4 Science-Backed Tips To Stop Bone Injuries Before They Destroy Your Marathon

Estimated read time: 3.26 minutes (about the same time it took me to delete my Strava after last week’s tempo fail). 😉

Hey Performance Nerds! Jonah here. ðŸĪ“

It’s been a wild few weeks—Paris with Nike for Breaking 4 , now trail running in New Hampshire with Augie.

Not exactly peak newsletter-writing conditions 😅, so I’m resharing one of your all-time favorites: the science-backed guide to building bulletproof bones.

Over 20% of runners will suffer a bone stress injury—and it’ll wreck your marathon season.

We’re talking 12 weeks of no running. DNS. DNF. Missed PRs. ðŸŦ 

But here’s the good news: Science and I are teaming up with a 4-step plan to bulletproof your bones and save your race.

  • 🍞 The carb mistake that might increase your bone injury risk by 450%

  • ðŸĶ˜ The gym exercises that actually build bone

  • 📉 How to avoid training jumps that destroy your shins

  • 💊 The exact supplement stack for stronger, injury-proof bones

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1. Eat Enough Calories and Carbs 🍝

Heads up: One study found under-fueling can 4.5x your risk of bone injury.

Your body uses calories, especially carbs, to repair micro-damage in your bones.

Low energy = bone breakdown.

When you don’t eat enough (especially carbs), your body slows down bone building. It uses the little energy it has to fuel the vital organs that keep you alive. 🧠

Carb Guide for Strong Bones:

🧠 Nerd Note: Think of carbs like the cement in your bone-renovation crew. No fuel, no repairs.

2. Bone-Building Exercises That Actually Work ðŸ’Ĩ

Bad news: Long slow runs aren’t great to build stronger bones.

They don’t create enough impact to trigger real adaptation.

Bones need fast, high-force loading. That quick stress signals your body to rebuild them stronger.

That means:

  • ðŸĶ˜ Jumping (plyometrics)

  • 🏋ïļ Lifting

These create the mechanical shock bones need to grow denser and more resilient—unlike the steady pounding of distance runs.

A favorite is these zig-zag hops:

No Jonahs were harmed in the making of this video—just my pride once I saw that mustache. ðŸĨļ

ðŸĶī Try these 2-3x per week:

3) Don’t Let Training Errors Break You 📈

You’re not David Goggins. Running 0 → 50 miles in a week is asking for a bone stress injury.

60% of all running injuries are from training errors.

That means sudden changes in:

  • Volume (weekly mileage)

  • Intensity (speed work)

  • Frequency (running days)

Training guidelines to reduce your bone injury risk:

  • Increase mileage gradually—no big jumps week to week

  • Avoid adding large mileage spikes (ðŸšŦ no 20-mile spikes!)

  • Space out hard runs by 48–72 hours to allow recovery

  • Don’t increase volume and intensity in the same week

    • More speed? Keep mileage stable

    • More miles? Ease off the speed work

  • Listen to fatigue—take a recovery week if you're extra sore or run-down

    • Cut mileage by 20–50% to allow bone recovery

  • History of bone injury? Schedule a recovery week at least every 12 weeks

    • This gives your bones time to reset and adapt—so they come back stronger after the break

Notice how the runner slowly progresses mileage on a weekly and monthly basis. The runner has some recovery weeks too.

4. Bone-Loving Supplements 🧎

Your bones crave Vitamin D + Calcium more than Augie craves the UPS truck. ðŸ“ĶðŸķ

One study found that female runners with low calcium had a 600% higher risk of bone stress injuries. ðŸ˜ą

Calcium is what bones are made of. Vitamin D is the key that helps your gut absorb it and send it to your bones.

👉 Get bloodwork to check your Vitamin D and calcium levels before supplementing.

Here’s what I recommend if your levels are low:

  • 1500mg of calcium per day

  • 5000 IU of Vitamin D daily

  • Pair D with Vitamin K2 for better absorption and bone health

🧊 Bonus: These nutrients work synergistically—Vitamin D helps absorb calcium, and K2 helps direct it into your bones (not your arteries).

Calcium-Rich Foods:

  • ðŸĨ› Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)

  • ðŸĨĶ Leafy greens

  • ðŸĨœ Nuts and seeds

Sorry cows, we’ve got marathons to run and bones to build. ðŸŪðŸ’Ļ

TL;DR – Bone Injury Prevention Summary 📋

  • Eat enough calories + carbs to fuel bone repair

  • Add jumping + explosive strength work 2-3x/week

  • Progress training gradually—no big jumps in mileage + intensity

  • Supplement smartly: 1500mg calcium + 5000 IU Vitamin D + K2 (if bloodwork shows you're low)

💎 One last thing before you go.

After the NFL, I wasn’t sure if obsessing over performance science still mattered—until I started helping this community.

Your training goals? They brought that fire back.

So if you're feeling stuck, second-guessing something, or just want to share how training's going—hit reply. I read every message, and I’m here to help however I can.

Are You a True Running Nerd? Prove it.. 🧐

Welcome to the prove you’re a nerd section. Each week, I ask a question about a common running science myth.

Answer correctly, and you’ll be entered into a weekly raffle to win a package of Jonah’s favorite supplements.

When should you start taking in carbs during the marathon to stay topped up and avoid the dreaded bonk? 🕒🍌

Login or Subscribe to participate

Last Week’s Results: Carb-Loading Truth Bomb! 🍝ðŸ’Ģ

Performance nerds, you mostly nailed this one—but there’s still some carb confusion swirling around out there. Let’s clear it up. ðŸ§ŠâšĄ

The correct answer?

B. 560–840 g (≈8–12 g/kg) ✅

To fully top off muscle glycogen before race day, research shows endurance athletes need about 8–12 grams of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight over the final 24–36 hours. For a 70 kg runner, that’s 560–840 grams total.

Vote Breakdown:
⮜ïļ A. 350 g (≈5 g ⁄ kg) – 23 votes
ðŸŸĐ B. 560–840 g (≈8–12 g ⁄ kg) – 180 votes ✅
⮜ïļ C. 210 g (≈3 g ⁄ kg) – 21 votes
⮜ïļ D. 1,000 g+ (≈14 g ⁄ kg) – 7 votes
Total votes: 231 via @beehiiv polls

Bottom line?

If you’re running a marathon, aim high (but smart) with your carbs in the final 1–2 days. Think 200–300g per day spread out, using low-fiber, familiar sources. Bagels, rice, pretzels, juice—it’s go time fuel, not salad season. ðŸĨŊ📈

Don’t forget: You + Science = AWESOMENESS 😎

Yours in science,

Jonah

P.S. - We have a crew of 16,120+ nerds here who are running FAST using science.

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