Running Injury Free

There is a movie that all of us should see!

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:35:00 +0000

Click the picture to go to fathomevents.com The movie should be depicted in the background of the window. If not, use the calendar to select June 12, and click the date to the the movie in the background. Click the Buy Tickets button. Click the time to get the "buy" window.

Welcome to Running Injury Free

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Around Cape Ann (MA) 25K
Labor Day 1983

This site gives tips and suggestions to the thousands of recreational runners, joggers, and walkers who want to run without injury and enjoy it. I've enjoyed running for 40 years, and I've created this site to give running tips and lessons that I've learned from my experiences, from my reading of the running literature, and from talking with other runners, so that you too can run injury-free and enjoy it!

There are four ways to navigate the site. The first three methods use the sidebar.

Use the navigational bar at the top of the page to go to the category that contains the page you want to read. Then scroll through the pages in that category.
Use the links in the Site Map to go directly to the page. All of the links are for the year 2008.
Use the links under the Site Pages heading in the sidebar to go directly to the page. All of the links are for the year 2008,
Scroll down the page and use the Older Posts and Newer Posts links to bring in older or newer pages.

Use the What's New page to learn of changes and additions to the site.

All posts have a 2008 date, because controlling the date and time is the only way I've found to manage the position of the posts in the archive.

This site is now available in book form (pdf is free).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Predator Nutrition has all the supplements you need for an effective workout.

What's New in Running Injury Free

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Here are new pages and significant changes that have been made to the site. The most recent changes are at the top.

This site is now available in book form (pdf is free)
Added a review of Cross Country 101
Added an ad to Spirit of the Marathon II movie
Added a page on Training with a Treadmill
Added a review of Running Water
Added a page on Sun Glasses
Added a Word of Caution to The Health Effects of Marathons and Ultras on our Bodies
Added a review of the OrthoLite Fusion Insoles
Added a paragraph about the effects of distance running on our bladders.
Added a paragraph to Long and Medium Runs about determining how long a long-run should be.
Added a site map to increase the quality of search engine indexing of this site, and to provide an index to assist visitors to the site
Added comments about the importance of sleep in losing weight
Added a video to The Effects of Marathons and Ultras on Our Bodies

Site Map of Running Injury Free

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:30:00 +0000

This page is a site map of the Running Injury Free web site. It gives the search engines a page that has all internal links, and it contributes to easy navigation of the site by serving as an index to the site.o
Home
Welcome to Running Injury Free!

What's New
What's New in Running Injury Free

Clothes
Running Clothes
Running Shoes
Should You Run in Minimalist Shoes
Sun Glasses

Health
Monitoring Your Wakeup Heart Rate
The Health Effects of Marathons and Ultras on our Bodies
Health to Allow Running

Handling Stress from Running
The Stress of a Marathon
The Effects of Marathons and Ultras on our Bodies
Losing Weight from Running
Cross Training
Total Body Strength

Injuries
Using Strength Training to Avoid Injuries Injuries From Running Preventing Injuries While Running
Achilles Tendinitis
Bursitis From Running
Buttock Injuries From Running
Groin Pull From Running
Heel Spurs From Running
ITB Injury From Running
Plantar Fasciitis From Running
Runner's Knee From Running
Shin Splints From Running
Short Leg and Running
The Effects of Marathons and Ultras On Our Bodies

List Your Site
List Your Site

Planning
Running Training Plans
A Plan for Beginning Running
Intermediate Plan for Runners
Low Stress Training Plan for First Half-Marathon
Low Stress Training Plan for First Marathon

Reviews
LOCO Shoes
Pearl iZUMUi Syncrofloat IV
Saucony ProGrid Triumph 8
Somno Nada
Pearl iZUMi Long Sleeved Shirt
50/50
Running On Faith
Long May You Run
Running On Empty
Cross Country 101
The Official Register of London Marathon Runners 2001 - 2010
Garmin Forerunner 110
Jeff Galloway's RunWalkRun Timer
Hood to Coast Video
Orbana Energy Drink
FlashBrite Stick-on Patches

Running Injury Free
My Personal Blog
Your Achievements In Running
A Tribute to Dr. George Sheehan
Running Addiction
Running Jargon
Running Myths

Training
Coaching Running on the Internet
The Real Meaning of the 10% Rule
The Basics of Jogging
Training Diaries for Running
Stretching for Runners
Pictures of Stretch Exercises
The Warm-Up Phase of Running
Beginning Running
Training to Run Your First Half or Full Marathon
Keeping Motivated to Run
Long Slow Distance
Speed Training for Runners
Running Hills
Running for Distance or for Time?
The Long and Medium Runs
Peaking in Running Performance
Training Paces While Running
A Paradox in Running Paces
Stride Rate and Length While Running
Negative Splits While Running
Foot Strike While Running
Tapering Before a Race
Lactate Threshold in Running
Maximum Oxygen Intake (VO2max)
Run the Tangents
Weekly Distance
The Cool-Down Phase of Running
Overtraining in your Running
Running Form
Age Grading
Weather and Running
Hydration
Age and Running

My Personal Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

If you're interested in seeing how an old guy trains and runs, take a look at my Old Man Running blog. I hope eventually to run marathons again, but for now I'm focusing on running for enjoyment as I slowly increase my distance towards 26.2 I'm also hoping to run one half-marathon and one or two 5Ks each year.

Your Achievements In Running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Recently completed your first race? Won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your age group? You've lost weight from running? You've done something you never thought you'd do -- run? Let us all celebrate with you! Tell us about your successes.

Coaching Running on the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Striding Along, February/March 1996
A Publication of the Gate City Striders, Nashua, NH

A few weeks ago, a runner asked for running advice on the internet. The message below is a response from Allen Leigh who's comments I found very to the point. I believe that Allen's advice to this runner can serve many of us as a reminder of "the basics". Peter [Editor]

Allen's response to the runner:

Hi,

I'm not qualified to be your coach, but here are a few ideas from the running literature.

1. Run pain-free. Pain is a sign from your body that you're exceeding its capacity in some way. I've been running for about 23 years, including four marathons when I was your age, with no injuries, because I run pain-free. If I experience pain, I back off my training a bit until the pain is gone and then give my body more time to get used to what I'm doing. By doing this, I keep injuries away.

2. Follow the 10% rule. When you increase the stress on your body by increasing your distance or speed (try to not increase both at the same time), keep your increases at 10% or less and stay at each new level until you feel comfortable with it. I've found that my body likes at least a week at each level, and sometimes longer.

3. When you complete a run, you should feel great and should want to keep going. If you feel tired at the end of a run, you've gone too far or too fast. Back off until you feel great when you finish each run.

4. While you are running, you should be able to carry on a conversation with a partner. If you're huffing & puffing and can't talk, you're going too fast. Back it off.

5. If you get a raw throat or side stitches [cramps] while running, you're going too fast. Back it off.

6. Run heavy/light. After you've run a "heavy" day, follow it with a "light" day of about half the distance. It takes your body 48 hours to recover from the heavy day. If you run heavy day after day, your body never fully recovers and gets into "stress-debt", then injuries come after a few months.

7. Don't run more than five days per week. Give yourself some rest days. Your overall performance will go up because you'll be more rested when you do run.

8. Throw in a light week each month. During the light week, you're still alternating heavy/light days, but you reduce the distance/speed of the heavy days.

9. If you leave home for a run and after a mile or two you feel tired and not particularly enthused about continuing the run, stop, pack it in, and go home. Your body is telling you that you need some rest. If your body is doing great, you should feel great after the first couple of miles of warming up. If your body is feeling tired, however, so will you.

10. Remember that it isn't the stress you apply to your body that builds strength; it is the rest. You apply stress by running some distance at some speed. Then you give your body rest. Your body reacts to the stress by becoming stronger. If you don't give your body enough rest, then all you're doing is tearing your body down.

11. The more you run, the more important it is that you get enough sleep.

12. Measure your rest pulse each morning. The best time to do this is when you first wake up, since that is the one time during the day when you body is at the same activity level each day. After doing this for a few weeks, you'll begin to see patterns in your pulse. My resting pulse when I'm active in my running and when I'm getting proper sleep is about 45. If it goes up more than 10%, I know that I'm tired and need more rest. If it goes up 20% or more, I abort all running for a day or two because I really need rest. I've found that my resting pulse is a great indicator of my body condition. In your case, your resting pulse will be a different number, but I would expect that the percentage increase would mean about the same thing for you.

13. If you run out & back on the same road, run on the same side of the street if the traffic flow will allow you to do that safely. By doing this, both your left and right feet will be on the edge of the road, and this evens the stress on your knees due to the crown of the road. I found that Massachusetts back-roads have a lot of curvature, say 3-4" from the center to the edge, and that means that the leg on the edge has to reach that much farther.

I started running when I was 37 (I'm 60 now). I didn't have a coach, but I did a lot of reading, and I listened to my body to know when to push myself and when not to. When I was in my late 40s I did some racing. My mile PR at that time was 5' 57". My 10K PR was 40' 29". My marathon PR was 3 hr 59'. My five-mile was some where around 33'. These were all set during my late 40s. Not great times compared to other runners but great for me because I'm built for endurance more than for speed. As I mentioned before, I've never had an injury, and I think that is a pretty good PR. I mention this, because I think that listening to your body and using moderation and common sense in pushing yourself are the best coaches you'll find.

Good luck in your running. Keep us informed from time to time!

/Allen

A final note from Peter: I asked Allen whether I could use his message in our newsletter. In his response he said. "I lived in MA for 17 years. We did all of our shopping in Nashua, and I have fond memories of NH/MA. I moved to Utah about three years ago, and I really miss New England." Quite a coincidence, don't you think?

The Real Meaning of the 10% Rule

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:30:00 +0000

I wrote this article as a guest post on the Marathon Nation blog. It is reprinted here by permission.

People realized years ago that runners might try to do more in their training than their bodies could handle, that is, they might do too much too soon. Over time, suggestions about increasing distance and speed were formalized into the 10% rule. This rule became one of the foundation-stones of recreational running. However, some people have misunderstood the rule and have tried to follow it in ways that were probably not intended.

Let’s take a look at the 10% rule to determine if it is (or isn’t) a good rule for us to follow. The versions of the rule that I have read state that increases in distance or speed shouldn’t exceed 10% of the weekly amount. Nothing is said about gender, age, or goals in running. The rule lumps everyone together and gives an upper cap on the amount of increases in ones training. Running puts stress on our bodies, so when we talk about increases in distance or speed, we’re talking about increases in stress.

Many runners have believed they are exceptions to the 10% rule, and they have ignored the rule with no apparent harm to their bodies. Other runners have considered the rule as an absolute pillar of their training, and they believe that 10% should be the size of the increases, not just a cap on the increases. Some runners have done this with success. Other runners, though, have learned that 10% increases are more than their body can handle, while still others have learned that 10% increases are too small for their needs. So, it seems that increases of 10% are not a cardinal rule of running without injury.

The 10% rule was discussed in an article in The New York Times. The Times reported on a scientific test to determine if 10% increases did decrease injuries. The runners were novice runners. Half of them followed an 11-week training program that specified 10% increases, and half of them followed an 8-week program with a more rigorous schedule having larger increases. The runners in both groups ran three times per week, and they reached their goal of doing approximately 90 minutes per run. Did the runners making 10% increases have fewer injuries? Nope! Those runners took three weeks longer to reach their goal, and they had as many injuries as the runners in the other group.

It seems we need to replace the 10% rule with more realistic suggestions.

Listen to your body to learn how much increase in stress your body can handle.
Keep your training within the bounds of stress that your body can handle.
Realize that the limits on stress that apply to your body are likely different than the limits needed by others.
After each increase in distance or speed, stay at the new level as long as it takes for your body to adjust to the new stress.
Understand that as you get older, your body may be injured by stress that would have been compatible with your body when you were younger.
Realize that if your body encounters too much stress, injury may occur, but it may take weeks or months for your body to become injured.

These suggestions put the responsibility on each runner to determine how much increase in distance or speed should be made and how often such increases should occur. They are general suggestions that can be used by men and women of any age.

A Tribute to Dr. George Sheehan

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Dr. George Sheehan was medical columnist for Runner's World for several years and was an active runner and writer about running. One of his essays was called "The Basics of Jogging: How Fast, How Far, How Often?". That essay was the first article I read in the running literature, and I received it at the first meeting of the Digital Running Club in Maynard, Massachusetts in 1976. The essay was pure common sense, and I've followed his advice for over 38 years and have enjoyed running with only one injury. I'll be eternally grateful to "Doc" Sheehan for his guidance.

As a tribute to George Sheehan, I've posted that essay in this site for all to read and enjoy (additional essays by "Doc" Sheehan are at georgesheehan.com).

Click on any thumbnail to read the article.

The Basics of Jogging

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:59:00 +0000

Dr. George Sheehan

Copyright The George Sheehan Trust
Permission to post has been requested

Dr. Joan Ullyot and boys sample the joys of a jog.
Joan graduated from jogging to marathoning.

Our fancy often turns to dreams of past glories, to those years when our bodies did our will. The morning air, the bright sun, the green trees recall days when only darkness could end our play. We were giants -- if not in strength at least in endurance. We knew what it was like to be a good animal. And we wonder if we could ever be that way again. The answer, of course, is yes. We can walk or jog or run our way back to those days, those joys, that level of fitness we used to know. To do this we have to know the fitness equation, the answers to the questions, How fast? How far? How often?

HOW FAST?

Few people know how fast to train. Most assume they must punish themselves to become fit. They think that becoming an athlete is hard work. That just is not so. Fitness must be fun. The rule is "train, don't strain." So the race for fitness should be comfortable and enjoyable. Effort should be the measure, not speed, and your body should tell you your proper pace, not the stopwatch.

