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For many of us, running is one of the most accessible forms of exercise. It's free, and you don't need equipment. But it is also one of the forms of exercise more likely to lead to injury.

Studies of novice runners report around 18 injuries per 1,000 hours of running, which is more than double the rate experienced by more advanced runners. Most injuries seem to affect the knee, ankle and lower leg and are more likely to be "overuse" injuries rather than acute muscle strains.

Overuse injuries tend to occur when a tissue is repeatedly loaded more than it can tolerate, without enough time to adapt.

This might happen because running starts to feel easier before your body is actually ready to do more.

So, what's going on? And does improving strength alongside fitness help prevent injuries?

When you start running, your cardiovascular system adapts quite fast. Blood volume increases within days, your cells' mitochondria (which generate energy for exercise) can adapt in as little as two weeks, and the number of blood vessels in your muscles increases in around four weeks.

As a result, aerobic fitness measurably improves within as little as two weeks, and runs that felt hard in the first week can feel manageable by the fourth week. This can make it very tempting to go farther and faster.

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