Most running injuries are overuse injuries, and they usually follow a change in training: more distance, more speed, more hills or less rest. The research on exact causes is messy, and nothing guarantees you stay injury free. This guide sticks to what the studies actually found, and how Run-R plans use it.
It is not medical advice. If something hurts, see a GP or physio.
Load is the thing you control
Your heart and lungs respond to training within weeks. Tendons and bone are thought to adapt more slowly. After a few good weeks your breathing says you can do more, so you do, and your Achilles or shins have not caught up yet. The usual story is a sudden jump: a new plan that starts too big, an extra-long run, a first track session or trying to make up missed miles.
What the studies say about building up
- The 10% weekly rule. A Dutch trial of novice runners (Buist and colleagues, 2008) found no fewer injuries in a group that followed a graded programme built on the 10% rule than in a group on a standard, quicker programme. So it is a cautious habit, not a proven safeguard.
- Big weekly jumps. A Danish study of novice runners (Nielsen and colleagues, 2014) linked increases of more than about 30% over two weeks to more injuries of some types.
- One run much longer than usual. A 2025 study of 5,205 runners (Frandsen and colleagues) found injury risk rose when a single run was more than 10% longer than the longest run of the previous 30 days. The evidence for this one is better than for the weekly 10% rule.
The rules Run-R builds in
- Weekly volume never rises more than 10% above the last full week.
- No single run is more than 10% longer than your longest of the last four weeks.
- Every fourth week is about 20% lighter, every third for new runners.
- Most running is easy, and hard sessions are never on back-to-back days or the day after the long run. The easy running guide explains why easy matters.
- Complete beginners start with run/walk and do no hard running until two weeks after they can run continuously.
One more is down to you: when your distance is going up, do not add a new type of fast session in the same week.
Strength training
A 2014 meta-analysis (Lauersen and colleagues) found strength training cut sports injuries to less than a third. It covered many sports, not running alone. A 2016 meta-analysis (Balsalobre-Fernandez and colleagues) found strength training improved running economy in well-trained distance runners.
The studies used a range of programmes, so there is no single proven routine. Squats, split squats, single-leg work and calf raises are common choices. Start with body weight, and put leg work after a run or on an easy day rather than before a long run or a key session.
Cadence
The idea that everyone should take 180 steps a minute came from Jack Daniels counting elite runners' steps at the 1984 Olympics. It describes fast runners, not a target for everyone, and cadence rises naturally as you speed up.
There is one useful finding. Heiderscheit and colleagues (2011) found that raising cadence by 5 to 10% reduced the load at the knee and hip. So if you overstride, landing well ahead of your body, a small increase may help. Change it gradually, on easy runs. If you are not overstriding and not in pain, leave it alone.
Shoes
There is no strong evidence that any one type of shoe prevents injury. A 2015 review (Nigg and colleagues) suggested choosing by comfort, which they called the comfort filter. A 2015 study (Malisoux and colleagues) found runners who used more than one pair had fewer injuries, but it was observational, so it cannot show the shoes caused the difference.
Coming back after time off
The return is when many people get hurt again, because your fitness comes back faster than your legs. Rebuild your usual easy running before any fast sessions, and do not jump straight back to your old week. After an injury, follow your physio's advice on when to start.
In a Run-R plan, choose Update my plan and say how long you were out. It brings you back at a lower weekly load and re-plans the weeks from today, with the same 10% limits as before.
Build a plan with the guard rails included
Start from the plan builder. If you are coming back from a long break, the beginner running plan or Couch to 5K starts with run/walk.