“Zone 2 cardio refers to exercise performed at a low-to-moderate intensity where the body relies primarily on aerobic metabolism and uses fat as a major fuel source to produce energy,” said George Yusuff, MS, exercise physiologist at HSS.

“Zone 2 training provides numerous heart health benefits because it strengthens the cardiovascular system while placing relatively low stress on the body. One of the most important adaptations is an increase in stroke volume, meaning the heart becomes stronger and more efficient, allowing it to pump more blood with each heartbeat,” Yusuff said. “As a result, the heart does not need to work as hard during exercise or daily activities.”

Read the full article at verywellhealth.com. This story also published in MSN.com.

A recent Runner's World article features seven adjustments that help optimize training at this age, including strength training, recovery, fueling, sleep, pelvic floor health, and mobility.

Jaclyn McKenna, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS, weighed in with her insights, emphasizing the importance of strength training, plyometrics, recovery, and maintaining a balanced approach to fitness as runners age.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

A stress fracture occurs when your bone literally cracks because of repeated stress. Based on that definition, you’d think the symptoms of this injury would be super obvious. Unfortunately, stress fractures aren't that straightforward.

“Even in medicine, we probably miss it sometimes or don't think about it as much when maybe we should,” said Dr. McGrath.

Treating a BSI early “shortens the duration of the treatment, as well as prevents a lot of excess treatment [such as surgery],” Dr. McGrath emphasizes.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

Your IT band feels super tight and achy, and the discomfort intensifies as you run. So you take what seems like the logical next step to reduce your pain: You foam roll the heck out of it.

“Everybody loves to sit on a foam roller and just dig into the IT band as much as they can,” said Cunningham. “They say it hurts so good.”

The thing is, this paradoxical feeling is misleading. Foam rolling your IT band—which is a thick band of connective tissue that runs from the outside of your hip and attaches on the outside of your knee—doesn’t actually do much to alleviate pain there, Cunningham explained.

There are various more effective ways to address this pain, from stretching to strengthening and other intervention methods.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

“It’s almost never too late to begin running,” said Horan. “While age, fitness level, and existing health conditions can influence how someone starts, people can experience meaningful health benefits from running at virtually any stage of life. Rather than focusing exclusively on age, it may be more helpful to focus on readiness to run and proper progression to successfully begin running later in life.”

“The body remains remarkably responsive to exercise, even in older adulthood, making it possible for new runners to experience significant improvements in overall health,” Horan continued.

Read the full article at run.outsideonline.com. 

Training often feels like a constant dance of decision-making: how to fuel, when to recover, and what paces to run. Trying to determine the types of workouts you need based on your current fitness level and actually knowing how to adjust your training accordingly is just another part of that dance, and easily adds to the overwhelm.

One of the biggest signs you need more easy miles in training is if you struggle with endurance, said Geisel. For example, if you struggle to complete your long runs—or finish them feeling good—then you likely need more easy miles to build stamina.

“If a runner needs more speed, intensity, or strength, it is best to start with small doses,” to complement the plan, not compete with it, said Geisel. This could look like adding strides after an easy run, short hill repeats, or tempo sessions, she added. “We want to be mindful that we aren’t creating fatigue that takes away from the quality of the rest of training,” she expained.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

By the track at Woodhaven’s Victory Field, TV personality Matt James and Ted Metellus of the NYRR surprised Ottilia Demeter with her trophy. The award recognizes runners who go the extra mile both in training and in life. Winners also get free entry into the New York City marathon. 

Read the full article at qchron.com.

Nerves are embedded in muscles throughout your whole body, said Paul, and they can cause tingling or numbness in your back, arm(s), leg(s), hand(s), feet—pretty much anywhere.

Nerve flossing is meant to improve the mobility of how those nerves course through various parts of the body, she shared, so rather than a sustained stretch, nerve glides are gentle and repetitive—and typically not done to your full range of motion. (Think: rather than a hamstring stretch at your end range, you stretch just until you feel a slight tug, then back off.)

