Stretching damages your muscles, the same as any other kind of workout, so that they can come back with appropriate adaptations to withstand that activity in the future. Granted, the microscopic tears from stretching are going to be less severe than those from a hard interval session or weight lifting, but the concept is the same.

The decision to stretch or not should be the same as whether you should go out for an easy run, or go out for a hard interval session, or whether you should take a day off completely.

Are the adaptations that you want to encourage in your muscles going to be aided by stretching, or will it slow down your progress?

Here’s an email I recently got about this in my inbox:

Blaine,

My son is the runner in the family; I joined to get information for him. He’s 17 & missed most of the winter & spring due to tendonitis. He’s back logging slow miles for the summer. We have taken several tips from your article I downloaded & appreciate the information. I have him doing more cross training, but would be interested in additional resources for stretching so he may remain injury free for his upcoming senior year. We’re especially interested in static vs dynamic stretching. He has been instructed not to stretch in the morning before the morning run-just stretch after. Care to comment on that?

Thanks for your help.
David

Tendonitis is no fun. When I was in college, I had tendonitis in my right knee at the same time that I was dealing with a stress fracture in my left leg, so it made getting around campus no fun. The best way to come back after an injury like that is to come back gradually and rebuild a solid base while finding out what caused the problem in the first place, such as overtraining, innappropriate or old broken down shoes, or bad running form. Once you know what you were doing wrong, you can fix that in your training going forward and be a strong runner.

When you stretch before you run, you’ll actually be sabotaging your workout in a small way because you’ll be damaging the muscles before your main workout, which is why David’s son has been told not to stretch before the run. When I used to spend a lot of time stretching regularly, I made it a point to always stretch after my runs and to just do dynamic warmup movements before the workouts such as a light jog or form drills like high knees, butt kicks and strides.

I definitely noticed that I ran faster doing that than I had when I used to stretch before and after my runs, but I would not read too much into that because the only time that I used to stretch before every run was when I was in middle school and for the first few years of high school, which were when I was first starting to race competitively.

There’s been a study by USATF that tracked a number of runners over a period of time who were randomly assigned to stretch or not stretch after their workouts, and they found that there was no greater chance of getting injured for one group or the other except in the case where somebody was used to stretching after their workouts and then was assigned to the group that didn’t stretch.

In fact, the only relevant markers that increased your risk of injury were a higher body mass index or the existance of a previous injury.

Personally, I’ve found that dedicated periods of stretching (such as 10 or 15 minutes after a run) doesn’t tend to do much for me anymore. As I said above, I used to do that when I was your David’s son’s age, but these days I just make a point of getting out of my chair once or twice an hour to walk around and stretch out or to do some quick stretches such as touching my toes and standing up. I won’t hold the stretch or do a lot of stretching at any given time. Instead, I will just do what feels good at the moment and then move on with whatever else is occupying my day.

What I like most is to just perform the stretch and then relax back to my normal position. You should control the movement from start to finish, rather than using momentum or gravity to try and get a deeper or more violent stretch than you really need.

Moving in a ballistic or spastic manner, especially with cold muscles, is more likely to do more damage that won’t help you run better so I’d recommend against that. Constant movement is okay, just not fast or jerky movements, which just aren’t necessary.

Rather than or in addition to stretching, the thing that I’ve found that works best is getting a foam roller and using that regularly. It’s a good way for self massage that will help improve blood flow through your legs and encourage faster recovery. I’ll usually use mine after my workouts before I shower while I wait to stop sweating, and I’ll often roll out a bit before going to bed as well.

You could also get “The Stick” which is popular for the same reasons, but I haven’t personally used one yet. (It’s on my to-do list to pick one up and try it out.) From what I’ve been told it’s better for the calves while the foam roller is better for quads and hamstrings.

Do you stretch before or after your runs? What’s your routine, and have you managed to stay injury free or been hurt now and again? Share your own experiences in the comments below.

