Now that you are beginning your wonderful journey towards the 2010 Colorado Colfax Marathon, it's time to focus on injury prevention.
Important steps to avoiding running injuries:
Build a solid base: Spend 2-3 months gradually increasing milage. Save the speed work for 2-3 months prior to race day. This will give your joints and muscles adequate time to adjust to the stress of training.
Buy new running shoes often: As soon as you start to feel lower leg, foot, or ankle pain you should think about getting new running shoes. Most running shoes are built for about 300 miles. Mark your shoes with the date you begin running in them. This will help you keep track of when to buy new shoes. Only use your running shoes for running!
Stretch after your runs: Immediately following every run or race spend about 10 minutes stretching. Foam Roll stretching is a great way to break up IT band and hip tension common in runners.
Cool down after races: After you complete any race spend at least 10 minutes jogging to loosen up your legs. Getting blood flow to your muscles following a race will help your muscles recover faster and allow you to get back to training quicker.
Eating: Make sure you eat a meal or snack within 15-20 minutes after you finish running or racing. This will help your body recover quickly and you will be less sore in the days to come.
Training tips provided by Erin Marston, Running Coach of the Denver Athletic Club