Runner's World spoke to Mohammad Saad, PT, DPT, physical therapist at HSS, about how runners might increase their injury risk without even realizing it, and strategies to best mitigate this risk as they increase their mileage.

Too much too soon can mean too much mileage, but it can also mean too much intensity—pushing your speed before you’re ready for that added challenge—or doing both at the same time.

Your cardiovascular system adapts to stress a lot quicker than muscles and tendons, Saad shared. “Think about where the majority of injuries are. They tend to be either tendon injuries, ligament injuries, or bone injuries,” he said. “The reason is because those structures adapt a little bit slower. So someone who is cardiovascularly fit might think they can run five miles, but maybe their ligaments and bones aren’t used to that, so they can’t tolerate that amount of repetitive stress, and they get injured.”

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.