Photo Credits: Eric Mesa – Ed Yourdon – Lululemon Athletica

I am trying to run primarily on trails due to the modulation in pace from obstacles or rocky terrain. I think this is helping me avoid re-injuring my knee. (itb and patellar tendinitis) I run in different shoes and different distances on different paths. I also do a shorter, fast run on pavement weekly.

Are there other things you recommend people do when they have a knee that isn’t cooperating?

If you have a similar problem as Mike, then he is following a great plan by working in as much trail work as he can. It’s definitely a better way to stay healthy, whether you have had previous knee injuries or not. I’ve actually written a few articles on that very topic (Benefits of Trail Running, Trail Running for Road Runners, Trail Running 101.)

When it comes to knee problems, I do have one additional suggestion and one thing to watch out for based on what Mike said in his email.

First, I’d recommend working in some weight training to strengthen your muscles. You can do body weight exercises so you don’t need an expensive gym membership or to go out and buy a lot of equipment; functional movement that hits a lot of different muscles at once are best and if you do need more resistance then you can use every day objects or buy something cheap like a 50 or 60 pound sandbag at your local home improvement store.

Some exercises that are worth doing include squats (both double leg and single leg), pushups, lunges, deadlifts and pull ups. Bodyweight lunges and squats are probably the best place to start given your concerns about your knee.

One thing that you want to watch out for, especially if you have a history of knee problems, is switching out shoes that are too dissimilar.

I use a lot of different types of shoes, mostly depending upon where I’m running, but most of those shoes are pretty similar one to another; they are neutral shoes with a minimal (or non-existent) heel lift.

A few years ago, though, I was switching between heavier shoes with a lot of cushioning and ultra-light weight minimal shoes from day to day to day, and my hips started to bother me as a result because my body didn’t know what to make of the situation. (Plus, the heavy shoes just weren’t appropriate for me.) Switching back to just one general type of shoe made that problem go away within a few days and I still got the advantages of variety by using different models of shoes.

If you aren’t feeling any pain right now then you are probably fine with your current shoe choices, but I just wanted to make sure that I mentioned it.

Have you got a training question that you’d like answered? You can contact me here on the website, or ask a question right on the wall for my facebook fan page (which is probably the quickest way to get a response.)

How will it affect your blood alcohol levels?

If you go for a quick jog around the block, will it be safe for you to drive home after a night at the pub?

These are the types of questions that Adam Savage and the Mythbusters folks from Discovery Channel wanted to find out, so they put Adam on a treadmill to find out.

Here’s what happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3KCjIAhSPc

One lesson that he learned is that a treadmill is not a good tool to use when you’ve been drinking. It takes coordination to run on and can be difficult enough for some people when they are sober, especially if they haven’t used one before.

They also decided that exercise can help you sober up slightly (not shown in the above video), but I’d tend to think that it isn’t going to work well enough to enable you to drive home safely if you are too drunk to do so. If you do think you need to run before driving, then 5 minutes is definitely not enough time.

I get shoulder cramps when I run, any suggestions on how to avoid these. I do several stretches to prevent these but they still seem to come back.

There can be a lot of reasons for shoulder cramps and shoulder pain when you are running, some which aren’t very serious and some that are very serious.

If your shoulders hurt, then it is probably worth seeing your doctor or physical therapist to make sure it isn’t one of the more serious problems such as a problem with your heart (cardiac angina) or spleen, or some sort of bursitis or spinal problem.

More than likely, it’s just a minor muscular imbalance or weakness or a minor issue with your running form that a coach could help you correct.

