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“If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t you are simply ducking your responsibilities.” Ann Richards
So you know it is important – and yet it becomes a lower priority to the urgent tasks. As Coach Shaw said, this is the hard part – not designing a program but staying on one. To succeed at this you need a few tricks, some mental focus and a review of time management.
Start with the truth - Stanford and Tufts Universities have each studied the long term effects of running on physiology and have found that vigorous exercise is associated with living longer and in better health – regardless of the age at which participants began their exercise program. Stanford’s 21 year study showed that runner’s age 50-72 experienced 40% reduced risk of disability, cancer, or Alzheimer’s and just plain lived longer. In the same study, runners had fewer injuries of all kinds, including joint injury. So remind yourself that this really is use it or lose it, you are a runner now and you can enjoy these benefits too if you keep with a program that works for you. I like the funny adage that we spend our youth chasing money and our money chasing youth. Well you do not have to chase it, you just have to jog along and eventually you will run it down or come pretty close to it – while I am not any richer I sure do feel better.
Remember that you are role model. While soccer players are only see by their fans, you see everybody as you run down the road and they see you. I bring this up because I have heard (and I have felt this myself at times) that when I am running I am taking time away from my family, my kids, my job or whatever else you can feel guilty about getting “you time” away from, and I have said to these people “look at how strong you are, and look at what your kids see. They do not see an uneven ledger – but someone who cares enough to exercise, get a bit of time to their selves, and take care of the only body they may ever get. Your kids need that good advice and you are modeling it” In an age where kids are inside, many obese, and more at risk of disease (including adult onset Diabetes) there is no better time for you to be a good example. While I’ll never urge my kid to join me on the road – at least when I tell him to go play and get some exercise he knows that I am serious because I do as I say. Of course I’d love to have him join me for a run but he’ll never do it unless he sees me enjoy it. If that does not motivate me to run and be an athlete – I cannot think of what will.
So let’s revisit that old Steven Covey analogy about time management. He would pour sand into the jar as a representation of what is urgent in our lives - all the stuff we feel like we need to do, and then he would try to get the big stones, the important stuff to fit in that jar. We all know what happened, those stones did not fit. Not until he placed the stones in the jar first, did the sand all fit around the stones, and everything did get into his jar. He was showing us how to manage our time with what was important vs. what was urgent. He made a lot of money showing folks that jar, when we all know how it works already. Robert Fulgum has written “all lessons are repeated until learned”.
You have to keep a record of what you are, and are not, getting done. When you seek to re-establish a routine you probably already know what works for you. For me it is that open calendar square that is unfinished or the task item unchecked – I can’t stand it. Your Learn to Run program fits nicely on a calendar and you’ll just need a few more calendar pages or a training log to keep planning your progress (www.personallogs.com) and you’ll want to modify and repeat your current plan or build a new one based upon your goals. A free online training log is at www.buckeyeoutdoors.com and they have some training plans you can overlay onto your race targets too. Some of these plans will even email you your daily/weekly assignments if that motivates you. Others will send them to your phone if you use your inbox as a do list. So map it out to see where it fits and then you can strategize.
The more I have to think about something – sometimes that daily minutia can serve as a barrier to completion. Where am I running, how far, what to wear, have I eaten, what time - Ahhh! Stress! Your schedule and some planning can ease this in just a single Saturday afternoon and I sleep better that night too, knowing I now have a plan of action. If this running thing is one of your “big rocks” of time management then you just have a puzzle on your hands to solve.
There is no perfect training schedule for everyone – you are “an experiment of one” and you need to listen to your body, ask for help and adjust the sails sometimes. It is not about the number of days you get out – but being ready, rested and in the mindset to make the days you do get – count as a quality effort.
How many days a week? Studies show that 95% of the cardiovascular benefits can be had with 5 days a week of running, with that said you can get nearly 80% on just 4 days a week. So can you make it work on three day a week? The Furman FIRST program is based on this very principle and they cross train and do floor exercises for strength on the off days. Strength training stimulates the production of red blood cells and stimulates muscles differently so that you are more ready to run with less actual running. If you got out less than that is it a bad thing? No – you have to make it fit your life and you should always feel good about getting some exercise. Do not let people tell you otherwise or “dumb down” the benefits of getting out and moving because everything helps. You ideally want a habit of some sort no matter how many days because A) you’ll find it gets easier B) you’ll see greater benefit and this means you’ll stay for life. It is your life, and that’s what we are building this program more - to enhance it.
Right now I am often in weeks where I can only pull off three runs a week due to a grueling school schedule but here is the deal. In my twenties and thirties I ran backpacking and river trips that were anywhere from three to thirty days long and I always said that a three day trip and a two week trip each take the same amount of time to prepare – aside from a little more food; I take the same tent, flashlight, stove, etc, etc. and yet on the three day trip I only get three days. I would always rather go for a week because the effort is the same but the payoff is greater.
I specialize in the long run, because I am never going to be a sprinter again and I like being out there and going places – it is transformative for me. So I am running farther/longer when I am out running but by going out three times a week I am getting a full week’s worth of workouts done. I think it is efficient and it works for me because I have already worked up to that kind of mileage and sometimes inertia is the enemy. Getting out the door takes the same amount of time every day and the hardest part is getting free for a couple hours to go – not the actual running. When Dan Lehmann spoke to us he told a story of a guy who did not run all week but did run a slow and steady Ultra every weekend for his mileage. That may be taking it a bit far but it is the same basic idea that he is getting his time in when and how he is able while allowing the body some rest in between. Think outside the box to achieve your goals.
When do I do it? Think about how you can squeeze more out of your day. If you are a night owl already you can likely run in the dark and not disrupt your sleep pattern. Dean Karnazes of Ultra Marathon Man fame is famous for running hours at night when he had a day job – to make it all fit. If you are an early riser now – then perhaps 40 minutes earlier will get you a run. One high school principal found running saved his life (he dropped 150 lbs and went off his Lipitor) and he did not want to give it up. But a principal already starts the day pretty early, so he found a new pair of pajamas, in that he sleeps in his running duds, and just rolls out of bed and into his shoes to go run for 45 minutes. When he gets home he drinks the smoothie, which was pre-frozen on Sunday afternoon and is thawing in the fridge now while the shower warms up. It sounds a bit like George Jetson’s morning routine (I think a robot made his coffee and brushed his teeth for him) but it got the guy the time he needed in his schedule for the big rocks to fit. One secret that works for me is that I have is to get the run done early in the day, that way I cannot couch it as a crisis comes up later in the day. Just as long as you have the time blocked out - you are most likely to complete.
Planning is everything. So ideally I try to eat one or two hours before a run or make your fuel intake light and digestible (300-500Kal + 10oz H2O) and as I said before familiar foods are best. Remember when I asked you to test those pre-race breakfasts and mid run snacks that will sit well while you run? Those same micro meals will allow you to dash out the door when you find that you have an hour that you did not realize you had. The other day I found that my afternoon appointment was canceled and lunch was hours ago. By having something handy to fuel with (I even split the food for some before, and some after the run) I was able to get a run when it was nice and I could serendipitously grab it. Don’t think that I do not have shoes and some shorts in my locker and my car either. Plan ahead and you can get it to fit – I know some folks who run at lunch but do not have a shower on site. They use the baby wipes, some deodorant and a change of clothes to still get the workout done.
Many people say to me that the run consumes the time that they might normally have to cook a decent dinner that they need to eat that evening and so they feel like they are robbing Peter to pay Paul by getting in a run. Many large families and families who are tightening their belts in this economy have taken to a set menu. If you have two weeks of meal ideas (just like your school cafeteria – but tastes better) you can plan and budget for how you will work them into your day. You can also fine tune them to your intake needs for running so that you are not haphazardly fueled. We use Excel at home and generate lists for the grocery, as well as add and subtract favorite meals easily. The other thing this allows us to do is make a Sunday into food prep time where we store away a few good meals in the freezer for the most chaotic nights of the week.
Planning and Tupperware is how the high school principal got his morning power smoothie post run too. I have even used ice cube trays to measure out the frozen portions to thaw or puree at will and this planning will carve out a bit more time in your schedule and not leave you hypoglycemic at the end of a workout. Nobody cares if you eat breakfast in the car on the way to work if you feel good and energized when you get to your destination. Do what it takes and you’ll feel better next New Year’s when this resolution was realized.
I’ll say one more thing about food and don’t think I am on a soapbox here but great Americana style food that I was brought up on (YUM) takes time to prepare. Meat may be the most intensive as well in terms of prep, cleanup etc. and this is where again, planning come in handy. Marc Bittman and other use a lot of grains, precut veggies, and less intensive ingredients as well a bit of pre trimmed meat you froze when you got home from the store to design great meals and it has taken a while for us to find all of our favorites but I have storehouse of them now. I even like Rachel Ray because her books divide dishes but how intensive they are to make – I resort the best of those by nutrient quality and go from there. (There are some good links on the blog site and you no longer need a cookbook to cook at our house if the computer is on…)
Equipment. Some people have bad names for treadmills but the fact is that they are open to run on when the weather is too hot, too cold, and too rainy or you have to make other use of the time that day. I know I told you there is no bad weather and I believe this, but sometime you need to multitask or you are not prepared to go out – and neither is a great excuse to miss what is important. My mom watches her shows during workout time and I listen to lecture when I am safe on the treadmill and can focus. They are great for the quick fix and you should use them as a time management tool. While a good treadmill is not cheap, there are a number of great ones in town that are easy to get to and have long hours. Remember that in March or April – after New Year’s resolution time is long gone and the weather is getting nice again, you might buy some poor guy’s $2,000 treadmill on Craig’s List for half price or better. This investment will last you over two decades with some light maintenance.
Another item equipment discussion includes is anything that you need to safeguard the time that you have so carefully set aside. So you carved out the time but it is snowing or whatever the weather does to keep you away from the run – recall that there is no bad weather, only inadequate clothing choices! I wear a rain hat, or great gloves, or put in my contacts for the pouring rain but I do not let something simple derail the workout. I have a great flashlight and a reflector for night runs and my neighbor use a vest like the road workers wear when he runs at night. Maybe you need a stun gun for that bad neighborhood right out your door - but a gym membership might be cheaper and not get you arrested for assault. I have come to find that there is no weather that I dislike running in and I feel all the more accomplished and infatigable for having made the effort. We even made ice cleats last winter just by putting little sheet metal screws into our old running shoes and I save them for icy days. Yes I feel silly running in them - but I kinda feel like MacGyver running in them too (and I still think he was cool). So find out what is holding you back – then work around it because you made the time, and you deserve the run.
Shuffle the big stones. There is an increase in folks who run to work or run home after work and anyone who has an HR department at their workplace should ask about any incentive that is offered for employee wellness or carbon savings. You are saving on gas or parking fees, gym membership and keeping your workplace insurance bills low, so anything you can gain in reimbursement would be gravy and could be put into a new pair of shorts. If they put in a shower – all the better, but there are ways around that too, have someone drop you at work and run home that evening.
Several folks have gotten a spouse, relative or buddy to run and this replaces their time at the bar or coffee stop with a cheap and healthy habit they do together. Jog strollers are another great investment and Craig’s List often has good ones so Junior can come along for family time. Two of my students got super fast by taking turns pushing their offspring down the bike trails in their jog stroller. I doubt it hurt their marriage either, as they ran along and shared their day. Check carefully, regarding how old your child needs to be before they can ride in one of these strollers.
There are a lot of multi-tasking things that you can get done during a run. Like I said earlier my mom gets her TV time when she runs on the treadmill. I study many days and Audible.com has thousands of unabridged books for download so you could listen to the news, read a bestseller you have been meaning to get to or even call your Ma like you should – because we run slowly enough to talk. Your phone has a voice recorder if you learn to use it and so you could easily complete you grocery list or anything else you wanted to while you’re out there. If you need to multitask then it clears some space to exercise when maybe you do not have time for both activities. If multitasking is more fun, then maybe you are motivated to get out the door more often and you reap the benefits – either way would be good, right? The way the story goes Dean Karnazes actually wrote his first book by dictation into a voice recorder on those long night runs of his and then retyped it later for his publisher. I know personally, that I do get a lot of good thinking done “on the road”.
Run by time not distance. You want to fit it all in and you need to know how long this will actually take. Run, snack, stretch, shower, all take time and there is pressure to get back to whatever the urgent thing is that is calling you. So make it easy and run by time rather than distance - seeking to keep your run a steady effort throughout and at PE 4. The distance thing is arbitrary if all you are looking for is fitness and wellness, and what is more important is to take some pressure off you. The funny thing is that this may actually improve your performance in the ensuing months. Now any route works, because you just split the time in half and double back on your route. You will know exactly when you’re home that evening and planning may be less complicated. Adding ten minutes a week to your long run is not a difficult computation, requires no new route research and if you are not watching the pace you can relax and just focus on a steady effort. (Recall, in order to learn the most about your “experiment of one” you must be consistent. Consistency also allows you to reap the subtle benefits that come from gradual training load increases. We shoot for 10% increases or less and the 10 minute technique works great and need not go to infinity to work – but one long run weekly makes all of your runs easier – trust me.)
