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Rujuta Diwekar's tips for amateur marathoners

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar lists out five important tips for amateur marathoners

We know what it feels like... when everyone you know is running the Mumbai Marathon and you're probably twiddling your thumbs.

Sure the urge to join the crowd is strong. But they key is not to get swayed in your enthusiasm to run the race.

Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar lists out five things you must keep in mind if you're a newbie in the world of marathons.

Don't forget to weight train

The most common running injuries are related to the ankle, knee or lower back.

You don't hear a lot of people dying because of a heart attack while running. If they do, it's usually on the first pages of newspapers.

So you have to weight train alongside your running.

Stretch or stretcher

Dr Dilip Nadkarni, the famous orthopaedic surgeon always said this: 'Stretch or stretcher'.

A lot of us like to skip our stretching before we run. That isn't a good idea. Always stretch before and after your run else you will injure yourself.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Partying and running don't mix

Partying late at night and running in the morning don't mix.

If you are going to party, then don't run. You'll probably hurt yourself.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Get yourself a pair of good shoes

Get yourself a pair of proper shoes and don't see how they look at from the top and outside but see if you are comfortable in them and how much wear and tear they have undergone!

Be sensible about the amount you run every day

A lot of amateur marathoners want to run 21 km on day one. Understand that your body needs to be trained and be brought to a certain level before you can achieve that target