You can think of nerve flossing kind of like flossing your teeth, said Paul. “You’re not just putting [the floss] in between your teeth and letting it [sit] there because that won’t do anything, but you’re tugging it back and forth [gently] until you loosen up the restriction,” she explained.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Also called medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), shin splints are essentially due to a mismatch between how much load you’re placing on your tibia (one of the bones in your lower leg) and that bone’s ability to adapt and recover, explained Carter.

If you’re in the middle of a run and you notice shin pain, don’t ignore it. “In the moment, shift to a pain-guided approach,” Carter shared. “Slow down, shorten the run, switch to walk-run intervals, or stop altogether.”

To stop the pain from coming back, you might want to consider a professional evaluation of your running mechanics, often called a running gait analysis. These sessions help identify potential issues that could contribute to shin pain. Then, the professional doing the evaluation will create a plan to help correct these pain points. “This type of analysis helps connect what you feel to what your body is doing, so your plan can target technique cues, strength or fatigue deficits, and load progression,” Carter continued.

Read the full article at outsideonline.com. 

Threshold runs are a powerful tool in your training toolkit, but running them at the right pace is what makes them so effective. Too slow and you never stress the right physiological system for improvement; too fast and you’ll wind up with reduced fitness gains and more fatigue.

“Threshold pace usually refers to the fastest pace you can sustain while keeping lactate production and clearance relatively balanced, often called your lactate threshold or anaerobic threshold pace,” explained Baird.

“In practical terms, it’s a ‘comfortably hard’ effort you could hold for about 45 to 60 minutes in a race setting,” said Baird. It’s usually somewhere between your 10K and half-marathon speed, though that can vary depending on your experience and fitness level.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

"When you’re walking, there's a lot less demand and impact on the body, so it's a good way to reduce injury risk," said Yusuff. 

“If you start to run then you get injured, that can sometimes put people off forever,” Yusuff continued. So if you've never run before or you're getting back into it, jeffing may be a helpful strategy.

Another potential benefit is that it may shorten recovery time. "During the walking stages, you slow the body down, kind of lower (core) temperature and recirculate some of the lactate that accumulated while running," explained Yusuff.

Read the full article at today.com.

“Anaerobic” means without oxygen, so when you do anaerobic exercise, your body does not rely on oxygen to fuel the activity. Instead, it taps into a form of energy called glycogen that is already stored in your cells, said Dr. Wang.

You may think anaerobic exercise only matters for athletes who primarily train and perform in the anaerobic zone, like sprinters, hurdlers, and powerlifters. But that’s actually not true. Any runner can benefit from anaerobic training, explained Wang.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

VO₂ max is widely regarded as a gold standard of aerobic fitness. It shows up on watches, in training apps and across social media as a benchmark for comparison. But the number that you’re seeing might not present your fitness level as accurately as assumed. Research questions whether the most common way that we measure VO₂ max – that is, based on bodyweight – actually provides the best way to compare aerobic efficiency across different body types. 

Elite marathoners tend to have high relative VO₂ max values, partly because of their smaller, lighter frames, said Baird. Meanwhile, athletes like rowers, who typically carry more muscle mass, often post lower relative VO2 max numbers than marathoners, even though their absolute readings may be larger.

Baird stressed that for most people, runners included, simply being active and maintaining a well-rounded routine is far more important to both your aerobic fitness and your overall health than trying to optimize this metric—or trying to manipulate your way to a better score. 

Consulting with a medical professional is essential for understanding your full set of health metrics and optimizing both performance and overall wellness. Learn more about performance services at HSS, including VO₂ max testing, here.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

Thanks to the proliferation of smartwatches and fitness trackers, it’s never been easier to log your heart rate while running: Simply don the device, start your workout, and watch those beats per minute (bpm) do their thing. 

If you’re trying to stay within a certain heart rate range while running, you need to figure out your maximum heart rate, Dr. Shahi said. The 'quick and dirty' formula for doing so is 220 minus your age, he explained. So, a 60-year-old’s max heart rate would be 160, for example. However, a slightly more accurate method is multiplying your age by 0.7 and then subtracting that number from 207. So, by that measure, a 60-year-old’s max heart rate would be 165.

