Running – you love it! You have taken up running and are beginning to appreciate the benefits: better cardiovascular fitness, weight loss and an improved sense of well being, amongst them. However, it has to be accepted that runners are prone to injury, because running in general, road running in particular, is a high intensity activity, which puts your body under considerable strain.

Running on a variety of surfaces and at different intensities will help to prevent injury, as will a thorough stretching regime. It is also important to wear correctly-fitting, cushioned, supportive running shoes. Another way to reduce the likelihood of injury and to keep yourself fresh for running is to introduce other activities into your training programme i.e. cross training.

Popular complementary aerobic cross training activities are swimming and cycling. Spending time on either of these activities will build on your cardiovascular improvements, without placing the same strain on your muscles and joints, thus lowering your risk of injury. Cross training can also involve other workouts such as weight training, gym sessions, body pump or more gentle, holistic pursuits like yoga and pilates.

Because of the nature of the activity, runners tend to develop short hard muscles, which have a greater tendency to suffer tears and strains. On the other hand, practising yoga or pilates will encourage long strong muscles, thus counteracting the negative effects of running. Furthermore, yoga and pilates exercises give a runner a greater awareness of posture. Once you start to think about how you sit or stand, you begin to develop more general awareness of how your body works. This knowledge, allied to improved posture, can correct the imbalances that result from high impact training, condition the muscular and skeletal system and help prevent pain and injury.

Another key benefit of yoga in particular, is that it introduces runners to more disciplined breathing. Studies have shown that athletes who practised yogic breathing for an extended period showed greater exercise economy, enabling them to work harder at the same heart rate.

Classes in yoga and pilates can also help runners to create and perfect a set of pre and post run stretches that counter the negative effects of training runs. Furthermore, such classes build body strength and are an excellent form of core conditioning.

So, if you are suffering pain and injury as a result of your taking up running, it may be worth enrolling in a yoga or pilates class to counteract the effects of your training or to prevent injuries in future.