Coach Budd,

I'm a high school sophomore who's running track and cross-country. I've had knee and shin problems for more than a year and I let these injuries get in the way of my performance. While I want to just push through these injuries, I don't want them to become more serious. How much training is enough and how much is too much? —Sara L.

Sara, first off, you don't want to "push through" these injuries. You need to train within them and find cross-training options that don't aggravate them. This could mean cycling, elliptical trainers, and/or swimming (or water running). In many cases, if the injury is minor, you can perform your hard workouts while running but move to cross-training on your easy days. The reverse may be your only choice if the injury is too far along. And then, on occasion, we all need to take some time off from running altogether. Some injuries (and I've had my share) require us to cross-train exclusively.

You also need to determine just what the problem is. With shin and knee trouble, you may need to have a shoe and/or foot specialist look at your "foot strike." You may be over pronating and need better support in your shoes. This could mean simply purchasing running shoes that are built specifically for "support." Replace the generic insert in the shoes with an over-the-counter orthotic (your best bet for those items are at a specialty running store). In extreme cases, custom orthotics from a podiatrist may be your only choice. (see "Orthotics for Your Shoes")

Many women and young girls also run a bit "knock kneed" where the knees move inward upon footstrike; improving your quad (front of the thigh) strength can help here. Have your school's strength trainer (or athletic trainer) help you with exercises for this.

Once you've determined the cause of your injuries and can get healthy, all you need to do is "trust your training" and your performances will take care of themselves.

Have a question for Budd? E-mail him at askbudd@rodale.com