Dr. Shahi suggests checking in with a doctor if your running heart rate is always high despite not taking caffeine beforehand and despite being in relatively good shape, especially if it’s been going on for months. "That’s a good reason to go see a doctor," he said.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

“If you can produce better force into the ground and absorb force in a better manner when you land, then you will be a faster runner, or you will be a more tolerant runner of the speeds [and distances] that you want to run at,” said Baird.

While many runners think they need to focus mostly on speed gains to get that edge at the end of a race—even going all-out with VO2 max efforts—zeroing in on your biomechanics can make the difference. “If you are solely focused on improving your VO2 max, then you may find that you are going to continue to be injured because it’s high-intensity, repetitive work,” Baird shared. Neglecting your mechanics on top of that can lead to overloading certain joints and tissues, which can lead to injuries, she explained.

It’s unrealistic to think you can focus on improving both speed and form all year round, every single year, Baird said. So she suggests periodizing your training, which looks like setting specific workout focuses that change throughout the year based on your races and your goals.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. 

"Recovery starts the moment you start training. Adhering to a smart training plan, making sure you're increasing your mileage appropriately, taking rest days, doing your strength training—all those things allow you to have a better recovery. We often think, “I crossed the finish line, now it's time to recover." Going into [race day] well-trained is going to really set you up for a nice easy recovery and get you back out there," said Geisel.

Read the full article at nyrr.org.

For many, running is more than just exercise: it’s a social outlet, a form of meditation, or a way to challenge yourself. But chronic knee pain can sideline you for longer than you’d like. The good—and maybe surprising—news is that running itself isn’t inherently bad for your knees. In fact, research has shown that runners may have healthier knee cartilage than people who are sedentary. The trick is managing the impact.

“In simple terms, your knees are usually innocent bystanders,” said Saad. The knee sits between the hip and the foot, he explained. If either of those body parts isn’t doing its job well, due to a lack of strength or mobility, poor mechanics, or not tolerating the load you’re putting on them, your knees absorb extra stress.

“We’re all humans with imperfect mechanics,” Saad continued. “It’s usually not ‘bad knees’—it’s a load management problem.”

Read the full article at outsideonline.com. 

The workout is simple: Walk at an incline of 12 percent and a pace of three miles per hour for 30 minutes.

Before you dial the treadmill up to an incline of 12, experts suggested warming up on a lower grade, to give your heart and muscles time to acclimate. You may also need to build up your fitness to tackle 12-3-30, said Carter. See how the workout feels at different inclines and paces, he said, and strive for a sweet spot of challenging but sustainable.

If you need to hold on to the handrails to support yourself, that’s a sign you should decrease the incline, the speed or both, Carter shared. Otherwise, you’re “reducing the amount of work that you are doing and therefore the potential benefits.” Carter also recommended leaning forward slightly when walking at a steep incline, both for balance and to generate more force. Pumping your arms can help you engage your core and work your upper body.

Read the full article at nytimes.com. A subscription is required to access.

From a very young age, Dr. Metzl knew that playing sports energized and helped him focus. It wasn't until years into his career as a sports medicine doctor that he began prescribing exercise to others. "It's the most ubiquitous, effective, totally no-side-effects drug in the world," said Dr. Metzl, who recently published “Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity.”

Exercise is also something Dr. Metzl feels is sometimes overlooked in the longevity space, in favor of fancier products.

Read the full article at businessinsider.com.

Too much too soon can mean too much mileage, but it can also mean too much intensity—pushing your speed before you’re ready for that added challenge—or doing both at the same time.

Your cardiovascular system adapts to stress a lot quicker than muscles and tendons, Saad shared. “Think about where the majority of injuries are. They tend to be either tendon injuries, ligament injuries, or bone injuries,” he said. “The reason is because those structures adapt a little bit slower. So someone who is cardiovascularly fit might think they can run five miles, but maybe their ligaments and bones aren’t used to that, so they can’t tolerate that amount of repetitive stress, and they get injured.”

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Experts including Kate Baird, MA, ACSM-CEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist at HSS share advice to help determine your optimal workout time – and how this can improve your running performance.

According to Baird, exercising earlier in the day means that you’re more likely to feel focused and productive from the off. ‘This includes mood-boosting endorphins and neurotransmitters that help with focus and mental clarity,’ said Baird, who added that you may also feel a sense of accomplishment from getting something done first thing in the morning.

