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...errors in training load are the main cause of injuries?

More than half of all runners get injured at least once a year. So what could be the main reason for this? And what can you do to prevent it?

Running is generally considered one of the healthiest sports. With just a pair of running shoes and relatively little time, you can enjoy the health benefits of running almost anywhere in the world. However, the problem is that while running is very healthy, it is also demanding and can quickly lead to overuse injuries. Commonly cited causes include increasing mileage too quickly, weak stabilizing muscles, or improper loading patterns, which can sometimes result from wearing the wrong shoes.

But if you ask researchers who study running injuries, their answer is usually that in around 80% of cases, the problem is doing “too much, too soon.” Weekly mileage is increased too quickly, recovery time after intense sessions is too short, or there's insufficient training in the weeks leading up to a high load—so what might otherwise be a manageable effort suddenly becomes a problem. That’s why researchers prefer to talk about a “training load error” rather than just overuse.

What can we learn from this?

• When we start to feel pain, we should attribute it to training errors and react accordingly by easing up, rather than assuming we can keep going just by adding some extra stretching or warm-up exercises.
• We succeed when we find the right individual balance between weekly mileage, number of training days, and training intensity—just enough to challenge ourselves, but not too much to overwhelm.
• Consistent training without major interruptions should be the goal. Those aiming to improve performance should stress their body about every 72 hours.
• After a training session—especially a strenuous one—enough rest is crucial, because the body needs time to adapt.
• The body needs new stimuli to keep adapting, but give it time to adjust to each new training stress.