How to Train for Half Marathon with Lower Foot Injury Risks
Want to train for a half marathon without getting hurt? Unfortunately, injuries are very common when training for long-distance races like marathons and half marathons. In fact, former Good Morning America anchor TJ Holmes announced his running life was over after getting hurt during the NYC marathon. Well, as it turns out, you can learn a lot from ultra-marathoners. Let’s take a look to see what we mean.
How to Train for Half Marathon: Lessons from High Milers
In case you didn’t know, an ultra-marathon consists of running well over 26.2 miles. Clearly, that’s a lot for your body to handle. But researchers for the journal PLOS ONE wanted to see just how much of an injury risk you should expect from this kind of training. And the news was surprisingly positive!
At the study’s conclusion, Standford Medicine authors Dr. Marty Hoffman and Dr. Eswar Krishnan noted that, over the year-long study, participants reported few serious health problems or illnesses. In fact, Kirshnan noted that ultra-marathoners “generally are healthy.” (He did hedge that remark a bit, though. He half-joked, “If you already have heart failure or other medical issues, you wouldn’t be ultramarathon-running.” ) But just because they seemed pretty healthy doesn’t mean running can’t be risky.
Running Injuries: a Too Common Problem
Sports-related foot and ankle injuries are actually pretty common. While many athletes dismiss initial aches and pains, ignoring potential foot and ankle injuries can lead to serious problems. As athletes continue to place pressure and strain the area further, a mild injury can turn into something as serious as a rupture and may lead to a permanent disability. And that’s especially true when you’re looking to train for half marathon length races.
Train for Half Marathon: Reducing the Risks
Many factors increase your risk for foot and ankle injuries when you run. These include failure to warm up properly; lack of shoe support; or wearing the wrong foot gear. Make these mistakes and you up your risk for:
• Plantar Fasciitis and Fasciosis
• Achilles Tendinitis and Tendon Rupture
• Ankle Sprains
Too often, patients believe they can train through an ankle sprain. After all, if you can walk on an injured foot, it’s not such a stretch to believe you can run on it as well. However, a sprained ankle is actually a major injury. In fact, Tom Cruise spent 10 hours a day in rehab after suffering an ankle sprain on the set of Mission Impossible. And, while that level of rehab is not usually necessary for most people coming back from this injury, some form of rehab may be necessary if you get hurt while training for a marathon.
Preventing and Treating Running Injuries in Spring TX
When you’re learning how to train for half marathon or marathon length races, prevention is key. Mix up your workouts, avoiding leg-day workouts right before a long run day. And be sure to work on your hip strength and flexibility to keep your lower body working optimally.
Of course, even with care, you might get hurt when running. Now, we can treat many sports-related injuries using the RICE method. This includes rest, applying ice to the injured area, compression and elevating the ankle.
But that won’t be enough for every condition. If you sustain a more serious sprain or injury, you may need arthroscopic or even reconstructive surgery. Afterward, we may suggest rehabilitation and therapy in order to help you regain strength and athletic function. Luckily, we have an in-house athletic trainer who can help you get through your recovery with strength!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our podiatrists office in Spring and Tomball, TX. We offer the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies for all your foot and ankle injuries.
Read more about Sports Related Foot and Ankle Injuries.
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