Running - Signs You’re On the Verge of Injury (and What to Do About It)

Ever feel a twinge during a run and wonder if you should push through or stop? It happens to the best of us at some point. But the key to knowing which decision to make is learning to listen to your body and recognizing the signs of an injury versus normal fatigue and soreness from training.

There is a fine line between normal training fatigue and the warning signs of an injury. And often, it can be incredibly difficult to tell the difference. The goal today is to help you identify which one you are potentially dealing with and how to address the issue early on, so you don’t find yourself sidelined for weeks or months.

Understanding the Early Warning Signs

Twinges vs. Pain

Unexplained Fatigue

Feeling tired after long runs or hard workouts is normal. However, if you find yourself exhausted beyond your usual post-workout fatigue and unable to recover, that’s a red flag.

Being overly fatigued—even after rest days—can signal that you’re pushing too hard. Worse, training while fatigued can alter your form and stride, increasing your risk of injury. Your body compensates for tired muscles by shifting the workload to other areas, which can cause overuse injuries in unexpected places.

Changes in Form or Mechanics

Have you noticed that your stride feels off? Maybe one knee is bothering you, but the other isn’t. Or perhaps your right hip hurts, but your left knee is acting up. These aren’t random—they’re connected.

When your body starts to develop an injury, it affects your mechanics. You might unknowingly favor one side to protect a sore spot, leading to compensatory injuries. If something feels off, take a step back and assess what’s happening before pushing through.

Swelling, Stiffness, or Persistent Soreness

Swelling is a major indicator of inflammation and overuse. Many runners brush off swelling in areas like the knees, ankles, or hips, but it’s a sign that your body is struggling to recover.

Persistent stiffness that doesn’t ease up after warm-ups or rest can also signal underlying tissue damage. If you notice consistent soreness in the same area for days on end, your body is warning you that something is wrong.

Unexplained Fatigue

Feeling tired after long runs or hard workouts is normal. However, if you find yourself exhausted beyond your usual post-workout fatigue and unable to recover, that’s a red flag.

Being overly fatigued—even after rest days—can signal that you’re pushing too hard. Worse, training while fatigued can alter your form and stride, increasing your risk of injury. Your body compensates for tired muscles by shifting the workload to other areas, which can cause overuse injuries in unexpected places.

Changes in Form or Mechanics

Have you noticed that your stride feels off? Maybe one knee is bothering you, but the other isn’t. Or perhaps your right hip hurts, but your left knee is acting up. These aren’t random—they’re connected.

When your body starts to develop an injury, it affects your mechanics. You might unknowingly favor one side to protect a sore spot, leading to compensatory injuries. If something feels off, take a step back and assess what’s happening before pushing through.

Swelling, Stiffness, or Persistent Soreness

Swelling is a major indicator of inflammation and overuse. Many runners brush off swelling in areas like the knees, ankles, or hips, but it’s a sign that your body is struggling to recover.

Persistent stiffness that doesn’t ease up after warm-ups or rest can also signal underlying tissue damage. If you notice consistent soreness in the same area for days on end, your body is warning you that something is wrong.

The Most Common Causes of Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries can happen to anyone in any sport. It doesn't just apply to runners - think of tennis elbow, for example. But unlike many sports, running injuries most often start out as overuse. There are obviously times when you can have a traumatic injury, like falling when running. However, most overuse injuries are commonly caused by three main categories: overtraining, ignoring rest days, and skipping strength training.

Overtraining

Overtraining often leads to injuries. People go from not really running to jumping in with both feet and increasing their mileage too quickly. Because often it sounds like no big deal to go run a 5K when in reality, if you haven't been running at all, that is a big change for your body and it is not ready for the stress of the run.

Another overtraining trap people easily fall into is increasing the intensity of your training and runs too quickly or doing high-intensity runs every single time. If you go from not training seriously to intense track workouts and tempo runs, you are unfortunately not only setting yourself up for potential injury but also for burnout. The same applies when you run every run at race pace. This never allows your body to recover. You are constantly forcing it to work at full speed.

Ignoring Rest Days

Stop ignoring your rest days. They are built into training schedules for a reason. And no, more is not always better. On your rest days, you are providing your muscles the time they need to repair and rebuild after being broken down from the stress of a workout. If you are skipping those rest days, it means your body is not only having to work extra hard but your muscles are never truly having a chance to recover.

Neglecting Strength Training

Are you neglecting your strength training? Staying consistent with strength training that is designed for runners is crucial in preventing injuries. With running, there are dominant muscles that do most of the work. However, for every dominant muscle, you also have supporting muscles that need to stay strong to avoid imbalances and injuries.

What to Do When You Notice Warning Signs

If you start recognizing these signs, don’t ignore them. Here are immediate steps you can take:

Cut back on mileage if you’re feeling persistent pain. Pushing through can worsen an injury.
Incorporate low-impact activities like cycling or swimming to reduce strain while maintaining fitness.
Use RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for acute discomfort or swelling.

Consult a Professional

If you’re unsure whether it’s time to rest or adjust your training, consider working with a running coach who can tailor a plan to your specific needs. A coach can analyze your training, identify weak areas, and adjust your plan to keep you progressing without setbacks.

How to Stay Injury-Free Moving Forward

Train Smarter, Not Harder

My approach—The Better Running Method—reduces running days and balances training with strength work and recovery, so you build endurance without overtraining. Less running doesn’t mean less progress—it means smarter training.

Personalized Coaching Plans

Generic plans don’t work for everyone. Your body, training history, and recovery needs are unique. A personalized plan adjusts to your needs so you can reach your goals without breaking down.

Prioritize Active Recovery

Active recovery isn’t just sitting on the couch—it includes yoga, mobility work, and light movement to keep your body fresh without overloading it.

Conclusion

Catching small signs before they turn into serious injuries is your greatest tool as a runner. The more you listen to your body, the more you can train smarter, stay stronger, and avoid unnecessary setbacks.

If you’re ready to enjoy training pain-free and want to prevent injuries before they sideline you, DM me to discuss how The Better Running Method can transform your approach to running!

Understanding the Early Warning Signs

The Most Common Causes of Overuse Injuries

What to Do When You Notice Warning Signs

How to Stay Injury-Free Moving Forward

Conclusion

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