When Michelle Wheeler rolled across the finish line at Sunday’s Blue Cross Broad Street Run, you could see the determination etched on her face, her arms pumping like pistons as she turned the wheels of her racing wheelchair. That gutsy determination paid off with a win in the women’s wheelchair division.

Wheeler, 29, a member of the MossRehab/Global Abilities wheelchair team, accomplished what she had set out to do—but then, so do a lot of athletes. Winning was no sure thing, and she knew it. Under the best of conditions, rolling 10 miles down Broad Street at breakneck speed is no easy feat. On Sunday, with temperatures in the low 50s and in the driving rain, it was draining.

“My gloves kept slipping off the wheels, I kept hitting a lot of potholes and mud, and I had a lot of rain in my face, but I kept pushing myself through it,” she said in an interview following the awards ceremony. “I have been preparing myself for years to get better and better, and I feel like this year is my year, so I think I did great on this race considering it was raining and slipping. I think I did pretty well.”

 Nearly 40,000 chilled, rain-soaked athletes hit the pavement for the 2016 Blue Cross Broad Street Run on Sunday, a 10-mile test of endurance sponsored in part by Einstein Orthopedics and MossRehab. It’s the largest 10-mile road race in the nation.

In the market for a new pair of running shoes, tennis shoes, cross trainers or just plain old sneakers?

The right footwear is essential to an active lifestyle and can help to prevent blisters, calluses and foot, ankle or leg injuries.

These tips can keep you a step ahead:

Shop at Specialty Shoe Stores

There are a host of athletic shoes on the market, with special shoes made for walking, aerobics and running, just to name a few.

In each category, there are shoes made for support, control and pronation needs (if your foot rolls inward or outward).

Finding a comfortable shoe that meets your requirements can be tricky, so it’s best to consult an expert at a specialty athletic shoe store.

The shop’s knowledgeable staff can measure your feet, analyze your gait and recommend certain shoes for your needs.

When you attend the Broad Street Run on Sunday, May 3, keep your eyes peeled for the wheelchairs that look like long, skinny tricycles. And then focus your attention on the determined athletes propelling them along. If they don’t redefine what the word “disability” means in your mind, then nothing will.

Those dogged competitors are all members of the Global Abilities Race Team, sponsored in the Broad Street Run this year by MossRehab, driving home the institution’s creed—Challenge Accepted—in one of the most exciting and visual ways possible.

All of the wheelchairs will display MossRehab labeling, but the connection to the hospital’s core mission goes far deeper than that, says MossRehab Recreation Therapy Team Leader Anne Weiland, CTRS, MHA. The race team’s participation stands out as the living personification of that institutional credo. “Moss definitely makes that connection by offering the team the opportunity to be in the race,” she says. “Global Abilities is near and dear to our hearts.”

Leading the race team is A.J. Nanayakkara. If you think the Broad Street Race course is long—it’s 10 heart-pumping miles—consider the long road Nanayakkara traveled to get there.

Now 41, Nanayakkara was 20 and a martial arts student when he suffered a spinal cord injury, the result of a bad fall during a class. He had been active, if not the most naturally talented athlete, all his life. “I did a lot. I played tennis. I ran cross country. I was always the last person in the cross-country race,” he laughs. “Then I found martial arts and I became actually pretty good at that. I trained 20 hours a week. And then all of a sudden that was done."

Einstein in the News with Advice for Runners

In this television spot, currently running on NBC10, Einstein orthopedic surgeon Bobby Ndu, MD, and MossRehab physical therapist John Feeley, MSPT give running advice for atheletes competing in this year's Broad Street Run. 

Have a look! 

The Core is the Key

In the last few years, “the core” has become a buzzword in the exercise and fitness community. According to MossRehab’s Sports & Spine Rehabilitation specialist Jeff North, MD, our core is literally our core, or the center of our body and the central portion of our movements.

All of our body’s motions and force production involve a properly functioning core. Our core is not just our abdominals. It includes the thoracic and lumbar spine, abdominal muscles, back muscles, pelvic and hip girdle muscles (especially the gluteals) and the thigh muscles.

Don't Forget the Sun Screen!

To help keep you protected during your outdoor activities, Einstein Healthcare Network dermatologist Dr. Jonathon Wolfe at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery has provided the following sun screen tips and recommendations:

When to Use Sun Screen

Whether you're running, swimming, walking or sitting, you need to wear sunscreen if you are going to spend a lot of time. Sunscreen protects your skin by absorbing or reflecting the sun's rays. 

How Much Sun Screen to Use

Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside. Apply it even on cloudy days, because as much as 80 percent of the sun's ultraviolet radiation can sneak through the clouds, even on the most overcast days.

Understand What SPF Means

Einstein Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Minn Saing is the Medical Director for the Blue Cross Broad Street Run. He offers these tips to keep you in top form:

With the Broad Street Run coming up, it’s important to properly fuel your body. Everything you eat and drink leading up to the run has a direct impact on performance. In order to help you better prepare, Theresa Shank, RD LDN has outlined the best advice to strengthen your body for this year’s race.