Warming up before the race will increase your performance and can help reduce your risk of injury. Consider dynamic stretching such as hip swings, long lunges, and jumping jacks to increase your muscle and soft tissue readiness. Don't forget to lightly jog to increase your heart rate for full readiness.

Runners who run at different paces and speeds in training are shown to have less injuries and perform better. Consider having different intentions for your runs such as fast intervals with walking rest or low and slow jogging for longer distances. 

Assess your running cadence. Runners that run with a higher cadence are less likely to have injuries. Optimal running cadence is somewhere between 160-180 steps per minute. Shorter, faster steps help to increase your cadence and reduce your impact forces on your joints. 

You are only as fit or strong as what you can recover from without injury. Balanced PT has numerous sports PTs who specialize in running injuries and mechanics who can help you with the nagging injuries you brought to your race or that popped up from attempting a personal record. Let us help you find your vulnerabilities to become a more resilient runner for your next run or race.