I use the word "pace" deliberately. It is a better word than speed. Speed has to do with numbers, statistics, minutes-per-mile. Pace has to do with feelings and is not a matter of precise mathematics. It has to do with adjectives like "easy" and "rash" and "breathless" and headlong." But the adjective we are looking for is "comfortable," and we find it by asking our bodies.

This seemingly unscientific idea has a solid scientific basis in the theory of perceived exertion. Proposed by Gunnar Borg in 1960, it states that the effort perceived by the body is almost identical to that recorded by a machine. Borg discovered that body perception is, in fact, superior to any single physiological determination.

The Borg Scale ("Perceived Exertion")
Rating		Pulse
6-7	very, very light	60-70
8-9	very light	80-90
10-11	fairly light	100-110
12-13	somewhat hard	120-130
14-15	hard	140-150
16-17	very hard	160-170
18-20	very, very hard	180-200

The Borg scale starts at six (very, very light) and ends at 20 (very, very hard). Adding a zero to the rating gives the usual pulse rate at that level of activity. The walker, jogger or runner therefore aims at the mid-range between light and hard, the area we perceive as comfortable. This is a pace at which we could hold a conversation with a companion -- Bill Bowerman's "talk test." Now, you might say that you couldn't run across the room without being short of breath. Then don't. Begin by walking and then work up to scout pace (alternating 50 steps walking and 50 running). Finally, you will be able to jog continually, in comfort. You will be able to put yourself on "automatic pilot" and enjoy your thoughts and the countryside.

Listen to your body. Do not be a blind and deaf tenant. Hear what your muscles and heart and lungs are telling you. Above all, get in union with your body. Ride yourself as a jockey does a horse, finally becoming one with it. There will come times when the sheer joy of this mysterious fusion, this wholeness will drive you to see just what you can do. But this is unnecessary, for you now have the pace. Do not push. You have found the groove. Stay in it.

Even when you have become proficient and the comfortable pace becomes faster and faster, you must still do the first 6 -10 minutes very slowly. You must allow the juices to flow, the temperature to rise, the circulation to adapt. You must give the body time to make all those marvelous, intricate adjustments that happen when you finally set yourself in motion. When you do, you will experience that warm sweat that goes with the onset of the second wind and get the feeling that you just might spend the rest of the day running. Find a comfortable pace and enjoy it. Fitness is bound to follow.

When I get into that second wind, I settle down to my comfortable pace and let the body do the thinking. My ground speed varies with the time of day (early morning runs take one minute a mile longer) or with heat and humidity, but effort will not. The identical thing happens when I run against a head wind or up hills, or on those days when I am upset psychologically. But whether the stopwatch says eight minutes a mile or 10, the pace is the same. It is comfortable, and because my perceived exertion is always the same, the effort is identical and the physiological benefits are identical as well.

Once you have begun this way, success is assured. There is no need to rush, no need to hurry. ("Only the sick and the ambitious," said Ortega, "are in a hurry.") Nor is there any need to worry. When you run at a comfortable pace, you are well within your physical limits. ("I have never been harmed," said Montaigne, "by anything that was a real pleasure.") Find the comfortable pace and enjoy it. Fitness is bound to follow.

HOW FAR?

Again, we must consult the body. The jogger-runner, be it his first day or the 20th year, is concerned with minutes, not miles, time not distance. The goal is to work up to 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. The rule is to run at that comfortable pace to a point this side of fatigue. Do not bother with distance. It is effort and time that do those good things to our bodies. This equation frees us from the tyranny of speed and distance. There is no need then, to count laps or measure miles; no need for the stopwatch and the agonized groans that go with it. Simply dial the body to comfortable and go on automatic pilot. Then continue to fatigue or 30 minutes, whichever comes first. It is even better not to reach fatigue, but instead to come to the kitchen door or the gym still eager to do more, ready to resume on that note the next time out.

Our aim, I said, is 30 minutes. In the beginning, five minutes may be all you can handle. But quite soon - sooner, in fact, than you expect - you will be able to run continuously for 30 minutes. I have seen a 30-year-old housewife get up to 30-minute runs with one month of training and run a five-mile race within 10 weeks of buying her running shoes. That 30 minutes is as far as we need go. It is the endpoint for fitness. That 30 minutes will get us fit and put us in the 95 percentile for cardiopulmonary endurance. At 12 calories per minute, it will eventually bring our weight down to desired levels. It also will slow the pulse and drop the blood pressure. It will make us good animals.

That first 30 minutes is for my body. During that half-hour, I take joy in my physical ability, the endurance and power of my running. I find it a time when I feel myself competent and in control of my body, when I can think about my problems and plan my day-to-day world. . In many ways, those 30 minutes is all egos, all the self. It has to do with me, the individual. What lies beyond this fitness or muscle? I can only answer for myself. The next 30 minutes is for my soul. If I come upon the third wind, which is psychological (unlike the second wind which is physiological). And then see myself not as an individual but a part of the universe. In it, I can happen upon anything I ever read or saw or experienced. Every fact and instinct and emotion is unlocked and made available to me through some mysterious operation in my brain.

Recently, I came upon that feeling about 35 minutes out. I had just attacked a long hill on the river road and had been reduced to a slow trot. Then it happened. The feeling of wholeness and peace and contentment came over me. I loved myself and the world and everyone in it. I had no longer to will what I was doing. The road seemed to be running me. I was in a place and time I never wanted to leave.

To achieve fitness, there is no need to do more than 30 minutes at a comfortable pace. Past that, you must proceed with caution. Fitness can change your body. But the third wind can change your life.

HOW OFTEN?

How often must we run this minutes at a comfortable pace? To answer the exercise physiologists give is four times a week, a figure they arrived at by testing innumerable individuals of both sexes at all ages. A four times a week schedule, they assure us, will make us fit and keep us that way.

Looked at another way, this is just two hours of exercise a week. Need it be done not more than one day apart, as it is usually prescribed? Could we do all our exercise on one day and then rest the other six? Or would it be OK to run an hour every third day and thereby satisfy the requirement?

The experts, as expected, are divided on this division. They have not adequately explored the subject of de-training. They do not know how soon we lose the benefits of a prolonged bout of exertion. There is some reason to suspect that weekend running may be enough. I have a colleague who for personal reasons has limited his running to two hours or more on Saturday and a race on Sunday. On this unscientific regimen, he has broken three hours in the marathon and more often than not beats me at lesser distances.

His is just one other way to train. Training is after all simply a matter of applying stress, allowing the body to recover, and then applying stress again. For each of us, the appropriate stress and the appropriate time to recover is different.

This is not a real problem in the minimum program for fitness. Almost everyone can handle an easy 30 minutes four times a week, or one hour twice a week, or even two hours once a week. But we are not minimizers, we are maximizers, and our difficulties are with doing too much rather than too little. The runner frequently gets caught up. He finds that running must be done daily, and longer and longer. The question then becomes not how much is enough but how much is too much. The problem becomes not fitness but exhaustion.

All this occurs, it seems to me, because we seek not only physical fitness but psychological fitness as well. I need the minimum program for fitness because, like 95% of Americans, I have an occupation that isn't physical enough to make me fit. The 30 minutes four times a week is enough positive input to balance my negative physical output. It is not enough, however, to counteract the minuses in my day-to-day psychological life. To achieve a psychological balance, I need much more.

How many minutes of running do I need, then, to keep in a happy frame of mind? How many times a week must I run to have a capacity for work and the ability to enjoy life?

All to often, there comes days when I don't feel like running. Then I am not sure whether I am tired or just lazy, whether I am physically exhausted or merely bored and lacking the will-power to do what I should do.

On those days when I lack zest and enthusiasm, I use the second wind to tell me whether what I'm experiencing is physical or psychological. When the second wind comes, as it does for me at the six-minute mark, I know. If the usual good feelings are there, the warm sweat and that feeling of strength and energy, I know my aversion was largely mental. I need a new route or pace or companion on the run. If, however, I feel a cold, clammy sweat and weakness, I pack it in and go home. I have even at such times had to walk or accept a ride home having gone less than a mile, even though a few weeks before I may have run a very good marathon. Such physical exhaustion, however, is usually preceded by an elevated pulse in the morning. When mine is 10 beats above my usual basal pulse of 48, I know that I have once more over trained. I need a nap instead of a workout.

So you see, it is your body that is the ultimate arbiter in your fitness program. The body tells you how fast. Dial to "comfortable" and run at a pace which would permit you to talk to a companion. The body tells you how long. Run just this side of fatigue. And the body tells you how often. Feel zest. Respond to the second wind. Note any changes in your morning pulse.

Follow these rules. Then somewhere between the minimum suggested and the maximum you can handle, you will find the fitness beyond muscle we all need to live the good life.

Training Diaries for Running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Unless you have an awfully good memory, it is a good idea to keep written records of your training. We all have ups and downs in our training, and it is helpful to identify the causes of our peaks and valleys. Did you have insufficient sleep during the past few days? Are you eating nutritious food or junk food? Was it raining or snowing during your run? Was the ground icy? Did your wakeup heart rate give hints that a slump was coming? Is it time to get a new pair of shoes? The list of things you should remember about your runs goes on and on. As I said, unless you have a good memory, you need to record the conditions during each of your runs.

There are two ways that most runners keep records about their runs.

Special software to keep a diary or log of their runs

A blog of their runs

Diaries

The use of software that creates and maintains a log of your runs has one big advantage: you are less likely to forget to record particular data about your runs. There is one disadvantage, though, of using diary-software: you have to have the discipline to enter data about each run; it is easy to neglect the diary for a few days, and you may not remember some of the data that should be preserved. I've been told by friends that their diaries have data displayed in charts that make the data easy to understand and easy to compare from day to day and week to week. Some diaries allow you to import data from a GPS and/or a heart-rate monitor.

I haven't looked into this, but I expect there are programs that you install on your computer to provide a diary of your runs. However, most of the runners I know who keep a diary use online services provided by web sites. Some of the online diaries are free. A little searching of the Internet will give you links to online running diaries.

Blogs

The use of a blog has one advantage: simplification. If you want to keep a simple diary and just record a few significant things about your runs, blogs are a nice way to go. As with the diary-software, you have to have the discipline to keep the blog current. I use a blog for my diary. I try to remember to comment on my wakeup heart rate, the weather, the temperature, and how I felt during and after the run. If I felt tired during a run, I usually remark on possible reasons why I felt that way. One of the categories in my blog is for recording the miles on my shoes.

Stretching for Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0000

One of the key things to do to avoid injury as you run, jog, or walk is to stretch and strengthen your muscles after you exercise. Light stretching will loosen your muscles and help you cool down. Stretching after you run will help remove the lactate from your muscles that was generated during your run. In addition, stretching will help strengthen your muscles, enabling you to run better and helping you avoid injury.

Static stretches were popular in the 1970s and 1980s when I was a beginner runner. Today, dynamic stretches are in vogue. I've stuck with static stretches for over 39 years because they work for me. If you're interested in dynamic stretches, a search of the Internet will give you links to many such stretches.

Current thinking among coaches and sports doctors is that stretching shouldn't be done before running, because your muscles are stiff, and there is risk that you may injure a muscle. However, I've always stretched before and after I run and have not had injuries due to stretching. A word of caution is in order, however. Any activity that causes muscle movement causes stress in your body, and too much stress is the cause of injury. Thus, if you aren't careful, doing stretches before you run (and after, too) can contribute to injury. I've found that the keys to safe stretching are (a) experience no pain while you stretch, (b) do gentle, slow muscle movements when you stretch, and (c) don't do heavy rocking of your body back and forth or jumping up and down. If you feel pain, back off and don't pull your muscles as much.

Use Anti-Injury Exercises

Dr. Weisenfeld in The Runners' Repair Manual (Amazon) has a chapter on "The Best Anti-Injury Exercises I've Ever Found". Let's take a look at what he says:

I'm going to let you in on a secret that could cut my practice by a third. If you do the right exercises and do them regularly, you can avoid most injuries. On the other hand, if you run and don't exercise, you're almost sure to be injured. It's that simple. Every run you take causes microscopic tears in the muscles, and when these tiny tears repair themselves, they form scar tissue. This scar tissue cannot be flexed or stretched. So every time you run, your muscles are getting tighter and tighter -- and less able to stretch. A tight, inflexible muscle is a setup for injury. It can't take the shocks and jolts of running or the constant pulling of a long runner's stride. A tight muscle is one that's ready to be injured. And, along with these tight muscles, other muscles in your body are very tight while nearby muscles are relatively very soft. That's another setup for injury. So save yourself yourself some pain and money. Learn a basic group of exercises like the warm-up I'll give you here, or any good, well-balanced set of exercises.-- The Runners' Repair Manual, copyright 1980, chapter 3, pp. 33-34

He describes (with pictures) a set of static stretches that will help keep your muscles strong, and injury-free. I heartily recommend that you get his book and follow it in your running! We all have our own way of stretching, and this is what I do (most are from Weisenfeld). I've posted pictures illustrating most of these stretches.

Three variations of wall pushups for calf and soleus
Foot on stair knee up for hamstring
Bent leg for quads
Knee press for hamstring and lower back
Knee lifts for lower back and abdominal
A variation of knee lifts in which one knee is bent and my head is raised up to touch the knee with my nose, the other leg is on the ground with knee bent
ITB stretch
Furniture lift for shins
Leg raised in air for quads
A variation of flying in which my arms trace a horizontal figure-8 to get both sides of my brain working
Situps from a Runners' World article (see below)
Push ups (crosstraining)

After finishing my run, I walk a few hundred feet to cool down, and then I do the wall pushups, foot on stair, bent leg, ITB, leg lift, flying, and the variation of flying.

