has potential to be mighty powerful.
You might just end up finding new levels of possibility from a performance perspective too!
Intentional Recovery
The most impactful strategy to reduce injury risk for most runners.
Recovering well is anecdotally (with plenty of research support) the single most impactful factor in reducing injury risk for most runners.
To be clear, we’re referring to intentional recovery. That means planning your recovery just as much as you do your training.
And we’re using recovery as an umbrella term for sleep habits, fuelling, hydration and mental well-being.
Why is this so important? Better recovery means reduced fatigue, increased work capacity, improved performance and decreased running injury risk.
So to ensure that you’re healthy, happy and running your best, a big picture recovery plan is key, as are consistent check-ins to refine your approach as your needs vary. Kind of like how you have an overall approach to training for an upcoming race with the odd adjustment as life happens.
Remember what we said above: Even a single day of high stress can impact your injury risk for the worse. That doesn’t mean that you’re doomed if you have a day of terrible sleep or awful nutrition, but it does mean that you might need to adjust your training expectations or your intentional recovery efforts to counter those factors.
If you’re unsure how to level up your recovery game, working with a Coach or a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in running is a great place to start.
But, please don't default to rest and only rest
We’ve seen it on repeat thousands upon thousands of times.
Runner feels discomfort. They take time off to avoid pain. They feel better. They return to running. Pain comes back fast and furious.
We see the temptation to shut things down once pain starts. Pain isn’t pleasant and it makes sense that we should stop everything to let it “calm down”.
The problem with this approach is two-fold:
You haven’t addressed the actual problem. Why is it that the painful tissue was painful or overloaded in the first place? Without a clear idea of “why” the pain exists and a solid plan to overcome it, rest is really just avoidance. Just because you’re not experiencing pain at rest doesn’t mean it won’t come back with a vengeance once you’re on the run.
You’re only getting weaker in that time off. Most injuries that we see in runners are about tolerance to load. If the demand that you put on a tissue exceeds it’s capacity for load, pain or running injuries develop. A huge goal in the rehab process is to increase a tissue’s tolerance for load. Instead, when you simply take time off, you’re likely only decreasing tolerance. That means that even less load is required to push you over the threshold to pain and injury. Not aligned with your return from injury goals to say the least.
To be clear, there are some cases where straight up rest is absolutely recommended.
For example, we tend to be far more cautious when bone stress injuries are in play. But the trap of yo yo injuries with endless cycles of injury, rest and re-injury is an easy one to fall into.
So before that bit of discomfort blows up into endless cycles of pain, it’s absolutely worth getting assessed by someone with a special interest in running. Getting clear on the factors driving your discomfort and creating a progressive plan to return to running stronger than ever is always favourable to defaulting to rest, re-injure and repeat.
Avoid extra trips to your physio by moving well
Again, most injuries are a result of load exceeding capacity to tolerate loads. But the factors driving both the load that a tissue is up against and it’s capacity to tolerate load are numerous.
We know that factors outside of running can impact our ability to show up. Think sleep, stress, nutrition and more.
We also know that movement strategies play a big part in how a tissue is loaded.
Take, for example, a calf strain.
You’re deep into a marathon training block. You’ve been building gradually, keeping those easy runs easy and paying attention to your mobility, strength work, and lifestyle habits. You’ve done everything “right”. And then you start to notice a tight feeling in your right calf. It’s a small thing, but growing more noticeable and after a speed session, you feel both nervous about it “blowing up” and aware that you just don’t have the same pep.
Of course you may start to question your strength training, shoe choices, lack of mobility work, etc. And in many instances, you’d be right to do so.
But from a biomechanical perspective, consider these possible causes of a tight calf:
Lack of Achilles “spring”
Your achilles tendon is designed to act like a spring and propel you forward as you run. If you lack the ability to take advantage of that spring, your muscles will have to work harder to generate the force needed to run.
Poor control through the hips and pelvis
This often shows up as your pelvis dropping or your knee caving in as you land on one foot while running. Without good control here, you can’t tap into your strength in your glute medius, and will once again have to work a lot harder in the calves to propel yourself forward.
Lack of hip extension
If you can’t extend at the hip, your heel will lift off the ground earlier. This is, once again, going to ask more of your calves.
Poor range of motion at the ankle (Dorsiflexion)
This one is super common in those with history of ankle injuries. Once again, we see the heel lift early and you’ll have a lot more up and down motion. In both cases, those calves will be working harder than they should.
Weak calves
A tight muscle is an overworked muscle. It could be as simple as needing to increase your strength in this muscle group in an effort to tolerate the loads of running.
Big picture? Move well to stay healthy, because pain in a specific tissue is often driven by how you move elsewhere in the chain.
Sometimes a quick scan of how you move can show some asymmetries that might offer a little insight into where you have risk.
Sometimes an assessment with a running specialist (physio, chiro, etc) is your ticket to success.
If you’re unsure of where to start, a physiotherapist or chiropractor at a running clinic is a solid option.
Either way, recognize that moving well is a big component of keeping the most common running injuries at bay (trust us, knees are almost always innocent bystanders!).
