How to Stay Injury-Free While Training

St. Jude Heroes attending the Pasta Party on December 4 the night before the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend races will have the opportunity to hear from running guru Hal Higdon. With more than 50 years in the running business and an author of more than 30 books, Hal has released another helpful guide properly entitled Marathon. During his visit with St. Jude Heroes, Hal will give his perspective on running and share tips that will enhance any runner’s experience.

As you continue your training process, here are some helpful tips that Hal has shared with us about how to avoid injury. What are some tips that you find helpful as you train? Share them with us below.

How to Avoid Injuries
By Hal Higdon

Many injuries suffered by runners are unnecessary. To experience fewer injuries than I the past, you must learn from your mistakes. Once you make a training error and suffer an injury, you will not make that error again. If you are new to running or need a reminder about how to stay health, here are some tips:
1. Obtain proper equipment. Few sports cost as little as running. Our main item of equipment is a pair of running shoes, costing less than $100 for most people. Acquire shoes that are appropriate for your biomechanics. And when the shoes begin to show wear, throw them away. Most running injuries can be traced to the point where the shoe touches the ground.

2. Train Intelligently. Don't just stumble from one workout to another, not knowing what you plan to run tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. Set goals, but give yourself time to meet those goals. If you don't have a coach, there are many training resources online: both schedules and answers to your questions.

3. Keep a Diary. You don’t need to record ever workout in detail, but record trends so that if you do get hurt you can look back and figure out why.

4. Never Get Out of Shape. This is the simplest secret for avoiding injury: Keep running. Maintaining a solid base level of fitness means that when you want to increase your training to achieve a specific goal, such as a marathon, you don’t need to push too hard or too fast. Mileage increases should be made gradually.