Situps Can Kill Your Back

Lower back pain is one of the common ailments that afflict runners. After I had been running for several years, I started having mild lower back pain. Coincidentally, Runners' World published an article on lower back pain about a month after I started having pains. That article suggested doing situps to strengthen ones stomach and thus strengthen ones back muscles; you can't have a strong back if you have a flabby stomach. To me, doing situps meant doing them the "army" way, but the method suggested by Runners' World was different. If you do situps the "army" way, you keep your arms behind your head and place your head and shoulders on the ground each cycle. Your back muscles have to exert great effort to raise your head and shoulders off the ground, and unless your back is in good condition, that effort can injure your back.In contrast, the Runners' World method for situps keeps your head and shoulders off the ground and to keep your arms stretched out in front of you, parallel to the floor, as if you were reaching for your toes. You rock your body back and forth. Your knees are bent in both positions. How far you bend depends on your condition, but keep your head and shoulders off the ground). When I tried this method, I found that could raise my body up and down with no noticeable strain on my back muscles. After about a month of doing sit ups this way, my lower back pain was gone!

Arms parallel to ground, knees bent

Head & shoulders off the ground,
knees bent

I do 30 situps before I run, and after years of running, my back is in fine shape. I've also gained a beneficial side effect from doing the situps. Most of the time when I finish the situps, I feel great and am anxious to hit the roads. Sometimes, however, I feel tired after completing the situps, and I know that my body is tired and that I'd better take a slower and perhaps shorter run. My situps are a good indicator of my body condition.

For a stronger back, do the following lower-back stretches


Lie prone to relax back muscles	Keep head flat, pull knees toward chest


Touch knee	Touch other knee to nose if possible

Your Knees are for Running not for Hurting

Knee pain is another common problem with runners. Runners doing hills are especially susceptible to knee problems.Before each run, I do several repetitions of the foot press and inner thighs stretches that are described by Dr. Weisenfeld in The Runners' Repair Manual, and I've never had knee injuries, even after 17 years of running in hilly New England. Here is Dr. Weise Foot Press. Strengthens quadriceps (thigh) muscles, for treatment/prevention of runner's knee. Strengthens anterior leg muscles, for treatment of shin splints. Can be done lying down or sitting in a chair. Put your right foot on top of your left foot. Your lower foot tries to pull toward your body as your upper foot pushes it away from the body. Hold for ten seconds. Now switch feet -- put the left foot on top of the right foot, and push/pull for ten seconds. This equals one set. Do five sets.-- The Runners' Repair Manual, copyright 1980, chapter 4, pp. 38

Foot Press: Isometrics with toes

Inner and Outer Thighs. The turned-out position strengthens the outer thigh muscles -- for treatment/prevention of runner's knee. The turned-in position strengthens the inner thigh muscles--for treatment/prevention of groin pull. Can be done lying down or sitting in a chair. Stretch both legs out -- knees straight, feet flexed (Toes pointed toward knees.) Tighten your thigh muscles. Now, turn your feet out as far as you can and hold ten seconds. Then turn your feet in as far as you can and hold ten seconds. Keep thigh muscles tight throughout exercise. -- The Runners' Repair Manual, copyright 1980, chapter 4, pp. 38 - 39

Outer Thigh Stretch: Runner's Knee

Inner Thigh Stretch; Groin Pull

Here is a good link about stretching and another one.

Pictures of Stretch Exercises

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:59:00 +0000

For a discussion of stretching, read my stretching page. Remember the cardinal rule of stretching: You should feel no pain, that is, don't stretch so hard that you injure yourself! It's OK to feel stiffness while you stretch, but not pain as in "injury". When you stretch, hold each position for 10 - 15 seconds and then relax. Repeat as many times as you'd like. I only do them one or two times. Be gentle with your muscles because your muscles are cold before you run and tired after you run. Click a picture for a larger view.

Note: There is one stretch that is not illustrated in this page. The stretch is called the "furniture lift", and it strengthens your legs. While wearing your running shoes, place your toe under the edge of a sofa or heavy chair and lift up with your toe as if you were attempting to move the furniture. The purpose is not to actually move the furniture but to put stress on your shins. Hold the stress for 10-15 seconds and then relax. Repeat using the other toe, and repeat the sequence several times. I only do each foot one time.

1:

2:

3:

4:

5:

6:

7:

Notes on the stretches:
Row 1: Calves.Three variations of the wall pusher. Last two are for the Soleus muscle.
Row 2: Quads & hams. Traditional stretches.
Row 3: Buttocks. Pull knee towards opposite side of the body.
Row 3: Quads. Hold leg in air, against gravity.
Row 4: Hips & knees. Keep legs straight & rotate from the hip. Last two, push/pull toe against toe.
Row 5: ITB. Put leg to be stretched behind other leg and lean back.
Row 6: Stomach. Sit ups. Keep shoulders off ground, hands in front to put lower stress on back.
Row 6: Correction to picture. When back is on ground, knees should be bent.
Row 7: Lower back. Last two, pull knee to nose if possible, but don't pull so hard you experience pain.

Running Training Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:00:00 +0000

In order to make systematic progress towards our goals in running, jogging, or walking, we need a training plan. We all have times when we suffer from a lack of motivation or burn-out, and a training plan will help us through those difficult periods. In addition, a good plan will help us avoid over-training and injury that may follow. There are, basically, two types of training plans.

Static Plans

There are books and web sites that have training plans for beginner runners or walkers, plans for intermediates, and so on. If the plans are authored by experienced athletes, they will probably contain good suggestions and schedules for your training. I call these plans static plans because they are frozen in print and we take them as-is. Many runners and walkers get into trouble following static training plans, especially if they are new to running or walking. They believe they should follow the plans as they are written because the plans were written by world-class athletes or other well-trained persons. For example, suppose you find a plan for beginners, and you decide to follow that plan. You may do OK, and you may not. That plan was written for a particular stereotype of a beginner, and you may not fit that stereotype.

Dynamic Plans

There is a type of training plan that I call a dynamic plan. The word dynamic implies that the plan can be changed as you implement it. For example, suppose your plan has you running this many miles in week 1, that many miles in week 2, and a different number of miles in week 3. And, suppose you discover at the end of week 2 that you're tired and don't feel like running at all during the next week, much less increasing your mileage. If you're following a static plan, you may ignore your tiredness and force yourself to advance to week 3. But, if you're following a dynamic plan, you'll modify the plan to fit your body condition, perhaps having week 3 be a repeat of week 2, or having week 3 be a rest week with a reduction in mileage. One person may consider a plan as static while another person may consider the same plan as dynamic. Thus, the difference in the two types of plans is the attitude of the person. Dynamic plans are modified on a day by day basis according to your body condition. Some of these plans encourage you to modify your plan, while other plans don't encourage you, but I think that authors of all plans assume you will modify your plan as needed.

Modifying Your Plan

OK, how do you modify your plan? By listening to your body! Your body will let you know when it can't handle the stress you're giving it via your running. Your body will let you know when it needs more rest. These changes to your plan may be temporary -- you take an extra rest day and then continue with your plan, or the changes may be permanent, you reduce your distance by half and then continue your plan with the new distance.

Here are some of the signals that tell you that you need to modify your plan a bit to reduce stress.

Feeling overly tired, sluggish, or fatigued at the end of a run or walk.
Certain muscles are experiencing pain.
Waking up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep.
Losing motivation and excitement for your running or walking.
Doing dumb things while driving.
Suffering an injury

How do you modify your plan? By giving your body more rest. Keep in mind that running or walking destroys body cells, and it is during rest that your body reacts to that stress and becomes stronger.

Reduce your distance.

Reduce your pace.

Following the 10% rule (or less) in increasing your distance and/or pace.

Alternating heavy stress and light stress days. Light days can be reduced running, cross training such as light cycling or swimming or no exercise activity. Your body needs 48 hours or more to recover from a heavy stress run or walk, and following the heavy day with a light day gives your body that extra time it needs.

Take a rest week every month with reduced running.

Go to bed earlier and/or take naps.

One day while working in Massachusetts, I came in from a noon-hour run and the security guard called me over to talk with him. He told me he had recently started running and felt very tired at the end of his runs. That tiredness stayed with him throughout the day. I suggested that he reduce his distance by half and then make small weekly increases of 10% or less. He told me later that he had made those changes and now felt great during and after his runs.

Getting a Dynamic Plan

Where can you get a dynamic plan? A good source is from a book or web site or a training center that publishes training plans. Another good source is to create your own plan, following counsel from other runners, books, and web sites. That is, you get a good static plan that looks like it might work for you, and then you modify it as you use it. This approach works well as long as you have the emotional strength to actually modify the plan and not become a slave to it. A third source is from a person whom you admire and trust. This person could be another runner, a coach, or a professional trainer. Be aware, however, that unless the person is skillful in working with runners or walkers, they may give you a plan that would work for them but not for you. This occurs when that person is unable to come down to your level of needs. The person may author a plan based on their needs, and since that person is probably more experienced than you, they'll give you a plan that requires that you do more than your body can handle. Coaches especially have this problem, because they have a fixed competition schedule and don't have time to treat each runner individually. If you use a plan from another person, be sure that that person encourages you to modify the plan according to the needs of your body. By listening to your body and using signals from your body as indicators that your plan needs to be modified a bit, you will have enlisted the best trainer of all, your body, and you will reduce the stress on your body. Here is my page on stress that will give you further suggestions for handling stress.

Published Training Plans

There are a lot of training plans given in books, magazines, web sites, and training centers. It is common for new runners (and experienced runners, too) to try to follow those plans, and often we discover that those plans "aren't for us". Let's look at this situation.

It takes a lot of faith to follow a plan given by someone we've never met, someone who doesn't know the current condition of our bodies, someone who is giving recommendations based on his/her experience with other runners but not with us. If we try to blindly follow such plans, we're putting our running career into the hands of a stranger who doesn't know us and who doesn't know the capabilities of our bodies to handle stress. If we do this, we'll likely be heading towards pushing ourselves too much in our training, and that can lead to injury. Symptoms that we are over training include heavy breathing during and after a run, cramps or stitches, sore throats, fatigue, excess soreness, feelings that we should give up running, difficulty sleeping at night, doing dumb things while driving (sorry, officer, I didn't see that light). Does this mean that we should ignore plans from the books, magazines, and web sites that we read? No. It means that we should operate less on blind faith and more on actual evidence from our bodies.

The Foundation of our Training

There are three principles that are so basic that they should form the foundation of our training, and everything we do in our training should be based on these principles.

Running subjects our bodies to stress. If we put too much stress on our bodies, injury will occur. Our bodies can handle small increases of stress better than they can handle large increases. This principle is the basis for the 10% rule that is described in running literature.
Stress destroys body cells. Thus running is destructive and does not build strength. The strength that we develop as runners comes from rest, the rest we have between our runs. This principle is the basis for the heavy/light method of training.
Our bodies know when we're pushing ourselves too much in our training, and they send us signals to back off and give them more rest. They also send us signals that we're OK in our training and to keep it up. The signals to back off were given above as symptoms of over-training. The symptoms that we're "on track" with our training are the opposite of the signals of over-training, including the so-called runners high. Keep in mind that these signals can change with every run.

Principle 3 means we should listen to our bodies and vary our training accordingly. By doing this, we can learn to run without pain and without injury, and our running will be a joyous and positive experience. Principle 3 is also the basis for our having actual evidence for how we train rather than having blind faith in recommendations from strangers who don't know the limits of our bodies

Some people are adept at listening to their bodies, and these fortunate folks are capable of establishing their own training plans, or of modifying plans from others to fit their bodies. Other folks have a hard time listening to their bodies, often due to strong drives to get fast improvement or to compete with everyone they encounter. These folks need to be especially careful in their training since they often "drive blind" in deciding how much to push themselves in their training. It would be wise for these runners to get training advice from someone who knows them and knows the capacity of their bodies to handle stress.

The Warm-Up Phase of Running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Before you start running, you should warm your body and get it ready for the stress of running. Proper warm-up consists of walking and light jogging to get your body started in adjusting to the stress of running, some light stretching, and then more light walking and light jogging to finish getting your body ready for the stress of your running or walking. Slowly increase your speed until you reach your desired pace for the run. The following site discusses this in detail.

http://www.24hrfitness.co.uk/fitness%20tips/warming-up-before-exercise.html

This video illustrates the principles of warming up.

Here is another site that gives good ideas on warming up.

http://www.ehow.com/how_3014_warm-run.html

Beginning Running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:00:00 +0000

People begin running for a lot of reasons. Many want to lose weight. Some are training for an athletic program. Others have joined the military service of their country and have to pass physical training tests. Some, like me, need to strengthen their body (my feet were starting to hurt, and I was told by a specialist to do what ever I wanted that would strengthen the muscles in my feet).

Beginners have a lot of questions: How do I get started? How fast and how far should I run? How much weight will I lose? Is it safe to run outdoors? Is running on a treadmill as good as running outdoors? What kind of shoes do I need? How much will running cost? How do I find someone to run with? This page will answer some of those questions and will give links for your further study.

Getting Started

OK, everybody, let's say very loud and in unison: WALK. There, that wasn't so bad, was it! Running and jogging put a lot of stress on our bodies, and if we're not careful, that stress can lead to injury. In contrast, walking puts less stress on our bodies. I learned this many years ago when I had surgery for a hernia. I could not run for six weeks, and I walked for the same amount of time I had been running (an hour). After six weeks of walking, experiencing no pain or problems of any kind, I ran for the first time. Guess what? My knees hurt. I realized that my running was a lot more stressful than my walking had been. So, learn from my experience and begin your running program by walking.

However, don't overstride, because that can lead to shinsplints. Be sure that your feet, when they hit the ground, are behind your knees. It's common for new walkers and runners to take large steps such that their feet hit the ground in front of their knees.

