Physiotherapists recommend the following to minimise injuries.

Warm up properly
Warming up increases blood flow to your muscles and increases body temperature.

Focus on proper running form
Good running form increases performance and prevents injuries.

Perform strength training exercises
Strength training strengthens muscles and joints and can help you run more efficiently and with less effort.

Allow time for recovery
You need time for your body to recover from exercise for best results.

Don’t increase your mileage by more than ten percent per week
Doing too much too soon doesn’t allow your body time to adapt, which may lead to injury. Reducing the frequency and duration of runs can also help to prevent injury.

Vary the surface
Runners are advised to change the terrain they run on occasionally – such as trail, beach, or grass running. This provides more unstable ground and allows the legs to strengthen different muscles. Runners should, however, be wary of twisting their ankles on such terrain.

Easy on the downhills
Running downhill also increases knee stress and should be introduced gradually. If you do find yourself injured do not attempt “to run through the pain” as this could further damage the injury and prolong the recovery. Visit your physiotherapist if the pain persists.