Tips for Your Upcoming Marathon
With the nice weather already making its appearance, running events like 5Ks and marathons are popping up on a weekly basis. If you are participating in them, you have likely been training for several weeks or even months now – or at least, you should have been. Preparation and training before a running event can determine how well you finish the race. Blisters, sprained ankles or toes, toenail pain, and strained tissues, tendons, ligaments, and muscles are all very common issues that can arise in events as short as a 5K, and as long as a full marathon of 26.2 miles.
Tips for Injury Prevention
Start Early: Begin training for events with as much time as possible. Assess your current state of fitness, including cardiovascular health, endurance limits, and foot and ankle strength. Begin to improve your fitness levels to be able to complete the race.
Fit into Running Shoes: Your running shoes must be in good condition and fit well in order to prevent pain and injury. Assess your shoes to make sure you still have shock absorption, arch and heel support, as well as good tread. They should be flexible, but supportive so that you do not roll your ankles. In long races, feet can swell, so you may need a bigger shoe size. Training will help you determine if this is the case for you.
Prep your feet: After training, you should know how your feet react to running long distances. If you tend to get blisters, you may want to use anti-blister creams or to prevent blisters, runners can use anti-blister creams or padding. Moisturizing feet can prevent issues with dry skin, which can split and bleed. Choose moisture-wicking socks, and if you need to, take an extra pair(s) with you. If you have any foot issues like cuts, scrapes, or bacterial and fungal infections, make sure you treat them promptly, before the race. Additionally, address any pain with your podiatrist, since overuse injuries can lead to tendonitis and even stress fractures.
Stretch and Strengthen your feet and ankles: Warming up and stretching are essential to preventing food issues like cramping, tightness, pulled muscles, and sprained toes and ankles. Aside from running, perform other foot and ankle strengthening exercises.
Rest and Relax before and after the big day: Make sure you take time to rest, recover, and relax in between runs. The recovery process helps to build muscles and prevent overuse injury. Pedicures, foot soaks, and foot massages are great ways to rejuvenate the feet from training and for recovery after the race.
If you have further questions and would like to discuss training for a running event, Make an appointment today at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group at one of our Seal Beach, CA and Los Alamitos, CA offices in Orange County. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, Dr. Faye E. Izadi will assess your situation and provide tips of injury prevention and custom shoe inserts if you need them.