Dr. Philip Maffetone discusses the idea that I posted a while back of being able to run the same distance, over each successive month, at a slightly faster or more efficient pace as your cardiac capacity improves. Even if your speed never significantly increases – your ease in performing this effort will improve and this, as well as how fast you return to your baseline heart rate – are good indicators of adaptation. Running by time is a great way to do this and is very low key. If you still worry about how many miles you run or what to tell someone – just don’t tell them. Keep it a secret and they’ll just think you are training for London in 2012.
How will I find time to race, because I want a few big goals? Folks that have a regular mileage program find that they can sharpen their speed and endurance for a particular race in just 5-8 weeks depending on their physical state. Most runners plan to take a break from running one or two times a year to stay fresh and let the body rest & see no adverse affects from doing so. Build that into your schedule too so you can gear up for the events you’d like to run and can clear that time to maybe add a day to training for the big event.
When you see that race you have always wanted to try – and I want to break my record! I simply work backwards from that race day. So I want to run on April 1st and I know that I have been really steady on my program this year. So I need 8 weeks where I can run 4 days a week instead of three. Cool, so I’ll count backwards eight weeks from April 1st to Feb 1st or so, and then see how can I shuffle my schedule for that one extra day of running and I’ll call Carl for a few new stretches and a route that resembles my race course. All set - and you should do that once in a while to mix it up and because it is fun.
Likewise enjoy a week (or two) of no running. Laying around or not having that extra schedule item is great because it frees you for something else, and you need not feel guilty or despondent because you know when you are coming back. Each time you do this you’ll come back to running renewed and ready to run. I hope that is what happens for any reader is that they build a habit, that they then find enriches them so much that they wish to do it every week, forever. To do that you really have to build it in and use the tricks you have to make that work. I used to work in an ivory tower – a university recreation facility so amazing it was like Las Vegas and it was all free to student use. Yet there were times that we joked that we needed to actually pay the students to exercise and recreate and enjoy themselves physically. Professionally the “tipping point” that we always spoke of was six months. If you can retain a person for six months in some fitness or wellness activity they’ll stick with it. After that amount of personal investment you have them in a habit, they have carved out a space for this in their lives and they are really seeing the benefits that we all know exist. The kicker is that many reading this have just finished a 5 month program that began in May - so you just have to stick with it a few more weeks and then as the days get darker – you’ll be successfully inoculated for your fitness habit and cookie season will not infect you! Neither will a host of other possible ailments and while we always have dark days sometimes the running will be there for you. It is one of the things that we were designed to do.
If you have not read enough on sacrificing something urgent, in order to dream and aspire to something important, then I have a good interview for you. The female winner of this year’s Western States 100 miler is a full time Mom of four kids and works full time as a teacher at 45 years old and NOT slowing down. I wanted to see if she had any new tricks that I did not mention above and she did mention a few - some extreme – as you might imagine. But she said that she seldom cleans house and her kids have learned to do a lot of their own chores, and yet they still sit down to a family meal every night (runners are all about a square meal, right). Read her story here at Runners World. Then get away from the computer and lace up your shoes…
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.” John Irving
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
What's next?
This is it -our final class post of the session and our final group run this week and we head into fall race season. This class is always a huge treat for me as I watch and learn, and am continually inspired by student s and their progress as athletes. It is a rare privilege to facilitate this group and I thank you for the opportunity. You also helped (via your tuition) to raise a lot of great support for Girls On the Run and I hope you'll consider running one of their great 5K races in the future and/or the new upcoming Elkins half Marathon details TBD - but it is in the works.
I'll leave this site up for your reference and who knows - I may have time to contribute to it between now and our next class... sometime in the summer of 2011. Meanwhile feel free to share and post on the FB site to keep in touch and keep up on other's discoveries in the running world - we want to keep you on the road ad this is one more tool to do just that.
What’s next?
“What we call results are beginnings-” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The bad news is that this training program is nearing its end but the good news is that you all are real runners now – so what do you do with that?
Stanford and Tufts Universities have each studied the long term effects of running on physiology and have found that vigorous exercise is associated with living longer and in better health – irregardless of the age at which participants began their exercise program. Stanford’s 21 year study showed that runners age 50-72 experienced 40% reduced risk of disability, cancer, Alzheimer’s and just plain lived longer. In the same study, runners had fewer injuries of all kinds, including joint injury.
Use it or loose it, you are a runner now and you can enjoy these benefits too if you keep with a program that works for you.
Re-establish a routine: While we have a good routine already you’ll need a few more calendar pages or a training log to keep planning your progress (www.personallogs.com) and you’ll want to modify and repeat your current plan or build a new one based upon your goals. A free online training log is at www.buckeyeoutdoors.com and they have some training plans you can overlay onto your race targets too.
The Elkins Road Runners group and the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners (www.wvmtr.org) are always taking new members and are nearly free to join. They have group runs regularly and race events as well as social gatherings. Runners are a tribe; while they may not run at your pace or the same events – they will always encourage you to run and will welcome you. Some are too busy to wave and do not take it personally – real runners are folks who get out there, stay out there, share the knowledge and encourage other runners. There are many real runners in Elkins and the bigger your community the greater chance you’ll keep running – so find these folks in your tribe. Several of these folks you have already met at seminar and there are many more out there that will happily run with you or answer questions.
Keep building: Goals for a new runner usually revolve around faster or further. Training for further distance may hinge upon the amount of free time that you can devote to training. Remember in all training; for distance or training volume - to start slowly and use the “no greater than 10% increase (per week) rule”. Faster training techniques can be incorporated after 3-4 months of base mileage for the runner. So soon after your race, you can ease back into our training plan and start thinking about techniques for increasing your pace if you wish or begin adding a long run - not to exceed 10% further than your last long run.
If you are interested in building different types of runs and calculating what would be the correct pace for each type of run – you can use the McMillian Running calculator. He also offers online coaching.
Mix it up: Running events in your calendar allow you some mid-term training goals and are a fun way to get a t-shirt. Events are a great place to meet new runners too. Remember that folks who are running pretty hard 3-5 days a week should still seek to only race 13 or fewer miles per month. So if you want to support the local event & you are over quota then just run slow – like, long run slow.
Using techniques like track and speed workouts, hill work, long runs, foot strengthening drills, trail running, balance and flexibility drills and cross training are all ways to keep your running interesting and build your skill sets as a runner. New things in running involve greater strength training, balance drills, Pilates for core strength, yoga for flexibility and focus, and barefoot running. Runners use a lot of specificity training for moving in one plane – so taking up an activity that strengthens other areas of the body is very helpful for balance, the kind that keep you upright and balance; the kind that keeps versatile and well rounded.
A good yoga site with slideshows and podcasts
She also has a new book out called The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. Working with the FIRST program recommendations, I like cycling, rowing and swimming (or aqua-jogging) for cross training as they do not incur load bearing stress to running muscles. Visit here for their program. The text I like and use in class is called Run Less, Run Faster and details the entire FIRST Program, including drills and training progressions – this program is grueling but it’ll get you to Boston if you so desire and will improve your running significantly.
Look down the road: Long runs allow you to think about the human potential and what you might want to do next. Bart Yasso is famous for saying “Never limit where your running can take you.”
Consider that Jeff Galloway offers a run-walk method that is proven for longer distances, making any length of event achievable if you desire.
20K (12.4 miles) this is a little used but fun distance
13.1 Half Marathon There are many great local and regional half marathons and this is a very attainable distance for runners to work towards. All of the challenge with less intense training cycles than a marathon. Sounds like a fit for nearly everybody in some ways.
Marathon (26.2) Very fun and attainable with one years running experience plus 16 weeks of marathon specific training. Tom Holland’s book got me through my first one in 2008 and I had a great day using his methods, so do not give that book away just yet!
Ultra-Marathon any distance beyond 26.2 includes 50K, 40 mile, 50 mile, 70 mile and 100+ mile events. While events are getting longer and more races are being created - attendance in these events is also growing quickly and allows runners to see some of the most fantastic locales on earth. You will want to have completed several 26.2 events before moving up to this distance.
Relay events: think about the Ultra style distances but sharing the load with 6-20 of your friends in an event that is road trip meets relay race. These are becoming very popular and combine a charity fundraising element with zany fun. The Hood-to-Coast relay in Oregon, Reach the Beach in New Hampshire, THE RELAY in Northern California, and the Ragnar Relay series of events all give you the chance run short legs of the total route and trade running stretches with team mates to complete the entire event.
Travel running: You can use a travel specialist and tour companies to book running excursions nearly anywhere on earth. Some folks try to get a run or race in all 50 states, other want a marathon on each continent (yes, they run one in Antarctica just for these people). Regardless of your goals, never take a trip without your running shoes, because while you need the exercise you will also find that a run is a great way to see a new town or even meet other runners.
There are running clubs online, online coaching and contacts for a running club where ever you may visit so that you can connect, stay motivated, and learn from what others are doing.
Find new events to run
A quick tour of iplayoutside.com will allow you to find nearly all road running events within the mid-Atlantic region. You can search by distance, type of race or proximity to you. A great tool - Runners World has a good race finder as well and remember that many times a marathon race will also have several shorter distance events planned around it (half marathon and 5K or 10k)
www.Coolrunning.com has a race finder
www.marathonguide.com has a great race finder
www.race360.com is also a race/event finder
Again, a great local resource is www.iplayoutside.com and most are there
I'll leave this site up for your reference and who knows - I may have time to contribute to it between now and our next class... sometime in the summer of 2011. Meanwhile feel free to share and post on the FB site to keep in touch and keep up on other's discoveries in the running world - we want to keep you on the road ad this is one more tool to do just that.
What’s next?
“What we call results are beginnings-” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The bad news is that this training program is nearing its end but the good news is that you all are real runners now – so what do you do with that?
Stanford and Tufts Universities have each studied the long term effects of running on physiology and have found that vigorous exercise is associated with living longer and in better health – irregardless of the age at which participants began their exercise program. Stanford’s 21 year study showed that runners age 50-72 experienced 40% reduced risk of disability, cancer, Alzheimer’s and just plain lived longer. In the same study, runners had fewer injuries of all kinds, including joint injury.
Use it or loose it, you are a runner now and you can enjoy these benefits too if you keep with a program that works for you.
Re-establish a routine: While we have a good routine already you’ll need a few more calendar pages or a training log to keep planning your progress (www.personallogs.com) and you’ll want to modify and repeat your current plan or build a new one based upon your goals. A free online training log is at www.buckeyeoutdoors.com and they have some training plans you can overlay onto your race targets too.
The Elkins Road Runners group and the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners (www.wvmtr.org) are always taking new members and are nearly free to join. They have group runs regularly and race events as well as social gatherings. Runners are a tribe; while they may not run at your pace or the same events – they will always encourage you to run and will welcome you. Some are too busy to wave and do not take it personally – real runners are folks who get out there, stay out there, share the knowledge and encourage other runners. There are many real runners in Elkins and the bigger your community the greater chance you’ll keep running – so find these folks in your tribe. Several of these folks you have already met at seminar and there are many more out there that will happily run with you or answer questions.
Keep building: Goals for a new runner usually revolve around faster or further. Training for further distance may hinge upon the amount of free time that you can devote to training. Remember in all training; for distance or training volume - to start slowly and use the “no greater than 10% increase (per week) rule”. Faster training techniques can be incorporated after 3-4 months of base mileage for the runner. So soon after your race, you can ease back into our training plan and start thinking about techniques for increasing your pace if you wish or begin adding a long run - not to exceed 10% further than your last long run.
If you are interested in building different types of runs and calculating what would be the correct pace for each type of run – you can use the McMillian Running calculator. He also offers online coaching.
Mix it up: Running events in your calendar allow you some mid-term training goals and are a fun way to get a t-shirt. Events are a great place to meet new runners too. Remember that folks who are running pretty hard 3-5 days a week should still seek to only race 13 or fewer miles per month. So if you want to support the local event & you are over quota then just run slow – like, long run slow.
Using techniques like track and speed workouts, hill work, long runs, foot strengthening drills, trail running, balance and flexibility drills and cross training are all ways to keep your running interesting and build your skill sets as a runner. New things in running involve greater strength training, balance drills, Pilates for core strength, yoga for flexibility and focus, and barefoot running. Runners use a lot of specificity training for moving in one plane – so taking up an activity that strengthens other areas of the body is very helpful for balance, the kind that keep you upright and balance; the kind that keeps versatile and well rounded.
A good yoga site with slideshows and podcasts
She also has a new book out called The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. Working with the FIRST program recommendations, I like cycling, rowing and swimming (or aqua-jogging) for cross training as they do not incur load bearing stress to running muscles. Visit here for their program. The text I like and use in class is called Run Less, Run Faster and details the entire FIRST Program, including drills and training progressions – this program is grueling but it’ll get you to Boston if you so desire and will improve your running significantly.
Look down the road: Long runs allow you to think about the human potential and what you might want to do next. Bart Yasso is famous for saying “Never limit where your running can take you.”
Consider that Jeff Galloway offers a run-walk method that is proven for longer distances, making any length of event achievable if you desire.
20K (12.4 miles) this is a little used but fun distance
13.1 Half Marathon There are many great local and regional half marathons and this is a very attainable distance for runners to work towards. All of the challenge with less intense training cycles than a marathon. Sounds like a fit for nearly everybody in some ways.