What’s the link between running injuries and stretching?
First up, we can pretty much guarantee that a lack of stretching is not the single most impactful driver of any running injury.
We also know that it won’t improve performance.
So, if you find yourself feeling guilty about not stretching pre- or post-run, let it go now.
Instead, consider:
A pre-run warm up including dynamic movements that move your body through various ranges. This happens to be a favourite of ours.
Beginning the run with a walk or very easy run effort for 5-10 minutes.
You may want to finish off with a few strides, which means short running efforts with an emphasis on elements of running form. Think 4 x 20 steps while you focus on driving into the ground or crushing an imaginary can under your foot with each step.
Drills prior to the run are another great option, especially prior to speed work or other higher intensity workouts.
That’s it. Primed to run your best and stay healthy while you’re at at!
Can you prevent running injuries by stretching post-run?
Here, we recommend Active Isolated Stretching.
It has been shown to allow your nervous system to relax, allows you to tune into changes in your body or asymmetries developing over time and encourages blood flow due to the active component. All helpful things in preventing running injuries.
It has also been shown to be just as effective hours post-run as it is immediately after finishing. So for time crunched runners, pressure’s off to carve out time from your run. Get it done at any time that day and you’re set.
What about the role of shoes?
You’d be hard pressed to find a runner who isn’t down to chat about running shoes on repeat, and for good reason. They make a huge difference to our experience, performance and comfort.
That said, the role that they play in injury may often be over exaggerated. Yes, they can contribute to your risk (more on that soon). What we see all too frequently though is that runners want to place all the blame on their shoes.
Too old.
Too flat.
Not “stable” enough.
We won’t deny that they play a role. We simply challenge runners to ensure that they are looking beyond the shoe as they aim to tease out factors driving their injury risk or onset.
We’re asked daily which shoe is the “right” one. While we love a good deep dive into shoes as much as the next runner, we’re always careful to note that there is no “right” shoe. Individual body types, movement patterns, goals, paces, foot widths, preferences, experience and so much more will determine the best shoe for you.
So when runners ask us what shoes they should be wearing, we like to refer to a few guidelines:
Neutral is likely best.
Claims that a given foot type requires a “stability” shoe are likely unfounded. Evidence suggests that running injury rates are lowest in neutral shoes, regardless of foot type (and FYI injury rates were actually demonstrated to be lowest in runners classified as “pronators”).
Avoid dramatic changes.
If you’re used to a show with a 10mm heel toe drop, don’t jump straight to a 4mm drop. As always, explore the “why” behind an approach and make gradual changes.
Beware of new paradigms or trends.
Remember the barefoot shoes with individual toe holes? Always a good call to be wary of major claims around revolutionary changes to the running shoe world. We’re all for progress (and you better believe that the game has changed in big ways in recent years when it comes to performance), but the reality is that we need to be cautious of the risk involved in overstating the benefits, risk or harms of any given shoe.
Always have multiple pairs on the go.
Research has shown that runners who cycle through more than one pair of shoes at any given time have 39% fewer running injuries than those who rely on a single pair. Even if it’s multiple pairs of the same model, you stand to benefit.
Super shoes have undeniable potential for performance benefits, but should be used cautiously through training.
The higher stack height asks a lot of the foot and ankle. The carbon plates direct more energy (load) back up into your tissue.
We like to think of super shoes as a race day super power, with just enough use in training to have confidence that they are comfortable (think 2-4 shorter workouts in later stages of training).
Be conscious of shifting loads.
Remember, when we change how we move, we don’t decrease overall loads, we just shift or redistribute them.
For example:
Higher drop = greater ask on knees. Lower drop = greater ask on Achilles, foot and lower leg.When in doubt, go for comfort.
Our current understanding of running shoes and their role in running injuries suggests that the best way to prevent injury from a shoe perspective is to select the one that feels most comfortable for you. Don’t be afraid to try on a zillion pairs, and trust your gut!
Results from a study comparing injury rates when selecting most comfortable footwear vs an assigned standard shoe. Injury rates were 53% lower when able to select footwear based on comfort.
Can strength training prevent running injuries?
When it comes to running performance, we have an abundance of evidence demonstrating the immense value of strength training. Runners can see as much as 8% improvement in running economy with just 4 weeks of strength training.
Where we have less data is in the relationship between strength training and injury risk. In fact, for every study suggesting that strength training has capacity to reduce running injury risk, there’s one suggesting no protective effect.
So does that mean that strength training has no impact on our running injury risk?
Not necessarily. Here’s why:
This is a challenging thing to study. With so many factors playing into one’s risk and the need for prolonged participation to see some benefit, there are infinite challenges to getting a good picture of the impact of strength training. Historically, drop out rates are high in these studies, for one.
Existing studies are potentially under dosing the strength component of training. Meaning that the suggested strength protocol being tested is unlikely to actually build strength.