How Far

Question: How far should I walk or run? As far as you want, as long as you feel great at the end, no fatigue, no abnormal pain, no injuries. For some of you, the distance may be 50 feet. For others the distance may be a mile or more.

How Fast

Question: How fast should I walk or run? Same answer as how far should you walk: As fast as you want, as long as you feel great at the end; no huffing and puffing, no gasping for air, no fatigue, no abnormal pain, no injuries. If you feel like a tortoise, that's OK. The fastest person alive today was once a tortoise. Average walking is a pace of about 20 minutes per mile (referred to as a pace of 20). Typical walkers might have a pace of maybe 15-20. We're all different, and there is no pace that is expected of us. Set your pace by how you feel during and at the end of your walk or run

Increasing Distance or Speed

Question: When should I increase my distance or speed? When your body tells you it's ready for an increase. Learn to listen to your body. It will tell you when it is tired. It will tell you when it is feeling fine. If, at the end of a walk or run, you're huffing and puffing or you feel tired or fatigued, you're doing too much and need to slow your pace or decrease your distance. Keep in mind that walking, jogging, running, swimming, biking, any physical movement in fact, put stress on our bodies. If we make big increases in our distance or speed, our bodies will have difficulty adjusting to the new levels, and injury may occur later on.

This leads us to the "10% Rule" that is given in the running literature: Keep your increases small, typically 10% or less, and stay at each new level until you feel comfortable with it. The number 10 isn't a magic number. Some people can handle more than 10% increments, while others should have smaller changes.

Heavy/Light Schedule

Question: Should I walk or run the same every day? Sports scientists say it takes 48 hours for our bodies to adjust to heavy applications of stress, such as the stress from a heavy session of walking or running. Since a day only has 24 hours, we need to follow a heavy run with a "rest period" to give us the 48 hours needed for recovery. Some people do this by walking or running 3 or 4 times a week, with rest days in between. Others do this by following a heavy walk or run with a light walk or run. For example, walking 2 miles one day and 1/2 mile to 1 mile the next day. This is known as "heavy/light". When we speak of "heavy" or "light" walks or runs, we're not talking about the effort we expend in doing the walk or run; we're talking about the impact or stress of that exercise on our bodies. Also, notice that the "rest period" is not necessarily a day without running. Many people cross-train on their light days.

Introducing Running Into Your Walking

Question: I've been walking for quite a while and want to do some running. What do I do? Great question! Basically, you want to increase your speed, and we discussed that above. Increase your speed in small increments by mixing a small amount of running with your walking. Let's say, for example, that you're walking a mile. In the middle of the mile, jog slowly for 300-500 feet. If you feel fine at the end of the jog, continue doing it in subsequent walks. If you feel achy or tired or are huffing and puffing, reduce the distance and/or speed of the jog. Follow the 10% (or less) rule and heavy/light in mixing jogging with your walking.

Referring to my comment that your running should be at the middle of your walk, our bodies need some light exercise to warm up before they do heavy running or walking, and our bodies need some light exercise to cool down from the heavy workout. Your walking can provide that warm up and cool down. Thus, walk before and after you run.

Treadmill or Streets

Question: Is it ok to use a treadmill, or should I go outside? It all depends on you, what you enjoy, and what you have available. The same comment applies to the use of an exercise bike. I have a friend who uses his exercise bike while watching the morning news on TV. He enjoys that, and that's great! I enjoy going out on the streets and experiencing the new day, watching the birds, ducks in the river, geese flying over, and an occasional Golden Eagle. That's great, too! So, do what you have available, what you can afford, and what you enjoy.

Be aware, though, that if you change from a treadmill to the streets, you may find it harder to use the streets (at first, at least). Streets are uneven and have a harder surface than a treadmill. They are also curved with a crown in the middle and a slope down to the edge. The wind may be blowing. It may be raining or snowing. Dogs may be barking at you. Jerks in cars may yell stupid comments at you. Again, do what you enjoy. If you change to the streets, give yourself some time to adjust to the new environment, and then enjoy it for what it is.

Some runners use the streets during good weather and their treadmill during inclement weather. Most people add inclines of 1% or so to their treadmill to simulate the increased difficulty of the streets. While we're talking about treadmills, have a good laugh.

Here is a good link on treadmills.

http://jamieatlas.wordpress.com/category/running/

Time of Day

Question: What time of day is best for walking or running? It depends on you and your schedule. Some people enjoy exercising in the early morning when it is

cooler and the air is fresher and crisper. Many people use their lunch period at work. Others like to do it later in the day. Be careful, though, being out late at night. There are a lot of weirdos out there!

Walking or Running Partners

Question: How do I find a walking or running partner? As with most things in life, networking with others is a major key to success. Local running clubs and sports stores might be helpful in finding a running partner.

Losing Weight

Question: I want to lose weight. Will walking or running do that for me? This is discussed in my Losing Weight page.

Follow Your Brain or Emotions?

Question: Should I follow my brain or my emotions in making decisions about my running? That is an important question, because many runners get into trouble by following the wrong one. The answer is both. Huh? You can get into trouble by following the wrong one but you should follow both? Yes, let me explain. Many beginners know (brain) that they should make small increases in their distance and speed, but they are so excited (emotions) about their walking or running that they push themselves to go farther and faster. They should have followed their brain. Conversely, walkers and runners are taught to listen to their body (emotion) and reduce the intensity of their training when their body tells them it needs more rest. So, listen to your brain when you plan your walking or running schedule. And, listen to your emotions, how you feel during and after your walks and runs, and reduce the intensity of your training when your body tells you it needs more rest.

Becoming Addicted to Walking or Running

Many new walkers and runners discover they are becoming addicted to walking or running, and they like that feeling and they like being in charge of their body. I would suggest, however, that becoming addicted to walking or running can be dangerous, because it can cause one to overdo it. I would suggest that we should become addicted to the good feeling of a healthy body, the good feeling of feeling great during and after we run. Running is just one way to have those good feelings. Walking, swimming, biking are also ways of having those good feelings. Become addicted to the result not the "messenger" so to speak.

What Do You Conquer?

Some people conquer the waves with sailboats or surfboards. Others conquer the wind with hang gliders or para gliders. Many conquer the snow as they ski and snowboard. As a runner or walker, what do you conquer?

The basic reason people walk or run is to go to a distant location and then, in most cases, return to their starting point. These people are conquering distance. Many runners encounter hills during their run. In order to reach the top of each hill, they must overcome the effects of gravity on their body; they must conquer gravity. Many runners experience headwinds as storm fronts move through their area or because they live in areas of high wind. These runners must run against the wind in order to reach their destination; they must conquer wind.

Conquering distance, gravity, or wind puts increased stress on ones body and thus increases the likelihood of injury. It is wise for beginning runners to reduce stress by conquering distance before attempting to run their normal pace against gravity and wind. This means that the beginner should slow down when doing hills or experiencing headwinds. Later, after the person has developed more body-strength from running or walking, he/she can learn to do a faster pace on hills and against wind. As with most aspects of running or walking, the person should follow the 10% and heavy/light rules while conquering distance, gravity, or wind. Also, I think it is wise to only subject your body to one cause of stress at a time, and I recommend doing long slow distance first and then later speed to conquer distance. Then do hills to conquer gravity. It is hard to plan to run in headwinds, because the wind may not be there when you want to run against it. So, train against headwinds as you encounter them, first slowing down to reduce stress, and then, as you become stronger, slowly going faster as you run against headwinds.

Baby Steps, Baby Steps

This article, from Dr. Gabe Mirkin, explains why we need to start running (or walking) programs with low-level efforts and slowly work up to more intense training.

Injuries often occur when people start a new exercise program, change to a different sport, or return to exercise after a long break. In the enthusiasm to get started, it is easy to overstress muscles that have not been used before. That's why "background before peaking" is one of the most important principles of training. It takes several weeks or even months to build up strength and endurance for any new sport.
Competitive athletes in all sports use this principle. First they spend many months in background training, working out for long hours, mostly at low intensity, followed by a shorter period of peak training in which they do far less work, but at a much greater intensity. A few months before an important race, they reduce their workload but go as fast and hard as possible two or three times a week.

A Beginner's Training Program

Most runners want to run reasonable distances, whether it be a few miles or longer distances such as a half or a full marathon. I suggest that a new runner go through two phases of training to become ready to train for longer distances.

Phase 1: Use the suggestions given above to train to run 3 miles three times a week. Combine walking and running as you need to or would like to, and go at a comfortable pace such that you feel fine at the end and aren't huffing and puffing. Make small weekly increases in your distance. A Plan for Beginning Running will take you through the training so you can run 3 miles three times a week.

Phase 2: An Intermediate Plan for Runners will take you through the training to run 24 miles per week (6 3 6 3 6), a reasonable distance for new runners to run and the prerequisite that many plans specify as a starting point for half or full marathon training.

Other Resources

Other pages in this site will give you good information about walking and running. I especially recommend the two articles linked in the navigational bar: Coaching Running reviews the basics, such as the 10% rule and heavy/light (important for all runners, not just beginners). Basics of Jogging answers the questions, How fast, How far, How often.

There are many good sites for beginning runners and walkers. The links page of this site has links to some of them. In addition, do an Internet search on two or three keywords, such as running beginning.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running Safety Tips

Yale Road Running
Get in Shape
Alternative Weight Loss
Medifast
Nutrition Research Center
Medifast Coupon Code
Clinical Program Evaluation

LA fitness are a network of health and fitness clubs offering state of the art fitness equipment, personal fitness training, corporate gym membership, exercise and dance classes. Poole Gym offers facilities such as a boxing studio with 3 speed ball, 1 hanging punch bag and a free standing punch bag. We also have many studio classes ranging from Zumba, Body Combat, Body Attack, Pilates, Yoga and Spinning classes at varied times throughout the day.

A Plan For Beginning Running

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:00:00 +0000

You want to run. Maybe to lose weight, maybe to have better health, maybe to fulfill a half-buried dream. For whatever reason, you've decided to run, and you are excited to get started. Here is a plan to get you going. This plan is a suggested approach that will help you become a runner. This plan observes both the 10% rule and the heavy/light rule, and it includes a monthly recovery week of reduced running/walking that is followed by a week of the time you ran just before the recovery week. Because of the relatively small increases in time, this plan takes longer than some of you might want to spend. Feel free to adjust the plan to fit your interests and body condition. As you follow the plan, focus on completing the time and don't worry about speed. Just run or walk at a comfortable pace. In fact, this caution about focusing on time not speed should be your guide later on as you advance to longer times.

Do all of your running at a comfortable pace in which you can talk with a running buddy. No huffing or puffing or gasping for air. No sore throats. No pain in your side. All of those symptoms are signs that you've exceeded the capability of your body to handle the stress from running. Take relatively small steps, such that your feet hit the ground behind your knees. It's common for people to take larger steps when they walk or run, and this causes their feet to hit the ground in front of their knees. This is called overstriding, and it can lead to shin splints or pain in front of their legs.

Measurable Goal

You will first walk but not run three times a week, making small increases in the time you spend each week, until you are walking for 30 minutes. You will be walking approximately a mile, but you are walking by time not distance. This will help your body adjust to the increased stress of walking without having a high risk of injury, since walking is much easier on your body than running. Take as many weeks for this phase as you need. Be sure your feet hit the ground behind your knees.
Next, you will add small amounts of running a comfortable pace while continuing to walk the same amount of time that you did in the first phase. When you are finished with this phase, you will be running for 10 minutes and walking for 20 minutes. Some runners may want to split the walking into two parts and put all of their running as one block between the walking. Other runners may want to mix the walking and the running in small segments. For example, walking for a minute and then running for a few seconds. The length of the running is increased until it is equal to 10 minutes. The length of the walking is not changed. Take as many weeks for this phase as you need.
Third, you will continue to add small amounts of running at a comfortable pace until you are running for 20 minutes. You are still walking for 20 minutes. Take as many weeks for this phase as you need.
Finally you will slowly increase the amount of running at a comfortable pace and decrease the amount of walking until you are doing just running and are doing it for 30 minutes. You are welcome to include short walking breaks with your running if you would like. If you do take walking breaks, it is your choice whether or not you include the time spent walking as part of the 30 minutes. I take short walking breaks every mile when I run. I enjoy the few seconds of walking, and I feel invigorated when I resume running. Most importantly, I have more energy for the final part of my run. Take as many weeks for this phase as you need.

All of the increases in time that you make should be small, typically about 10% or less of your time. Based on how you feel, you may make smaller increases in some weeks and larger increases in other weeks. At the end of this plan, you will be ready to graduate to the Intermediate plan for running. That plan will take you from your 30 minutes of running three times a week (approximately 9 miles or 14.5 km a week) to 24 miles (38.6 km) a week.

It is important that you modify this plan to fit both your interests and the capabilities of your body. For example, you may decide to do more running and less walking. Or, you may decide to run/walk more than three times a week by adding additional days in which you run/walk about half the distance you do in the main three days of your training. These additional days could be days of cross training, such as light swimming or cycling. Remember that this plan is just a guide to help you manage your training. It is not something rigid that you must slavishly follow. As you modify this plan to be your plan, keep in mind the two rules of running that should govern all of us as we run: the 10% rule in which we make small increases in our distance or speed, and the heavy/light rule in which we follow days of heavier stress with days of lighter stress (easy running, walking, or cross training) to give our bodies the 48 hours (or more) that it needs to recover from the days of heavier stress.

Fall-back Weeks

It is critical that you give your body sufficient rest after your heavy days such that your body can repair the damage to its cells and in so doing become stronger. In many cases, running and walking heavy/light will not give your body sufficient rest. It is thus advisable to include fall-back weeks in your schedule such that once a month or so you reduce your weekly time by 20 - 50%. At the end of each fall-back week, take one or two weeks to return to the time you were doing before the fall-back week. Then continue with your training.

