tissue in the lower back, all of which lead to over-use injuries.Understanding your back and how it affects your running is key to avoiding over-use injuries. "Because runners hold a specific form, the body ends up getting very little variety. Weakness

with the results: “I’m training to run a marathon and have been increasing my weekly mileage to about 40 miles with no leg pain,” she says. Case Study TwoRob Watts had been running for more than 12 years before an old back injury he’d sustained playing cricket as a

to cope better with the abnormal forces running places on your body.ImpactAvoid hard-soled shoes and concrete as these will throw upwards any difference in leg length, tilting your pelvis. Instead, try to run on grass or a treadmill. Cross-train with low

. If you long for company, go with the group for the first few miles of bike or run training, then do your own thing.Warning signsIt's natural to feel twinges when you return to training after injury, but they should fade as you warm up. If pain keeps