The International Marathon of Mauritius is 11 weeks away. How is your training going? Are you suffering an injury? Do you have any niggling pains? Injuries are a part of running, but most can be prevented.

Overuse is the most common cause of running injuries. Overuse is doing too much and too soon. A well-structured training schedule should be followed. The general rule is never increase weekly mileage, or the long distance run, by more than 10% over the previous week. Jumping straight back into a training program after missing several workouts is a common mistake. Running hard workouts back-to-back is another mistake. Understand your training and train intelligently.

Do you suffer from any of the following common running injuries?

Runner?s Toe: when the nail is pressed down on the nail-bed or the nail tears from the nail-bed. Blood collects under the nail causing pressure and the nail eventually turns black. Its causes are poor fitting shoes, excessive downhill running and wet shoes. Ensure shoes are long enough and fit correctly.

Plantar Fasciitis/Heel and Arch Pain: inflammation of the plantar fascia, a fibrous band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes. Pain is felt along the inside of the foot anywhere from the heel through the arch. It typically inflames when it works through a range of motion more than it should do. Runners with tight Achilles tendons, who overpronate, have high arches, have rigid feet, and inflexible running shoes are most likely to suffer. Ice the bottom of the foot and ensure that shoes have the correct motion control and cushioning features.

Stress Fractures: tiny cracks in a bone, most often in the runner?s foot, caused by continuous stress on bones that become overworked. Common errors include building mileage too quickly, wearing shoes without enough cushioning, and running too much on hard surfaces. Take two weeks off from running. Continuing to run could result in a complete break. If the pain continues after restarting, stop and see a physician.

Achilles Tendinitis: a painful inflammation of the Achilles tendon. This tendon is an extension of the calf muscles, attached to the heel bone, which gives us the ability to rise up on our toes. The causes are the same as for plantar faciitis as well as tight calf muscles and shoes that rub against the tendon. Treatment includes icing, anti-inflammatory medication, cutting back on running and wearing lifts in shoe heels until the pain subsides. Surgery may be required in rare severe cases.

Shin Splints: small tears of the front lower leg muscles from the shin bone. They are one of the most common injuries for beginner runners. Shin splints are caused by tired or inflexible calf muscles, weak shins, overstriding, overpronation and running on hard surfaces. Ice the inflamed area, take anti-inflammatory medication, cut back on running mileage and run on softer surfaces.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome: inflammation and pain on the outer thigh from the knee to the hip. The iliotibial band is a thick ligament that runs from the pelvis to the outside of the thigh connecting just below the knee. It stabilises the thigh muscles and knee when running. Causes are bowleggedness, overpronation, worn-out running shoes, running on uneven surfaces and excessive downhill running. Treatment includes reducing running mileage, taking anti-inflammatory drugs, and icing. Specific prevention is to increase the band?s flexibility by stretching and running on even surfaces.

Hamstring Tears: muscle fibres either partially or completely torn at the back of the upper leg. Distance runners normally suffer low-grade tears that build up over time, caused generally by poor flexibility. Treatment includes icing, anti-inflammatory medication, no running during acute stages of injury, gentle stretching and strengthening.

Runner?s Knee: a softening, wearing away, or cracking of the cartilage under the kneecap. This prevents the kneecap from riding smoothly over the knee. Pain occurs around or behind the kneecap. It can be caused by a high quadriceps angle, wide hips (female runners) and pronation of the feet. Weak quadriceps muscles will often be the problem, as they do not absorb impact sufficiently, passing the impact to the knees. Treatments include icing around the knee, using motion control running shoes, utilising orthotics and avoiding anything that requires the knee to stabilise itself (such as uneven surfaces, steep downhills and tight turns).

Here are a few injury prevention tips:

1. Attend to injury warning signs. Start preventative measures immediately to minimise damage and recover quickly. Use the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) and take anti-inflammatory medication (aspirin, ibuprofen) when appropriate. Take one or two days off, allowing the injury to heal.

2. Ease back into your training schedule.

3. Run on even surfaces, regularly on softer surfaces (such as grass) and avoid tight turns.

4. Run in shoes correct for your feet. Change shoes before they become high mileage.

5. Stretch regularly.

6. Cross-train to correct muscle imbalance injuries and increase aerobic capacity.

7. Stay hydrated.