Am I ready for the Broad Street Run?

It's almost time for the Broad Street Run, which means more than 30,000 people will try to run 10 miles through the heart of Philadelphia on a Sunday morning - for fun.

But not everyone's training has been pristine. Whether the rough winter kept you off the road, or work or family duties were more important than running, or you're just beat up from running too many miles, you may be on the fence about running next Sunday.

How can you tell if you're ready? Ask yourself these two questions.

How much someone needs to run to be ready for a 10-mile race depends on the person, said Catherine Williams-Frank, a Philadelphia running coach and owner of Run With Endurance Coaching.

"If you're talking about a runner that is more experienced, somebody that has some base aerobic fitness, it might be rough, but that person could make it 10 miles down Broad Street" even if they had not recently done a long run, she said.

If you're a newer runner whose training was hampered, though, you may not have that base to see you through to the finish line without a lot of pain and possibly injury.

"I wouldn't want them to tackle Broad Street if they hadn't gotten in a long run that was longer than seven miles," she said. Last year, Williams-Frank was injured and missed a month of running. However, because she is a longtime runner who already had that aerobic base, she ran anyway. Still, she adjusted her time goals, a wise move for experienced runners who haven't been able to train as much as they might like.

Sean McMillan, chief of orthopedic sports medicine at Lourdes Health System, says he wants runners to have at least four to six weeks of training under their belts before taking on Broad Street. That number is flexible depending on experience and age. Most runners he sees are 35 to 40 and can't recover like they could in their 20s. "If they 'just run,' they'll end up with problems," he said.

Pain is inevitable with running, whether it's soreness after a hard run, or a grinding pain somewhere. Knowing when to stop is not easy, especially for competitive runners.

"We're all taught to push through the pain a little bit," McMillan said.

He asks patients to track their pain: At what point during the run does the pain kick in? Is it soreness? Or a stabbing pain? Does it hurt when you're not running?

"If the pain makes you almost want to cry, that's not the right pain," he said. Pain that sticks around outside of running is a red flag, too. In those cases, you should see a physician to diagnose what's wrong. It could be something as small as changing your running shoes (McMillan has his runners bring their shoes with them to appointments), or it could be something that needs rest in order to heal.

Williams-Frank tells her clients that if they take pain medication before they run, "they probably should not be running Broad Street."

Self-dosing can be dangerous and ineffective, too. A recent study in the Journal of Athletic Training found runners who were already sore did no better on their run if they took ibuprofen than those who did not.

In another survey, runners who took over-the-counter painkillers before the 2010 Bonn Marathon were more likely to drop out of the race with gastrointestinal cramps than those who did not. Those pill-takers who did finish reported more muscle and joint pain, too. Three pill-takers showed signs of renal failure, four had gastrointestinal bleeding, and two had mild heart attacks.

Sitting out a race you have wanted to run for months stinks. But the alternatives aren't much better. Thirty thousand-plus runners could use your voice cheering them to the finish line - and there's always next year. The race is looking for volunteers, too.

1. Don't know what to wear? Consider what the temperature will be at about Mile Five for you, and add 20 degrees to it. Dress for that. And don't try any new clothes - even that race shirt. Make sure it's stuff you've tested in training.

2. Get to the start area early. That area is very crowded, and portable toilet lines are very long. I've run the race three times, and the first thing I did when I stepped off the train was get in a bathroom line. Lines stack up at portable toilets along the course, too, so don't think you can just go later. Also, remember that Broad Street this year starts at 8 a.m. - a half-hour earlier than in years past.

3. If you're taking the train, get a seat. Runners can take the Broad Street Line to the start free, but those trains fill up fast. Getting there early enough to snag a seat will help you save your legs for the race.

4. Go slow. This is a big event - the eighth-largest race in the country. It's easy to let the excitement get to you, but if you shoot out too fast in that first mile, you're setting yourself up for a difficult race. McMillan, who ran in college, sang a song in his head to help him keep an even tempo, especially early in races.

5. Don't change your fueling and hydration on race day. What you did in training is what you should do that day. It worked in training, so it will work for you on the course.

6. Don't take race selfies. A race is not your social-media playground, especially at a large and crowded event. If you're focused on yourself and your camera, you're not paying attention to the course and the people around you. If you want to take a picture, Broad Street has sidewalks. Step onto one. A lot of runners like to take a picture of approaching City Hall. There, you can jump onto the median. Just be careful stepping back into the race.

7. The Navy Yard sign is not the finish line. That arch shines like a beacon in the sun and tricks a lot of runners into believing their race is over. It's a marker that you're almost done.

8. Celebrate! Running 10 miles isn't easy, whether it's your first time or your 20th. Have a big brunch, and a drink or two if that's your thing. Just remember to drink plenty of water, too.

Have a question for the On The Run panel? Ask it here or email us. Read more from the On The Run blog »