How not to get injured when your half marathon is over?

So here I am 2 weeks after my Disney Wine and Dine half marathon and I'm debating whether or not to run tommorrow! Not basking in the glory of my personal best time or enjoying the "no pressure" running...but instead confused and worried that I might end up hurt.

I admit I have never run every day, but when I am not technically "training for a race" I never know exactly what to do. When I am training, I follow my plan and typically stay healthy. But post race...who knows???

I know I am not the only one this happens to and surprisingly post race running often leads to injury. Why you ask? Because while we are following a training plan, we are also following a carefully tested plan to help you make it to the start line healthy, hopefully from a reputable source. But after its all over, we run whenever and however we feel like it...which can be too many days in a row, too much mileage, too fast, you get the point!

I see so many patients post marathon or post race with overuse injuries because they aren't running smart...they are just running. So I sit here tonight wondering do I run tommorrow after putting in 5 miles 2 days in a row......my answer to a patient would be always better to err on the side of caution!

Guess I am not running tommorrow,,,,but maybe signing up for another race so I can follow a plan :)