1. Ice and heat your injuries. "If you have any lingering injuries, you want to be extremely aggressive about icing and heating prior to the marathon," says Susan Kalish, former executive director of the American Running Association in Bethesda, Maryland. "That means doing it up to three or four times a day."

Icing the area will help bring down the swelling and heating the area will stimulate blood flow. "Swelling is the number one culprit that causes the ankle or foot not to work properly," says Rock Positano, a foot specialist and author of Disorders of the Heel, Rear Foot and Ankle (WB Saunders, 1999). "So it's not a bad idea to do a contrast a bath of icing for 10 minutes, heating for 10 minutes and repeating the sequence once more."

However, don't take aspirin or ibuprofen before the race. "That will only mask the pain," Kalish says. "I know of a number of people who've done that and hurt themselves very badly. If you start feeling pain, that's a sign you have to stop."

2. Leave your calluses alone. Don't shave a callus the night before a race. "The most important function of a callus is to protect the bony prominents," says Positano. "It's good to have a podiatrist, not a pedicurist, do debreidement, which means removing the skin in an aseptic environment. But you don't want to run without the callus because it's a protective mechanism the body builds in response to a bone that may be overused or enlarged."

3. Take care of any blisters. Don't break blisters on your own, which can allow bacteria to enter and cause an infection, according to Positano. Instead, see a podiatrist (again, not a pedicurist) a day or two before the race and have them lanced under aseptic conditions. You can also use padding, called pontoons, that cushions the area and stops any friction. To keep blisters from cropping up in the first place, wear acrylic, wool or polypropylene socks that wick away sweat.

"Also, studies have shown that antiperspirant reduces sweating and cuts down friction," says Kalish. "You should use spray or dry stick (not the gel) antiperspirant on your feet and let it dry before putting on your socks. Try it out before the race, though." Kalish says that second skin and moleskin are good alternatives, but petroleum jelly should be saved for shorter races because in a long run they can heat up the temperature inside your shoe and cause more friction.

4. Stave off chafing. Petroleum jelly can help prevent your underarms, chest and nipples from chafing. However, you'll need to reapply it frequently-and shouldn't wait until it starts to hurt. Kalish recommends sticking a small tub of the stuff into your fanny pack, along with a lip balm with SPF.

5. Cover yourself up. You don't want to get sunburned or catch a chill on your run, so be sure to put on sunblock and a hat. Also, you never know what the weather will be like, so bring a cover-up, such as a cheap sweatshirt or windbreaker from a thrift store, that you can toss along the side of the road after you warm up. It's either that or a trash bag.

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written by Helene, April 04, 2007

Great advice Shannon.....and so is that ma*sage suggestion the day before (if time & location permits it)

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written by shannon, March 02, 2007

having completed 6 marathons, the most important thing to remember before a marathon is to not try anything new. That means socks, underwear, food, or drinks. Happy running!