Here are a few things that you can try to see if they provide relief:

1. How old are your shoes, and are they the right shoes for you? Have you ever been fitted? If you are wearing the wrong kind of shoes for your running style, it can throw your body out of whack and cause seemingly random problems throughout your body including in your knees, hips, back, neck or shoulders.
2. Are your shoulders tense or do you clench your fists when you run? Stay loose and relax your shoulders if you can. If you clench your fists, then try loosening up your grip and see if that helps. Pretend you are carrying an egg that you don’t want to crush if you have trouble keeping your hands loose.
3. Stretch out your back and shoulders before and after every run. You can rotate your shoulders forward and back by swinging your arms in circles, roll your head clockwise and semi-clockwise, invert your arms and lock your fingers both in front of and behind you and reach as far forward or back as you can, and roll out on a foam foller. (I would recommend the foam roller even if you weren’t having any sort of cramping or pain.)
4. Start building more strength. Running requires more upper body strength than you would think, especially on longer runs, so some simple weight lifting for your cross training days can lead to some rapid improvements. If your shoulders are hurting now you may need some time off to let the pain go away depending upon when and how much they ache. Pushups are a simple exercise that you can do anywhere that don’t require additional equipment; pullups are also a good exercise if you can find a bar or branch somewhere that can support your weight. If you do have access to gym equipment, then I recommend dumbbell bench presses and dumbbell rows. You want to stick to body weight or light weights, with dumbbells and free weights being preferred so that you have to use more than 1 isolated muscle group to help your muscles get used to working together.
5. If you experience any sharp pains or the problem doesn’t go away, visit your doctor or physical therapist who can accurately diagnose what is going on.

Dear Blaine,

I have been reading your newsletter for some time now and i love all your tips. My question however is this: Is it possible that running is a sport that will never develop for some people?

I am a triathlete with running as my weaker discipline. I am training for my first half- marathon and have started running many more miles than ever before. My frustration is that it never feels easier and my assumption that long runs of 8-10 miles would instantly translate to more comfortable or maybe even faster 5k times. No such luck for me.

I also incorporate hill runs, intervals on the treadmill, striders/sprints at the end. It still feels tough, like my body is tired. I try to eat as healthy as possible to fuel the machine, but alas I struggle with running. Any suggestions for those of us who want to run happy, but just feel genetically doomed?

Thanks,
Heather

Heather,

That’s a great question!

It is definitely true that some people are more genetically programmed to be good runners than others, and that only a small percentage of them actually go out and run (but that’s another subject…)

If your body is feeling tired while you are running, then there is probably something wrong with your training that isn’t right for you. I’m going to go on an assumption that you feeling run down for most of your run (and for the majority of them) based on how I read your email, so the first thing I think of is that it may be related to food.

Food, Diet & Running

You say that you are eating a healthy diet, which is always good, but when are you eating your meals? Do you eat anything before your runs so that you have some fuel while you are working out? Are you eating anything shortly after your workouts so that your body will have the fuel it needs to repair your muscles rather than just shutting down and leaving you sore? What foods are you eating before & after?

My next thought after singling out food would be that perhaps you are over training.

Overtraining and Hammering Workouts

How fast are you running? How hard are your other workouts during the week?

Are all of your runs some sort of hill workout or treadmill intervals or striders or sprints?

I have quite a few triathlete friends that have burnt themselves out by hammering 6 speed workouts a week (2 swimming, 2 biking and 2 running) plus doing a long run and then wondering why they’re so run-down and tired.

Their thinking is that if they use different muscle groups then they are still getting the chance to recover, and when they were younger that might even have been the case but now they are all having to start to slow down a little for at least half of those workouts or else switch up which discipline they concentrate on from week to week.

My first advice here might be to look at your overall schedule to see if you are trying to do back to back hard workouts (even if they are different disciplines) and also to look at whether it might be in your best interest to slow down on your runs.

Rest and Recovery

The third thing, which is very closely related, is how much rest are you getting each week? If you don’t recover from your workouts, you can’t improve.

Recovery is the process of repairing the damage done to your muscles during a workout, and every athlete needs some down time to give their muscles a chance before stressing them out again.

That doesn’t necessarily mean taking a day off completely, but it does mean that you do need some less intense workouts now and again.

(I go into a lot more detail on all 3 of those suggestions in my 3 Components of an Effective Workout report…)

The Effects of Boredom

The last suggestion I have without more details would be to look at where you are running. If you aren’t enjoying yourself, then maybe you should try changing things up.

