Prepared by Gini Davis, Crescent City Physical Therapy

If you are running your first race, it is important to understand what is the appropriate training for the distance you are attempting to complete. For example, if you are running a 2-mile, 5-K or even a 10-K, you don't need to run quite that far in practice. This is true even for marathoners, who often pick 20 miles as the distance for their longest pre-race workout. The essential steps to follow therefore are proper conditioning to enable one's self to train, training appropriate for the race length, hitting the target distance to complete the race and tapering prior to the race. The specifics of these "essential steps" are dependent on the race length and an individual's current level of conditioning.

The following schedule is meant to be a guideline to let a novice runner safely train for a four-mile race. Since this particular race is a "bridge run," which is the closest thing we get in New Orleans to a hill, it makes sense to practice running hills … which aren't too plentiful here. Alternatives for this would be to train occasionally on a treadmill and add an incline to your run, or cross train with the Stairmaster.

Things to remember:

1. Stretching is extremely important to avoid muscle injuries associated with running. The most effective stretching is done after a short 10-15 minutes of warm up. Either a short light jog, cycling, skipping rope, etc should be done to get blood flowing to your muscles. Warmed up muscles are much more pliable and can be more effectively stretched than cold muscles.

2. Run smart, run healthy. Over-training is the quickest way to injury. Remember to cross train (biking, swimming, weight training, etc.) and get appropriate rest. Whether running outdoors or in, remember to drink plenty of water to maintain adequate hydration.

3. When a long run is involved in the training, many runners prefer to do their long runs on Sundays--but there is nothing magic about that day than any other. If it is more convenient, it is fine to run long any day of the week, flip-flopping workouts.

4. If you are a beginner runner, for your long runs, pay more attention to time than distance. Don't worry about how far you're running. One of the secrets of running farther is to run slower.

5. Drop your mileage the week before the race. Don't worry, inspiration and the camaraderie of the crowd will allow you to run farther on race day.