Some runners may be very injury-prone yet others can go on for years without suffering any running injuries.

Having the correct running technique may have something to do with having less injuries as a runner. If you are not doing them yet, here are some pointers that you may want to follow, in order to improve your running technique and reduce the risk of injuries at the same time.

Do Stretching

Stretching to constantly improve the flexibility of your muscles is important – this will help you to continue to maintain a good range of motion when you run and at the same time, reduce your chances of sustaining injuries from stiffened muscles.

And stretching with yoga helps to keep your body and muscles agile.

Have Good Posture

In terms of posture, if you slouch during your runs, your body has to exert more muscles and energy to hold you in an upright position for running. As such, this restricts the circulation of blood to your vital organs and muscles and also your brain. So it will make you feel more fatigued and tired when running.

So when you run, try and maintain an upright posture – that is, having a relatively straight spine that is not bent.

Have Correct Leg movements

Many runners tend to over-stride when they run and this causes hamstring and knee problems, which can develop into full-blown injuries – because circulation to your legs is poor and the muscles won’t be able to recover as fully as they should.

And when you run, your feet should be in front of you and not underneath you, and your legs should also preferably be in a 90 degree angle to your body.

Find out your Cadence

Typically, cadence refers to the number of strides or steps per minute during running. The optimum cadence is about 85 to 90 steps per minute. But most recreational runners fall below that. As such this means that they expend more energy to support their body weight and therefore will tire them out more easily.

So find out your cadence – which you can do by counting the number of steps you take in one full minute, and work on quickening this if it is a bit on the low side.

Do Correct Breathing

Good breathing habits are also very important for runners. If you are often panting during your runs, chances are that your breathing is too shallow. Instead try and take deep breaths, that is, from your abdomen rather than shallow ones that utilise purely the upper part of the lungs.

This will increase your oxygen intake, and therefore in turn, makes you more efficient at burning and using energy during your runs.

Listen to your body

Listening to your body is crucial in terms of having a good running technique and at the same time, also preventing injuries from worsening.

Running with pain is not the way to go. Instead, the moment you feel pain that isn’t going to going away and appears to be getting worse the more you run, then do stop immediately and take a rest.

Be Relaxed

And be a relaxed runner. If you are relaxed when you are running, your muscles will not be so tensed up and at the same time, you will enjoy yourself a lot better during the process of running. This will, in turn, help you become a much happier runner.