If you are on a treadmill most of the time, try getting outside instead.

If you are always on the roads, then try finding some trails to run on.

If you usually run alone, join a club and find some running partners (just make sure they aren’t too fast for you if you are trying to slow down!)

What are your thoughts?

What advice would you give to Heather, or to another triathlete that might be having the same problem with her running (or swimming or biking for that matter?)

By the way, I did hear back from Heather, and she said that she is guilty of hammering 6 times a week (although one of those workouts was her long run) and that her pre-workout nutrition is basically non-existant.

(Photo Credits: Jimmy Harris & Matt Coats)

Have you ever bought a bad pair of shoes? I got an updated version of my favorite pair of shoes, which were only supposed to have had very minor changes. I went out for a long run, and had really tired and sore feet afterwards. They claimed they only made very minor changes, but my old pair with 500 miles feels more cushioned. Usually, the new pair leaves my feet and legs feeling happy.

I have gotten a bad pair of shoes before.

I bought a pair of my favorite trail shoes that didn’t last too long. I’ve got about 700 miles on my first pair and am still using them, and only got about 80 miles out of the second pair before the tread on the sole ripped apart.

I’ve gotten a few new pairs since then that have 60 miles and 100 miles on them and they seem like they are going to last just as long as the first pair.

That second pair clearly had some manufacturing problems because they had started showing signs they wouldn’t last within about 30 or 40 miles.

That said – I don’t usually have a problem going right into a long run or a race with a new pair of shoes of a model I know my feet like, but the problem here is more likely because you bought an updated version your shoes.

There’s no such thing as an updated version (no matter how minimal the changes) that shouldn’t be considered and distrusted like any other new shoe you try out. The shoe industry makes it’s money by constantly changing shoes up so that people have to stock up on the old models they like and buy new models to have the latest and greatest.

Obviously, there are some small shoes companies such as Loco or Vitruvian that you can be reasonably confident aren’t going to change their shoes from one model to the next, but they are the exception to the rule and base their marketing around that.

If you do get a defective pair of shoes, you can usually bring them back to the store you bought them from or contact the manufacturer for a refund or replacement pair. Especially if the shoes are obviously defective, you shouldn’t have too much of an argument with trading them in.

It’s hard to grasp for some folks that there are occasions when you might want to run 2 or even 3 times in the same day (not that I do that very often.)

Two weeks ago I answered Tom’s question about whether it is better to take an easy day or a rest day for improved recovery.

His original email actually included 2 questions, however, so here is the other half:

I do have one question regarding a marathon training plan. I’m targeting the Chicago Marathon this October with a goal to break 3:00. In looking at the various sources of training plans, I see quite a bit of variety in terms of the amount of speed work.

When building up mileage, is there as much benefit in two 4 miles runs (one in the AM and one in the PM) compared to one 8 mile run?

The choice between running singles (1 workout per day) or doubles (2 workouts per day) isn’t an either/or type of decision; it all depends upon what your goals are. In general, I’d opt for a single workout most of the time if I have a choice when I’m training for a marathon, because you will get more of an endurance benefit out of it.

However, that is not always practical given a busy life when you have to work 8 or 9 hours per day and when you want to spend time with your family, so the only way to get 8 miles in might be to go out for 2 runs of 4 miles.

Another reason I might split runs up is if I want some high quality work (especially an afternoon speed workout) and need the run in the morning to get my legs stretched out ahead of time.

If I’m going to try to work all day and then go straight into a speed workout, then it can sometimes be a little easier if I do a short and easy run in the morning, especially if I did some sort of tempo or long workout the day before. (This is especially relevant when I doing high intensity workouts and training for shorter distances where endurance isn’t the key muscle adaptation that I’m trying to create.)

In other words, it’s better to do the full workouts when you can, but it’s better to do double workouts than to skip a workout entirely (unless of course you need more rest than was called for in order to avoid getting injured, but that’s a separate topic.)