Read the full article at menshealth.com.

Kate Baird, MA, ACSM-CEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist at HSS explained that while 10,000 steps is a popular benchmark, the most effective daily movement goal should be personalized. 

Baird emphasized that national exercise guidelines are based on minutes of activity—not steps—and that factors like pace, intensity, and individual goals matter more than hitting a single number. She notes that walking can help many people meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, and that incorporating higher-intensity movement and reducing sedentary time are key for improving overall health and supporting weight loss.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. 

Whether you identify as an anaerobic or aerobic athlete also depends on what you tend to enjoy more in training. Geisel said. “Can you go out and crush a high-intensity interval (HIIT) workout and feel empowered or would you rather go out and run five miles? Most people would say that one of those sounds fun and the other sounds like more torture,” she said. 

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. 

The post-run cooldown is often depicted as a non-negotiable step—one that reduces soreness, lowers injury risk, and enhances performance in your next workout.

One true benefit of the cooldown is that it can help clear lactate—a byproduct of intense exercise—from your bloodstream. Lactate accumulation can trigger an achy, burning sensation in your muscles, and though your body would eventually clear it post-exercise, a cooldown can hasten that process. That means the cooldown can help your muscles feel better in the short-term, Yamuder said.

The research doesn’t support much physiological benefit of the cooldown, and it’s “really not harmful” to skip it, Yamuder said. But if you can spare the time?

“You should do it,” Yamuder explained. “I just know, anecdotally, that I feel better after walking for 5 to 10 minutes after I do any sort of workout or run,” he said. And that’s likely due to the lactate clearance as well as the recovery mindset it helps facilitate, he explains. Plus, in today’s fast-paced, high-stress world, the cooldown can offer a chance to intentionally unwind and relax, Yamuder added—something you may not otherwise get much of.

Read the full article at run.outsideonline.com.

She used HSS resources for postpartum strength training, pelvic floor, and return-to-run programs to ensure she races safely, while experiencing the same journey she's guided many patients through.

Dr. Austin also has a patient who she helped recover from an injury who is also trained for the marathon for the first time.

Watch the full segment at abc7ny.com. 

The first step on the road to improving your speed is running consistently. “Consistent training is usually considered to be three to five days of running [per week] without large time gaps between workouts, incorporating a mix of easy runs, long runs, and moderate-high intensity sessions,” explained Horan. 

The time it takes to see improvements in your pace once you’ve been training consistently depends on factors like your level of fitness, genetics, sex, age, and medical history, according to Horan.

That said, Horan offered a guideline: “Training pace can begin to improve in as little as six to 12 weeks with a mix of training incorporating easier long runs to build endurance and speedwork—high-intensity intervals, tempo runs, etc.—to improve pace,” she said.

Read the full article at run.outsideonline.com.

Watch the full segment at abc7ny.com.

Watch the full story at ABC7ny.com. 

Equally important, though, are metabolic (a.k.a. conditioning) factors, or what’s happening on the inside or the engine of the car. In particular, that comes down to your overall aerobic capacity, your lactate threshold, and what energy source (fats versus carbs) your body uses to support your runs.

However, the “biomechanical bucket also affects the metabolic bucket,” Baird said , meaning that poor form could make you less able to improve your aerobic capacity, for example.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. 

“Running is a pretty high-impact sport — it’s a lot of stress on the body,” said Dr. Kew. If you plan to increase the amount you’re training, she says, it’s best to build up slowly and to follow the guidance of a running club, coach or training plan.

Shin splints are an overuse injury. Many experts believe they are a result of inflammation in and around the muscles that pull on the tibia’s surface, or from damage to the bone. However, doctors don’t fully understand what causes them on a cellular level.

Pain from shin splints may be sharp or dull and it that may improve during a run at first, but it can linger as the injury worsens. “It’s like a toothache in your leg that doesn’t go away,” said Dr. Metzl. “The worse the ache, the more significant the problem.”

Read the full article at nytimes.com. 

For many people, “staying healthy and in shape” translates to burning calories and keeping weight in check, and running is a top activity for revving your heart rate and blasting calories. But just how many calories do you burn running one mile?

Intensity and weight aren’t the only variables that can alter how many calories you burn running a mile, though. “Running mechanics play a big role in caloric expenditure—different aspects such as ground contact time, vertical motion, and muscular strength have a significant effect on the amount of calories that are burned or energy that is expended in terms of oxygen consumption,” Grace Horan, MS, ACSM-EP, exercise physiologist at HSS explained. 

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

First off, long periods of being sedentary can cause an overall increase in muscle tightness, Yamuder said. Specifically, your hip flexors—the muscles at the front of your quads that help bring your knees up toward your chest—shorten up. This, in turn, leads to less hip extension, Yamuder explained.

Hip extension is what allows your legs to go behind your body, and in running, it’s crucial to the push-off phase of your stride. “If your hip flexors are super tight, you can’t get full hip extension, which means you can’t push off fully,” Yamuder explained. This can lead to an increase in stride frequency (how many steps you take per minute), which can cause people to overstride. And that, in turn, can up your risk of issues like shin splints as well as pain and instability in the hip and knee joints, Yamuder said.

Too much sitting can also tighten up your ankles and soleus, a deep calf muscle. And when these areas get tight, your knees can end up absorbing more force from running, which can overload that joint and also decrease your running economy, Yamuder said. Tight ankles can also cause the Achilles tendon to repetitively and forcefully stretch when you run, leading to microtears and inflammation in the tendon, which can cause discomfort and pain, he added.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Cycle syncing is the concept of adjusting your training, exercise, workout, or sports performance across the menstrual cycle, explained Ellen Casey, MD, CAQSM, FACSM, physiatrist, at HSS. “The idea is to try to identify times when it might be best to do certain types of exercise or allow for more recovery, for example, at different points in the menstrual cycle,” she said.

Read the full article at run.outsideonline.com.

Sweating salt is completely normal. But it may influence how you fuel and hydrate your workouts. Emilie Burgess Horvath, registered dietitian at HSS explained that you will typically be able to tell if your sweat is predominantly salty based on the following indicators.

Your sweat tastes salty: “One of the most common signs I usually see in practice is definitely the salt taste within your sweat, like when it hits your lips, during exercise,” Burgess Horvath said.

Your sweat burns your eyes: It’s not the run making you cry; it’s the salt from your sweat getting in your eyes. (Granted, this could be sunscreen or mascara, so look out for the other signs.)

You notice white stains on your clothes: Look for white chalky stains or crust on your workout clothes, like your shirt or the inside of your hat, as another sign your sweat is majorly salty, according to Burgess Horvath. You’ll likely be able to see white salt lines on your skin post-run, too.

You frequently get muscle cramps: Muscle cramping, especially in hot and humid conditions, is another signal your sweat is salty, Burgess Horvath said. Losing sodium (an electrolyte) through your sweat causes your muscles to tighten and cramp. (It’s important to note that muscle cramps could also be the result of many other factors, like dehydration, overexertion or fatigue, circulatory issues, medications, and other medical conditions, so it’s important to chat with your doctor if you experience them regularly.) 

Read the full article at run.outsideonline.com.

There are a bunch of physical benefits of the run-walk method too: For one, it can reduce your injury risk, especially if you’re just getting started with the sport, said Dr. Austin. Running is one of the highest impact forces you can put your joints through, Dr. Austin explained, and because of that, people can experience pain and overuse injuries if they ramp up too quickly. The run-walk method allows for a slower, safer progression. Same principle applies for people with arthritis: Inserting walk breaks into runs can help give your joints a breather while still promoting blood flow, which is important for reducing feelings of stiffness. Ultimately, this approach can allow them to tackle longer distances than nonstop running, said Dr. Austin.

Read the full article at self.com. 

There’s a myth out there that running can lead to arthritis, but James N. Robinson, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS, says the research doesn’t support this: “There is no convincing data that running or impact activities causes arthritis,” he says, though injuries such as runner’s knee, stress fractures, or tendonitis can occur, often due to poor form, or increasing mileage too quickly.

Read the full article at prevention.com. 

“Running is a plyometric-based activity, so getting comfortable with plyometrics is helpful, and running drills can also be good for that,” Geisel said. 

