Your Race. Your Pace. What Runners of Every Level Need to Know Before the Louisiana Marathon
If you're running the Louisiana Marathon or Half Marathon, first of all, congratulations. You signed up, showed up, and started putting in the work. Whether this is your first 13.1 or your fiftieth full, your body is doing something incredible.
But here’s the truth that seasoned runners and first-timers can agree on:
Running the race is only part of the journey.
The rest is how well you move before, during, and after it.
So, let’s talk about that.
Resolutions Are Great. But Movement Intentions Stick.
We said this in our last blog, but it’s worth repeating. This time of year is full of lofty goals and fresh starts. That’s great. But most resolutions fade because they’re built around a finish line—literally and metaphorically.
If your only goal is to cross that line in January, you’re missing out on everything that comes before and after. Instead of focusing on the race as the end, think of it as a checkpoint in your bigger movement story.
Your body is learning how to handle volume. How to recover from fatigue. How to move under pressure. That’s the real win.
Whether you’re running to prove something to yourself or to beat your PR from five years ago, your body is the vehicle that’s getting you there. It deserves just as much attention as your training plan and your running shoes.
Training Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
You might be following a couch-to-5k plan or crushing long runs with a GPS watch and fueling strategy. But here's a question we love to ask runners:
Are you training movement, or just mileage?
Because there’s a difference.
Running is repetitive by nature. That means if there’s an imbalance somewhere, weak glutes, poor core control, tight calves, unstable hips—your body will find a way to keep going, but it might not be the most efficient or sustainable way.
The result?
Nagging pain in your knee by mile 8
Hip tightness that shows up during taper week
Low back soreness the next day
A foot that flares up out of nowhere during your cool down
These things don’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. They just mean your body is giving you signals. And physical therapy is one of the best ways to decode those signals.
Every Body Is a Runner’s Body
Let’s clear something up. You don’t have to be fast, elite, or decked out in the latest gear to deserve support through your training and recovery.
You’re a runner if you run. Period.
And if your body is asking for help along the way, that’s not weakness—it’s wisdom. The best runners, regardless of experience level, build in support systems to keep them moving longer and stronger.
That might include:
Mobility work to reduce stiffness
Strength training to stabilize joints
Gait analysis to spot asymmetries
Recovery tools like dry needling or manual therapy
And here at Delta Physical Therapy, we are big believers in treating the person, not the diagnosis or distance.
Our low patient-to-therapist ratio means we get to dig deeper and uncover the real reasons behind pain, fatigue, or movement limitations. So you don’t just recover faster, but move better long term.
Pro Tips for Marathon and Half-Marathon Runners
We won’t hit you with a bullet-pointed checklist here. You’ve already got a race-day email for that. Instead, here are a few principles we believe every runner should keep in mind:
Build strength beyond the run. Strong hips, glutes, and core muscles are essential to staying healthy over long distances.
Your warm-up matters. Jumping straight into pace work without preparing your body is like trying to bake a cake at 200 degrees. It might get done, but it won’t be pretty.
Recovery is not a reward. It’s part of the plan. You’re not “earning” your rest days. You’re training your nervous system to adapt and grow.
Form fatigue is real. Your gait changes the longer you go. Training your body to stay efficient is key.
Pain is not proof of progress. Discomfort is expected. Sharp or persistent pain is not.
After the Finish Line
You’ve crossed the finish line. You’ve got your medal. You’ve eaten a well-deserved post-race meal (preferably something carby and cheesy). Now what?
A lot of runners stop here. They rest for a few days and then either dive back in or take a long break—sometimes too long.
What your body really needs post-race is active recovery, mobility, and a plan for reloading intelligently. That’s where physical therapy can be a secret weapon, even for runners who didn’t get injured.
Because we’re not just here to fix problems. We’re here to build better movers.
At Delta, that means movement assessments, personalized exercises, and hands-on work that helps you understand what your body just did—and how to support it moving forward.
Final Thought: Run Your Race. But Keep Moving After.
Whether this is your first race or your fiftieth, you’re doing something powerful. You’re moving with purpose. That deserves support, encouragement, and a plan.
So keep showing up for your body, even after the race is over.
Set a movement intention for 2025 that’s bigger than just mileage. Make it about how you want to feel, how you want to move, and what your body needs to get there.
And remember - at Delta, we’re here to help you move better, not just recover faster.
Your race may be one day in January, but your movement story is still being written.