(Photo Credit: Mike Baird)

I really enjoyed your last email regarding the importance of the easy days. I’m sure that for most runners that ran competitively through HS and College, the concept of an easy day is hard to actually realize. I always remember being pushed even on the easy days. Our coach didn’t really know any better either.

On the topic of easy/recovery runs, do you think they really help you recover? After you’ve reached a certain level of fitness, do you still benefit from the “easy” miles? I’m excluding the long easy run of course. Sometimes I feel like I benefit more from a complete day of rest rather than a 5 to 8 mile easy run.

Thanks,
  Tom

When comparing an easy run versus a complete day off, it depends. Sometimes, I just need a day off or an easy walk and I’m good to go after that. Usually, though, I feel better after an easy run than I do before hand or if I skip a run completely.

Generally speaking, the more fit you are then the more often you’ll want to go for an easy run rather than take the day off. Of course, as you get older, it won’t matter how fit you are, you are probably going to need that day off now and again.

Right now, I tend to take a day off every 2 to 5 weeks, and then every 4 or 5 months I will take a few days off in a row as life demands or as I just need a break after a long season.

If you have trouble running easy enough on your easy days, then you are better off just going for a walk or taking the day off completely. Easy days only work if they are easy.

(Photo Credit: Giga Paitchadze)

Have you ever realized 2 or 3 weeks out from your race that your schedule ends a week or two early or else goes right through your race and has the race weekend actually happening after you are supposed to to the starting line?

About a week ago, I received this email in my inbox:

Hi Blaine-

I’m running Boston in a few weeks. I made a mistake on my training plan and I’m a week off and I wonder if you can give me some advice.

Somehow I counted the weeks incorrectly and my plan has two weeks left and the race is actually three weeks away. I’m concerned because I ran my last 20+ miler about 9 days ago and I should have done it on Sat (a couple of days ago) On Sat I ran 12mi and I’m not sure what to do next Saturday which will be two weeks out from the race.

Do I run another 12 miler or something longer? My guess is that there is no reason to run another 20 miler (I’ve done three) but I’m not sure. Ack!

Thank you for any ideas!

Susan

What do you think that Susan should have done?

The first thing that I needed to know about Susan was what sort of training plan she was on and the sort of mileage she was running, as well as how she was feeling.

Her training plan had her in the mid-40s mileage wise with her peak mileage just over 50 miles in a week. She was feeling pretty good without any excessive muscle soreness or fatigue.

My advice to Susan was to do a 15 to 16 miler this past weekend and then to run 10 to 11 miles next weekend, which would be 35% to 40% of her weekly mileage goals for her taper that she sent me.

I’ve found that for the mid-40s, a 3 week taper can sometimes be too much if you don’t have a lot of trauma to recover from, and since she was feeling well she’d be better off with a 2 to 2½ week taper.

Because Boston falls on a Monday, she gets an extra day for travel and rest for the weekend.

This is good as Susan will probably spend quite a bit of time on her feet walking around Boston and at the expo collecting her bib and chip.

My suggestion for marathon weekend in Boston is to try to pick up your things on Saturday and to avoid the crowds on Sunday, and instead to opt for an easy 2 to 4 mile jog to stretch out your legs and keep your systems cranking along in preparation for the Monday marathon.

Susan was pretty happy for the advice, as without the piece of paper in front of her telling her what to do she was worried that she might peak early and wouldn’t show up on race day in the best shape that she could. Now she has the peace of mind to get her workouts in and knows that she’ll be in the best shape that she can be on Patriot’s Day.

If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few tips that you can use to adjust your schedule:

• The easiest thing to do is to just repeat the past week (if your schedule ends early) or skip the next week (if your schedule ends too late) so that race day will fall on the correct weekend on your schedule.
• If you are only a couple of weeks away from your marathon and you are particularly sore or fatigued, then you may want to add a week to your taper so that your muscles have more of a chance to recover and you’ll have more time to rest before race day.
• If you are particularly sore of fatigued and you catch the gaff early enough, it might be worth putting in a cut-back week where you run fewer miles and/or less intense workouts than what might be scheduled before resuming where you left off.
• If you feel really good and the schedule only goes an extra week, then you might want to reduce your taper by a week and either skip the 2^nd to last week of your taper altogether or else follow the workouts for Monday through Wednesday of that week and then follow the Thursday through Saturday workouts for the last week of your scheduled taper.

