I think that running route choice can help reduce the risk of overuse injuries and help people get more enjoyment out of running. Particuarly for beginners this will make sure that they come back to the sport rather than be put off for life. Just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone.
I always run sockless when running, I have down since the start of the year. I much prefer the way that you can feel the ground and so it helps with keeping good technique, I have run a maximum of twenty miles sockless. It does take a little time for your feet to toughen up however. I did a short blog post if anyone is intrested
Managed to get to the bottom of this. It was indeed a tight IT band that was causing my sore knee. I managed to solve this by standing on the effected leg for about three mins twice a day and stretching my IT band using stretch 3 on the following page
Hi Laura. I am not medically qualified, but I suffered from a sore knee and have managed to solve the problem. In my case it was Iliotibial band syndrome. This commonly presents itself on the outside of the leg just above the knee and is a common cause of knee pain amongst runners.
By strengthening and stretching it seems to have solved the problem. The strengthening I did was to stand on the sore leg only for about 3 mins twice a day. there are numerous stretches you can do but the one I did was stretch 3 from the running times website at: