Here are some things you can do to prevent and/or treat "marathon feet":

* Train on the same surface you plan to run on. If you are training for a marathon on roads, the treadmill or a soft track will not prepare your body for the pounding…

* After the race, and you are urinating normally…you may take [an NSAID] (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) unless your doctor has told you that you cannot due to a contraindication.

* Most important: Immediately upon returning home or to your hotel post-race, soak your feet for 15 minutes in an ice bath. This is the best way to avoid this middle-of-the-night pain.

Now, if you have pain the Monday after the event, 15-minute ice baths three times a day and [an NSAID] may be necessary for two days to ease the inflammation. If you feel bony tenderness, see a doctor sooner than later -- what you have may not be "marathon feet" but rather a stress or full fracture of a bone in your foot.