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Collected from various sources, including
Runner's World,
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons,
Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma etc.

    General Problems

Try RICE. It's the old standby-rest, ice, compression and elevation-or RICE for short. Again, rest is all you need to keep most aches and pains from becoming more serious. Along with rest, ice the injured area as soon as possible. I like to keep a paper cup filled with ice in the freezer. At the first sign of an injury, I peel away the paper from the top of the cup and rub it directly on the affected area. I rub until the area gets numb, which usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.

    Shin Splints

Athletes often complain about "shin splints" at the beginning of a sports season. They're describing a pain in the front of the lower leg between the knee and ankle. In their hurry to get in shape, athletes can overtrain without properly conditioning their muscles. The result can be injury to the tendons, muscles or bones in the lower leg. Obviously, good shoes are the first key to avoiding these types of injuries. After that, physical therapy and good running practice comes into play. My cross country coach was big on holistic methods, namely, strength conditioning. That is, toe taps and calf raises. NISMAT Shinsplint page

    Knee Problems

This is a big problem for a lot of people once we hit 12-26 miles. I've had good luck with patella straps, but they only address the symptom. Again, physical therapy may be a good solution (after shoes): Runner's world knee page: "Once you've smoothed out the meeting of foot and ground, move north to the leg muscles. "The most consistent result in all our studies is that injured runners are weak," Messier says. "Runners think they don't need to do anything because they run all the time, but that's endurance, not strength. They need a good strength-training program for the legs."

Okay, so maybe you have hamstrings like nobody's business. But there's a good chance your quadriceps muscles are too weak, especially the teardrop-shaped muscle in the inside of the group, just above the knee, called the vastus medialis oblique, or the VMO. That could be bad news, because the VMO helps hold the kneecap in its groove. In one study of people with anterior knee pain, targeted exercise quickly decreased pain by 50 percent. "It works within 2 weeks," Messier says. "It's amazing.""

Also, don't do mean things to your knees. If you ride a bike, raise the seat and shift down so there
is less force at the joint. Don't squat down. Don't kneel down. Don't do anything that puts any
unnecessary pressure on your knees.

Know your knees' needs. That was hard to type.

    Pain Killers

Could we talk about injuries without talking about painkillers? No!
Hint: Don't carry loose pills during the race. If you pour water on your head
the pills will dissolve. Ooopsa!

In general, acetaminophen is your least-controversial bet.

"#8 - Don't take Aspirin, Ibuprophen, or naproxen sodium. One of the main injuries
during marathons is kidney failure, which is often due to one of these three
substances in the body combined with a strenuous effort that takes place over
several hours. " from http://www.coolrunning.com.au/expert/train-001.shtml

"DON'T take NSAIDs like Advil(R) or Aleve(R) before or during endurance events because, according to a few published reports, these over-the-counter pain relievers seem to increase the risk for hyponatremia." from http://www.jnj.com/news/jnj_news/20031030_105713.htm

But, then, maybe not: "Good reasons exist to avoid NSAIDs "on the run." One is the risk of
stomach irritation and bleeding. Another is that they can mask pain
reflecting potentially serious injury. But concerns about NSAIDs and
kidney function seem overblown. Two or three NSAID pills during a
marathon will not likely harm the kidneys."
http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/284/jan2001_2.cfm

Remember that the pain is your body trying to tell you something. Back off!

    Nipple Rash

I have provided a helpful figure to the left of the most painful problem of nipple rash.

Cause: too much rubbing over delicate nipples for too many miles.

Solution?

Answer a) Run without a shirt. Problems with Solution "a": You may be female. Also, skin cancer.
Answer b) Bandaids, applied before the problem starts. That is, when you start. After you start,
you'll be too sweaty to get the adhesive to stick.

    Protect Thy Toenails

Problem: ill fitting shoes
Solution: nail polish

Erin has graciously agreed to allow her toenails to illustrate this important point: