The surest way to incur injuries is to overtrain and overwork your body. Sadly, many runners, in an attempt to increase their mileage and intensity just too soon, pushes their body beyond its capability and so put their selves at a great risk of injury. Two things you need to remember. One, weekly mileage increase shouldn t be more than 10%. After a time, the body learns to compensate for the lack of oxygen so that when this technique is not in use, your body is already more efficient in processing your breathed air. This is demonstrated in swimming. Swimmers do alternate breathing which is breathing every third stroke. This enables them to breathe on alternate sides without taking a breath with every stroke. Having accurate information on your body will also help you in choosing a running program. 2. Set attainable goals. Do you want to lose weight? Or lower your cholesterol level? Or join a marathon perhaps? Whatever your goals are, make sure to see them through. To keep you motivated, it is helpful to have a timeframe. Depending on the results of the heart rate monitor, a runner can figure if his training is working and at an appropriate intensity. 6. Running watch. Because of its multiple uses, a running watch is almost a necessity. It can record distance, time, and pace. Most running watch models today also a have heart rate monitor function, and those that are even more advanced have GPS capabilities. Doing this can challenge the muscles anew. The body cannot become more efficient and has to burn some calories to complete the new additional requirement. In addition, you can help challenge the body by doing some changes in your diet. A potent combination in losing weight is increased activity levels and dietary changes. But because it is likely to be more injurious, intense running is best done for shorter periods and should be scheduled, at the most, twice a week. 6. Running program needs to be modified to achieve the desired weight. You have to understand that the body gets used to the hard work overtime, becomes efficient, and therefore burns fewer calories.