Deciding How Much Distance to Add

Some of you will be concerned that this plan doesn't tell you exactly how much to walk or run each day. Instead, the plan tells you to follow the 10% rule and the heavy/light rule and to make wise decisions about how much time to spend each day. For some of you, having this amount of freedom will be a new experience, and it may take you a few weeks to adjust to this freedom. Hang in there and do the best you can to slowly increase your distance while listening to your body, and you will soon enjoy the freedom. When you have reached your goal of 30 minutes of running you will be thrilled with your ability to manage yourself, not having to be told exactly what to do. After all, by listening to your body, you are listening to the greatest coach you will ever have. Remember, you don't have to run or walk for exactly the number of minutes given in the plan. On days that you feel fine, you may want to run more and walk less. On days that you are tired, you may want to walk more and run less. Listen to your body and react accordingly.

Be a Runner not a Slave

Don't feel like you must follow this plan, or any plan, exactly as it is written. You are different from all other people on this planet. This plan should serve as a guide but not a blueprint. Modify this plan to be your plan -- your plan becomes your blueprint. Learn to listen to your body and to make decisions about your walking and running based on how your body feels.

The page on Overtraining has a nice list of symptoms that indicate you are doing too much in your training and need to back off a bit.

Graduate to the Intermediate Plan

When you are able to run for 30 minutes (approximately three miles), and you feel comfortable with that distance, you are ready to graduate as a beginner and to begin training as an intermediate runner. Click here for the Intermediate plan. Congratulations!

Intermediate Plan for Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:00:00 +0000

For marathon and half-marathon training plans that put low stress on your body, click here and here. For a beginner plan, that will get you ready for this plan, click here.

Suppose you're running three miles (1.6 km) three times a week, and you're anxious to increase your distance. What do you do to increase your distance and maybe the number of days per week that you run? Perhaps you want to run a half-marathon or a marathon. Maybe you've chosen a marathon plan and are excited to get started. But....you have a problem. The plan says you should be running approximately 24 miles (39 km) a week, including a 6 mile (10 km) run, and you're only running 3 miles (4.8 km) three times a week. Should you start the plan anyway? If the plan says you should be running approximately 24 miles (39 km) a week and you're running less than that, you can expect trouble if you start the plan now. So, you really have only one feasible option: continue to run until you've met the conditions specified by the plan. If you organize your running, it probably won't take long to get yourself ready to start training for your half-marathon or marathon.

The basic idea that you should follow to increase your distance and/or the number of days per week that you run is to make small increases in your weekly mileage until you reach your goal. Just be careful that you don't rush into it and injure yourself. The running literature suggests that your weekly increases in distance be 10% or less of your weekly distance. In addition, follow the heavy/light rule by alternating heavy runs with light runs, where "heavy" and "light" refer to the stress applied to your body not to your effort in completing the runs. Doctors tell us that we need at least 48 hours for recovery after a heavy run, and the light run the day after, if it is a slow, easy run, satisfies that condition. Of course, you can take a rest day with no running for your light day if you wish, or you can do light cross-training such as walking, cycling, or swimming.

Here is a suggested schedule that will help you increase your distance. This schedule observes both the 10% rule and the heavy/light rule, and it includes a monthly light week and a monthly recovery week (distance ran before the light week). Because of the relatively small increases in distance, this plan takes longer than some of you might want to spend. Feel free to adjust the schedule to fit your interests and body condition. As you follow the schedule, focus on completing the distance and don't worry about speed. Just run at an easy, slow pace. In fact, this caution about focusing on distance not speed should be your guide later on as you follow your plan for your marathon or half marathon. Adjust the days of the week to fit your schedule. The chart gives distance in miles (kilometers). The kilometers are rounded to be whole numbers.

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Sat
3 (5)	0 (0)	3 (5)	0	3 (5)	This is your starting base
3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	0	3 (5)	11% increase for the week
3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	10% increase for the week
3 (5)	0 (0)	3 (5)	0	3 (5)	This is a light week
3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	This is a recovery week
4 (6)	1 (2)	3 (5)	1 (2)	3 (5)	9% increase for the week
4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	1 (2)	3 (5)	8% increase for the week
4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	8% increase for the week
4 (6)	0 (0)	3 (5)	0 (0)	3 (5)	This is a light week
4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	This is a recovery week
4 (6)	2 (3)	4 (6)	1 (2)	4 (6)	7% increase for the week
4 (6)	2 (3)	4 (6)	2 (3)	4 (6)	7% increase for the week
5 (8)	2 (3)	5 (8)	2 (3)	4 (6)	12% increase for the week
4 (6)	0 (0)	4 (6)	0 (0)	4 (6)	This is a light week
5 (8)	2 (3)	5 (8)	2 (3)	4 (6)	This is a recovery week
5 (8)	3 (5)	5 (8)	2 (3)	5 (8)	11% increase for the week
6 (10)	3 (5)	5 (8)	3 (5)	5 (8)	10% increase for the week
6 (10)	3 (5)	6 (10)	3 (5)	6 (10)	11% increase for the week
This plan ends with a weekly distance of 24 miles (39 km). Continue running close to this weekly distance for several weeks to get really used to it, but vary your daily and weekly distances so your body doesn't get used to doing the same thing every week. Take a light (rest) week followed by a recovery week every month to six weeks. The recovery week is to take you back to the distance you were running before the light week. For example, suppose you finish a week with 22 miles. Then, you do a light week of 16 miles. Then, you do a recovery week of 22 miles. Then, you vary your daily and weekly distances until it's time for another light week.

One thing that will really help is to take walking breaks of 1 - 3 minutes each mile or every 2 km. If a particular week seems difficult for you, repeat that week until you feel comfortable with it. Since you'll probably be running outside for as much of this as possible, use your car to measure markers from 1 mile (2 km) to 6 miles (10 km). At each marker, locate an object, such as a tree or a telephone pole, that you can recognize as you pass it during your runs. High accuracy isn't needed, and you can vary the distances slightly to have your markers end at intersections or other noticeable landmarks if you're close to them. If you have a treadmill, use it during bad weather, when getting home late, etc.

For marathon and half-marathon training plans that put low stress on your body, click here and here. For a beginner plan, that will get you ready for this plan, click here.

Training to Run Your First Half or Full Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000


Foxtrotter (MA) Marathon November 1981 4:00:25	Foxtrotter (MA) Marathon November 1982 4:12:55	Foxtrotter (MA) Marathon November 1982 4:12:55

So you want to run a marathon or half-marathon? That's great. I hope you make it! Distance running can bring a lot of satisfaction, and I still remember the four marathons I ran and the satisfaction I felt upon completing them. This web page is for recreational runners who are not concerned about how fast they can complete a long distance race but want to enjoy running that distance and who want to run without injury. I'm giving training tips that will help you run injury free. The suggestions given in this page are the basis for training plans for running your first half-marathon or marathon. These plans encourage you to add extra weeks if you need more time to prepare for the distance.

In the following information, I give distances in both miles and kilometers. The kilometers are rounded to give values that are whole numbers.

Don't even think of training for a half-marathon or a full marathon until you have a good base of at least 24 miles (39 km) per week. A "good base" means that you have run that distance for several months and that you enjoy it. You feel comfortable with that distance. No sore throats or side stitches. No feeling overly tired after your runs. You experience no serious pain after your runs. Why 24 miles (39 km) per week? Because that is about half the minimum weekly distance you'll need to do for your training, and doubling your mileage is a big stress on your body. Do your distance training by following the "heavy/light" model that is given in the running literature. If you do a "heavy-stress" run today, do a "light-stress" run or walk or light cross-training tomorrow.

Dr. George Sheehan, a former medical columnist for Runner's World, said it takes 48 hours for ones body to recover from a heavy run. If you run heavy every run, your body can't fully recover from the runs, and residues of stress build up and eventually may lead to injury. For me, a light run is about half the distance of my heavy run. A good base of at least 24 miles (39 km) per week is something like three 6 milers (10 km each) and two 3 milers (5 km each).

Now that you have a good base of at least 24 miles (39 km) per week and you feel fine after your runs, you're ready to begin training for your race. The picture is at mile 18 in my third marathon, the Green Mountain Marathon in Vermont. My son, Chad, joined me for a few hundred yards.

An important "rule" in running is the 10% rule. Don't increase the stress from running (either distance or pace or both) more than approximately 10% at a time, and remain at the new level until you feel comfortable with it. Some folks may want to follow a 5% rule, especially as they get into higher mileage. By following this rule, you'll give your body sufficient time to adjust to each new stress level. Part of injury free running is giving your body sufficient rest. Some of you will want to run 6 days per week, and that's fine. Do what is appropriate for your body. Listen to your body and if you feel tired or develop unusual soreness, take a day off.

Before you run your race, you'll need to be running at least 38 miles (61 km) per week for half-marathon training or 45 miles (73 km) per week for a full marathon training, and running 40 miles (64 km) or 50 miles (81 km) or more for the two distances is even better. This means you'll be increasing your distance by slowly increasing your runs and by choosing one of the days for your "long" run. Running a half-marathon or a marathon is very stressful, and you need to run a lot of miles to help your body handle the stress. How long will it take to work up to 38 miles (61 km) or 45 miles (73 km) per week? As long as you need. We're all different. Some of you will only need a few months, while some of you may need a year or more. For a half-marathon, part of the 38 miles (61 km) should be a long run of 13 - 15 miles (21 - 24 km). This distance helps you have the endurance to complete the half-marathon or marathon distance. If you're training for a half, you're finished with your training when you are comfortable with the long run of 13-15 miles ( 21 - 24 km).

Before you run your marathon, you'll need to have run your 45 miles (73 km) long enough that you feel comfortable with it and have no pain after any of the runs. One day I was in the middle of my 15-mile long run and saw a friend. I stopped to talk with him, and he was surprised that I wasn't breathing heavily. I was breathing faster than I would have been if I were walking, but I wasn't "panting". My body was comfortable with my distance even though I was running 7-minute miles during that run!

Once you've become comfortable with your long run, try to run it all year long, like the post office through "rain, sleet, or snow".

If you're training for a marathon, stretch your long run out to 20 miles (33 km), and do your 20 miler three weeks before your marathon. At about 20 miles (33 km), many runners "hit the wall", meaning they've used up their energy supply, and their body burns fat. It's good to do this as a heavy stress on your body, but you'll need the following three weeks to recover before you run the 26.2 miles (42.26 km). Use the 10% rule as you stretch your long run out to 20 miles.

After you've completed your first marathon and are training for subsequent marathons, you can run additional 20+ mile (33+ km) runs, but allow three or four weeks between each one. Your body will become stronger as you run training distances that approach the marathon distance. However, if you hit the wall in these longer runs, stop. Don't try and run through the wall. Focus on getting more energy into your cells and in increasing your VO2max. The effect of these longer runs is that your body stores more energy and "pushes" the legendary "wall" out farther and farther, and eventually you'll push the wall out past the 26.2 miles of a marathon, and you won't hit the wall during your marathons.

Don't do speed training while you're doing a lot of distance training. As I mentioned above, this page is for recreational runners who want to finish a half-marathon or a marathon without worrying about speed. Mixing speed and distance puts an awfully large stress on your body, with a resulting high risk of injury.

Drink water or a sports drink as you train, especially during your long run. In my younger days, I carried a water bottle in a fanny pack. I now use a Fuel Belt with six 8-ounce bottles.

During the last two weeks for half-marathon training or three weeks for marathon training before your race, don't do any long runs. Taper your distance and just run a few easy miles three or four times during the week at a slow pace so your body can rest. Doing long runs during the taper won't help your performance, and it will likely hurt your time because you may start the race with insufficient rest. Reductions in distance during the taper are typically 30-50%.

On the day before the race, put extra glycogen into your muscles. This will give you extra energy during the race. This is referred to as "carbo-loading". Be careful, though, that you don't overeat the night before your race. Use training runs before the race to help you determine how much you can eat the night before and not have problems the next day.

Since this is your first marathon, run slower than you did during your training runs, thereby saving your energy for the end of the race. As I mentioned above, I ran 7 minute miles during my long runs. However, during the marathon, I started with 8:30 miles and ended up with an average of 9 minute miles. After you hit the wall, you'll probably find yourself walking some of the distance. That's fine. Walk/jog to

finish the race if that is what your body is telling you it needs. I had read somewhere that bananas are a quick source of energy, so I carried four bananas during all of my marathons, and I ate one each hour. I don't know if they helped, but I didn't get cramps from eating them, and they didn't seem to be a problem. Some runners take gels during the race to get extra energy into their body. Gels are concentrated and need about 8 ounces of water per gel. Practice with them during your training runs before your race.

To keep your energy level up, you'll need to drink water during the race. You won't have to carry it, though, because there will be water stops along the route. In the picture I have a cup of water. The picture was taken during my third marathon in which I broke 4 hours with a time of 3:59:22.

If you've trained properly, after the half-marathon or the marathon is over, you shouldn't feel pain in your legs or feet. Rest during the first week or take a few slow, short jogs to let your body recover. Get plenty of sleep. My marathons were on Saturday. I rested Sunday and then jogged about 1/2 mile (1 km) on Monday. My body took about a month to fully recover from a marathon. During that time I slowly advanced to my normal pace and distance. Above all, enjoy your training, and enjoy your accomplishment! It's great to be a marathoner!

Click here for a half-marathon or a marathon training plan that uses the principles discussed in this page.

Here is an article about the stress of running a marathon.

Here is an article about hitting the infamous "wall".