Marathon (26.2) Very fun and attainable with one years running experience plus 16 weeks of marathon specific training. Tom Holland’s book got me through my first one in 2008 and I had a great day using his methods, so do not give that book away just yet!
Ultra-Marathon any distance beyond 26.2 includes 50K, 40 mile, 50 mile, 70 mile and 100+ mile events. While events are getting longer and more races are being created - attendance in these events is also growing quickly and allows runners to see some of the most fantastic locales on earth. You will want to have completed several 26.2 events before moving up to this distance.
Relay events: think about the Ultra style distances but sharing the load with 6-20 of your friends in an event that is road trip meets relay race. These are becoming very popular and combine a charity fundraising element with zany fun. The Hood-to-Coast relay in Oregon, Reach the Beach in New Hampshire, THE RELAY in Northern California, and the Ragnar Relay series of events all give you the chance run short legs of the total route and trade running stretches with team mates to complete the entire event.
Travel running: You can use a travel specialist and tour companies to book running excursions nearly anywhere on earth. Some folks try to get a run or race in all 50 states, other want a marathon on each continent (yes, they run one in Antarctica just for these people). Regardless of your goals, never take a trip without your running shoes, because while you need the exercise you will also find that a run is a great way to see a new town or even meet other runners.
There are running clubs online, online coaching and contacts for a running club where ever you may visit so that you can connect, stay motivated, and learn from what others are doing.
Find new events to run
A quick tour of iplayoutside.com will allow you to find nearly all road running events within the mid-Atlantic region. You can search by distance, type of race or proximity to you. A great tool - Runners World has a good race finder as well and remember that many times a marathon race will also have several shorter distance events planned around it (half marathon and 5K or 10k)
www.Coolrunning.com has a race finder
www.marathonguide.com has a great race finder
www.race360.com is also a race/event finder
Again, a great local resource is www.iplayoutside.com and most are there
Friday, September 17, 2010
Barefooting – what and why?
This installment comes with a handout you can pick up at the YMCA desk until Oct 1st...
While the book Born To Run and the recently published research of Dr. Dan Leiberman seems to have energized the term barefooting and made it into almost a household word – running barefoot did not start in 2009 or even in this century. While I would encourage you to read the work of both of these guys – I’ll take a minute to point out some highlights of how we got to running shoes in the 20th century. I hope to also spark a bit of thought about what things looked like before shoes and how that factors into where we are at today. I will refer you to a great article in Ultrarunning magazine as well, which is a great summary of why you should or should not dump the nice running shoes I asked you to buy in the first place. I kept my shoes but I think that every runner should look at the history of our sport and can take a lesson from what shoeless or minimal shoes can do for your running.
26 bones, 33 joints, 12 tendons, 18 muscles; each foot is an amazing piece of machinery and while it has many things it does not have others – so why it is made this way and what was it for in the first place?
Science has made a great case for a theory that the current form of humans evolved and succeeded as a species due to 26 different, running specific, adaptations. These adaptations allowed us to pursue quarry on the move, at a rate just fast enough to tire that animal out, while we have the innate endurance to finish the hunt and gain groceries. Again, Dr. Dan Leiberman offers a much more through explanation of this theory and it is solidly based in the science of biology and comparative biology. We were able to travel, pretty fast, and fast enough to win food and cross great distances. Clearly, we did this without shoes and anthropologists have not found any evidence of Nikes from this critical time period.
Until Bill Bowerman, the famous University of Oregon track coach, created the running shoe in America in 1972, just 38 years ago, we all ran in very thin light shoes that offered little in the way of a heel cushion or padding from the ground. I have read that he designed the shoe to accommodate what he felt would be a longer and more competitive stride for his athletes. He could teach them to lead with the heel and the longer stride length would out run the competition.
Currently in Africa and many parts of the developing world, children are raised without transportation and also without footwear. It is estimated that the average Kenyan child has about 1,800 miles on their legs and feet by the time they graduate from primary school and all of these miles, for the majority of kids, are without shoes of any kind. It has been argued that this contributes to the number of victories for great Kenyan runners at the international level and on the Olympic podium. Early leg development and natural foot strength (at altitude, Kenya is a mountainous region with an altitude similar to Flagstaff, AZ) allow these kids to develop all the capabilities of their legs before serious training ever begins for competition.
Many cultures are able to train and run well without shoes or with minimal shoes. The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico are featured in Born To Run for their great ability and running in very simple sandals – a slab of rubber strapped to their feet for protection from sharp objects. This is a similar style of shoe to many early Nations of the American Southwest and the pre Spanish cultures in South America such as the Maya and Inca who had thousands of miles of roads and very little in the way of shoes to traverse them. In those days a severe running injury would cause you to drop lower on the food chain – a deadly prospect. So it might be safe (or humorous) to assume that if running injuries did occur in Inca runners – these runners did not pass on the genes for any fragile lower legs and knees.
According to Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run, Alan Webb’s feet where flat and three sizes larger when he started working with his high school coach to become America’s new top miler. In 2007 Alan set the world’s best 1,500 meter time and broke Jim Ryun’s American record for the mile. But his quest began with flat, weak, de-conditioned feet that were in need of rebuilding. McDougall writes about an interview with Alan Webb on page 175 of his book and Webb says “ I had injury problems early on, … so we did foot strengthening drills and special walks in bare feet” McDougall writes that Alan’s feet changed and his arches became higher as muscles strengthened – his shoe size decreased and his injuries abated.
McDougall writes of an Irish Ph.D, Gerard Hartman who is considered an expert in physical therapy and works with professional runners from around the globe to improve their running. He has been a proponent of barefoot running for many years and cites that “the deconditioned musculature of the foot is the greatest issue leading to running injury, and we’ve allowed our feet to become badly deconditioned over the past twenty-five years”. Many folks have advocated that slowly and gently strengthening our feet over time will allow us to run better and with less injury. We may even find that we can run in lighter footwear. Lighter footwear means less effort and perhaps faster or the sensation of faster as the weight on the end of your leg from a heavy shoe creates a pendulum that takes effort to keep moving.
What do shoes do for me? While all seem to agree that having a sole cover your tender skin provides some protection – many experts are currently reexamining what shoes do well and do not do so well. The good news about this controversy is that in the past 38 years, very little substantive research has been done on how shoes truly affect feet and that is beginning to change now. The United States Military is greatly invested in physical conditioning of its personnel and in the past has seen very high rates of injury in basic training and its share of running related injuries. A recent study on determining the appropriate footwear has shown that the type of running shoe had no correlation on injury prevention for the military personnel in the study. This leads us to “well what can I use to control the movement of my foot, for the least chance of injury?” Your gait, how your foot hits the ground and your running technique becomes more important than the type of running shoe that you might wear according to this study. Manufacturers have succeeded in creating footwear that controls movements of the foot and offers important padding from the ground as you begin running. However, seeking to control the movement of the foot by using a shoe will not be successful in the long run according to new studies. Technique will carry the day and great technique; sensitive feet that are aware of what they hit (and strong feet) may lead to using a much lighter shoe down the road.
In the current day there is an entire tribe of folks dedicated to running entirely without shoes. They have run marathons, ultra marathons and farther in bare feet, and carry flip-flops with them to get into Wal-Mart or a restaurant. You can read their websites and their ideas about what shoes do and do not do for the wearer and how they feel more free with naked feet.
These “barefoot guys” read a bit like they are off the deep end – “foot yogi-mysticism” or something. However, take a good look at the number of people from the medical community that advocate the sale of moccasins to children and preach “barefoot is best” for toddlers. The reason for this, they advocate, is that kids walk sooner when they learn to interpret the ground with their feet (proprioception) and build foot strength naturally. They do not want kids to cut their feet and thus sell a light flexible protective moc- type shoe to achieve this. Many parents have subscribed to this idea with the pediatricians blessing and I’ve seen it work for my own kids. (As I was buying lots of shoes for my running, at $80/pair…)
Arthur Lydiard was a cobbler and made shoes before he was a coach. A coach who was very focused on the success of his athletes. He had his runners in the most basic of footwear and preached against anything “more” for his entire career, which extended well into the era of modern shoes. Internationally sought after coach and physician, Dr. Phil Maffetone was suggesting more than a decade ago that minimal footwear was preferable for similar reasons.
Even Stanford University’s world class track and cross country coach (the program gets Nike’s for free) has had his athletes running barefoot in the grass, two afternoons a week, for decades. He said to Nike that his guys got hurt less when they subscribed to this method. (This is what drove Nike to work with Dr. Gerard Hartman to create the Nike Free.) Long before the birth of the very popular Vibram Five Fingers shoe – many companies across the country have made a living manufacturing simple moccasins and unstructured footwear that allow the foot to move and muscles to work. Inuit people, north of the Arctic Circle knew that this is what kept their feet warm in winter – that the boot would flex and allow better circulation.
While this is all good for some; I am most concerned with my runners being injury free, using the best technique and enjoying their running forever. Many will need something on their feet, at least in winter, to do this and barefooting may be something to try and work into their training program along with foot strengthening and conditioning.
Simply walking around without shoes at home is a good place to start and walking farther progressively is another. You may choose to try the new Vibram Five Fingers Shoes as well, which offer that slight amount of protection for your tender skin and not much else for padding. I have started using theses on very short runs (by time) and adding minutes each week very slowly. I spent a year reworking my stride before I ran with these shoes so that I am not landing on my heel much at all but using the mid-foot and most of my foot to absorb the impact of each step. Further you can practice this technique while walking – you need not run in order to learn how to walk more gently and with a light step.
So this year’s Outdoor Retailer Trade show saw scores of outdoor footwear manufacturers gunning for a piece of the barefoot pie, gearing up to make “thneeds”, or feather weight running shoes for everyone who wants to run barefoot. Get ready to see dozens of these models in the marketplace next year – like Crocs a few years ago, but sillier looking. You may choose to try them or go barefoot, grab some moccasins, run in cheaper “race flats” or just try your old Chuck Taylor’s like Lydiard ran in for decades. But think about a deliberate program of gentle foot strengthening for yourself as a possible next step in your program and add it gradually, just like you started running. Feet that “know the ground” and are sensitive, are less likely to sprain an ankle, will run trails better and may run slower at first but that is OK, you’re in shape and will not “detrain” as a part of this process. Your lower legs will continue to develop in a way that may reduce your injuries over time and your stride will adapt to something that is more powerful in the long run. That is what I want for your running – long running for the long run. So run gently out there.
Read an article about shoeless study here
The NIH article on the Army study here
Danny Dryers list of preferred light weight shoes
Interesting article on shoes from a rehab perspective
While the book Born To Run and the recently published research of Dr. Dan Leiberman seems to have energized the term barefooting and made it into almost a household word – running barefoot did not start in 2009 or even in this century. While I would encourage you to read the work of both of these guys – I’ll take a minute to point out some highlights of how we got to running shoes in the 20th century. I hope to also spark a bit of thought about what things looked like before shoes and how that factors into where we are at today. I will refer you to a great article in Ultrarunning magazine as well, which is a great summary of why you should or should not dump the nice running shoes I asked you to buy in the first place. I kept my shoes but I think that every runner should look at the history of our sport and can take a lesson from what shoeless or minimal shoes can do for your running.
26 bones, 33 joints, 12 tendons, 18 muscles; each foot is an amazing piece of machinery and while it has many things it does not have others – so why it is made this way and what was it for in the first place?
Science has made a great case for a theory that the current form of humans evolved and succeeded as a species due to 26 different, running specific, adaptations. These adaptations allowed us to pursue quarry on the move, at a rate just fast enough to tire that animal out, while we have the innate endurance to finish the hunt and gain groceries. Again, Dr. Dan Leiberman offers a much more through explanation of this theory and it is solidly based in the science of biology and comparative biology. We were able to travel, pretty fast, and fast enough to win food and cross great distances. Clearly, we did this without shoes and anthropologists have not found any evidence of Nikes from this critical time period.
Until Bill Bowerman, the famous University of Oregon track coach, created the running shoe in America in 1972, just 38 years ago, we all ran in very thin light shoes that offered little in the way of a heel cushion or padding from the ground. I have read that he designed the shoe to accommodate what he felt would be a longer and more competitive stride for his athletes. He could teach them to lead with the heel and the longer stride length would out run the competition.
Currently in Africa and many parts of the developing world, children are raised without transportation and also without footwear. It is estimated that the average Kenyan child has about 1,800 miles on their legs and feet by the time they graduate from primary school and all of these miles, for the majority of kids, are without shoes of any kind. It has been argued that this contributes to the number of victories for great Kenyan runners at the international level and on the Olympic podium. Early leg development and natural foot strength (at altitude, Kenya is a mountainous region with an altitude similar to Flagstaff, AZ) allow these kids to develop all the capabilities of their legs before serious training ever begins for competition.
Many cultures are able to train and run well without shoes or with minimal shoes. The Tarahumara Indians of Mexico are featured in Born To Run for their great ability and running in very simple sandals – a slab of rubber strapped to their feet for protection from sharp objects. This is a similar style of shoe to many early Nations of the American Southwest and the pre Spanish cultures in South America such as the Maya and Inca who had thousands of miles of roads and very little in the way of shoes to traverse them. In those days a severe running injury would cause you to drop lower on the food chain – a deadly prospect. So it might be safe (or humorous) to assume that if running injuries did occur in Inca runners – these runners did not pass on the genes for any fragile lower legs and knees.
