If you’ve ever been to physical therapy before, you probably have a picture in your head. A busy clinic. Multiple patients at once. A quick check-in with your therapist before being handed off to a bike, heat pack, or exercise sheet—while the clock runs out on your session. Finish Line Physical Therapy is intentionally different. We believe physical therapy should be personal, active, and empowering. You’re not just another appointment on a schedule—you’re an athlete, a runne

Why Single-Leg Strength Is Non-Negotiable for Runners If you’re a runner, here’s a simple but powerful truth: running is a series of single-leg hops. At any given moment, only one foot is on the ground, absorbing forces of 2–3 times your body weight, stabilizing your pelvis, knee, and ankle and propelling you forward. Yet many runners train almost exclusively with double-leg exercises and bilateral strength machines. And the consequences of this imbalance can show up as a var

Running in Cold & Snowy Weather: How to Stay Warm, Dry, and Safe   Winter running can feel intimidating—cold air biting your face, icy sidewalks, slush soaking your shoes—but with the right approach, it can also be incredibly empowering. There’s something magical about heading out when the world is quiet and snowy. The key? Smart layering, weather awareness, and a few winter-specific tweaks. Let’s break it down so you can run confidently no matter what winter throws your way.

Everyone’s process to return to running is different and should be advised by their coach or physical therapists (like the wonderful staff here at Finish Line). This is especially true if you experienced any injuries over the course of the training block.  Countless runners experience an injury (or two or three) during the course of training for a marathon. Some are able to make it through race day despite these injuries. Immediately following the race, most runners take a we

Congratulations!!! You did it! You prepared, you trained for months. You missed birthday parties and social outings. You woke up early and went to bed late. You did all the right things to make it through race day. You thought about this day and dreamed about what it would be like to cross that finish line. And, now, you did the dang thing! HOORAY! But…now what? Post-race blues are real! The emotional and physical drop off following the day is more than just the typical post-

T’was a brisk 35 degree morning in the streets of downtown Philadelphia, on the playground is where I spent most of my days…. Sorry, wrong thought. There was nothing to hear but the sounds of anxious runners and Eagles fans stumbling home from bars at 5 AM. Philadelphia Marathon is known for having insane lines for getting through security, but they were not too bad this year. I was quite impressed that it took all of 5 minutes to get through security and make my way into the

As temperatures drop and outdoor tracks frost over, New York City’s indoor track and field season springs to life. Whether you’re a student-athlete, recreational runner, or a parent trying to understand the fast-paced world of indoor meets, this guide will help you understand the basics. What Makes Indoor Track Different? Indoor track and field takes place in enclosed athletic facilities, typically featuring a 200-meter oval track  (half the length of an outdoor track). Becau

As a former collegiate soccer player, when the weather warms up, I can't help but long for the days of lacing up my cleats and getting back on the field. While I wouldn’t recommend getting into hard tackles a few days before a race or even participating in a league while in a training block for a race (due to risk of injury), there can be additional benefits of incorporating soccer (among other non-running activities) into your schedule in the off-season. If you are going to

If you’re training for a half marathon or marathon, you’re spending weeks building mileage, stacking workouts, practicing fueling, and dialing in on race pace. But there’s one tool that can seriously elevate your training — and many runners overlook it: the tune-up race. A tune-up race is often a shorter race (like a 5K, 10K, or 10mi) scheduled during your training. In college, we often called our first race back for the season a “rust bust” since it had been months from our

Have you ever used Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation ( R.I.C.E. ) to treat an injury before? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. R.I.C.E. was coined by Dr. Gabe Mirkin in 1978 as a treatment for athletic injuries, as ice provides great pain relief; it has been a standard treatment for athletic injuries and sore muscles ever since. But it turns out this may not have been the best advice after all, as both ice and complete rest have been proven to delay healing, instead of help

Any runner knows what it’s like to want to push yourself, whether going for a PR, longest run, multiple races in a season or any other big goal. The more you push, however, the higher the risk of injury. Injuries happen to any of us, even the ones that know how to treat them. This past August, I was in the middle of a speed workout around a loop near my house I have done a million times. On the final rep, with a minute left in the workout, my knee suddenly became really sharp

When we talk about pronation, we get a lot of concerned looks from our patients. 20 years ago, we thought this was the worst word in the world and that it only caused pain while running. But it’s actually very important for running; it’s just a matter of how much your foot pronates.  By definition, ankle pronation is the combined motions of ankle eversion, dorsiflexion, and abduction when your foot hits the ground. When pronation occurs when walking and running, your foot is

The big day is here. The first Sunday in November. The New York City Marathon race day. You’ve been dealing with the taper tantrums for the past two weeks and now you’re going to see why that was so important. This race is challenging but if you put in the work, you’re about to be rewarded. My personal opinion is that NYC is difficult to negative split due to the course, so the following is based on attempting to run an even or slightly positive split.  How to approach a mara

If there is one thing that we, the NYC Running Community can all agree on, it is that Marathon Sunday is without a doubt the best day of the year. It’s certainly our favorite holiday. The energy in the city is palpable. Let me tell you, marathon spectators know how to throw down (see: Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, AKA Mile 8.5 AKA the best block party I’ve ever been to). I’ve logged many miles on the course during that first Sunday in November – dancing in the streets coun

This year’s Chicago Marathon started off as a beautiful, cloudless morning. The logistics of the starting area for Chicago are vastly different from New York, as I was able to walk out from my hotel on Michigan Ave and cross over to Grant Park in less than 5 minutes. I enjoyed a warm-up stroll and my fellow runners and I were treated to a nice sunrise over Lake Michigan. Lucky for me, I got a great night’s sleep after an early pasta dinner, so I was feeling ready to take on t

What’s the Difference (and Why You Should Care) If you've ever hobbled into physical therapy with pain and a lot of questions, you’re not alone. One of the first things we help patients figure out is what exactly is injured  – and trust us, it’s not always the obvious answer. Three of the most common culprits? Sprains, strains, and tendinopathies. These are different types of injuries, even though they may feel similar. Understanding which one you're dealing with helps us (an

We are a few weeks out from the NYC Marathon and you are probably starting to plan everything for race day (right??) - kit, nutrition, transportation, and of course, your race shoes. Whether or not you choose to run in a super shoe, make sure you do at least a few runs prior to race day in whatever you're planning to wear - remember, nothing new on race day. Super shoes are rapidly becoming the “secret weapon” to faster times on both the road and on the track. We see this at

Frequently, patients visit the office expressing common complaints about tightness in their hips, hamstrings, or calves. However, the typical follow-up in our conversation is, "I've been trying to do more stretching, and it just doesn't seem to be working." This blog aims to guide you to think like a Physical Therapist and decide whether stretching is the solution to your problems.  Scientific Background Before delving into the decision to stretch, it's crucial to comprehend

There are so many factors that go into marathon training and preparation. If you are doing a destination race, there are even more things to consider and plan for that we don’t need to consider for local races. Here are some tips that could help ease the stress of traveling for your goal race: Pack your race gear in your carry-on The last thing you need to stress about is lost luggage, let alone when it has all your race essentials. Make sure your carry-on bag has all your ra

Nowadays, runners at least acknowledge the fact that they should be strength training (whether they are or not is an entirely separate conversation). One muscle group that I commonly see avoided is the calf complex. The foot and ankle joint undergo anywhere from 8-12x your body weight every time your foot hits the ground during your stride. Think of that: 10x your body weight x 80 steps per minute = A whole lot of force on the ankle. This is certainly one area we runners nee