Beginners can avoid injuries with just a few, simple steps

Runners participate in the 33rd Tiberias Marathon (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Making small adjustments can go a long way to improve the chance of avoiding injuries as the Spring racing season looms.

First, new runners should include periods of rest or jogging periodically throughout the run. Start by running 1 minute and walking 2 minutes. Gradually work up to running a couple of miles at a time; alternating periods of running and walking then running and jogging slowly until you can run more than you walk/jog. Starting off, new runners should focus on distance covered rather than speed.

Second, be sure to warm up properly. Though you may think to yourself, "I’m only running two miles so I don’t need to spend 10 minutes warming up for such a short distance," tell that to your calves, Achilles, knees, or hips. Your feet hit the ground thousands of times over the course of just a few miles with several times the force of your own body weight. You owe it to yourself and your training to warm up properly.

Third, just as warming up is critical, so to is cooling down and stretching. Most experts will tell you to stretch beforehand but experience has shown that stretching after a run is much more beneficial–and reduces the chances of stretching a cold muscle too far. Moreover, a proper cool down will allow blood to flow back to the organs that need it properly.

There is no doubt that beginning runners receive a plethora of advice from fellow runners, on-line blogs, or through other means. This can cause confusion, frustration, and often leads to injury. Following the aforementioned tips can reduce or eliminate nagging injuries for novice (and elite) runners.

Before starting any training program, however, please see your doctor to be sure it is safe to do so.

For more info: Contact Jamie@ierunner.com or visit ierunner.com.