According to Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run, Alan Webb’s feet where flat and three sizes larger when he started working with his high school coach to become America’s new top miler. In 2007 Alan set the world’s best 1,500 meter time and broke Jim Ryun’s American record for the mile. But his quest began with flat, weak, de-conditioned feet that were in need of rebuilding. McDougall writes about an interview with Alan Webb on page 175 of his book and Webb says “ I had injury problems early on, … so we did foot strengthening drills and special walks in bare feet” McDougall writes that Alan’s feet changed and his arches became higher as muscles strengthened – his shoe size decreased and his injuries abated.
McDougall writes of an Irish Ph.D, Gerard Hartman who is considered an expert in physical therapy and works with professional runners from around the globe to improve their running. He has been a proponent of barefoot running for many years and cites that “the deconditioned musculature of the foot is the greatest issue leading to running injury, and we’ve allowed our feet to become badly deconditioned over the past twenty-five years”. Many folks have advocated that slowly and gently strengthening our feet over time will allow us to run better and with less injury. We may even find that we can run in lighter footwear. Lighter footwear means less effort and perhaps faster or the sensation of faster as the weight on the end of your leg from a heavy shoe creates a pendulum that takes effort to keep moving.
What do shoes do for me? While all seem to agree that having a sole cover your tender skin provides some protection – many experts are currently reexamining what shoes do well and do not do so well. The good news about this controversy is that in the past 38 years, very little substantive research has been done on how shoes truly affect feet and that is beginning to change now. The United States Military is greatly invested in physical conditioning of its personnel and in the past has seen very high rates of injury in basic training and its share of running related injuries. A recent study on determining the appropriate footwear has shown that the type of running shoe had no correlation on injury prevention for the military personnel in the study. This leads us to “well what can I use to control the movement of my foot, for the least chance of injury?” Your gait, how your foot hits the ground and your running technique becomes more important than the type of running shoe that you might wear according to this study. Manufacturers have succeeded in creating footwear that controls movements of the foot and offers important padding from the ground as you begin running. However, seeking to control the movement of the foot by using a shoe will not be successful in the long run according to new studies. Technique will carry the day and great technique; sensitive feet that are aware of what they hit (and strong feet) may lead to using a much lighter shoe down the road.
In the current day there is an entire tribe of folks dedicated to running entirely without shoes. They have run marathons, ultra marathons and farther in bare feet, and carry flip-flops with them to get into Wal-Mart or a restaurant. You can read their websites and their ideas about what shoes do and do not do for the wearer and how they feel more free with naked feet.
These “barefoot guys” read a bit like they are off the deep end – “foot yogi-mysticism” or something. However, take a good look at the number of people from the medical community that advocate the sale of moccasins to children and preach “barefoot is best” for toddlers. The reason for this, they advocate, is that kids walk sooner when they learn to interpret the ground with their feet (proprioception) and build foot strength naturally. They do not want kids to cut their feet and thus sell a light flexible protective moc- type shoe to achieve this. Many parents have subscribed to this idea with the pediatricians blessing and I’ve seen it work for my own kids. (As I was buying lots of shoes for my running, at $80/pair…)
Arthur Lydiard was a cobbler and made shoes before he was a coach. A coach who was very focused on the success of his athletes. He had his runners in the most basic of footwear and preached against anything “more” for his entire career, which extended well into the era of modern shoes. Internationally sought after coach and physician, Dr. Phil Maffetone was suggesting more than a decade ago that minimal footwear was preferable for similar reasons.
Even Stanford University’s world class track and cross country coach (the program gets Nike’s for free) has had his athletes running barefoot in the grass, two afternoons a week, for decades. He said to Nike that his guys got hurt less when they subscribed to this method. (This is what drove Nike to work with Dr. Gerard Hartman to create the Nike Free.) Long before the birth of the very popular Vibram Five Fingers shoe – many companies across the country have made a living manufacturing simple moccasins and unstructured footwear that allow the foot to move and muscles to work. Inuit people, north of the Arctic Circle knew that this is what kept their feet warm in winter – that the boot would flex and allow better circulation.
While this is all good for some; I am most concerned with my runners being injury free, using the best technique and enjoying their running forever. Many will need something on their feet, at least in winter, to do this and barefooting may be something to try and work into their training program along with foot strengthening and conditioning.
Simply walking around without shoes at home is a good place to start and walking farther progressively is another. You may choose to try the new Vibram Five Fingers Shoes as well, which offer that slight amount of protection for your tender skin and not much else for padding. I have started using theses on very short runs (by time) and adding minutes each week very slowly. I spent a year reworking my stride before I ran with these shoes so that I am not landing on my heel much at all but using the mid-foot and most of my foot to absorb the impact of each step. Further you can practice this technique while walking – you need not run in order to learn how to walk more gently and with a light step.
So this year’s Outdoor Retailer Trade show saw scores of outdoor footwear manufacturers gunning for a piece of the barefoot pie, gearing up to make “thneeds”, or feather weight running shoes for everyone who wants to run barefoot. Get ready to see dozens of these models in the marketplace next year – like Crocs a few years ago, but sillier looking. You may choose to try them or go barefoot, grab some moccasins, run in cheaper “race flats” or just try your old Chuck Taylor’s like Lydiard ran in for decades. But think about a deliberate program of gentle foot strengthening for yourself as a possible next step in your program and add it gradually, just like you started running. Feet that “know the ground” and are sensitive, are less likely to sprain an ankle, will run trails better and may run slower at first but that is OK, you’re in shape and will not “detrain” as a part of this process. Your lower legs will continue to develop in a way that may reduce your injuries over time and your stride will adapt to something that is more powerful in the long run. That is what I want for your running – long running for the long run. So run gently out there.
Read an article about shoeless study here
The NIH article on the Army study here
Danny Dryers list of preferred light weight shoes
Interesting article on shoes from a rehab perspective
Running On the Cheap
Running on the Cheap –
Save your money for shoes or running shorts and let’s talk about tricks for getting more miles out of your recreation budget.
Some of the best tips from our friends at Runners World include:
Local races are cheaper, sometimes offer food and are a great way to meet new running partners. The side benefits – you may be the fastest one there or for your division and this can be a prize category along with bragging rights. Always plan ahead for your race and pre-register. For big races this can save you $25 on the entry fee. If you travel to run then plan to carpool and room share with running buddies to trim costs. Pack a lunch to share and carbo load together.
Always support your local running store when you can. No shipping and the immediate gratification of having what you need and keeping a shop open near you. Ask if they’ll meet whatever catalog price you saw too – it never hurts to ask and a good business person can always find a polite way to state what they cannot do.
Volunteer at a race – often you can still run it and maybe at a reduced fee in exchange for your time. It is a fun and different way to be involved and it is what keeps area races going.
Fall is a key time for shoe models to change and whenever you see the new shoe guides hit the newsstand that means it is time to pick up whatever model you were running in for a better price as it goes off of the shelf. If you are a very common size you may need to jump on this a bit sooner to get your shoes but the pay off is worth it. They do not go bad in the box and most folks do not see a shoe size change annually. Roadrunner, REI, and zappos are all good sites for shoe sales when the style season ends.
Buying multiple pairs of shoes that work well for you does a few things. You are not pressured by style change when they phase out something that is working well for you. Secondly when you rotate shoes they last longer on account of the fact that the supportive foam (the only thing that really wears out sometimes on a shoe) has 48 hours to rebound every time you run your shoes. Getting them an air-out time and allowing foam to recover allows me to run two pair at a time, possibly 50-100 miles further than I could otherwise. Many runners benefit from this practice and it adds up over the cost of several pairs.
There is an increase in folks who run to work or run home after work and anyone who has an HR department at their workplace they should ask about any incentive that is offered for employee wellness or carbon savings. You are saving on gas or parking fees, gym membership and keeping your workplace insurance bills low so anything you can gain in reimbursement would be gravy.
Several folks have gotten a spouse, relative or buddy to run and this replaces their time at the bar or coffee stop with a cheap and healthy habit they do together.
Switch to real food. Better for you and less money too. Often times an easy grocery store substitute can replace expensive energy gels and Gatorade. Diluted fruit juice works for some folks and others just use less powder than the mix calls for (and Gatorade powder is far better and cheaper than paying for water and high fructose corn syrup) fruit leather, pretzels, honey, or any road tested thing you like is less money than a Powerbar. I am a big fan of PB&J on wheat.
Our area running clubs; Elkins Roadrunners and WV Mountain Trail Runners are very affordable ways to meet folks and their events are low budget and very fun affairs. Sometimes there will be apparel available that is great for running in and some clubs do get discounts from retailers – it pays to ask.
Your loved ones now know you are a runner so be specific when your birthday or Christmas comes and give them your shoe size and model; for what is the most costly and most often purchased item on your list.
Remember that big races are now often giving out technical fabric race shirts and these are your "two for one" deals on running apparel. When it comes to outerwear, shorts and shoes: this often remains an expensive spot in the starting runner’s budget. Remember that in days of old, wool was the original technical fiber and it still works great for everything but summer running. It is also already in the closet or at the secondhand store. I have always been a deal hound at the army/navy store for this kind of technical clothing for being outside. A funny and informative recent column sent Runners World staffers to the big box stores to shop out any clothing that looked like it would get them through weekly mileage and they only had $100 to spend for a complete outfit. Sports Authority and Amazon came up as the best bets for this shopping challenge. Two stores had brand name shoes and the shoes were similar to the manufacturer’s regular shoes with technology that was just several year older than new – yet good. Clothing from Starter, Champion, and Nike all turned out have some items that were acceptable to the testers, just simply did not last as long as what they were accustomed to. (Understand that the RW magazine editors all run in the newest free stuff to product test every month so they set the bar unfairly high.)
Runners World polled folks on their spending habits and found that 3% folks spent less than $100/year on running. The largest group 28% spent $250-499/year on running and an almost equally large number spent more than $1000/year ( I would guess that this accounts for travel to destination events) Recent polling shows that runners spending has held pretty constant in the current climate as well. Folks have a good habit that they cannot give up and they will continue to run even if they downsize a bit.
I hope some of these ideas and tips will help get you further this year. If you have others please post them to the facebook site.
Save your money for shoes or running shorts and let’s talk about tricks for getting more miles out of your recreation budget.
Some of the best tips from our friends at Runners World include:
Local races are cheaper, sometimes offer food and are a great way to meet new running partners. The side benefits – you may be the fastest one there or for your division and this can be a prize category along with bragging rights. Always plan ahead for your race and pre-register. For big races this can save you $25 on the entry fee. If you travel to run then plan to carpool and room share with running buddies to trim costs. Pack a lunch to share and carbo load together.
Always support your local running store when you can. No shipping and the immediate gratification of having what you need and keeping a shop open near you. Ask if they’ll meet whatever catalog price you saw too – it never hurts to ask and a good business person can always find a polite way to state what they cannot do.
Volunteer at a race – often you can still run it and maybe at a reduced fee in exchange for your time. It is a fun and different way to be involved and it is what keeps area races going.
Fall is a key time for shoe models to change and whenever you see the new shoe guides hit the newsstand that means it is time to pick up whatever model you were running in for a better price as it goes off of the shelf. If you are a very common size you may need to jump on this a bit sooner to get your shoes but the pay off is worth it. They do not go bad in the box and most folks do not see a shoe size change annually. Roadrunner, REI, and zappos are all good sites for shoe sales when the style season ends.
Buying multiple pairs of shoes that work well for you does a few things. You are not pressured by style change when they phase out something that is working well for you. Secondly when you rotate shoes they last longer on account of the fact that the supportive foam (the only thing that really wears out sometimes on a shoe) has 48 hours to rebound every time you run your shoes. Getting them an air-out time and allowing foam to recover allows me to run two pair at a time, possibly 50-100 miles further than I could otherwise. Many runners benefit from this practice and it adds up over the cost of several pairs.
There is an increase in folks who run to work or run home after work and anyone who has an HR department at their workplace they should ask about any incentive that is offered for employee wellness or carbon savings. You are saving on gas or parking fees, gym membership and keeping your workplace insurance bills low so anything you can gain in reimbursement would be gravy.
Several folks have gotten a spouse, relative or buddy to run and this replaces their time at the bar or coffee stop with a cheap and healthy habit they do together.
Switch to real food. Better for you and less money too. Often times an easy grocery store substitute can replace expensive energy gels and Gatorade. Diluted fruit juice works for some folks and others just use less powder than the mix calls for (and Gatorade powder is far better and cheaper than paying for water and high fructose corn syrup) fruit leather, pretzels, honey, or any road tested thing you like is less money than a Powerbar. I am a big fan of PB&J on wheat.
Our area running clubs; Elkins Roadrunners and WV Mountain Trail Runners are very affordable ways to meet folks and their events are low budget and very fun affairs. Sometimes there will be apparel available that is great for running in and some clubs do get discounts from retailers – it pays to ask.
