10 simple ways to avoid injuries

Injuries are a fact of the running life. They just are. Either because of training errors, poor biomechanics, improper shoe selection and numerous other variables, injuries can only impede your progress. Fortunately, most of the...

A women's guide to footcare

It’s undeniable: Men don’t care what their feet look like as long as all the working parts are functioning effectively. But women runners do care. Especially during the summer months when sandals, Birkenstocks and flops are the...

Acclimatize for summer heat and humidity

One of the facts of running and racing life in the summer is heat and in most places, high humidity. Absolutely nothing will slow you down quicker on a training run or race than heat and humidity.

As the temperatures rise,...

Achilles tendon injuries: How to treat and cure

Achilles is one of the most famous names in Greek mythology—and the tendon named after him is one of the most important components in the group of muscles and bones that propels runners and walkers. This tendon’s job is to...

Acupuncture: Therapy for injured runners

The very idea of having someone stick needles into your knee, ankle or leg muscles doesn’t sound very inviting, but the practice of acupuncture is an ancient Chinese form of medicine that has been around for thousands of years....

Air pollution and running: How to run safely

If you were paying attention during science class, you know the air we breathe contains more than just oxygen. There are all sorts of gases in our air—some necessary for life and others that are deadly in certain doses.

By...

Ammonia smell after running explained

After a hard workout, some runners frequently notice a strong odor that resembles ammonia fumes. It smells exactly like a cleaning solvent but not quite as pungent. For some reason, that smell is most distinctive after a very,...

Ankle sprains: How to treat and care for

There isn’t a runner alive who has not suffered at one time or another from a simple ankle sprain. It is—by far—the most common injury that puts runners on the injury list. According to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle...

Aspirin: Safe and effective

Aspirin. The various types of this wonder drug have become so commonplace in our lives that almost everybody who runs or walks has taken them. Just about everybody else also takes aspirin.

And why not? They are...

Avoid the overtraining trap

Runners are a dedicated group of athletes. Maybe too dedicated. But many runners training for a marathon either run too many miles or run too many miles too fast. It’s called overtraining and it’s just as serious a problem for...