A few habits worth breaking.
No matter your level of experience or interest in running, a handful of common habits can make your runs more uncomfortable, or even hazardous. Avoiding these traps is one of the simplest ways to become a stronger, more durable runner.
Go easy on alcohol around training.
While training, many runners turn to alcohol to relax, and while a drink can help you unwind, it can also hinder recovery and performance. It's best to abstain from alcohol for 48 hours before a race or endurance event, and at least 24 hours before an intense training session. Alcohol should never be consumed right before an event: it depletes your body's glycogen stores, hinders recovery, and raises heart rate and blood pressure, which can increase your risk of injury during a training session or race.
How much is too much day to day varies by runner, but a general guideline is no more than two or three alcoholic drinks per day. Drinking beyond that can hinder recovery and performance, particularly for anyone training for a marathon or other endurance event.
Think twice about energy drinks.
Energy drinks promise a performance boost, but they often carry a heavy dose of sugar along with caffeine and stimulants like guarana. Those ingredients can help performance in moderation, but they can also be too much for some systems and lead to stomach upset. The CDC recommends adults limit caffeine to 400 milligrams a day, and most healthy people shouldn't have more than one energy drink daily. Caffeine sourced from lab-made ingredients may be even harder on the body than caffeine from natural sources.
Caffeine can alter your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, and make it harder to fall asleep. It can also increase appetite, which may contribute to weight gain, and leave you feeling jittery or nervous. In excess, it may even raise the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Don't skip your warm-up.
Runners who skip warming up put themselves at greater risk of injury. A proper warm-up helps prevent muscle and tissue injuries while increasing flexibility. It raises your heart rate and body temperature and speeds oxygen delivery to your muscles, which can genuinely improve performance, and it also helps you feel calm and ready before a run.
A warm-up doesn't need to take long, around five minutes before race start time is generally enough. For races shorter than a half marathon in particular, a thorough warm-up beforehand can meaningfully improve your time.
Don't neglect your water intake.
Proper hydration is essential to performance, and it also plays a key role in avoiding injuries, fatigue, and electrolyte imbalances. How much water you need depends on your body weight, environment, and exercise habits; as a general guideline, an active adult should drink around 11.5 cups of water a day. That said, drinking too much water can be hazardous for some people, especially those who sweat heavily, and can lead to hyponatremia, a dangerous dilution of sodium in the blood.
Before a run, aim to drink roughly 2 mL of water per pound of body weight. During the run, drink about half a cup of water every 15 minutes to replace fluids you're losing through exercise.
If foot and ankle pain is getting in the way of your runs, it's worth having it evaluated by a physical therapist. Tribeca Physical Therapy offers a full evaluation and a plan tailored to your training so you can keep moving forward comfortably.