Compliance with the strength protocol is likely poor, and (unsurprisingly) has huge impact. In one recent study, researchers initially saw no significant differences in injury rates between a strength training group and a control group (no strength intervention). However, once they divided the strength training group into those who were “compliant” (completing at least 90% of prescribed sessions) were 85% less likely to report a running related injury over the course of the study than those who fell into the “low compliance” group (completing <50% of prescribed sessions). In other words, while seemingly obvious, you have to do the work to reap the rewards!
And while we have limited evidence of overall reduction in injury risk, we do know that strength training has numerous other benefits, many of which have been tied to reduced running injury risk:
Increased strength
Increased tissue tolerance
Added training variability
Enhanced movement coordination and control
Improved bone density
Improved cardiovascular health
Improved reactive strength
Improved VO2 Max
Improved economy
Greater confidence and perceived tolerance to discomfort
Improved performance across running distances
So where does this leave us?
Ultimately, strength training is wildly beneficial to runners of all ages, levels, distances and goals.
How big of a role it plays in injury prevention is not yet fully understood in the research world, but the anecdotal insight and awareness of the challenges in studying any potential benefits allow us to make the assumption that it is worth showing up and moving heavy things. Worst case scenario, you’ll come out the other side with huge gains from a running economy and performance standpoint. For most runners, that is plenty and a likely bonus of reducing injury risk is added benefit.
Overtraining is real: Why it happens, how to spot it and how to dig yourself out.
Researchers estimate that ~60% of runners will experience symptoms of overtraining at some point. What’s more, recovery from overtraining can require several months before performance potential returns to baseline. While it isn’t always included in discussions around running injuries, it plays a big part in your experience as a runner.
So, it’s no wonder that learning the subtle signs and symptoms is a key part of ensuring that you stay healthy and ready to tackle your running goals.
While the signs and symptoms aren’t the most overt, we do have a solid understanding of what training elements might increase your risk, subtle signs to recognize that you’re flirting with trouble and bring you back to health and peak capacity in the event that you find yourself in this category.
What is overtraining?
It’s a build up of stress from training and life outside of training that results in a long-term decrease in performance capacity. It’s usually associated with both physical and psychological signs and symptoms, and requires weeks to months to recover.
Basically, when training loads aren’t met with adequate rest, the body can’t function to it’s fullest potential.
We’re talking changes to immune, hormonal and nervous system function, as well as psychological factors. Increased heart rates, feeling stressed, irritable or moody, trouble sleeping, constantly fighting illness, and poor sleep are common complaints, as are frequent or persistent injuries.
What causes it?
Again, we’re talking about an imbalance of training demand and recovery.
Here are three common scenarios:
Reaching too far in a given training cycle
If your best marathon time is 4 hours and you decide to make the next one a 3:15, you’re likely asking a lot of your body. Of course, individual differences are very real and people can make huge jumps (especially as newer runners), but reaching too far in your goals can be risky.
Not taking an off season or break between training cycles
Yes, you may lose a bit of fitness short term, but you stand to lose a lot more if you don’t take this time. You’ve asked a ton of your body and it needs time to adapt and recover. Take that break, remember that you are likely to feel recovered before you truly are and enjoy the time off knowing that you’ll be stronger for it.
Too much intensity
Speed work every other day, running too fast on rest days, or failing to build lower load weeks into the plan can mean that the ask accumulates faster than the capacity to recover.
How to fight it
You’ve probably already guessed that the ticket to avoid overtraining is rest.
Be intentional in how you build recovery into your goals and planning. Think both big picture over the course of the year as well as more immediate such as post-run habits, lower intensity weeks, sleep, nutrition, stress management, and so on.
Don’t be afraid to have the occasional gut check as yo how you’re feeling and to adapt your plans as needed. It can be tough to do when we’re invested in our goals, but can be huge in preventing months of frustration, stagnation, injury and more!
When in doubt, seek support from a running specialist
You may have noticed a common theme here: there’s a lot to consider when it comes to staying healthy and having a clear, progressive, targeted plan to get you towards your goals is key.
Of course, not every niggle means you need to drop everything and get to the nearest physiotherapist, chiropractor or clinic. But, if you have questions, aren’t getting the results you want or haven’t seen progress in a few days to weeks, it’s worth connecting with someone who can help you put a plan in place.
While our bias is real, working with someone who specializes in the demands of your sport is key.
We get the ask on your body.
We get the common patterns that show up as you move through training cycles.
We get the impact that injury can have physically, socially, and emotionally.
We get it. We’re here for you. Let’s figure it out together.
Resources to dive deeper
We’ve tried to offer links throughout this article to help you dive deeper into the topics that you relate to most. That said, there are a few resources that we refer to often in our Toronto running clinic that you may find to be beneficial.
Online resources:
Books:
Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry
The Science of Running by Chris Napier
Running Mechanics and Gait Analysis by Reed Ferber and Shari Macdonald
Strength and Conditioning for Endurance Running by Richard Blagrove
Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu
Podcasts:
The Strength Running Podcast - The Hidden Causes of Running Injuries with Brodie Sharp
BJSM Podcast - Running Repairs with James Alexander: Get up to speed with the latest research