Geisel added that you build single-leg strength with form drills, along with neuromuscular coordination and a better push-off phase of the gait cycle.

While improvement comes with experience, it’s also important to keep your personal form weaknesses in mind, Geisel said. For example, if you really struggle with the knee drive, start with high knees and butt kicks, then progress to A-skips and B-skips when you’re ready for more of a challenge. You’ll know it’s time to progress when the high knees and butt kick drills feel more natural and require less effort.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Muscle imbalances can rob you of speed and power—or worse, lead to injury, explained Anil Nandkumar, D.P.T., physical therapist at HSS. 

Unfortunately for runners, many common signs of muscle imbalances go unnoticed until you end up sidelined. This is why it’s important to know how to spot and address them, so they don’t get in the way of you reaching your full running potential. Here’s what to look for and how to address your weak spots.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. 

By walking for short intervals before you get tired, you can avoid some fatigue and tackle longer distances. Because run-walking can be gentler on your body than continuous running, many people find they are able to recover faster in between runs, too.

“The misconception is that it has to lead to continuous running,” said Pamela Geisel, MS, MBA, CSCS, PCES, RRCA, exercise physiologist at HSS. In fact, the run-walk method can be a lifelong practice.

Read the full article at nytimes.com. A subscription is required to access. 

"The running longer, or traditional method, is about slogging through miles at a slower pace," said Dr. McGrath.

Running for a longer distance or time has a number of benefits.

"You also develop more muscular endurance by running longer and slower," Dr. McGrath added. 

Recovery between workouts is crucial. Allowing your body to rest can help the muscles repair themselves and grow.

Running longer and slower is easier on the body. “You’re not beating yourself up quite as much. There’s less overall impact,” Dr. McGrath explained.

Read the full article at today.com. 

Watch at today.com. 

People who love run streaks find there’s a lot they get out of running every day, both physically and mentally.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise like easy running at least five days a week. Dr. Shahi says this can improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. “Running is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise,” he explained. “It makes your body more robust.” 

Read the full article at wellandgood.com. 

After just a few weeks of little to no exercise, your heart starts to show significant signs of detraining, according to a 2018 study on marathoners published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

But a month isn’t that long and if you were running regularly before, you can bounce back fast. “If you take a month off, it will take you about a month to get back to where you were,” said de Mille.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access. 

“Running is a single-leg sport and strength training improves your strength and stability in each leg,” said Geisel. 

Strength training improves your running because it forces you to address muscle imbalances. “People tend to gravitate toward the things they’re good at, but addressing your weaknesses will make you a better runner,” Geisel explained. 

Geisel said while three sessions a week takes both time and effort, it is a nice balance because it allows you to see results but also have time enough to, well, run. “You’re looking for a balance of strength and cardio that complement and don’t impede one another,” she explained.

Read the full article at runnersworld.com. A subscription is required to access.

Baker began running during the pandemic before setting her sights on the marathon, that was until she started feeling some serious pain last year.

"I began to develop pain in my glute and the pain travelled through my leg to my knee and it began to prevent me from running," said Baker.

The pain led Baker to HSS where she's spent a ton of time after a hip labral tear was discovered three months before last year's race. The initial diagnosis could have meant surgery, but that wasn't on Baker's mind.

Determined to run the 2023 race, Baker and the team at HSS gathered to meet her goal -- all without going the route of surgery.

"I had wonderful support through all the professionals here, and I felt good because it was a very manageable plan," she added.

Todd McGrath, MD, sports medicine physician at HSS explained that surgery would have cost Baker the chance to run last year's event and this year's because of the long rehab process. But with the help of Kate Baird, MA, ACSM-CEP, CSCS, exercise physiologist at HSS, Baker has trained even better and harder in preparation for her second straight marathon.

Watch the full video at ABC7ny.com. 

Watch the full video at abc7ny.com. 

Stephen Ranellone, NSCA-CSCS, FRCms, FMS, exercise physiologist at HSS shares why it's important to keep the body in motion to help with post-recovery

Watch at abc7ny.com. 

Nnaemeka Echebiri, MD, physiatrist at HSS shares the importance of rest and refueling for first-time marathon runners following race completion.

Watch at abc7ny.com.