Even with your best blister prevention efforts, sometimes you can't avoid getting painful blisters during a long run. Sometimes blisters are caused by shoes that are tied too tight. You should be able to slide a finger under the knot. If you can't, your shoes are tied too tightly, so loosen the laces in order to give you more room. However, make sure you don't go overboard: Shoes that are too loose can also cause blisters because your foot is sliding around too much, so make sure they still feel snug.

When it comes to running long distance races, one of the biggest rookie mistakes is going out too fast in the beginning of the race. The best way to avoid the temptation of going out too fast is deliberately run your first mile slower than you plan to run the final one. It's tough to do, since you'll most likely feel really strong in the beginning. But keep in mind that for every second you go out too fast in the first half of your race, you'll lose double that amount of time in the second half of your race.