SAN ANTONIO -- When the San Antonio Marathon became the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon last year, the number of entrants grew exponentially.

What had been a rather pedestrian 26.2 mile race with 4,000 to 5,000 entrants annually saw event organizers cap it at 30,000. Many of those participants came from the Alamo City and its surrounding areas.

"We saw an enormous amount of first-time runners training for the Rock 'n' Roll, which is great for the population of San Antonio to get fit, but you need to know how to train properly, so we saw many, many running injuries," said Dr. Julie Barnett, the director of physical therapy at The Non-Surgical Center of Texas, which specializes in sports-related injuries.

She saw many of those first-time runners hobble into the clinic with what she said are the six most common running injuries.

"Plantar fasciitis along the bottom of the arch, shin splints along the inside of the shin or tibia. Achilles tendinitis along the back, so those are the three in the foot," said Barnett. "Patellar femural problems or IT band tendinitis and the last one is the hip with the tendinitis across the hips and most of them are overuse injuries."

Barnett said overuse comes from either running too far, too fast or for too long. She tells beginners to change just one of those variables at a time, since altering two or more lead to problems. There are many training programs and groups around town for beginners or seasoned pros to join. Barnett said these are a good way for many first-timers to get into training gradually but does warn that some programs ratchet up a couple of those variables a bit beyond what rookies are ready to deal with and cautions that listening to your body makes the best sense, saying the most important distance in your training is the space between your ears.

"The way you think about your training," said Barnett. "If you have to stop and walk, that's okay. If you need to crosstrain to the bike or the swimming pool, do that for a session or two, then get back to your running."

While training is part of the battle, having the right equipment is just as vital. Barnett refers to these components as the S.O.S. of running: shoes, orthotics and stretching.

"No one typically knows their foot type," said Barnett. "They often think they have a good arch and the majority of the population has a flat foot or a pronated foot."

She recommends going to a running store or even a running clinic to make sure your feet are equipped with the right shoes, which is similar to putting the right tires on a vehicle. And orthotics, while uncomfortable at first, can play a big role in making sure every step gets you closer to the finish line instead of a doctor's office. Stretching may be the most debatable subject for new runners. Barnett said it doesn't matter when you stretch, whether it's before you run, after or sometime during the day. The key is to get it done, with emphasis on the calves, hamstrings and hips.

"Running needs twice as much flexibility as normal walking," said Barnett.

One final piece of advice she gives is strictly to women beginning a running program. After the age of 30, our bones don't get any stronger, so supplements add a bit of insurance. Barnett suggested women take a calcium supplement providing 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day, in addition to vitamin D or a multi-vitamin.

As for future hopefuls for this year's marathon, officials say they are on pace to sell out again. Last year's inaugural event sold out about a month before the race.