As mentioned in previous articles, one of the most common errors I see runners committing is faulty pacing during training runs. They run their slow runs too quickly. They run their fast runs too slowly. Medium is their standard speed. As a consequence, they fail to obtain the particular benefits that each specific type of run should provide. The result? Even though these runners put in many long hours of training, they never come close to being the best runners they can become.
As reported by Alex Hutchison in the May/June issue of Canadian Running, recent research from Scotland provides more evidence supporting the benefits of polarized training – mixing low and high intensity training. The researchers split cyclists into two groups. Each group went through a six week training program. Group #1 conducted 80% of their training at low intensity and 20% at high intensity. Group #2’s training consisted of 57% low intensity, 43% medium intensity (a.k.a. threshold training) with no high intensity efforts.
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Like stretching, cooling down after a run has long been accepted as a best practice. Isn’t it a good idea to gradually reduce your heart rate with 5-10 minutes of light jogging? Doesn’t a cooldown help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness? Doesn’t a gradual shift from running to non-exercise help speed recovery? Isn’t it bad for your heart to just stop running with no gradual transition to non-exercise?
The much touted physical benefits of a cooldown may also prove to be just another myth to be exposed. Neither holding up under the harsh light of scientific scrutiny.
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(A companion piece for last week’s article)
Conventional wisdom among runners is that dehydration is to be avoided at all costs. After all, doesn’t dehydration cause overheating? Doesn’t dehydration often result in heat distress? Doesn’t dehydration severely impair performance? Aren’t runners who collapse near or at the end of a race severely dehydrated and should be treated with rapid hydration?
Most of the running community will answer these questions with a resounding “yes”. This all seems very logical and commonsense……….but it is not true!
Over the past several years, the “dehydration is evil” theory has been disproved by Dr. Tim Noakes, one of the most eminent exercise physiologists. (Incidentally, Dr. Noakes is probably the only researcher in his field to have his own Wikipedia entry).
Dr. Noakes tested South African marathon and Ironman finishers in a series of studies over the course of several years. He determined that:
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The Athlete’s Kitchen
Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD April 2013
We’ve all heard the stories about marathoners and soldiers who have died due to consuming too much water. Clearly, overhydration can be as dangerous to your health as underhydration. So what does a sweaty endurance runner need to know about staying adequately hydrated without stomach sloshing? Dr. Timothy Noakes’ book Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports is an interesting yet controversial resource that addresses that question.
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Q (from the email bag): I have a question about shoes. I bought my current pair in early January. I’ve worn them for all my marathon training, putting on about 450 miles. On my last long run, my legs felt achy; they did not feel right.
My marathon is in 4 weeks. Should I get a new pair to race in? Should I consider going with a racing flat? I have run marathons in flats before and am wondering if it would be worth it in this race. There is a weight difference for sure.
Thanks
Ann
A: Good questions. Surprisingly, there is no consensus as how many miles you can safely run in a pair of shoes.
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We’ve all experienced this familiar situation. Due to family, work, travel or other commitments, the day flies by. There’s no time to fit in your workout. A few consecutive days like this, we worry that we’ll lose our hard-earned fitness, start gaining weight and carve a serious hole in our training plans.
Fortunately, new research from the UK concludes that a single 2 minute high intensity interval yields the same health benefits as a traditional interval workout! (Thanks to Craig Ballantyne of www.ttfatloss.com for bringing the research to our attention).
In the study, Laura Whyte at the University of Glasgow and her colleagues split their subjects into two groups:
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In a recent NY Times article Barefoot Running Can Cause Injuries Too, author Gretchen Reynolds reported on a research study – where more than half of the subjects who gradually switched from traditional to minimalist shoes developed or showed signs of developing foot injuries!
Dr. Sarah Ridge, professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, had half of her subjects gradually start running in Vibram Five Fingers barefoot style shoes, adding just one mile a week for the first 3 weeks.
At the end of 10 weeks, more than half the runners in the minimalist group developed foot injuries or showed signs of developing a foot injury (as viewed on an MRI). Almost all of the runners in the minimalist group were running fewer miles at the end of the study period than they were at the beginning.
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The preparation period for an event or performance several months in duration (e.g. a race or theatrical show) can be divided into three segments: Honeymoon, Serious Business and Light at the End of the Tunnel.
Runners training now for a late spring race are into the Serious Business. The initial excitement has long worn off. You’re into some tough physical and mental slogging. It is at this point where motivation frequently wanes.
Here are seven tips to rally the mental troops, kick your drive up a notch and stay on track:
- Make it sociable. If you tend to run alone, find a running buddy or group to run with. It’s much easier to stick with your plan if you know someone is counting on you to show up. In addition, you’ll find that group camaraderie is contagious and can help renew your enthusiasm for training.
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Bennett just finished reading the recent New York Times article “No Consensus on a Common Cause of Foot Pain by Gretchen Reynolds. Although plantar fasciitis has afflicted runners for decades and sidelines up to 10% of runners, there is a surprising lack of agreement in the sportsmedicine community regarding the injury and its treatment.
Reynolds provides a new insight as to the origin and progression of plantar fasciitis. Conventional understanding was that the injury was an acute inflammation of the plantar fascia.
However, something did not fit. Acute inflammations usually subside after a few days of rest and then disappear.
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I was once asked to write a scientific article on overtraining.
My response was that’s the simplest article ever. It’s two words long: “Avoid it.”
Jack Daniels
Legendary running coach
Author of “Daniels’ Running Formula”
Sylvia Cashmore (Peterborough, Ontario) was training for the 2012 Boston Marathon. She was running 6 days per week. Being an avid triathlete (often placing first in her age group), Sylvia was also cross-training 2-3 times weekly. Unfortunately, all of her hard work resulted overtraining and developing a severe nasty cold which jeopardized her training and racing plans.
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