Running more than you were before means you’re at risk of getting injured, so it becomes more important than ever to watch out for warning signs that you might be overdoing it.

“Physically, you might experience weight loss, more colds or illnesses, or frequent small injuries like sprains or chronic pain,” says DeLuca Zermeño. “In your performance, you might notice a decline in speed, unusually sore muscles, or legs that feel like lead.”

Overtraining can also cause a slew of other issues like fatigue, low motivation, irritability, and problems with sleeping and concentration.

Keeping your mileage increases conservative should help you avoid overtraining, but it’s important to be aware of the signs. And if you feel like you’re doing that but still having overtraining symptoms, you might be underfuelling. Luckily, this can be remedied with extra snacks and bigger portions.

Even if you feel like you’re doing everything right, you can still get injured — and unfortunately, if you’re a runner, you’ll likely experience this at some point. If you’ve had an injury before, you’re at higher risk of developing another one, so make sure you’re paying attention to any niggles. Knowing the warning signs of injuries can help you stop them before they get worse, so take some time to learn about common running injuries and what they feel like.

How to increase your running mileage without getting injured (whether you’re a beginner or training for a marathon)