The Runner’s Guide to Smarter Training: Injury Prevention + Better Pace

Running is fantastic for heart health, mental clarity (after you have overcome the initial inertia) and overall fitness. If you’ve ever wondered how to train smarter, prevent running injuries and run faster or longer, this guide is for you. We’ll cover how and why injuries happen, provide tips on how to improve running performance while preventing injuries, and show you what a sample training week looks like.

How and Why Runners Get Injured

Most injuries happen when load exceeds your body’s capacity. That means your muscles, tendons, bones and joints haven’t fully adapted to the stress you’re placing on them.

Here’s what research shows:

1. Previous Injuries

If you’ve had a knee, ankle or Achilles problem in the past year, your risk of another injury goes up. That’s because tissues need time and rehab to fully regain strength and resilience. Most people stop rehab as soon as they feel “okay,” but the muscles and tendons never fully get back to their pre-injury strength.

Your fix: It is important to finish your rehab. Even after pain’s gone, keep building strength, control and tissue capacity.

2. Too Much, Too Soon

You feel great, your fitness is climbing… and you add a big long run and a second speed session in the same week. Your heart and lungs may have adapted but your tendons and bones take a longer time to adapt.

Your fix: Keep increases gradual, around 5–10% per week, and avoid stacking hard runs close together (eg. running at high intensity on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday instead of spreading it out over the week)

3. New or Returning Runners

If you’re just starting or you’ve been away from running for a while, your injury risk is higher early on. Your tissues take weeks or months to catch up to your cardiovascular fitness.

Your fix: Build your base for 4–6 weeks before pushing or chasing speed or distance goals.

4. Under-fuelling

Not eating enough for the work you do can slow recovery, reduce bone density and increase injury risk. This is especially relevant for stress fractures and hormonal health in women.

Your fix: Eat enough carbs for fuel, enough protein for repair and enough total calories to match your training load.

5. Repetitive Stress

Depending on your mileage, running in the exact same shoes, on the exact same surface, loads the same tissues the same way every time.

Your fix: Give your body some variety. Try hill repeats, trails or different shoes to keep tissues adaptable and strong.

How to Improve Running Performance and Prevent Injuries

Think of this as your “performance + prevention” plan, based on research.

1. Keep Most Runs Easy

Your easy pace should feel like you could hold a conversation without gasping. If you have a fitness watch or heart rate monitor, use that to monitor your heart rate zones. Easy runs help build your aerobic engine and allows you recover so you can push it for your hard sessions.

2. Strength Train Twice a Week

Strength work improves running economy (you run faster at the same effort) and resilience.

Some examples of exercises are:

• Split squats or lunges

• Deadlifts or hip hinges

• Step ups

• Calf raises (with your knees straight and knees bent)

• Core stability work

3. Add A Little Bounce

Short, controlled plyometrics like hops, bounds or pogo jumps teach your legs to store and release energy efficiently. Start with small sets once or twice a week.

4. Tweak Your Cadence (only if needed)

If you’ve got knee or hip pain, increasing your step rate by 5–10% can lower joint loading without slowing you down.

5. Fuel Up!

Food is fuel for your tissues. Without enough fuel, recovery slows, performance stalls and injury risk rises. Eat around workouts and don’t fear carbs.

6. Listen Early, Act Early

Don’t wait until pain stops you from running. If something’s been bugging you for more than a week, scale back, adjust, and if it doesn’t settle, it is important to get it checked.

Sample Running Week

Day	Session	Details & Tips
Monday	Strength Training – Lower Body Focus	Focus on building strength in glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves. The number of repetitions and sets to do will depend on what whether you're looking to improve endurance, strength or power. The ranges below are suited to someone who is just starting their strength journey. The aim is to get familiar with the exercises with light weights before progressing to heavier weights and lower repetitions. Exercises: 1) 10-12 split squats per leg x 3 sets 2) 10-12 x 3 sets deadlifts or hip hinges 3) 10-12 step ups per leg x 3 sets 4) 12-15 reps x 3 sets single leg calf raises (straight and bent knee). Note: Before you add on heavier weights, please ensure you're familiar with the exercise technique. If you're new to strength training, we recommend performing these with a physiotherapist or experienced trainer. Performing these exercises with proper technique will ensure you use the correct muscles. For those who are experienced in strength training, aim for 5-8 reps for each set for split squats and deadlifts. Keep weights challenging but controlled.
Tuesday	Easy Run + Strides	30–45 min at conversational pace. Finish with 4–6 short strides (20–30s) at ~80% effort to improve leg turnover and coordination.
Wednesday	Quality Session (Tempo, Hills, or Intervals)	Tempo: 20–30 min at comfortably hard pace (you can speak in short sentences) Hills: 30s of uphill sprints with jog back recovery x 6 sets Intervals: 400m at faster pace with 1–2 min jog recovery x 6 sets. Focus on form and breathing.
Thursday	Strength Training – Core & Plyometrics	Core: 1) 12 dead bugs x 3 sets 2) 12 bird dogs x 3 sets 3) 30s side planks with leg lifts x 3 sets Plyometrics (low-volume, safe): 1) 8 box hops or step-ups x 3 sets 2) 10-12 squat jumps x 3 sets 3) 25-30 pogo hops x 3 sets Keep landings soft, knees aligned and land lightly. Plyometrics Notes: Plyometrics improve running economy, tendon elasticity and explosive power. This will help you run faster with less effort. Keep volume low, especially if you’re new to plyometrics. 2 short sessions per week is plenty. Examples for beginners: pogo hops, mini bounds, or low box jumps. Advanced runners can add higher jumps or lateral bounds. Always land softly and in control. Think “quiet feet” rather than “explosive stomps”
Friday	Easy Run or Cross-Training	20–40 min at conversational pace OR cross-train with cycling, swimming, or brisk walking. Focus on movement without overloading the running muscles.
Saturday	Long Run – Conversational Pace	60–90 min depending on your level. Keep it easy; you should be able to chat comfortably. Focus on endurance, not speed.
Sunday	Rest or Light Mobility	Full rest or 20–30 min of pilates, yoga, stretching, foam rolling or gentle mobility work. Let your body recover and adapt.

What We Offer

Our physiotherapists are rehabilitation and movement specialists who enjoy running. We’re here to help:

1) Spot Problems Early: We notice the tiny aches, tight muscles or subtle imbalances that often precede bigger injuries. Catching these early means you can fix them before they stop you from running.

2) Gait and Running Form Analysis: Small changes in how you move can make a big difference. We analyse your running form and suggest tweaks to improve mechanics, run more efficiently and reduce stress on vulnerable areas.

3) Personalised Strength and Mobility Programs: Every body is different. We deisgn exercises specifically for your needs - strengthening weak areas, improving mobility where you're tight or stiff, and increasing power to improve running performance.

4) Rehabilitate Injuries: If you do get injured, we help you rebuild mobility, strength, flexibility and confidence in your body so you return to running stronger than before.

5) Education and Self-Management: We're here to equip you with the tools you need. We teach you who to manage load, recover properly and prevent future injuries. We give you tools like warm-up strategies, stretching routines, guidance on pacing, mileage progression and footwear.

Final Thoughts

Most running injuries are preventable. If you train smart, fuel well, build strength and listen to your body, your runs will feel faster, stronger and you’ll be able to go further. Reach out to us for expert guidance.