“Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.”

– Lance Armstrong

Over the last few months, I have received a lot of advice about from trainers, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, and other runners (and I say “other runners” instead of just “runners” because I now consider myself fully assimilated) about how to avoid injuries. I’ve had to work through some pain this year, primarily IT band pain and shin splints, so I can kind of speak from experience, if not expertise.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in my attempt to remain injury-free:

1. Wearing flip flop sandals is a big mistake.

I’m a simple guy. If I’m not at work, on the golf course, or mowing the lawn, then I’m wearing flip flops. When I’m at home they’re the $3 Old Navy rubber version and when I’m out they’re nicer Banana Republic ones with leather straps. As far as I’m concerned, flip flops are made for summer, and summer is made for flip flops. Unfortunately, they’re not very good for maintaining healthy legs.

When I initially started experiencing leg pain, I went into Second Sole to ask what I should do. Their first suggestion was to drop the flip flops and always wear something on my feet that provides support. Now instead of kicking it Buffet-style (Jimmy, not Warren) in warm months, I’m wearing shoes. Flip flops apparently are not very supportive for a runner’s foot. Sometimes it feels like I might as well be wearing a burqa, but I’ve learned to adjust.

Fortunately, I have also learned a few ways to cheat the new “no flip flop” policy imposed on me by the tyrants at Second Sole. Otherwise, I’d have to buy an entirely new summer wardrobe. My bowling shirt and khaki shorts ensemble just wouldn’t look as hip with New Balance sneakers.

• First way to cheat: Use valet parking liberally. It doesn’t matter where I’m going, I will always find a restaurant that has valet parking – even if I’m not going to that restaurant. This is especially easy in the Short North, Arena District, German Village and Easton. Using valet service means I don’t have to walk as far, and therefore my flip flops are mostly just for decoration. And if you’ve seen my toes, you’d know that decoration is needed.
• Second way to cheat: Wear your flip flops if you’re going someplace where you’ll be able to sit down. You can still look good and casual in your flip flops if you’re just going to get someplace and sit – like at a Columbus Clippers game, a child’s soccer game, or an outdoor patio bar. Just make sure you’re not going someplace with standing room only.
• Third way to cheat: There is no third way to cheat. I just thought my list should have at least three entries.

In summary, to avoid leg pain as a runner, try to not wear flip flops.  And please don’t flood the comments section with stories about how you have seen me around town wearing my flip flops. I already told you that I cheat on this rule every so often.

2. Stretch at least daily, and for a long period after a run.

When I first started running earlier this year, I completely underestimated the importance of stretching after a run and overestimated the importance of stretching before a run. I used to stretch extensively before each run, spending 10-15 minutes getting loose. Once I had my first shin splint experience, I started to read up and ask some experts. They generally told me the same thing – it’s good to spend a couple of minutes stretching before a run, but I should spend 15-20 minutes after each run stretching.

I’m sure everyone has their own process, but after each run I start from the hips and move down. I do figure-four hip stretches, butterflies to stretch my groin, hurdlers to stretch my quads, toe-touch stretches for my hammies, a yoga-like face-down figure-four stretch to loosen my IT bands, and then several different stretches for my calves.  All-in-all, I spend about 3-5 minutes on each body part, which means that my stretching after a run can last upwards of 20 minutes.

After stretching, I reach into the freezer for the ice, which brings me to the third thing I’ve learned to prevent injury…

3. Ice massage and/or cold wraps are your best friends.

I own two icepacks that I use at least twice a day. One is a pack that fits into a sleeve that I can wrap and velcro around my leg. The other is more of a soft gel pack that is good for icing my entire shin. The icepacks are also good for my 6-year-old son. As a sign of solidarity, or an illustration that he understands my pain, or quite possibly a joke about how much of a wimp his dad is, my son has on a couple of occasions sat next to me and iced his legs to relieve the pain from a long day of eating peanut butter crackers, jumping off the diving board at the pool, and watching Star Wars cartoons.

When I feel like I need a deeper icing than what the icepacks will give me, I give myself an ice massage, which is almost as glamorous as it sounds. To give yourself an ice massage, do the following:

1. Get ice
2. Rub it on your leg
3. Repeat

I get really fancy with my ice massages… I fill several large wax Dixie cups with water and stick them in the freezer. When I am ready to use one, I rip off the top of the cup and start rubbing it on my leg. As the ice melts, I just peel off more of the cup and keep rubbing. Typically, I ice my legs while eating breakfast each morning and before going to bed at night. I also ice after every single run and most cross-training sessions.

Honorable mention activities for reducing pain and/or likelihood of injury include using ibuprofen to relieve inflammation and eating more bananas after a run than the entire monkey population at the Columbus Zoo eats in a month in order to prevent cramping. Sorry ibuprofen and bananas, you’ll have to try again next year.

BTW – if you happen to work at a restaurant in one of the aforementioned parts of town and have parked my car once (or twice… or several times) before, please don’t rat me out to the team at Second Sole. I’m sure those guys aren’t faithful readers of the blog and will probably never know.

What are your tips for injury prevention?

P.S. – Please make sure you’re sitting down before you read this. Are you sitting? OK.

The next “Why Am I Running 13.1 if Nobody is Chasing Me?” post will be from a special guest blogger. I feel like I owed it to you to warn you in advance. I’ll award a free elevator pass for the Nationwide Plaza 1 elevators – odd floors only – to anyone who can guess who he is. The Nationwide Corporate Strategy team is excluded from this promotion.

I just ask that you please take it easy on him. He’s definitely not as funny as I am and not nearly as charming, but please give him a big Bronx welcome anyway. Even though he hates puppies, infants and your grandma’s apple pie. And is a rabid fan of the University of Michigan.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back.