If you think you have an injury, report it to the coach at once. When you run, you are going to be sore and have aches and pains. For some of them, you grit your teeth and run anyway. Other aches and pains are an indication of an injury or a potential injury. You and the coach will have to decide what appropriate action to take. The most important thing is to communicate to the coach.

Things like blisters need to be taken care of right away. Blisters should be kept clean. With a sterile needle, the blister should be punctured and drained. Then clean bandages should be kept on until the skin heals.

Most other injures are over use or overload (to much to fast) injuries. To avoid these type of injuries, you should:

- prepare for the season with summer running build up (it is best for beginning runners to make it a gradual build up) - stretch before and after running - at the first signs of any problems, ice the area for 15 - 20 minutes with a bag of ice, three times with 10 minutes off in between.

• 1. Head circles - 5 each way
  
• 2. Shoulder shrugs - 10 each way
  
• 3. Arm circles - 10 each way
  
• 4. Side stretches - 2 each side
  
• 5. Trunk rotation - 2 each side
  
• 6. Feet apart - toe touches - straight down - right then left
  
• 7. Feet together - toe touches - right leg over left then left over right
  
• 8. Sitting - butterfly
  
• 9. Feet together still sitting - point toes- reach for feet
  
• 10. Hurdle stretch - foot to the inside - lean to the straight leg then to the bent leg then straight
  
• 11. On back - pull right knee to chest then left then both
  
• 12. Ham string stretch and strengthening
  
• 13. Wall stretches - feet together 1-2 feet from wall- bend knees- heels flat to floor
  
• 14. Wall stretches - feet now 4 feet from wall- legs are straight- heels flat on floor
  
• 15. Side and hip stretch- outside leg across inside leg then other side.
  
• 16. Quad stretch - pull leg up behind you right leg then left
  
• 17. Toe Raises - stand on a step with just toes, the rest of the foot is off the step - let body weight lower the body down as your toes stay on edge using full flex and extension go up and down- start with 20 - increase or build up to 40
  
• 18. Ankle - write the alphabet in the air with the foot - one set each foot - increase to 2 sets.
  

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