Your loved ones now know you are a runner so be specific when your birthday or Christmas comes and give them your shoe size and model; for what is the most costly and most often purchased item on your list.
Remember that big races are now often giving out technical fabric race shirts and these are your "two for one" deals on running apparel. When it comes to outerwear, shorts and shoes: this often remains an expensive spot in the starting runner’s budget. Remember that in days of old, wool was the original technical fiber and it still works great for everything but summer running. It is also already in the closet or at the secondhand store. I have always been a deal hound at the army/navy store for this kind of technical clothing for being outside. A funny and informative recent column sent Runners World staffers to the big box stores to shop out any clothing that looked like it would get them through weekly mileage and they only had $100 to spend for a complete outfit. Sports Authority and Amazon came up as the best bets for this shopping challenge. Two stores had brand name shoes and the shoes were similar to the manufacturer’s regular shoes with technology that was just several year older than new – yet good. Clothing from Starter, Champion, and Nike all turned out have some items that were acceptable to the testers, just simply did not last as long as what they were accustomed to. (Understand that the RW magazine editors all run in the newest free stuff to product test every month so they set the bar unfairly high.)
Runners World polled folks on their spending habits and found that 3% folks spent less than $100/year on running. The largest group 28% spent $250-499/year on running and an almost equally large number spent more than $1000/year ( I would guess that this accounts for travel to destination events) Recent polling shows that runners spending has held pretty constant in the current climate as well. Folks have a good habit that they cannot give up and they will continue to run even if they downsize a bit.
I hope some of these ideas and tips will help get you further this year. If you have others please post them to the facebook site.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mark Cucuzzella inspiration
I'll share with you something from the Freedoms Run website where there are a lot of great runner materials and a series of races to register for this fall (hint, hint). Mark teaches running, is a race director, a CHI running instructor and a physician. When I asked him to come speak he graciously said yes, and then our schedules did not connect (he is clearly a busy guy) but I'll share some of his insight for you here and maybe some inspiration.
How to Run the Boston Marathon
Written by Mark Cucuzzella, MD
As you enter the week prior to the race, here are a few visualizations to help you set your plan. Running your best marathon is part art, part science, part guts, part faith in what you can do, and a little luck, whereas running your best 10k is mostly about fitness.
I’ve had the pleasure of running this race 16 times and the last 10 consecutively. My only misses were for military and work duties, and a foot surgery. In all these efforts, I had 5 under 2:30, 5 between 2:30 and 2:35; 2 between 2:35 and 2:40; 3 between 2:40-2:44; and one DNF (first one with lots of rookie mistakes). My best learning experiences were when the men and women started together and I had the privilege of running alongside and witnessing the patient approach of the top ladies.
In the 1998, Fatuma Roba, the Marathon Gold Medalist in Atlanta and 3 time Boston winner, scooted over the ground with an incredibly efficient motion. Her knees stayed low, she lifted up her feet, arms relaxed, and face always relaxed. She stayed out of trouble by tucking behind the lead pack of more aggressive ladies. I followed behind the train and we hit half way in about 1:13. Fatuma then opened her stride up in the second half moving away from all of us to run a 2:23. An amazing second half effort. I was pleased with a 2:27 that day and credit Fatuma as any thoughts to go faster sooner were mitigated by her patience.
A few years later in 2001, I witnessed multiple world champion and Boston winner Catherine “the Great” Ndereba employ the same strategy. Her hydroplaning stride and complete relaxation of effort were a contrast to other ladies in the pack whose body language and breathing revealed they were putting out more energy than Katherine. As a group, we hit the half in 1:14. Katherine stayed relaxed down the last set of downhill during mile 17, then tightened the screws with great acceleration over the Newton hills, running the last 10 miles in 50 minutes for a 2:24. Katherine helped my day. By cuing off her pacing and relaxation, I ran an even race and finished in 2:29.
The other runner who taught me to have fun out there was the legendary 3 time Boston winner Uta Pippig of Germany. In 1997, I ran with her until she dropped me at Cleveland Circle, mile 22. The crowds loved Uta, and the noise escalated as she approached. She smiled the whole way … this may be her cue to relax, feed off the crowd’s energy, and have fun in the moment. In marathon running you must be present in the moment, not thinking about how far you have to go, fearing what you may feel like later, are you going to slow down, when’s the wall coming. Uta ran a strong fourth place that day in 2:28 and I finished a few strides back in 2:29.
All of these ladies made sure to get their fluid and nutrition at all stops. The seconds used here paid dividends down the road. They ran over the road not into the road, especially on the downhills … you could hardly hear them land as they did not employ hard heel striking technique. Their posture was tall and their arms always relaxed. But most vital was their efficient energy conservation and utilization strategy.
So how does this apply to you in your Boston Marathon, whether you are going to run 2:20 or 4 hours plus?
The best analogy I can think of is this: if you have trained your body properly with the right mix of aerobic level training and some up tempo stuff in recent weeks, you have built your efficient hybrid engine ready to race the marathon. Many of you have driven in a Prius and watch the subtle shifts between gas and electric on the screen. You do not perceive these shifts. Your engine runs on gas, electric, or a mix- depending on the effort.
You are starting the race with one gallon in the tank- assuming you have eaten a nice meal the night before with a breakfast top off.
• If you are in all gas mode, your engine will run about 1.5 hours at a strong pace….then you are out of gas.
• If you are mostly electric you can run all day, but maybe not so quickly.
• If you are using the proper mix you will go quick and efficient for duration of your event, and you can even do some topping off along the way.
The glucose utilizing pathway is the gas. This is your stored glycogen and blood glucose (pasta meal and breakfast) - easy to access for ready energy. The fat utilizing pathway is the electric. In marathons you must be in hybrid until the last few miles. Hybrid is where your energy (ATP) is coming from both sources.
Many runners are in great “10k shape” (an all gas event), then run their marathon in the gas mode- and usually crash. No glycogen sparing factors apply in races of less than an hour as long as you had a good pre-event meal to fill the tank. In marathons and ultras- top end fitness matters little and can only be applied very near the finish. Glucose gives 36 ATP per molecule, fat 460 ATP per molecule. Now you know how a bird can migrate 7000 miles without a Powerbar.
So how do you know you are running in your best hybrid mode?
This is difficult because the sense is not as profound as aerobic/anaerobic. A slight increase from your optimal pace will switch you from hybrid to all gas without you realizing it, and the effects are felt miles later. Charging up hills early will tap your gas quickly. Maintain effort not speed.
You must rehearse a bit in training. I focus on relaxation and breathing. If I’m breathing one cycle to 5 steps, then I’m hybrid. Any faster I’m using glucose as sole fuel. Belly breathe- allow lower belly to blow up like a beach ball on inhalation and pull your belly button back to your spine on exhalation. Then you will fill the lower lung areas where oxygen exchange occurs.
Notice the breathing efforts of those around you and many are rapid breathing- they tend to suffer somewhere past half way. Rehearse complete relaxation from the top down- eyes, jaw, shoulders, allow your legs to relax and extend behind you, relax and soften your knees and ankles. Find you own cue for this. If you use the Heart Rate Monitor in training strongly consider one during the event.
In a marathon, the last 3-4 miles you will be all gas to maintain the same speed as fatigue sets in. The breathing is usually on a 3 to 4 step per breath cycle- that is OK. Still stay relaxed and use some relaxation cues that you have rehearsed to keep your form.
Land softly, especially on the early downhills. I use a running method called ChiRunning which focuses on midfoot strike, slight forward lean, and letting gravity do some of the work. A few months after learning this technique I ran a 2:31 here at age 39 and felt none of the usual post Boston soreness. Felt so good I lined up 5 weeks later in Ottawa for another 2:32. I’m never sore after marathons now thanks to ChiRunning and feel I can keep doing them until I enter the retirement home. No pain…thank you.
Your shoes matter too. Not that you are going to change your shoes in the next day based on my advice...but make strong consideration to not running in minimalist racers unless you have trained substantially in them. Your body will need some protection on the downs to save muscle fiber for the later rolling sections. My favorite shoe is the Newton Neutral Racer, an incredible marathon shoe if you are running with a proper midfoot landing. If you relax your lower legs and not push off…these shoes with no heel elevation put you in perfect position to allow natural elastic recoil of plantar fascia, Achilles, calf muscles, and hip flexors. Try to learn the midfoot strike and test the Newtons before Boston 2011. Read Dean Karnazes new book “50-50” (50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days). He has figured this gait efficiency technique too and it has allowed him to accomplish some amazing endurance and durability feats. “Born to Run” also makes the case for running with a more efficient stride and questions modern running footwear. The evolving world of modern sports medicine is going back to the future too and rediscovering what evolution has taught us. For an all inclusive document go the www.freedomsrun.org and click “download presentation” from the homepage.
Now a few extra ways to get from start to finish quicker on the same gallon.
• If you can add a little gas along the way then you can go more into gas mode. This works a little at best. If running too fast you shunt all blood to working muscles and nothing digests. If you are in hybrid the early going you can continually add fuel- the key is not only the correct fuel, but the right pace. A Powergel every 25 minutes is easy to digest and tops off the tank. Carry them with you at the start. The weight is nothing compared to the benefit you will get. If you do the gels then you can drink water instead of the energy drinks which are often less predictable on the run. Boston has a Powergel station at Mile 17. Carry 4 at the start (one every 4 miles or so) and reload at mile 17.
• Maintain effort on uphill. Your pace will slow. You can easily use all your gas here if your effort increases. Shorten your stride, relax, and use your arms. Then allow gravity to take you down.
• If you are having a “bad patch” – try to refocus on relaxing, fuel a bit (sometimes a blood glucose drop triggers the sense of doom) , and have faith in your training and race plan. Another nice trick is when you hit mile 21 it is not 5 miles to go, it is 4 and change. Mile 22 is 3 and change to go. Just run to the next mile marker.
The fun of the marathon is that we are always learning and enjoying the adventure of it. I’ve done over 50 marathons now with a couple under 2:25 in my younger years. I’ve had one DNF at my first Boston in 1989. I raced the first half in 1:08 in gas mode not realizing it, in really minimal shoes that I’d not trained in, and was done by 20 miles. My worst time of the all the others has been a 2:44 at “run for hoses” Boston on 2005- 90 degrees and sunny. No hybrid here as efforts to cool were overwhelming. Another slow day was a 2:41 in the “run for cover” Boston in 2007. This was year with 30 mph headwind and Nor’easter rain. I was not in hybrid in this race in efforts to fight wind and cold, hit half way in 1:16, and suffered coming home.
We learn from experience, taking chances, and occasional failures. My first marathon in 1988 was 2:34. This year (22 years later) I hope for a similar time (2:37 in 2009 race with some tough winds coming in). Along the way I’ve accumulated 20 straight years under 2:35 except for my year of medical internship when there was no time to find a race. I’ve learned a few things in 20 years, but still there are uncertainties every time you line up. Relax, taper up, and seize the day.
Mark Cucuzzella MD
Associate Professor of Family Medicine West Virginia University
Lt. Col USAF Reserves
Coach USAF Marathon Team and Medical Consultant for Air Force Marathon
Race Dircetor Freedom’s Run (www.FreedomsRun.org)
I’d like to especially thank my sponsors for giving me the continual opportunity to run this event, be part of new innovations in running and nutrition, and representing Service Men and Women worldwide.
US Air Force: www.usafsports.com
Newton Running: www.newtonrunning.com
Powerbar: www.powerbar.com
And a special thanks to Danny and Katherine Dreyer of ChiRunning for their amazing teaching and passion for keeping runners healthy.
Race Day Recovery
Recovery From Racing -
You are an experiment of one, but here are some tested tips to avoid injury after a big race or run.
Run, refuel, stretch, shower, and stretch again, and rest. You are what you eat at this point in training so treat yourself to a great meal that fulfills the nutrient and energy expenditures from your effort.
Stairs can me managed by walking them backwards to help sore quadriceps (be careful, and hold that rail!)
Expect that delayed onset swelling and pain can occur after your event. While the typical swelling curve follows a 12-24 hour timeframe from insult, you may see soreness 1-2 days post event that you did not experience previously. RICE (Rest, Ice, Elevation,Compression)
Pain relievers and NSAID anti-inflammatory drugs may provide some initial relief but loose their effectiveness after several days. Pain is a good guide for when you are able to resume activity and how much activity.
Massage a few days after a race, when point tenderness is going away, is a great rehabilitation tool.
If you can stand it after a big run an ice bath will reduce inflammation in the legs, and is proven to help speed recovery. The secret is that the water need not be iced but can be anything below 50 degrees. Remember to wear a sweater and hat, only soak your lower half, and bring a book to keep your mind off the discomfort. Fifteen minutes in the bath is helpful and is better at fighting inflammation than the NSAIDs, and does not stress the kidneys.
For every mile you race you’ll need a day off – initially. You may choose to change this after you develop a significant mileage base.
While it may feel difficult to hold back on your training you should incorporate rest post-event and use cross training that is a pain free activity to fulfill any need you have to exercise.
Walking is called active recovery and should be included in your recovery plan to get you feeling better sooner. I like to walk as much as I can after a hard race effort.
In the first weeks after a big race seek to keep your efforts below PE 7 or 75% or your maximum heart rate to allow your body needed rest and to speed recovery. Stay away from hill work or any speed work as well. Re-starting an aggressive program post event can lead to injury.
Prepare for a let down, the post race blues – use this time to plan another project and to resume running soon - but allow for plenty of time to get ready and train. You cannot judge your success as a runner by this race or this program – this is a beginning for your running – with more challenges ahead.
Look at your process goals and the A, B, C goals you planned to see how you did, and while your mind is fresh from the event; note in your training log your race time and what went well and what you want to do better with the next race. You already have you date to begin running again marked on your calendar so why not plan your next race day too?
If you ran a 6.2 mile race, then 6 days after racing go ahead and check your resting heart rate and blood pressure to see if it matches the values measured the week before your race. If the values match and you are not experiencing muscle soreness it is a safe time to gently return to running, keeping in mind the above ideas.
You are an experiment of one, but here are some tested tips to avoid injury after a big race or run.
Run, refuel, stretch, shower, and stretch again, and rest. You are what you eat at this point in training so treat yourself to a great meal that fulfills the nutrient and energy expenditures from your effort.
Stairs can me managed by walking them backwards to help sore quadriceps (be careful, and hold that rail!)
Expect that delayed onset swelling and pain can occur after your event. While the typical swelling curve follows a 12-24 hour timeframe from insult, you may see soreness 1-2 days post event that you did not experience previously. RICE (Rest, Ice, Elevation,Compression)
Pain relievers and NSAID anti-inflammatory drugs may provide some initial relief but loose their effectiveness after several days. Pain is a good guide for when you are able to resume activity and how much activity.
Massage a few days after a race, when point tenderness is going away, is a great rehabilitation tool.
If you can stand it after a big run an ice bath will reduce inflammation in the legs, and is proven to help speed recovery. The secret is that the water need not be iced but can be anything below 50 degrees. Remember to wear a sweater and hat, only soak your lower half, and bring a book to keep your mind off the discomfort. Fifteen minutes in the bath is helpful and is better at fighting inflammation than the NSAIDs, and does not stress the kidneys.
For every mile you race you’ll need a day off – initially. You may choose to change this after you develop a significant mileage base.
While it may feel difficult to hold back on your training you should incorporate rest post-event and use cross training that is a pain free activity to fulfill any need you have to exercise.
Walking is called active recovery and should be included in your recovery plan to get you feeling better sooner. I like to walk as much as I can after a hard race effort.
In the first weeks after a big race seek to keep your efforts below PE 7 or 75% or your maximum heart rate to allow your body needed rest and to speed recovery. Stay away from hill work or any speed work as well. Re-starting an aggressive program post event can lead to injury.
Prepare for a let down, the post race blues – use this time to plan another project and to resume running soon - but allow for plenty of time to get ready and train. You cannot judge your success as a runner by this race or this program – this is a beginning for your running – with more challenges ahead.
Look at your process goals and the A, B, C goals you planned to see how you did, and while your mind is fresh from the event; note in your training log your race time and what went well and what you want to do better with the next race. You already have you date to begin running again marked on your calendar so why not plan your next race day too?
If you ran a 6.2 mile race, then 6 days after racing go ahead and check your resting heart rate and blood pressure to see if it matches the values measured the week before your race. If the values match and you are not experiencing muscle soreness it is a safe time to gently return to running, keeping in mind the above ideas.
Race Prep notes
Race preparations –
“Emotion is a direct manifestation of a person’s appraisal of any given situation”
Here is a rambling selection of important thoughts about your upcoming big day. You have worked hard and deserve an afternoon that will be enjoyable enough that you are surprised, delighted and want to do it again. So keep these things in mind – as they may help you to that end.
Do not try anything new on race day. That means no new thing. You will have tested your diet, your socks, your hydration plan, your sports wear etc. on runs prior to the race so that you can put your best effort forward with the confidence that “this works, I tried it last week”. Having your bag packed the night before and your breakfast laid out downstairs allows you to get to sleep naturally dreaming about the crowds screaming your name as you cross the finish line strong and in charge of your race. Not all of your big runs end like this one, so just like Christmas morning – you need a plan and you begin drawing it up right now.
The week of your race try to add one hour of sleep to each night’s schedule (so that if you normally sleep 7 hrs/night try to get 8hrs, every night) because while we will not taper for this event - your body needs to rejuvenate from all the training to run at your best. We improve while at rest - not while working out. So race week is a time when you cannot cram for the test, you need to bide your time and relax as best you can. While many American feel more is better; without adequate rest - fitness adaptations may occur short term but ultimately are not retained.
Carbohydrate loading for this length of race is risky. You will be able to eat your normal diet, a good breakfast 2 hours before your race and have enough glycogen in your muscles to run the entire race. More food may create issues with gastric emptying and lead to cramps. Eat light and right as you would before a morning run and you’ll be fine – avoid risky foods 2-3 days before your race. Not a good time to get food poisoning or an upset stomach. With an afternoon race you may need to adjust your breakfast time on race morning to eat later than you normally would eat breakfast – you will try this out the week before on your long turn to confirm that it works for you. Some runners give up dairy for 30 hours preceding a race so as to not feel bogged down in the GI system – I have tried this and have not seen a clear advantage to doing so.
Caffeine is a proven performance enhancer for runners and is a legal substance under USATF rules. One to three cups will have negligible effect on hydration and will boost energy level. If you currently use caffeine do not skip it on race day. That being said – you should read the post on our facebook site – which is a discussion of the abuse of caffeine and it’s hazards – along with a link that has the amount of caffeine in many consumer products. You should know what you are taking.
Begin planning now for your bathroom break and time it to be before your race time. You’ll feel better. Races nearly always have a bathroom (typically port-o-johns) but paper may be in short supply.
Physiology studies have shown that you can train your body to have a time of day where cardio-fitness and oxygen intake is optimized. Many folks begin a pattern or running at the time of their race start and this has been proven to be helpful in race performance.
Review your race goals the night before your event. Have a Plan A, and a Plan B so that you are prepared. Keep a positive dialogue about these goals and your race day performance. You trained, you put in the work, and you can do this.
Consider a “dress rehearsal” for your race. Do one of your long runs as you would run your race event.
Wear what you hope to wear on race day
Securely tie your shoes
Eat your race breakfast, two hours before your run and ensure you are hydrated
Drink your caffeine if you normally do
Use all the same techniques you hope to employ on race day
Run at the same time as your event
Be prepared for weather changes and have these items with you
Check and calculate your pace for a “three stage race”
Visualize a strong finish and success
Pack your race day bag the night before with everything you’ll need.
Water bottle, recovery food, safety pins for your race number, Running shoes, socks, shorts or tights, shirt, wind layer, hat, gloves, a dry change of clothes for post race, your watch, toilet paper (races with big crowds are notorious for running out), sunscreen, glasses, car keys, a few dollars, phone, camera, coffee/cup
Trim your toenails very carefully a week or more before your race, so that any mistakes can grow out a bit prior to the big day. If you do not trim you could get “black toe” or lose a nail from pounding in the shoe.
While racing you need to keep in mind some etiquette issues that are “rules of the road” when running in large groups that help everyone have a good race day.
· Line up according to how fast you run or walk – slower participant to the back for safety and courtesy. Do not go out faster than you intend to run.
· If you drop something at the race start do not stop to pick it up. You endanger yourself and those around you. If you need to tie a shoe, step to the side of the course.
· Strive to run or walk in a straight line and look before you veer, spit or blow your nose. If you are taking walk breaks step to the side of the course.
· Do not walk or run more than two abreast, doing so create congestion on the course and may lead to irrational behavior from runners who feel compelled to pass.
· If you stop at the aid station to eat or drink, consume these items past the aid station and on the side of the course. Always use trash receptacles and never litter on course.
· If you hear “excuse me” “passing” or “on your left” you need to be aware of your surroundings and yield to the faster traffic that is passing. Runners should always indicate verbally they are passing and “thank you” should be heard regularly also.
· Cheer and encourage other on the course – help everyone to have a good day
· Thank volunteers along the course - races cannot happen without these people
· Enjoy the race, look around and savor the moment. You worked hard for this and Tom Holland says “welcome to the party!”
· Cross the finish line and keep moving - stay in race order (finishing order) so that your standings can be documented then keep walking to clear the area for others.
· Most races offer refreshment at the finish and you should enjoy the refueling while being mindful that runners on course will need some of these supplies as well.
· If you have a complaint about the event - do not tell a volunteer who is busy making a great experience for runners. Tell the race director or write your comments on a comment card and submit them. Your race director is VERY interested in your feedback, and yet he/she will not have time for your comments on race day. Always be kind to volunteers.
Warm up by simply walking around, hop, very gently stretch just to move blood supply - not to stretch muscles. By getting the pulse up a bit we are better prepared without using too much energy.
We always start slow – go out too fast and you’ll have an empty tank and may not finish your event. Run the first leg of your race relaxed and smiling, keep your effort in the PE range of 3-4.
Start the second leg of your race with a PE range of 5-6 and you are ramping up now but trying not to blow up – pace yourself
Start the third leg of your race with a PE range of 7-8.5 and really give that last stretch your best effort, keeping your running form clean. If you are not running with good form - slow down. Breathe, relax, hold your form and hang on – you’re almost there and this will hurt a little bit. But its not childbirth…
Perceived effort works at the level of our autonomic nervous system. Your body will actually make you feel very poorly right before it thinks that you cannot do any more. Athletes can train this PE center in the brain to some degree and give it greater reference. We train to go the entire distance because you have then taught your brain that you can travel this distance without blowing up – so when you get that bad feeling simply slow down, let the body recover some – and then keep going for what you trained to do.
It is never over until it really is over. It is very Ok to walk, crawl or even rest and then crawl again to finish – there is no time limit and if you are up to it; give it your best effort to finish.
NO Pain reliever on race day. I see it all the time and even among folks who should know better but the more I read and listen on this subject the more I feel compelled to advise you to not use pain reliever on race day. Here is a short list of reasons.
You need to stay in tune with your body and prophylactic use of pain reliever, particularly NSAID’s, (non-steroidal anti-inflamatories) has been proven DANGEROUS to runners and their bodies. If you are sore the next day you may choose to take OTC pain reliever in standard dosage with water if you and your physician say it’s OK. Running with ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Alleve) in your system may truly hurt you on race day.
By limiting prostaglandins that normalize blood flow you may tax your kidneys. Your basic over-the-counter drugs may seem benign to you, but they do block important biochemical’s called prostaglandins and these do a great number of things in the body – including dilate the blood vessels to your kidney. Remember that your kidneys are something that you need, and rely on, to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, maintain fluid balances and eliminate wastes. These NSAID’s (by blocking prostaglandins) may increase your blood pressure at a dangerous time to do so – when running – and this could trigger a TIA or CVA (stroke). NSAID’s block the enzyme cyclooxygenase that protects the heart and thus may pose greater risk to the cardiovascular system as well.
Cyclooxygenase helps protect the stomach lining from digestive acids and so when NSAID’s block the enzyme you may experience nausea, cramping, diarrhea or bleeding. Studies indicate that NSAID’s may increase the risk of Hyponatremia or “water intoxication” a problem with electrolyte imbalance.
New research says that you might take one baby aspirin every day or every other day – see the link at our FB site for the literature on this preventative for everyone to learn more - then ask your DOCTOR.
Try to reduce stress in your schedule the week before your race, plan a massage 5 days out if you want to, look back at your training log to see how much running you have been doing and feel good about your accomplishments. Before the starting gun goes off you have already won by working so hard to get here – now if you have a fun race day it is the gravy and a just reward for all this “work”. You are a runner now.
More sage wisdom and some comedy here:
“Emotion is a direct manifestation of a person’s appraisal of any given situation”
Here is a rambling selection of important thoughts about your upcoming big day. You have worked hard and deserve an afternoon that will be enjoyable enough that you are surprised, delighted and want to do it again. So keep these things in mind – as they may help you to that end.
Do not try anything new on race day. That means no new thing. You will have tested your diet, your socks, your hydration plan, your sports wear etc. on runs prior to the race so that you can put your best effort forward with the confidence that “this works, I tried it last week”. Having your bag packed the night before and your breakfast laid out downstairs allows you to get to sleep naturally dreaming about the crowds screaming your name as you cross the finish line strong and in charge of your race. Not all of your big runs end like this one, so just like Christmas morning – you need a plan and you begin drawing it up right now.
The week of your race try to add one hour of sleep to each night’s schedule (so that if you normally sleep 7 hrs/night try to get 8hrs, every night) because while we will not taper for this event - your body needs to rejuvenate from all the training to run at your best. We improve while at rest - not while working out. So race week is a time when you cannot cram for the test, you need to bide your time and relax as best you can. While many American feel more is better; without adequate rest - fitness adaptations may occur short term but ultimately are not retained.
Carbohydrate loading for this length of race is risky. You will be able to eat your normal diet, a good breakfast 2 hours before your race and have enough glycogen in your muscles to run the entire race. More food may create issues with gastric emptying and lead to cramps. Eat light and right as you would before a morning run and you’ll be fine – avoid risky foods 2-3 days before your race. Not a good time to get food poisoning or an upset stomach. With an afternoon race you may need to adjust your breakfast time on race morning to eat later than you normally would eat breakfast – you will try this out the week before on your long turn to confirm that it works for you. Some runners give up dairy for 30 hours preceding a race so as to not feel bogged down in the GI system – I have tried this and have not seen a clear advantage to doing so.
Caffeine is a proven performance enhancer for runners and is a legal substance under USATF rules. One to three cups will have negligible effect on hydration and will boost energy level. If you currently use caffeine do not skip it on race day. That being said – you should read the post on our facebook site – which is a discussion of the abuse of caffeine and it’s hazards – along with a link that has the amount of caffeine in many consumer products. You should know what you are taking.
Begin planning now for your bathroom break and time it to be before your race time. You’ll feel better. Races nearly always have a bathroom (typically port-o-johns) but paper may be in short supply.
Physiology studies have shown that you can train your body to have a time of day where cardio-fitness and oxygen intake is optimized. Many folks begin a pattern or running at the time of their race start and this has been proven to be helpful in race performance.
Review your race goals the night before your event. Have a Plan A, and a Plan B so that you are prepared. Keep a positive dialogue about these goals and your race day performance. You trained, you put in the work, and you can do this.
Consider a “dress rehearsal” for your race. Do one of your long runs as you would run your race event.
Wear what you hope to wear on race day
Securely tie your shoes
Eat your race breakfast, two hours before your run and ensure you are hydrated
Drink your caffeine if you normally do
Use all the same techniques you hope to employ on race day
Run at the same time as your event
Be prepared for weather changes and have these items with you
Check and calculate your pace for a “three stage race”
Visualize a strong finish and success
Pack your race day bag the night before with everything you’ll need.
Water bottle, recovery food, safety pins for your race number, Running shoes, socks, shorts or tights, shirt, wind layer, hat, gloves, a dry change of clothes for post race, your watch, toilet paper (races with big crowds are notorious for running out), sunscreen, glasses, car keys, a few dollars, phone, camera, coffee/cup
Trim your toenails very carefully a week or more before your race, so that any mistakes can grow out a bit prior to the big day. If you do not trim you could get “black toe” or lose a nail from pounding in the shoe.
While racing you need to keep in mind some etiquette issues that are “rules of the road” when running in large groups that help everyone have a good race day.
· Line up according to how fast you run or walk – slower participant to the back for safety and courtesy. Do not go out faster than you intend to run.
· If you drop something at the race start do not stop to pick it up. You endanger yourself and those around you. If you need to tie a shoe, step to the side of the course.
· Strive to run or walk in a straight line and look before you veer, spit or blow your nose. If you are taking walk breaks step to the side of the course.
· Do not walk or run more than two abreast, doing so create congestion on the course and may lead to irrational behavior from runners who feel compelled to pass.
· If you stop at the aid station to eat or drink, consume these items past the aid station and on the side of the course. Always use trash receptacles and never litter on course.
· If you hear “excuse me” “passing” or “on your left” you need to be aware of your surroundings and yield to the faster traffic that is passing. Runners should always indicate verbally they are passing and “thank you” should be heard regularly also.
· Cheer and encourage other on the course – help everyone to have a good day
· Thank volunteers along the course - races cannot happen without these people
· Enjoy the race, look around and savor the moment. You worked hard for this and Tom Holland says “welcome to the party!”
· Cross the finish line and keep moving - stay in race order (finishing order) so that your standings can be documented then keep walking to clear the area for others.
· Most races offer refreshment at the finish and you should enjoy the refueling while being mindful that runners on course will need some of these supplies as well.
· If you have a complaint about the event - do not tell a volunteer who is busy making a great experience for runners. Tell the race director or write your comments on a comment card and submit them. Your race director is VERY interested in your feedback, and yet he/she will not have time for your comments on race day. Always be kind to volunteers.
Warm up by simply walking around, hop, very gently stretch just to move blood supply - not to stretch muscles. By getting the pulse up a bit we are better prepared without using too much energy.
We always start slow – go out too fast and you’ll have an empty tank and may not finish your event. Run the first leg of your race relaxed and smiling, keep your effort in the PE range of 3-4.
Start the second leg of your race with a PE range of 5-6 and you are ramping up now but trying not to blow up – pace yourself
Start the third leg of your race with a PE range of 7-8.5 and really give that last stretch your best effort, keeping your running form clean. If you are not running with good form - slow down. Breathe, relax, hold your form and hang on – you’re almost there and this will hurt a little bit. But its not childbirth…
Perceived effort works at the level of our autonomic nervous system. Your body will actually make you feel very poorly right before it thinks that you cannot do any more. Athletes can train this PE center in the brain to some degree and give it greater reference. We train to go the entire distance because you have then taught your brain that you can travel this distance without blowing up – so when you get that bad feeling simply slow down, let the body recover some – and then keep going for what you trained to do.
It is never over until it really is over. It is very Ok to walk, crawl or even rest and then crawl again to finish – there is no time limit and if you are up to it; give it your best effort to finish.
NO Pain reliever on race day. I see it all the time and even among folks who should know better but the more I read and listen on this subject the more I feel compelled to advise you to not use pain reliever on race day. Here is a short list of reasons.
You need to stay in tune with your body and prophylactic use of pain reliever, particularly NSAID’s, (non-steroidal anti-inflamatories) has been proven DANGEROUS to runners and their bodies. If you are sore the next day you may choose to take OTC pain reliever in standard dosage with water if you and your physician say it’s OK. Running with ibuprofen (Advil), or naproxen (Alleve) in your system may truly hurt you on race day.
By limiting prostaglandins that normalize blood flow you may tax your kidneys. Your basic over-the-counter drugs may seem benign to you, but they do block important biochemical’s called prostaglandins and these do a great number of things in the body – including dilate the blood vessels to your kidney. Remember that your kidneys are something that you need, and rely on, to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body, maintain fluid balances and eliminate wastes. These NSAID’s (by blocking prostaglandins) may increase your blood pressure at a dangerous time to do so – when running – and this could trigger a TIA or CVA (stroke). NSAID’s block the enzyme cyclooxygenase that protects the heart and thus may pose greater risk to the cardiovascular system as well.
Cyclooxygenase helps protect the stomach lining from digestive acids and so when NSAID’s block the enzyme you may experience nausea, cramping, diarrhea or bleeding. Studies indicate that NSAID’s may increase the risk of Hyponatremia or “water intoxication” a problem with electrolyte imbalance.
New research says that you might take one baby aspirin every day or every other day – see the link at our FB site for the literature on this preventative for everyone to learn more - then ask your DOCTOR.
Try to reduce stress in your schedule the week before your race, plan a massage 5 days out if you want to, look back at your training log to see how much running you have been doing and feel good about your accomplishments. Before the starting gun goes off you have already won by working so hard to get here – now if you have a fun race day it is the gravy and a just reward for all this “work”. You are a runner now.
More sage wisdom and some comedy here:
Friday, September 3, 2010
Most Embarassing Moments
Most embarrassing moments
“The only cure for vanity is laughter and the only fault deserving of laughter is vanity…”
Like it or not – stuff happens. Runners see more of it than many folks because we are getting out there and doing stuff. This subjects us to a larger than average number of foibles and comedic moments. So I asked for questiona and I got a few, which I'll cover here, and address a few more funny ones that could crash your day or your race - so pay attention. BTW many of these funny stories are second hand/first hand, while a rash of others come right out of Runners World, where you find a lot of good material - they used a forum/poll technique to gather some doozies!
For example: I was out on a run and running a trail for the first time. Working hard to keep from falling after recent rains I was focused on my footwork and never saw the dead tree limb hanging dangerously low to the trail. My hat shielded the view until after it was too late and looking skyward from my supine position I knew I had been foolish – now my head hurt too.
Ins and outs
#1The statistics say that 24% of women ages 25-44 y.o. experience some symptoms of stress incontinence. A leaky bladder while running is a more common problem for women who have given birth. Once the muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened anything from a cough to a fast run can cause a problem. Kegel exercises can help rehabilitate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles and effectively cure most incontinence. To find the muscles, stop your urine stream while going to the bathroom. Practice contracting and relaxing the muscles for 10 second repetitions as often each day as you can. Some runners say a tampon can help prevent leakage and help maintain muscle tone.
#2 Adding fiber in your diet can make you more regular and then able to schedule your movements to occur before a run. Caffeine can speed the movement of waste through your system and thus aid your scheduling issues. Running jostles your system and diverts blood from the digestive tract to legs and muscles elsewhere and this can cause cramping and/or an emergency pit stop if you have not already taken care of business. On race day many folks have eaten two hours or more before the gun and then had something small (that they know will sit well) 30 minutes before race time. On long runs in the countryside do not forget to carry a few sheets of paper in a zip-lock bag!
Worst case scenario preparedness: Country roads afford a lot of privacy oftentimes and you learn which spots on your route have more cover. I carry a kit that works well on race day - and doubles as a country roads emergency kit.
I use a big zip-lock bag style "kit" and in it I place:
Some TP,
A freezer zip-lock
One really tough garbage bag
Hand gel.
This kind of kit easily fits in a fanny pack or cargo pocket and is discrete. TP and the zip lock and gel can handle any spontaneous need to urinate for a female and allows me to pack out my TP easily to pitch later.
The garbage bag works the same way I might clean up after my dog in the city. BM goes on the ground and TP accompanies the stool. Then with a hand inside the bag as a glove, I scoop the whole thing into the garbage bag and then seal it into the zip-lock for disposal later, anywhere I'd pitch a diaper. I have found that in several national parks the rangers actually teach this technique as a means to "pack it in pack it out" and if the site chosen is softer ground or snow this works just fine with no evident trace. Things do happen out there and this kit has saved me and comrades on numerous occasions.
Sweat – it can stain clothes and moisture makes some colors transparent…
From a runner – “I purchased 3 pairs of running shorts. Identical except in color. They had a very light mesh liner that made them great for summer workouts in the Georgia heat. I bought black, blue and yellow. I loved these shorts and in fact I still use them from time to time. One day I set out wearing the yellow shorts on a run from my house to a well used local park. Along the way I noticed a few interesting glances and some folks staring directly at my crotch. I didn't really think much about it until I got home and realized that these awesome yellow shorts had become increasingly see- through as I sweat during my run. I hope the folks I encountered enjoyed a good show. I still have those yellow shorts but I never wear them. They serve as a reminder to stick with dark colors”
Besides giving the public a good show you may find excessive sweating can cause blistering. Body glide, Vaseline, Aquaphor, or even anti-perspirant applied to the trouble areas can help – this includes feet.
Chafing and “number 11” syndrome
Salt in sweat can cause chafing too and on long runs this is something to look out for – I know folks who use a bandanna to brush off and wipe down troublesome areas ahead of time.
Runs over a certain distance (varies by runner) will always cause chafing. The most common for men is thighs and nipples. The “number 11” comes from the blood stains on the jersey of an unprotected guy who was not told to tape, apply body glide or even breathe right strips to nipples to avoid this problem.
Blood in your urine - haematuria – is a condition that 20% of the (Runner’s World) poll reported having suffered after a long run. Runners World says that “Sometimes on a long run cells in the kidneys may leak or bleed or the bladder can suffer injury as well from all the jostling. While not normal – some folks are prone to this and the condition resolves within 48 hours. If it does not – seek medical attention.” My learning from nursing school tells me that this might be rhabdomyolysis which more specifically is myoglobin in the urine and this is coming from the extreme tearing down of muscle tissue. This muscle tissue contains myoglobin – similar to the oxygen carrying, hemoglobin in your blood and it would leave urine a rust or dark, red- brown color. If you are losing large amounts of potassium rhabdomyolysis could be a consequence as well. This too would not be a normal occurrence and can lead to complications, thus it warrants a visit to the doctor.
Knowing the route - From a runner, “I have very bad night vision. In order to avoid running into some pedestrians, I ran towards the edge of the sidewalk, in between two poles. Turns out, there was a sign in between the two poles that I didn't see and I ran right into it. I hit my head pretty hard and stumbled backwards before trying to keep running.” There are lots of good lighting systems and tools available and I run with a light on my head and one in my hand. The one in my hand is for making sure others see me. The one on my head keeps track of the ground, but honestly when you run a route a lot you learn where the mean dog is, who is always late to work and driving fast, and which guy will never miss a puddle. Know the hazards in advance if you can.
Tying your shoes - The racers are in the chute and the gun fires. The runner who bends over to tie their shoe at the start of the race is knocked over by the wave of racers flooding on to the course. This story has been related to me more than once and the runner had not learned to tie correctly or did not double knot and certainly did not move to the side of the course to re-tie or else I would not be re-telling the sad tale. The other big one is shoes tied with an unmovable bow and the loop catching on something – sending the runner horizontal. You can tuck the loops in and single tie them correctly to keep them done up. See our facebook site for a link on how to tie a proper bow (I laughed too, but it works).
Gear check - From a runner “I was running my first marathon in 1997. I was about at the 18 to 19 mile mark, when another runner caught up to me only to inform me of a gaping hole in my black running tights that were showing my white undergarments. I learned to do pre-checks on gear before I wear it.” I have heard of racers showing up at the race without their bib or timing chip. Check your stuff the night before and pre-pack so that you can be confident of an easy day.
Know thy schedule: From a runner “My boyfriend and I had registered ahead of time for the race which was advertised as beginning at 9:30. I was pretty nervous and was definitely in pre-race solitary mode while stretching at my car. At around 9:10 a crowd was gathering around the start and my boyfriend - honoring my pre-race alone time - told me he was going to make his way to the start. I stayed at my car stretching until I heard a gun and the pack of runners come streaming by me. The race had started at 9:15!”
Plan ahead – and nothing new on race day: From a runner “I ran my first marathon (Philly) and INHALED my jelly beans in front of the crowds. I couldn't breathe! I was doubled over, choking, and someone had to smack me in the back. The beans came flying out - everyone cheered.”
Animal encounters
Dogs: find out what is the dogs territory and always have a heads up attitude about his fence, tie up or lack there of. Never run from a dog – you’ll loose in the speed interval and then you’re too tired to look threatening. Stand your ground, pick up something to wave around if you have to and look that dog in the eye and tell him to “GO HOME!” Always thank dog owners who restrain their dogs – and I have found that if you wave and look upstanding to the owner that is reflected in the dog’s attitude. Sometimes that dog is even tied up the next day!
Other wild things – from a runner, “After a couple of miles of plodding along the sidewalk, I approached a flock of 8-12 Canadian Geese in my path. I remember thinking, "They'll move." Well, when I got within about 10 feet, they sprang their multiple pinching beak assault. They didn't so much attack me individually as much as they assailed me as one formidable presence.” From yet another runner “running on the Main Street of the town I live near on a really foggy Saturday morning, I couldn't see 2 feet around me. The next thing I knew this huge deer charges from the alley and plows right into me. WHAM! I flew into the street, scraped my knees, bit my tongue and the deer just kept going.”
Do try to find routes that minimize wildlife disturbance and sometimes just asking about the local fauna helps. Bear bells for trail runs, pepper spray for downtown Philly, find out what you need to not miss your run.
Automobile vs. runner - You know you are never going to win this one – so no bullfighting please. You should face traffic and take off your headphones but also keep these great ideas from Jeff Galloway in mind.
Watch and prepare to make fast adjustments, many runners have had to dive for the ditch or leap the hedgerow as the motorist dropped their cell phone and reached to catch it.
Plan ahead where you might jump to or which side of the turn offers best visibility
Wear reflective gear, not just at night. Think “can I be seen easily, from a mile away?”
Understand that you cannot understand the driver’s mentality. Drunk, late for church, maybe they’re texting, or unable to run and resentful of you for getting out and having such a good time. People act like they are anonymous in their cars oftentimes. So WAVE, let them know that you see them and let them see you better, be neighborly and BE the change you wish to see in the world…(you’ll be amazed how many wave back – esp. in WV) the post about traffic survival talks a lot more about this idea because it is so important.
I am just out here doing my thing - “I have run past a drug deal, an underage beer party and two lovers in the backseat of the car – not on the same run. I keep quiet feet and I nod but keep moving. Some of those folks appreciated that I ‘kept my head down’ and just looked non-threatening - I think the folks in the car never even noticed me.”
Maybe a new outfit? From a runner, “On race day I went in to use the porta-potty and forgot to lock the door. I had to pull my outfit down to go. I was just starting to pull it up when someone just opened the door on me. All 30 or so people standing in line got a good show of me in my birthday suit. I thought the rule when waiting in a porta-potty line was to wait till you see someone come out before you try to go in - or at the very least knock first.”
“The only cure for vanity is laughter and the only fault deserving of laughter is vanity…”
Like it or not – stuff happens. Runners see more of it than many folks because we are getting out there and doing stuff. This subjects us to a larger than average number of foibles and comedic moments. So I asked for questiona and I got a few, which I'll cover here, and address a few more funny ones that could crash your day or your race - so pay attention. BTW many of these funny stories are second hand/first hand, while a rash of others come right out of Runners World, where you find a lot of good material - they used a forum/poll technique to gather some doozies!
For example: I was out on a run and running a trail for the first time. Working hard to keep from falling after recent rains I was focused on my footwork and never saw the dead tree limb hanging dangerously low to the trail. My hat shielded the view until after it was too late and looking skyward from my supine position I knew I had been foolish – now my head hurt too.
Ins and outs
#1The statistics say that 24% of women ages 25-44 y.o. experience some symptoms of stress incontinence. A leaky bladder while running is a more common problem for women who have given birth. Once the muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened anything from a cough to a fast run can cause a problem. Kegel exercises can help rehabilitate and strengthen pelvic floor muscles and effectively cure most incontinence. To find the muscles, stop your urine stream while going to the bathroom. Practice contracting and relaxing the muscles for 10 second repetitions as often each day as you can. Some runners say a tampon can help prevent leakage and help maintain muscle tone.
#2 Adding fiber in your diet can make you more regular and then able to schedule your movements to occur before a run. Caffeine can speed the movement of waste through your system and thus aid your scheduling issues. Running jostles your system and diverts blood from the digestive tract to legs and muscles elsewhere and this can cause cramping and/or an emergency pit stop if you have not already taken care of business. On race day many folks have eaten two hours or more before the gun and then had something small (that they know will sit well) 30 minutes before race time. On long runs in the countryside do not forget to carry a few sheets of paper in a zip-lock bag!
Worst case scenario preparedness: Country roads afford a lot of privacy oftentimes and you learn which spots on your route have more cover. I carry a kit that works well on race day - and doubles as a country roads emergency kit.
I use a big zip-lock bag style "kit" and in it I place:
Some TP,
A freezer zip-lock
One really tough garbage bag
Hand gel.
This kind of kit easily fits in a fanny pack or cargo pocket and is discrete. TP and the zip lock and gel can handle any spontaneous need to urinate for a female and allows me to pack out my TP easily to pitch later.
The garbage bag works the same way I might clean up after my dog in the city. BM goes on the ground and TP accompanies the stool. Then with a hand inside the bag as a glove, I scoop the whole thing into the garbage bag and then seal it into the zip-lock for disposal later, anywhere I'd pitch a diaper. I have found that in several national parks the rangers actually teach this technique as a means to "pack it in pack it out" and if the site chosen is softer ground or snow this works just fine with no evident trace. Things do happen out there and this kit has saved me and comrades on numerous occasions.
Sweat – it can stain clothes and moisture makes some colors transparent…
From a runner – “I purchased 3 pairs of running shorts. Identical except in color. They had a very light mesh liner that made them great for summer workouts in the Georgia heat. I bought black, blue and yellow. I loved these shorts and in fact I still use them from time to time. One day I set out wearing the yellow shorts on a run from my house to a well used local park. Along the way I noticed a few interesting glances and some folks staring directly at my crotch. I didn't really think much about it until I got home and realized that these awesome yellow shorts had become increasingly see- through as I sweat during my run. I hope the folks I encountered enjoyed a good show. I still have those yellow shorts but I never wear them. They serve as a reminder to stick with dark colors”
Besides giving the public a good show you may find excessive sweating can cause blistering. Body glide, Vaseline, Aquaphor, or even anti-perspirant applied to the trouble areas can help – this includes feet.
Chafing and “number 11” syndrome
Salt in sweat can cause chafing too and on long runs this is something to look out for – I know folks who use a bandanna to brush off and wipe down troublesome areas ahead of time.
Runs over a certain distance (varies by runner) will always cause chafing. The most common for men is thighs and nipples. The “number 11” comes from the blood stains on the jersey of an unprotected guy who was not told to tape, apply body glide or even breathe right strips to nipples to avoid this problem.
Blood in your urine - haematuria – is a condition that 20% of the (Runner’s World) poll reported having suffered after a long run. Runners World says that “Sometimes on a long run cells in the kidneys may leak or bleed or the bladder can suffer injury as well from all the jostling. While not normal – some folks are prone to this and the condition resolves within 48 hours. If it does not – seek medical attention.” My learning from nursing school tells me that this might be rhabdomyolysis which more specifically is myoglobin in the urine and this is coming from the extreme tearing down of muscle tissue. This muscle tissue contains myoglobin – similar to the oxygen carrying, hemoglobin in your blood and it would leave urine a rust or dark, red- brown color. If you are losing large amounts of potassium rhabdomyolysis could be a consequence as well. This too would not be a normal occurrence and can lead to complications, thus it warrants a visit to the doctor.
Knowing the route - From a runner, “I have very bad night vision. In order to avoid running into some pedestrians, I ran towards the edge of the sidewalk, in between two poles. Turns out, there was a sign in between the two poles that I didn't see and I ran right into it. I hit my head pretty hard and stumbled backwards before trying to keep running.” There are lots of good lighting systems and tools available and I run with a light on my head and one in my hand. The one in my hand is for making sure others see me. The one on my head keeps track of the ground, but honestly when you run a route a lot you learn where the mean dog is, who is always late to work and driving fast, and which guy will never miss a puddle. Know the hazards in advance if you can.
Tying your shoes - The racers are in the chute and the gun fires. The runner who bends over to tie their shoe at the start of the race is knocked over by the wave of racers flooding on to the course. This story has been related to me more than once and the runner had not learned to tie correctly or did not double knot and certainly did not move to the side of the course to re-tie or else I would not be re-telling the sad tale. The other big one is shoes tied with an unmovable bow and the loop catching on something – sending the runner horizontal. You can tuck the loops in and single tie them correctly to keep them done up. See our facebook site for a link on how to tie a proper bow (I laughed too, but it works).
Gear check - From a runner “I was running my first marathon in 1997. I was about at the 18 to 19 mile mark, when another runner caught up to me only to inform me of a gaping hole in my black running tights that were showing my white undergarments. I learned to do pre-checks on gear before I wear it.” I have heard of racers showing up at the race without their bib or timing chip. Check your stuff the night before and pre-pack so that you can be confident of an easy day.
Know thy schedule: From a runner “My boyfriend and I had registered ahead of time for the race which was advertised as beginning at 9:30. I was pretty nervous and was definitely in pre-race solitary mode while stretching at my car. At around 9:10 a crowd was gathering around the start and my boyfriend - honoring my pre-race alone time - told me he was going to make his way to the start. I stayed at my car stretching until I heard a gun and the pack of runners come streaming by me. The race had started at 9:15!”
Plan ahead – and nothing new on race day: From a runner “I ran my first marathon (Philly) and INHALED my jelly beans in front of the crowds. I couldn't breathe! I was doubled over, choking, and someone had to smack me in the back. The beans came flying out - everyone cheered.”
Animal encounters
Dogs: find out what is the dogs territory and always have a heads up attitude about his fence, tie up or lack there of. Never run from a dog – you’ll loose in the speed interval and then you’re too tired to look threatening. Stand your ground, pick up something to wave around if you have to and look that dog in the eye and tell him to “GO HOME!” Always thank dog owners who restrain their dogs – and I have found that if you wave and look upstanding to the owner that is reflected in the dog’s attitude. Sometimes that dog is even tied up the next day!
Other wild things – from a runner, “After a couple of miles of plodding along the sidewalk, I approached a flock of 8-12 Canadian Geese in my path. I remember thinking, "They'll move." Well, when I got within about 10 feet, they sprang their multiple pinching beak assault. They didn't so much attack me individually as much as they assailed me as one formidable presence.” From yet another runner “running on the Main Street of the town I live near on a really foggy Saturday morning, I couldn't see 2 feet around me. The next thing I knew this huge deer charges from the alley and plows right into me. WHAM! I flew into the street, scraped my knees, bit my tongue and the deer just kept going.”
Do try to find routes that minimize wildlife disturbance and sometimes just asking about the local fauna helps. Bear bells for trail runs, pepper spray for downtown Philly, find out what you need to not miss your run.
Automobile vs. runner - You know you are never going to win this one – so no bullfighting please. You should face traffic and take off your headphones but also keep these great ideas from Jeff Galloway in mind.
Watch and prepare to make fast adjustments, many runners have had to dive for the ditch or leap the hedgerow as the motorist dropped their cell phone and reached to catch it.
Plan ahead where you might jump to or which side of the turn offers best visibility
Wear reflective gear, not just at night. Think “can I be seen easily, from a mile away?”
Understand that you cannot understand the driver’s mentality. Drunk, late for church, maybe they’re texting, or unable to run and resentful of you for getting out and having such a good time. People act like they are anonymous in their cars oftentimes. So WAVE, let them know that you see them and let them see you better, be neighborly and BE the change you wish to see in the world…(you’ll be amazed how many wave back – esp. in WV) the post about traffic survival talks a lot more about this idea because it is so important.
I am just out here doing my thing - “I have run past a drug deal, an underage beer party and two lovers in the backseat of the car – not on the same run. I keep quiet feet and I nod but keep moving. Some of those folks appreciated that I ‘kept my head down’ and just looked non-threatening - I think the folks in the car never even noticed me.”
Maybe a new outfit? From a runner, “On race day I went in to use the porta-potty and forgot to lock the door. I had to pull my outfit down to go. I was just starting to pull it up when someone just opened the door on me. All 30 or so people standing in line got a good show of me in my birthday suit. I thought the rule when waiting in a porta-potty line was to wait till you see someone come out before you try to go in - or at the very least knock first.”
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