Here are articles on sports nutrition and endurance training
Here is an article about the effects of marathons on your body
Here is an article about the feelings of being a marathoner.
Here are tips for running a marathon.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preventing Marathon Running Injuries

Low Stress Training Plan for First Half-Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this training plan is to help you master the half-marathon distance, that is, master the stress of the distance. The plan does not include speed training, because I think the stress of speed should not be part of your first half-marathon. Think of the plan as a series of enjoyable training runs that get progressively longer until you feel comfortable with the half-marathon distance. The plan uses the 10% and heavy/light rules as its basis for increases in the weekly distance.

Prerequisites

To begin the plan, you should be running for several weeks about 24 miles (39 km) per week with 6-mile long runs, and you should feel comfortable with that distance. If you're running less than that, here is a plan to bring you up to the point where you can begin half-marathon training.

Overview

Total time. The plan requires 12 weeks for a half-marathon. This is a longer time than that required by some plans in common use. The extra time is due to smaller increases in distance, smaller jumps in distance after the fall back weeks, and higher weekly distance.

Number of days per week. The plan is set up for six days of running per week. The plan can easily be modified for three or four days of running per week by eliminating days. However, to have a successful experience in a half-marathon, try to maintain 25-30 miles per week.

Length of runs. The plan has you running three different lengths of runs: one long run, one medium run, and four rest or recovery runs. Some runners run more than one long run or more than one medium run, but doing that puts significantly more stress on your body.

Increases in distance. The increases in the distance of the runs are based on the assumption that you can handle 10% increases in your weekly distance. Some runners can't do that and will need to allow additional time to let their bodies adjust to the increased stress. During the week, listen to your body to see how you feel after that day's training. If you feel tired, dragged out, or have excessive soreness, allow another week at that same or reduced level. When you return to the scheduled increases, don't try to catch up; just continue from where you are. If your tiredness continues, consider reducing your increases in subsequent weeks.

Fall-back weeks. After three weeks of increases, the next week is a fall-back week of reduced distance; that week is followed by a recovery week of the distance you were running before the reduction. This recovery week is to give your body extra rest. The fall-back weeks are denoted by FB.

Comfortable pace. Run at a comfortable pace, especially during the light weeks. Your first half-marathon is not the race for setting a new personal best! Choose a pace that will allow you to talk to a running buddy (or to yourself) and to feel fine at the end of the run.

Walking breaks. As you train, and later as you run your race, consider taking short walking breaks of 1 - 2 minutes every mile (2 km) during your runs. Walking uses muscles differently than running, thus giving your running muscles a rest, and the breaks help you to be invigorated and avoid slowing down during the last part of the run. Walk at a comfortable, restful pace. During the race do your walking breaks while passing the water tables. If you can do the shorter rest runs without stopping or slowing down much or being overly tired, you can omit the walking breaks during those runs, although you can do them if you want. If you're running hills, high temperatures, or high humidity, take walking breaks more often.

Using the plan. The charts give distance in miles (kilometers). The kilometers are rounded to be whole numbers.

1st Goal: Increase long run to 8 miles (13 km)

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly	Done
Week 1	3 (5)	4 (6)	6 (10)	3 (5)	4 (6)	6 (10)	off	26 (42)
Week 2	4 (6)	4 (6)	6 (10)	4 (6)	4 (6)	6 (10)	off	28 (45)
Week 3	4 (6)	5 (8)	7 (11)	4 (6)	4 (6)	7 (11)	off	31 (50)
Week 4 FB	3 (5)	4 (6)	5 (8)	3 (5)	3 (5)	5 (8)	off	23 (37)
Week 5	4 (6)	5 (8)	7 (11)	4 (6)	4 (6)	7 (11)	off	31 (50)
Week 6	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	off	34 (55)

Stay at these distances until you feel comfortable with them.

2nd Goal: Increase long run to 12 miles (19 km)

At the end of week 12, you will have run a long run of 12 miles (19 km) and will be ready for the half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles (21 km).

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly	Done
Week 7	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	9 (14)	off	35 (56)
Week 8	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	10 (16)	off	36 (58)
Week 9 FB	3 (5)	4 (6)	7 (11)	3 (5)	4 (6)	8 (13)	off	29 (47)
Week 10	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	10 (16)	off	36 (58)
Week 11	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	11 (18)	off	37 (60)
Week 12	4 (6)	5 (8)	8 (13)	4 (6)	5 (8)	12 (19)	off	38 (61)

Congratulations! You've conquered the half-marathon distance, and you're ready to run the half! Allow one week to taper your mileage before your race (two weeks if you're older) so you'll be rested when you run the race. Consider a taper that reduces all of your runs by about one-third. It's important that the 12-miler (19 km) occurs one week before your race (assuming you are rested on race day). If the 12-miler (19 km) occurs before that, you may lose some of the effect of the peak distance when you run the half-marathon. If it occurs later than that, you may not be fully recovered from your training when you run the half-marathon.

After you finish the race, walk around for a few minutes before you sit down to help keep blood from pooling in your feet.

Last Goal: Take a Week or More to Recover

After the race, take a day or two off to help your body start its recovery. During that time, don't just sit & watch TV. Be active by walking, swimming, biking, etc, but do those activities in moderation. When you feel ready to run, do a reverse taper to return to your pre-race distance. Begin with short distances at a slow, easy pace to help your body continue its recovery. Listen to your body during this time and avoid pushing yourself to do longer distances and faster paces. Let your body dictate how often you increase.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*health care focus on fitness avoid overtraining
*medical training and health care schools
*care services through nursing
*health care MBA
*health care administration degree
*medical procedures work group
*overtraining and overload research

Low Stress Training Plan for First Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this training plan is to help you master the marathon distance, that is, master the stress of the distance. The plan does not include speed training, because I think the stress of speed should not be part of your first marathon. Think of the plan as a series of enjoyable training runs that get progressively longer until you feel comfortable with the marathon distance. The plan uses the 10% and heavy/light rules as its basis for increases in the weekly distance.

Prerequisites

To begin the plan, you should be "fit" as a runner.

You should be capable of completing a half-marathon
Your weekly long run should be about 12 miles
If you're running less than 12 miles, consider using the half-marathon plan to prepare for this plan.
If you're not ready for half-marathon training, here is a plan to bring you up to the point where you can do that training
Read my marathon page to get the "big picture" of training for a marathon
Read my marathon stress page to better understand the impact on your body of running a marathon

Overview

Total time. The plan requires 13 weeks for training for a marathon. This time is used for making small increases in distance, smaller jumps in distance after the fall back weeks, higher weekly mileage, and additional weeks of approximately 45 miles per week. The additional weeks are to help your body adjust to the long distance, thus avoiding possible damage to your heart, and they are a key factor to running a pain-free race.

Number of days per week. The plan is set for six days of running per week. The plan can be easily modified for three or four days of running per week by eliminating days. However, to have a successful experience, try to maintain 45 miles per week. It is important to reach that figure before you run your marathon. That figure can be reached with either five or six days of running per week. Be aware that reducing the number of running days will increase the stress on your body.

Length of runs. The plan has you running three different lengths of runs: one long run, one medium run, and four rest or recovery runs. Some runners run more than one long run or more than one medium run, but doing that puts significantly more stress on your body.

Increases in distance. The increases in the miles per run are based on the assumption that you can handle 10% increases in your weekly distance. Some runners can't do that and will need to allow additional time to let their bodies adjust to the increased stress. During the week, listen to your body to see how you feel after that day's training. If you feel tired, dragged out, or have excessive soreness, allow another week at that same or reduced level. When you return to the scheduled increases, don't try to catch up; just continue from where you are. If your tiredness continues, consider reducing your increases in subsequent weeks.

Substituting cross-training for light runs. The purpose of a light run is to give your body more time for recovery from the previous heavy run. You may want to substitute light cross-training for some of the light runs.

Fall-back weeks. After three weeks of increases, the next week is a fall-back week of reduced mileage; that week is followed by a recovery week of the mileage you were running before the reduction. This recovery week is to give your body extra rest. The fall-back weeks are denoted by FB.

Comfortable pace. Run at a comfortable pace, especially during the light weeks. Your first marathon is not the race for setting a new personal best! Choose a pace that will allow you to talk to a running buddy (or to yourself) and to feel fine at the end of each run.

Walking breaks. It is suggested that as you train, and later as you run your race, take short walking breaks of 1 - 3 minutes every mile (2 km) during your runs. Walking uses muscles differently than running, thus giving your running muscles a rest, and the breaks help you to be invigorated and avoid slowing down during the last part of the run. Walk at a comfortable, restful pace. During the race do your walking breaks while passing the water tables. If you can do the shorter rest runs without stopping or slowing down much or being overly tired, you can omit the breaks during those runs, although you can do them if you want. If you're running hills, high temperatures, or high humidity, take walking breaks more often.

Using the plan. The charts give distance in miles (kilometers). The kilometers are rounded to be whole numbers.

1st Goal: Increase distance to a long run of 15 miles (24 km) and 45 miles (72 km) per week

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly	Done
Week 1	4 (6)	5 (8)	9 (14)	4 (6)	5 (8)	13 (21)	off	40 (64)
Week 2	4 (6)	5 (8)	9 (14)	5 (8)	5 (8)	14 (23)	off	42 (68)
Week 3	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	15 (24)	off	45 (72)
Week 4 FB	4 (6)	5 (8)	9 (14)	5 (8)	5 (8)	13 (21)	off	41 (66)
Week 5	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	15 (24)	off	45 (72)

Slowly increase your long run to 15 miles (24 km). The distances in Week 5 will be your new base, and they

will give you 45 miles (72 km) per week.

2nd Goal: Maintain a long run of 14-16 miles (23-26 km) and approximately 45 miles (72 km) per week for 4 additional weeks (or more)

Research by sports scientists shows that runners who don't train enough for their marathon may suffer cardiac problems after the race. The following is from The Boston Globe.

Among marathon runners, the biggest cardiac risk seems to arise in people who train the least. People who worked up to a marathon by running at least 45 miles a week for at least three to four months ''were golden. They didn't get into any trouble at all," said [Dr. Malissa] Wood. ''If they trained less than 35 miles a week, they were in big trouble."

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly	Done
Week 6	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	15 (24)	off	45 (72)
Week 7	4 (6)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	15 (24)	off	44 (71)
Week 8	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	16 (26)	off	46 (74)
Week 9 FB	5 (8)	4 (6)	9 (14)	5 (8)	5 (8)	14 (23)	off	42 (68)

3rd Goal: Increase your long run to 20 (32 km) miles and 50 (80 km) miles per week

Beginning at 7 weeks before your marathon, lengthen your long run to 20 miles (32 km). The 7 weeks will give you time to reach 20 miles and do a three-week taper. In addition, Consider adding three or four more weeks to your training so you can increase your long run to 21 miles (34 km) and then to 22 miles (35 km). If you go to 22 miles (35 km), take four weeks for your taper. However, if you hit the wall during this phase of your training, stop and focus on getting more energy into your cells via carbo loading and taking gels or sports drinks while you run, and on increasing your VO2max. You want your training to take you to the wall, but you don't want to try to go through the wall, because that is when the impact of the marathon hits your body.

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Weekly	Done
Week 10	5 (8)	4 (6)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	16 (26)	off	45 (72)
Week 11	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	16 (26)	off	46 (74)
Week 12	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	18 (29)	off	48 (77)
Week 13	5 (8)	5 (8)	10 (16)	5 (8)	5 (8)	20 (32)	off	50 (80)

The 20 miler (32 km) gives you a 50 mile (80 km) week, your peak distance for your marathon training. It's important that the 20-miler (32 km) occurs three weeks before your race. That three weeks is your taper to give your body additional rest before the race. If the 20-miler (32 km) occurs before that, you may lose some of the effect of the peak distance when you run the marathon. If it occurs later than that, you may not be fully recovered from your training when you run the marathon. During the taper you will recover from the 20 miler (32 km), and you will rest for the race.

During the last 3 - 4 miles (5 - 6 km) of the race, you can skip the walking breaks if you feel fine and haven't slowed down much. After you finish the race, walk around for a few minutes before you sit down to help keep blood from pooling in your feet.

Last Goal: Take a month to Recover.

Congratulations, marathoner! After the marathon, take a week or more off to help your body start its recovery. During that time, don't just sit & watch TV. Be active by walking, swimming, biking, etc, but do those activities in moderation. When you feel ready to run, do a reverse taper to return to your pre-race mileage. Begin with short distances at a slow, easy pace to help your body continue its recovery. On the first day that you run, do 1/4 to 1/2 mile (1 km). Add a little distance each time you run. By the end of the first week you might be up to something like 1 1/2 mile (2.4 km). By the end of a month, you'll probably be close to your normal weekly distance. Listen to your body during this time and avoid pushing yourself to do longer distances and faster paces. Let your body dictate how often you increase.

The Stress of a Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:00:00 +0000

Click here for a plan that reduces the stress of marathon training (or here for half-marathon training).

You hear a lot of stories about people who have just completed their first marathon: People hitting the "wall" during the race. Runners having to go down stairs backwards after they've finished. Runners having to walk much of the last 6 miles of the marathon. These stories all concern the high stress and negative effects of a marathon, and the stories are true for many marathoners.

A Personal Example

Let me give a personal example to illustrate that there is a lot of stress connected with a marathon. I ran my first marathon after I had been running for eight years. Even though I was only running about 45 miles per week before that first marathon, I was pretty fast for a recreational runner who didn't train for speed. My speed came as a result of my doing a lot of miles during those eight years. I ran a weekly 15-mile long run year around at a comfortable pace of 7 minute miles. In fact I could run up to 18 miles at that pace. I was 46 when I ran my first marathon. As I neared my marathon, I realized that I had only run 20 miles one time as my longest training run and that I would probably slow down as I went past that point. I decided that I would run the marathon at an 8:30 pace, because I hoped that by slowing down a minute and a half, I would have a margin of energy that would carry me through to the finish. So, I started the marathon at an 8:30 pace. This was in 1981, and timing chips and GPS watches hadn't been invented. I did have a stop watch, but my watch didn't time laps. So, I resorted to the high-tech solution of writing on my hand my times for various miles, and as I passed each mile marker, I would look at my hand and adjust my pace accordingly. Then it happened. At 20 miles, I stopped running. I had run into the infamous "wall" and had run out of energy. I didn't experience any pain. I just stopped running and started walking. I walked/jogged the next six miles to the finish. My paces illustrate the stress and negative effect of the marathon and were as follows.

Distance	Pace
Miles 1-18	8:30
Mile 20-26	Walking & Jogging
Average Pace	9:00

I could run 18 miles at a 7 minute pace and did run it at a 8:30 pace. At 20 miles I was reduced to walking/jogging. I finished the marathon with an average of 9 minutes per mile. Such is the stress of the marathon. I was well trained for 18 miles but poorly trained for greater distances. The good news is that I didn't experience any pain before or after the marathon, and I never had to go down stairs backwards. In fact, I was back on the roads two days later. On the first day of running after the race, I only went half a mile before my body said, "That's enough!". By the end of the first week I was up to a mile and a half, and by the end the first month, I was back to my normal training. All without injury or pain.

My experience illustrates both the good and the bad of a marathon. Let's look at the marathon and understand why it has such high stress, and then let's look at ways that we can overcome that stress and have a great experience in our first marathon.

The Wall

As explained in Wikipedia,

Carbohydrates that a person eats are converted by the liver and muscles into glycogen for storage. Glycogen burns quickly to provide quick energy. Runners can store about 8 MJ or 2,000 kcal worth of glycogen in their bodies, enough for about 30 km or 20 miles of running.

When I reached 20 miles and was reduced to walk/jogging. I had exhausted my supply of glycogen, and my body started to burn fat for energy. This depletion of energy is probably the most significant cause of marathon stress.

The distance of the marathon, 26 miles 385 yards, is another significant source of stress. Many beginners aren't used to walking or running distances more than a few hundred feet. They struggle to develop the muscular and aerobic strength to go longer distances. During a marathon, their feet will pound the road about 69,000 times, and each step shocks their body with a force that is about 2-3 times their body-weight. That is a lot of stress on their bodies!

Another source of stress during the marathon that many runners don't understand is water -- either too much or too little. Too much water means the runner's body salts are diluted, and this can cause serious problems, including death. Too little water means the runners become dehydrated, and this means their body temperature will rise, possibly leading to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. This problem is complex since it is affected by the climatic conditions during the race and by the characteristics of the body of each runner.

Yet another source of stress that is controversial but, I believe, does exist, is improper training for the marathon. Many runners enter a marathon without being prepared for the negative effects of the stress, and their lack of training compounds the effects of the stress. There are many training plans that are published in books and on the Internet to guide people in their training. These plans vary in their characteristics such as number of weeks encompassed by the plans, the length of the runs specified by the plans, the intensity of the runs, and the amount of rest specified by the plans. Persons contemplating running a marathon must find a plan that fits in with their personality, goals, and current condition of their bodies.

Finally, a significant source of stress is the public conception of the marathon as a grueling time of pain, sweat, and suffering. A runner told me that "I just assumed that [pain] was part of the package."

OK, What do We Do?

The stress of a marathon can be minimized, so let's look at ways of reducing the stress.

Runners hit the wall when the glycogen stored in their cells is depleted. Thus, the obvious solution to this problem is to store more glycogen in their cells. If the cells can hold 2700 calories instead of 2000 calories, the marathon will end before the glycogen is exhausted. Think of the wall as an object. By storing at least 2700 calories in the cells, the runner has pushed the wall out beyond the end of the race and thus never hits the wall. A runner can do this by training over distances that approach the length of the marathon. The runner can also consume energy snacks and gels during the marathon to supplement the energy in the cells. Training runs of distances greater than 20 miles must occur a number of times since our bodies are slow to adapt to new conditions.

Developing Greater Muscular and Aerobic Strength

There is only one way to develop muscular and aerobic strength. The runner must stress the muscles and aerobic system, which will cause damage to the body cells, and then rest while the body repairs the cell damage and becomes stronger. If the runner wants to develop the strength to run 15 miles, the runner must run distances that approach 15 miles. If the runner wants to develop the endurance to run 26 miles, the runner must run distances that approach 26 miles. These training runs don't have to be fast. In fact, endurance is best developed by the running of Long Slow Distance or LSD.

In addition to long runs that approach the marathon distance, it is important that a person run many, many miles of LSD. My personal belief is that runners should run 45-50 (or more) miles per week during marathon training. I believe that that training should occur for at least a year, and more than a year is better. If a person can't run that many miles per week for schedule or other reasons, I believe the person should double or triple the number of weeks spent in marathon training. The goal is that one run enough miles that ones body becomes strong enough to run the marathon distance without pain or injury.

The good news is that these training runs also cause your body to develop the ability to provide the oxygen necessary for the marathon. For those not trying to set speed records, running a marathon should be an aerobic activity in which your body gets sufficient oxygen during the race.

Thus, running a marathon is simple. You train for the marathon distance, and you repeat that training until you no longer hit the wall and you no longer suffer from the impact of stress on your muscular and aerobic systems.

Getting the Right Amount of Water

Runners have a problem knowing how much water to drink, because the amount varies with the climatic conditions and with individual body characteristics. The hotter the day, the more a runner sweats, and the more water is needed to replace the sweat. The more a runner sweats, the more body salts are lost, and the more a runner needs to replace those salts. Here are a few guidelines.

Drink when you are thirsty. Your body knows when it needs water, and it tells you via thirst.

Drink enough liquid to replace your sweat. The color of your urine at the end of a run is a good indicator of this. It's OK to have a slight color to your urine, but you should not have a dark color.

There are sports drinks and gel packs that provide body salts that can be consumed during the marathon. I like gel packs, because they provide energy and body salts, and the particular gel pack I use provides enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins. I need about 10 oz of water with each pack, and I take a pack every hour. Thus, I need at least 10 oz of water every hour. However, I sweat a lot so I drink additional water according to my thirst.

Experiment with liquids during your training runs to determine how much liquid and which liquids you should use. The marathon is not the time for experimentation.

Proper Training

This topic has already been discussed, because all of the things mentioned above as ways of overcoming the stress of marathons are part of proper training. I would, however, like to address training plans, because I believe that many beginners choose the wrong plan for their training.

Published training plans seem to be organized into two groups: those that train you to complete a marathon but not to overcome the stress of the race, and those that train you to complete a marathon and to overcome the stress. You can usually tell which type of plan you are considering by looking at the number of weeks encompassed by the plan and the length and and number of the long runs.

Many marathon plans commonly require 16 - 24 weeks for the training, and they frequently have you do only one 16 to 20-mile long run. These plans are, in my judgment, adequate to train you to complete a marathon, but they are not adequate to train you to handle the stress of the race. Persons following these plans are the ones who suffer pain during and after the race. The plans seem to be geared to younger runners who may have the strength to complete a marathon with minimal training.

A few plans require more weeks for completion and have you run multiple runs greater than 20 miles. These plans have, I believe, the potential to adequately train you to handle the stress of marathons, because they train you over the marathon distance for a long enough period of time, that you begin to adjust to the marathon distance.

Even after you've completed your marathon plan, I believe that you may not be ready to run your marathon. I believe that a person shouldn't run a marathon without at least a year of training to develop the muscular and aerobic strength that will be needed during the race and to push the wall past the marathon distance. In my case, I ran for about eight years before I ran my first marathon, and I had no problems other than hitting the wall during the race. To me, it was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. My next marathon, three months later was the same way, and my next two marathons a year later were a continuation of my enjoyment of marathons. I didn't have the time to train over distances longer than one 20-miler per marathon, so I never did push the wall past 20 miles, but when I hit the wall, I walked/jogged to the finish with no pain during or after the run. I'm not suggesting that you spend eight years preparing for your marathon, but I am suggesting that you spend at least one year after you've developed a base of about 24 miles/week and have started your marathon training.

Click here for a plan that reduces the stress of marathon training (or here for half-marathon training).

The Health Effects of Marathons and Ultras on our Bodies

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:00:00 +0000

There are a lot of training plans for marathon and ultramarathon training. These plans work because they are devised by experienced trainers and runners who know what a person has to do to complete a long distance race. The plans, though, have one weakness: they don't take into account reduction of our health through possible damage to our bodies caused by the running of long distances.

Scientists are beginning to investigate the effects of long distance running on our bodies. Scientific tests are being performed to investigate particular aspects of this issue, and other aspects of this issue are ignored in those tests. This means that an individual scientific test doesn't give the full story about the issue. It is, therefore, necessary that all scientific tests be studied to give one a better understanding of what is actually happening.

This page was created to give my thoughts about and our health. Keep in mind that I'm not a scientist or a doctor, and my thoughts may be naive. Also, I'm sure that tests have been conducted that aren't described in this page, and I will appreciate having links to such tests emailed to me.

Amount of Training Prior to a Marathon

The Boston Globe, in an article dated April 17, 2006, reported on the effect of training prior to a marathon on the cardiactic health of the runners. The conclusion of the tests was expressed by Dr. Malissa Wood, a cardiologist and codirector of the Massachusetts General Hospital Women's Cardiovascular Health Center. Dr. Wood is a runner and has completed four marathons.

Among marathon runners, the biggest cardiac risk seems to arise in people who train the least. People who worked up to a marathon by running at least 45 miles a week for at least three to four months ''were golden. They didn't get into any trouble at all," said Wood. ''If they trained less than 35 miles a week, they were in big trouble."

The article summarized the effect of marathon running on our bodies.

As for marathoners, Wood and her Mass. General colleagues have found that running 26.2 miles can lead to clear signs of cardiac stress. They have found that cardiac troponin, a chemical that shows up in blood tests only when heart muscle is damaged, rises in 60 percent of runners, and in some, it rises so high that ''if you had just looked at these scores, these people would have been admitted to the hospital for heart attacks," Wood said.

They've found that another chemical, BNP, or brain natriuretic peptide, another red flag for cardiac dysfunction, goes up after a marathon in 60 percent of runners. Platelets also become activated and more likely to form the clots that can trigger heart attacks, according to a just-published paper by Siegel and Alexander Kratz, director of the hematology lab at Mass. General. And, as shown on echocardiograms, the heart's ability to relax after each beat remains impaired for at least several weeks in most marathoners.

Age of the Marathoners

In an article dated August 31, 2010, ScienceDaily reported on tests conducted on older marathoners (average age of 50) who were not elite runners. The results of the tests were described in the article.

Immediately after finishing the marathon, there were some significant changes of the parameters of diastolic and right heart function. However, even though these changes were statistically significant, they were all within the normal levels and therefore do not seem to be clinically relevant. All parameters had returned to normal two weeks later, and the most likely cause of the changes were tachycardia and dehydration during the race. Also, for some runners, there was an increase in certain myocardial biomarkers but no correlation could be drawn between this increase and any myocardial dysfunction. It is believed that the temporary increase was probably caused by functional changes of the cardiomyocytes while running and not by myocardial damage.

The article concluded by stating

As a result of this study, it would appear that elderly amateur runners can continue to compete in marathon races without increasing their risk of sustained heart damage.

Heart Damage is Likely Temporary

The study referred to above about the age of runners was a study of runners completing the 2006 and 2007 Berlin marathons. As indicated in the quote given above, the symptoms of heart damage were gone two weeks later.

The October 25, 2010 issue of ScienceDaily reported on MRI tests of runners completing marathons. The MRI tests allowed doctors to look at individual segments of the hearts. The tests showed that damage does occur to hearts. Runners who wern't properly trained for their marathons had more damage to their hearts, but the damage was temporary.

His research found that the magnitude of abnormal heart segments was more widespread and significant in a group of less fit runners. During the marathon, they had signs the heart might be at greater risk of damage than that of runners who had better training or at least had better exercise capacity.

His research found that the magnitude of abnormal heart segments was more widespread and significant in a group of less fit runners. During the marathon, they had signs the heart might be at greater risk of damage than that of runners who had better training or at least had better exercise capacity.
"Without proper training, marathon running can damage your heart. Fortunately the exercise-induced injury is reversible over time," said Dr. Larose. "But it could take up to three months to completely recover."

Another Look at Marathons and Ultramarathons

The New York Times reported that British researchers have learned that half of the older elite athletes who were tested and who trained hard have scarring within their heart tissue. The tests were performed with a new type of MRI.

The results, published online a few weeks ago in The Journal of Applied Physiology, were rather disquieting. None of the younger athletes or the older nonathletes had fibrosis in their hearts. But half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring. The affected men were, in each case, those who’d trained the longest and hardest. Spending more years exercising strenuously or completing more marathon or ultramarathon races was, in this study, associated with a greater likelihood of heart damage.

The Times article also reported on tests made on laboratory rats that showed that prolonged running by the rats did cause scarring of their hearts.

The rats had begun their regimens with perfectly normal hearts. At the end of the training period, heart scans showed that most of the rodents had developed diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes. A control group of unexercised rats had developed no such remodeling of their hearts. The researchers also could manually induce arrhythmias, or disruptions of the heart’s natural electrical rhythm, much more readily in the running rats than in the unexercised animals. Interestingly, when the animals stopped running, their hearts returned to normal within eight weeks. Most of the fibrosis and other apparent damage disappeared.

Most runners aren't in the elite group that was the subject of the research, and the concluding paragraphs of the article serve as a guide for us.

So for now, the best response to the emerging science of excessive exercise is to just keep exercising, but with a low-level buzz of caution. If your heart occasionally races, which could indicate arrhythmia, or otherwise draws attention to itself, Dr. Nattel said, consult a doctor.

But if you exercise regularly and currently have no symptoms, “I think it’s safe to say that you should keep it up,” Dr. Thompson said.

A Word of Caution

I found the following paper on the web that discusses the effect of endurance exercise on the heart. The paper is titled, The endurance athletes heart: acute stress and chronic adaptation. The paper, itself, is too complex for me to understand, but the Conclusion was written in terms that I could understand.

It is, however, entirely likely that for the vast majority of endurance athletes, the stress of acute exercise will lead to healthy, physiological adaptation in the heart. For a very small minority, though, there is emerging evidence that endurance exercise may be part of a patho-physiological cascade that clinicians must be aware of and respond appropriately too.

Since none of us know if we're in the "vast majority" or the "very small minority" of endurance athletes, it would be wise for persons considering running a marathon to have a good health examination before they begin marathon training. If they're already in marathon training, it might be wise for them to push their marathon plans out a few months and do significantly more long distance runs before the race, and to provide time for a good health examination prior to the race.

Ultra-Endurance Running

ScienceDaily, in an article dated August 31, 2010 reported on the cardiac effects of running 50 and 100 miles in difficult conditions, including hills, thunderstorms, and strong rain. The athletes had trained for that distance, and all athletes had been running marathons and ultras for over two years. The athletes had no known heart problems. The article described the results of the testing.

The ECGs at the start of the race displayed the typical features of an athletic heart, with the slow heart rate and electrical changes commonly seen in athletes. At the finish, there were significant electrical changes in over 50 percent of the ECGs, and in some there were bizarre electrical changes not commonly seen in normal ECGs, either at rest or during exercise. However, the changes in cardiac Troponin I did not correlate with specific electrical changes on the ECGs. Further data, to be presented at EUROECHO later this year, will show that baseline heart function was normal, but there was a 6 percent drop in heart function at the finish, which may also be relevant. Whether these changes reflect undiagnosed cardiac conditions was undetermined.

The following statement by Professor John Somauroo of the Countess of Chester Hospital concludes the article.

"This study suggests that running continuously over 50 or 100 miles may not be good for the heart. 96 percent of the finishers developed a significant increase in cardiac Troponin I, which can be an indicator of heart muscle damage -- and 12 percent showed signs suggestive of significant cardiac damage. They also developed significant electrical changes on their ECGs and, in some cases, quite bizarre changes. However, there was no proven correlation between the changes in cardiac Troponin I and the ECG changes."

Read the full article in the link given below for more details about adverse effects of extreme workouts.

"Physical exercise, though not a drug, possesses many traits of a powerful pharmacologic agent. A routine of daily physical activity can be highly effective for prevention and treatment of many diseases, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, and obesity," says lead author James H. O'Keefe, MD, of Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City, MO. "However, as with any pharmacologic agent, a safe upper dose limit potentially exists, beyond which the adverse effects of physical exercise, such as musculoskeletal trauma and cardiovascular stress, may outweigh its benefits."

The Duration of a Race

Fifteen runners completing an ultra event that lasted from 5 to 7 days were tested for cardiac fatigue, and none was found.

If cardiac muscle were to respond in the same way as skeletal muscle, the expectation would be for lower contraction velocities after exercise. However, the results of the study show that this was not the case. It is worth noting that these results are not consistent with other studies of endurance events such as marathons or triathlons. The researchers believe that this may be because average intensity was relatively low despite competitors exercising for extended durations that averaged 150 hours. Therefore, a possible conclusion may be that it is exercise intensity rather than exercise duration that is the primary source for cardiac fatigue.

Some Marathoners Die

Even though most marathoners recover from the heart-damage of their marathons, a few runners have died during the race or shortly thereafter. There is speculation that those runners may not have been able to handle the stress of the damage.

A new study finds that marathon runners experience temporary heart damage during their 26.2 mile (42.2 kilometer) races. The damage is reversible, but it may be one reason that seemingly healthy people sometimes die during long races.

However, researchers at Harvard University discovered that deaths in runners usually occurred in persons who had previous, underlying damage to their hearts.

Other Effects Besides the Heart

In addition to studying effects of distance running on the heart, scientists are looking at possible effects on other organs. A report was recently issued about possible buildup of liquid in the lungs of marathon runners. Keep in mind that only 26 runners at one marathon were tested.

Lead author, Dr Gerald Zavorsky from the Marywood University, USA, said: "Marathon running is linked to an increased risk of pulmonary edema, and it seems that women are at higher risk than men regardless of marathon finishing time. While pulmonary edema can be a negative consequence of marathon running, regular exercise can also keep you fit and healthy. We do not yet know the impact of this finding on long-term health of runners."

One effect on our health of distance running that has received little attention is the effect on our bladders.

"The added stress on the body that comes with running a marathon can cause urinary stress incontinence problems during the race or down the road," said Melinda Abernethy, MD, fellow, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "People who already suffer from incontinence also are at risk for bladder-control issues while running."

Dr. Abernethy admits that more research needs to be conducted on bladder-control, but she says "that runners should monitor their fluid intake and go to the bathroom at least every few hours during a marathon".

The Big Picture

As I read these articles, I'm beginning to see what seems to me to be the "big picture" of the effect of long distance running on our bodies, particularly on our hearts. Here is a summary of my understanding of this.

Run at least 45 miles per week for several weeks prior to a marathon.
Be aware that irregularities in your heart may occur right after a marathon, but those irregularities will likely return to normal within two or three weeks after the race. However, some runners may not recover from the damage.
Older runners can run marathons without permanent damage (assuming, of course, they have properly trained for the marathon distance, and have been cleared by their doctor to run marathons).
Use caution in deciding to run ultras. The effect of ultras on your heart is more severe than the effect of marathons.
Use caution in the intensity of your training. Heart damage may occur in older runners who have run marathons and ultras for many years and have trained hard for those races.

Here is a video by Dr. James O'Keefe who believes extreme exercise can be dangerous. Of course, what would be extreme for a beginner or for an old guy like me is probably not extreme for an advanced runner. We're all different, and we each have to decide what is OK for us and what is extreme for us.

Keeping Motivated to Run

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:00:00 +0000

I think everyone has a problem in keeping motivated to run. It is easy to not run during times of bad weather, holidays, or times of personal problems, and then we feel guilty for not running. Here are examples of how I keep myself motivated.

I don't do a lot of racing, so my goals are mostly in other aspects of running. Racing goals wouldn't be achieved for several months, and I need goals for each run. So, I focus on short-term goals, things I can accomplish this week or next week.

For example, a year ago South Jordan City (Utah) started construction on a new leg of the Jordan River Parkway where I run. It is a 0.75 mile leg that goes north to the border of West Jordan City. I enjoyed watching the construction of the path and talking with the guys doing the work. That gave me goals for about four months. I looked forward to watching them carve a new path, compact the dirt, lay plastic on the dirt, put road-base on the path and compact it, and finally lay about 6 inches of asphalt on the road-base. I was interested to learn from one of the workers that they sprayed weed killer on the dirt before they laid the plastic. He said weeds will come up through the plastic and the asphalt if they don't spray the ground. After they finished with the asphalt, I enjoyed watching them put in a wire fence along portions of the path that had horses.

After the construction workers left, I learned that the wire fence would be replaced, because it wasn't strong enough to keep the horses from getting on the path. So, I enjoyed watching a different guy put in a better fence. I was particularly interested in how he could put the fence posts in cement in the middle of the winter. It was interesting to learn that he had a machine that held a roll of chain link fencing and placed the fencing along the path. Many years ago, I had a part-time job one summer moving rolls of chain link fencing from box cars to storage in a building, and I know how heavy those rolls of fencing can be (200 - 300 pounds). I thought it interesting that the second guy put his fencing in places where the other fencing wasn't put. Then I began to wonder about the taxpayers of South Jordan City. Did they end up paying twice for the fencing, or did the first company lose money because their fencing wasn't good enough. Did their contract with the city specify exactly the type of fence to be installed, or was it left to the judgment of the contractor. Did the city talk with the land owners before the city purchased the land for the path to find out what kind of fence was needed?

For the past couple of years, someone has been moving dirt in one of the fields bordering the new leg of the Jordan River Parkway. I could hear the heavy equipment being used to move the dirt, but I couldn't see that any progress was being made. Finally, this fall I could see that progress was being made. I had the chance to talk with the land owner a couple of weeks ago, and he said he is preparing the land for the construction of a subdivision of new houses. Lately he has been moving big rocks to make a rock wall along the border of the Jordan River Parkway. At first I thought he was building a rock wall for landscaping, but I noticed yesterday that he is filling in dirt up to the top of the wall. Since his land is in the flood plain of the river, I realized he is raising the level of his land about three feet and is using the rock wall to prevent the dirt from being washed away during a flood. People who live in his houses won't see the rock wall, but I see the wall as I run past it, and it looks nice.

This fall I saw a big Heron in the Jordan River. It just stood there and didn't move much. I saw it on quite a few different days. That was interesting because I had never seen a Heron before. I haven't seen it lately, and I wonder if it went south for the winter. I also wonder how it could stand for long periods of time in cold water. Ducks have soft feathers (down) that helps insulate them when they swim, but the Heron just has bare legs. Most of the birds in the river are ducks, but this fall I've seen quite a few American Coots. The most popular posts in this blog are about black ducks that I've seen. Some of them are Coots, but some are different. Quite a few people have found my posts via Google in my oldmanrunning blog and have commented that they, too, have seen mysterious black ducks.

A year ago, I saw a black and white rabbit near the river. Someone had apparently turned the rabbit lose. I enjoyed seeing the rabbit a few times, but I haven't seen it this year. So, I wonder what happened to it. Maybe a fox got it; I have seen a red fox on the path a few times. If you go to my oldmanrunning blog and click on the wildlife label, you can read about the birds and animals that I've seen during the six years I've kept that blog. In fact, the blog itself has helped me get out running, since I've gone public with my running and have to "keep up my public image" so to speak.

I have a lot of short-term goals related to my running. I began 2009 running about 20-22 miles per week, including a long run of 10 miles and a medium run of 7 miles and a rest run of 5 miles. Then in mid January I was attacked by blood clots. I went from a 7 mile run on a Saturday to only being able to walk 100 feet on Monday. My progress in getting back to my former distance has taken a lot more time than I expected. It has been almost 10 months, and my weekly distance is only up to about 10 miles, including my longest run, so far, of 4 miles. So, I'm busy with my weekly goals in inching forward in distance. There is a local 5K race in June that I've run twice (a 2nd and then a 1st in my age group). I missed it in 2009 because of the blood clots. I wonder if I'll be able to run it in 2010. I should be able to do the distance OK, but I may not be very fast. But that's OK. When you get to be my age, you're less concerned about speed and are happy to "just do it".

One of the things I'm looking forward to in the next month is putting sheet metal screws in my running shoes to keep me from slipping on ice. My shoes have 300 miles on them and have limited life left, so they are good candidates to become "ice shoes". Last winter and the winter before I used a commercial product with steel spikes, but they kept coming off when I got into snow several inches deep. People who have used sheet metal screws say they work fine, and I thought I'd give them a try. The following video is of my first run with my new ice shoes.

The final reason that I get out and run is because I enjoy it. This enjoyment has carried me through 38 years of running. There are times when I get busy with other things and don't get out and run, but that's OK. I'm like everyone else and have my ups and downs. I don't beat myself up with guilt for not going out. I just finish my project at home that kept me from running for a day or two and then put my running shoes back on and head down to the Jordan River.

We are all different. What motivates one person to run may not help another person. One of the key things is to recognize that you're not "perfect" and to not feel guilty when you don't get out and run. Don't feel guilty because you're slow or because you don't go very far or because you don't go as fast as you did when you were younger. Just accept who you are and enjoy your life. If you would like to leave a comment explaining how you keep motivated to run, I (and others) would enjoy listening to you.

Long Slow Distance

noreply@blogger.com (Allen) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Allen finishing a 10 mile LSD

There are three types of training, long slow distance (LSD), speed training, and hill training. In this page we'll look at the wisdom of doing long slow distance.

LSD

Long slow distance is running at a moderate pace in which you can carry on a conversation and in which you aren't panting for breath and don't get side stitches (cramps) or a raw throat. Running LSD means that you're running aerobically, that is, your body is getting sufficient oxygen. Running LSD means that you're using moderation in your training and not pushing your body to extreme stress levels. Most of your training should be LSD if you want to run injury free. It's during your LSD runs that your body develops endurance.

As you run, you put your body under stress, and body cells are destroyed. During the 48 hours after your runs, your body reacts to the stress by rebuilding the body cells, and the end result is that you're stronger than you were before. At least, its supposed to work that way. The problem is that if you apply more stress than your body can handle, your body can't fully recover, and residues of stress remain. Over time, those residues can build up until the stress reaches the point where your body breaks down and injury occurs.

Many runners are anxious to develop speed and long distances, and they push themselves to reach faster and longer goals. This works for a while, because their bodies can withstand the stress and not break down. But, if the high stress levels are continued, the time comes when their bodies can't handle the stress, and the runners either become injured, or they become so tired that they often lose motivation and stop running.

Through using moderation by running slower (LSD) and allowing more time for rest between runs, runners can reduce their stress level to the point where their bodies can handle it, and they can reach their goals without injury and without being overly tired. In doing this, they can develop a good base that will allow them to do speed training in a systematic and safe way. Rest after a run doesn't imply no running. If you feel up to it, you can allow your body to rest by running shorter and/or slower distances or by doing cross-training.

Of course, if all you run is LSD, you'll never become a fast racer. If racing is your interest, you'll want to do speed work and run hills after you have a good base of LSD.

Strides

While developing endurance through running long slow distance, you can pick up a poor running-form, such as unnecessarily short steps, slow leg movement, and sloppy form such as leaning forward and looking down. The running of "strides" can help you regain proper running-form. They are explained in the page on speed.