Avoid These 5 Common Running Mistakes

Running is one of the most effective forms of exercise when it comes to increasing heart rate and burning calories. At the same time, running can lead to unfortunate consequences if you are not careful and listen to your body.

Read more: 6 tips to avoid running injuries

Pay attention to aches and pains and become good at recognizing bad habits to avoid long training breaks. Typical injuries if you start running too hard are:

• Meningitis
• pain in the lower part of the outside of the thigh and on the outside of the knee
• pain in the front of the knee
• plantar facite (irritation of a tendon-like connective tissue under the foot)
• Achilles stendinopathy (irritation of the tendon at the back of the ankle) 
• ankle injuries and oversprain. 

Here are five mistakes to avoid when you start running. 

1. Too much, too soon

The streets are washed and the spring sun is peeking out. And although it's tempting to see how hard you can push yourself when you replace your cross-country skis with new, lightweight running shoes, there's a high risk of injury if you go out too hard. The body needs time to adapt to the strain. 

We recommend a gradual increase in quantity. Also, vary between calm, moderate and hard weeks. A 10% increase every week, where you either increase your speed or length—in time or in distance—is a simple and straightforward rule of thumb.

2. Insufficient replenishment

Your diet plays a key role in how well you perform. Eat high-protein meals to strengthen muscles, and fill up on energy-rich carbohydrates after long runs.

3. Running as the only form of exercise

If your goal is to become as good a runner as possible, you obviously have to train a lot to run. Nevertheless, it is crucial to balance the training, partly to avoid repetitive strain injuries.

Therefore, add other forms of exercise during the week, such as cycling, strength training or yoga. This is how you maintain both motivation and avoid repetitive strain injuries.

4. Insufficient rest

The consequences of overtraining are not only reduced performance, but also loss of motivation and an exhausted body with a poorer immune system. Take it seriously.

The muscles need time to build themselves back up after hard stresses. And sleep and rest are therefore at least as important a part of training as the training itself. Go to bed early with a clear conscience.

5. You run exclusively on hard surfaces

Every step against the hard pavement creates tremendous pressure on your knees. Replace the asphalt beating with an exciting forest trail from time to time, and let the softer terrain relieve the repetitive strain – and get nice nature experiences in the bargain.

Have a good trip