Training for a marathon? Check out these 4 tips from Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) Sports Medicine doctor, Scott Klass, MD, MS, seeing patients at DHMC and New London Hospital.
1. Staying injury free
Training takes 12 to 18 weeks of commitment and consistency. Depending on your fitness level, increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week. Allow rest and active recovery days to help your body heal.
2. Strength training
Strength training 1 to 2 days a week will help your body prepare and lower your risk of injury. Don’t forget to include working your core, hips and glutes.
3. Hydration planning
Make a hydration plan for race day. You don’t want to lose more than 2% and 3% of your body weight. Know your sweat rate by weighing yourself before and after training runs.
4. Warming up and cooling down
Warming up before a run opens your blood vessels to increase blood flow and allows your heart rate to increase slowly.
Cooling down after a run decreases heart rate and blood pressure slowly, which helps prevent dizziness. Learn more about the locations of our Sports Medicine Clinics within the Dartmouth Health system.