Women in Singapore, it seems, are gripped with running fever. And it’s hardly surprising, given the number of runs that are appearing on the sports calendar. From this month’s first-ever night run – the inaugural Adidas Sundown Marathon – to the women-only Shape Run in July, running enthusiasts here are spoilt for choice, and newbies to running are eager to join in the race as well.

Reduce your risks

•	Opt for short, frequent training. To run 20km a week, break it into 5km stretches four times a week, rather than doing 10km twice a week.
•	Do weight and resistance training. Focus on strengthening your back and core muscles, especially of the legs and thighs.
•	Always stretch your upper and lower leg muscles before doing a run. Dr Tan suggests a test run of about 5-10 minutes at a slow pace to warm your muscles up before your actual run.
•	Take glucosamine to strengthen your cartilage. The recommended dosage is 1,000mg a day, for three months.
•	Place a pack of ice on the knee after a run to prevent injuries and inflammation. Alternatively, use a patella tendon strap (a special kind of strap for the knees that helps prevent and treat tendonitis, patella instability and other knee ailments) or sports taping (ordinary bandage-like tape used often by all kinds of athletes) while running.
•	Give your body time to recover. Again, there’s no hard and fast rule to this. Depending on the injury, it could be one week to one month. Rule of thumb: when there’s no pain while doing daily activities, no swelling, no significant loss of strength or muscle size, you are fit to run.
•	Keep an eye on your menstrual cycle during training. If it’s irregular, consult a doctor.