So How Do You Stay Injury-Free?

First and foremost, stay calm. Injuries happen. Let's not create unnecessary fear or stress around them. In fact, stress can actually increase your risk of injury. Why? Because injuries often stem from too much stress and a lack of capacity to perform at the level you want. With that in mind, I’ve highlighted a few key considerations and training tools learned from my own experiences, coaches, and research, to help you manage that stress.

Training History Matters

While many of us tend to rely on these tools only when already injured, taking a proactive approach by consulting a physiotherapist early on can help identify potential risks and reduce the likelihood of injury. This is a more forward-thinking way to approach training, as injury history plays a significant role in predicting future injuries. In sports science, this is the first step in what we call a 'needs analysis.'

For distance runners, the most common injuries are typically caused by overuse or muscular imbalances in the hips, knees, and calves. I initially fell into the knee injury category, with my own injury history including patellar tendinosis. This condition results from repetitive stress and insufficient healing time for the tendon, leading to degeneration over time. Understanding the root causes and symptoms didn’t just help me adjust my training – it taught me that I could manage certain levels of discomfort, as long as I prioritised recovery and incorporated additional elements into my routine, like static strength exercises and paying attention to nutrition.

Track and Manage Your Training Load

Collect those receipts! And by that, I mean: keep track of your training. For me, reducing injuries over the past two years has largely come down to better management of my training load. Externally, training load refers to the volume, intensity, and frequency of activity accumulated over time. Internally, it’s about tuning into how you feel from session to session (not every run should feel like a 10/10 effort). This isn’t just a tool I use to spot patterns in my own training – it’s also something we actively promote at NOV to gauge pacing and help adjust training sessions accordingly.

What this should do is heighten your awareness of how your body responds to training and provide some baseline metrics to help you understand how to navigate things moving forward. Two of the most useful tools I use to log my training are apps like Strava to track my runs combined with personal notes to reflect on how each session felt. Here’s a quick example of what a training log might look like:

Post run 5km: 'Felt good for majority, 6/10 difficulty, a new niggle on my left hip towards the end'.

The more 'receipts' you collect, the better reference points you’ll have when consulting others, and the more honest and accurate account you’ll have of your training.

Strength Works

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about strength training. The main benefit for runners is in building tendon strength and bone mineral density – in other words, bone health. The stronger your bones and tendons, the more mileage and intensity they can handle over time. So, if you’re still sleeping on it, now’s the time to wake up! Keep it simple: choose one or two compound movements, like squats, lunges, or hinge movements, and combine them with some upper body push and pull exercises to build strength.

As a coach, I’ve found that the most consistent individuals with strength training are those who plan their week ahead. Try to fit in one or two full-body strength sessions. If you're new to strength training, 20-30 minutes of quality work is all you need.

Rest and Recharge the Batteries

Once you’re in the flow of moving daily, prioritising 6-8 hours of sleep (and sneaking in a nap if you have the chance) and fuelling your body with nutrient-dense food become the easiest and most effective ways to support recovery.

Sleep is like a hot drink on a cold, windy day – soothing, restorative, and absolutely essential. And don’t forget the basics: drink your water and eat! That’s the fuel that keeps your engine running. Not getting enough water (aim for 2–3 litres a day) or nutrient-dense food can increase your risk of injury, as it impacts the body’s ability to remodel bone and rebuild muscle.

And I emphasise the nutrient-dense part because, while calories and intake matter, you’ll genuinely notice a difference in your energy levels when you focus on foods with higher nutritional value. Whether it’s fish, meat, or greens, one thing I take real pride in is colouring my plate – it’s almost become a bit of a game. It’s also one of my favourite things about running: the way it helps you tune into your body and develop a deeper awareness of how it responds to different types of fuel.

A Final Word

Remember, running is about the journey – it’s personal to you. The more you embrace where you are right now and commit to building consistent, intentional habits, the more likely you are to create a meaningful and enjoyable running experience. In doing so, you’ll also reduce the risk of running yourself into injury or burnout. So, stay curious, stay patient, and keep building that momentum. Coach Leon

All images featured are taken from @leonparkes_ Instagram.