How to Avoid Running Injuries

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Ready to run? Stay safe and injury-free with these expert tips.

By the Editors of Fitness Magazine

Question: "I'd like to start running, but I worry about getting injured. What should I watch for?"

Though running isn't inherently harmful, it's smart to take precautions before you start something new. Alan Hreljac, Ph.D., of California State University in Sacramento, offers these tips:

Increase time or distance -- not both -- no more than 10 percent from one week to the next.
Stay on soft surfaces to lessen impact. Run on dirt paths, not streets.
Stop before you get tired. When muscles fatigue, they don't absorb as much impact.
Rest one to two days between runs. Injuries can occur when bone or tissue is continually taxed without time to rejuvenate.
Strengthen. Stronger leg muscles absorb more impact. Try a lower-body move like squats.

Originally published in Fitness magazine.

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