Got a half or full marathon on the horizon this fall? Though marathon running is one of the most rewarding athletic challenges, it's also one of the most strenuous. Save yourself from the dreaded “marathon shuffle” and help reduce your risk for injury by keeping your body limber. Maintaining pliability in the hips and hamstrings requires daily care, but those muscles will thank you later when you’re tearing up that 26th mile!

Try it: Yoga for Runners — Athletes for Yoga pre-run sequence

This sequence will wake up your legs, get your muscles moving fluidly, align your stride, and help you establish a deep breath pattern —boosting your endurance and allowing you to run with ease and efficiency. Hold each pose/repeat each movement for 3–5 deep breaths.

• Find even balanced standing

• Bend your knees slightly

• Breathe deeply

• Turn your palms forward and reach your arms overhead — then release them back to your sides — repeat 3 times

• Breathing deeply, fold your body forward — then shake out your head and pedal your knees

• Bring your right foot forward and place your left foot behind you, moving into a runner’s lunge — then lift and lower the back knee

• Lunge flow (from your lunge, straighten and bend your front knee a few times, while being sure to track the knee directly over the ankle)

• Lunge twist (from your lunge, rotate your torso toward the right, keeping your left hand on the ground just inside of your right foot, and reach your right arm toward the sky)

• (Walk your hands to the left and turn your feet parallel so that they are wide apart) Wide leg forward fold

• (Keep walking hand to the left until you’re in a lunge with the left foot forward/right foot back) Runner’s lunge — then lift and lower the back knee

• Lunge flow

• Lunge twist

• (Walk hands to the right and turn feet parallel so that they are wide apart) Wide leg forward fold

• Side lunge flow

• Rise to stand and return feet to hip’s width apart

• Standing side bend

Remember — consistency is key so make this sequence a staple or your pre-workout warm-up. Happy trails!