Have you ever had a similar experience? How did you adjust your training schedule? Would you have suggested something different to Susan?

Her training had been going really well, she was just entering her taper, and she really didn’t want to quit running a mere week before her marathon. I told her that they’ll make another marathon and that she was better off listening to her doctor in this instance. She had a specific problem that running was going to exacerbate and the best way to get rid of the problem was rest.

She decided to follow my advice and skipped not only the Boston Marathon but also the Vermont City Marathon, which she had considered trying to jump into a month later. In fact, she took 8 full weeks away from running. What was the result? Well, I’ll let her tell you herself (emphasis mine):

Hi,

Just thought I’d give you an update, and thank you once again for all your advice this past spring. Instead of pushing it, I ended up taking 8 weeks off from running to allow the foot to start healing. I then set my sights on a fall marathon, and ran Philadelphia this past weekend. I ended up with a PR, 3:55 (first time I ever broke 4 hours) and qualified for Boston with 20 minutes to spare!

So thank you again for your advice about Boston, I’m glad I took it – even though I didn’t like it at the time! But it did pay off!

Thank you!

I have no problem with you doing a follow up or using my comments, especially if it can help someone else see that taking time off is not the end of the world, and in the long run can actually help. I read on RA all the time about people dealing with PF for months, and even years. My doctor had warned me it could be up to year especially if I kept trying to run thru the pain.

Instead, I dealt with the problem, then came back stronger then ever. After 2 months off, I was only able to get 5 months of training in before the marathon, but still PR’d by 7 minutes.

Great race, very well run. Little cold at the start, 26 degrees! This was my 13th marathon, and my favorite course. I was running with my training partner, and friend. She ran this course 2 years ago, so she knew where the historic sites were and pointed them out as we went along. It was flat enough to be a fast course, but with enough hills thrown in to give your legs a little break. I also enjoyed the out and back so that you could watch the front runners. Of course the crowds weren’t as large as in Boston, but they certainly were enthusiastic.

I did take the first mile a little fast, then settled down to a good pace, and never fluctuated more then 6 seconds each mile. Even though it was cold, I made sure to hydrate at each water stop, plus with all the ice on the road from the thrown cups, you really did have to slow down as you went thru each stop. I’ve never felt better during a marathon, I even picked it up for the last half mile passing quite a few runners.

I was surprised when I checked the results today and found out I placed 4th in my age group! The finisher pictures in front of an American flag at the end were a nice touch, and the hot chicken broth really hit the spot! It was a painful 1.2 mile walk back to the hotel, but 2 days later I feel fine and ready to run again!

– Jane

Congratulations on a great race in Philadelphia, Jane, and I’m glad that you were able to rest up from your over training and use that as a base to start a new (injury free) season.

Sometimes we push our bodies so hard and for so long that the best thing that we can do is to just step away for a little while and let some recovery happen, and then to allow ourselves enough time to build our base back up while we train for our next goal event.

I’m glad that it worked out well for Jane and that she ran such a great time in Philly, and I hope that if you ever get a serious injury that you can also have such great success.

If you have any stories about your own injuries and how you overcame them (or they overcame you) then I’d love to hear them, either in the comments below or in an email.

(Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon)

I’m a 54 year old female training for my 7^th Boston. I peaked 3 weeks ago at 60 miles, and ran 45 miles 2 weeks ago, but last week I was diagnosed with plantar fascitis and a heel spur. I was told no running, I’ve been biking for 1 1/2 weeks, anti-inflammatories, lots of stretching & ice, and my PT has been doing iontophoresis treatments on my heel to help reduce the swelling.

I know I probably won’t be able to do another BG on Monday, but do you think I have a chance of running the whole thing? How much endurance have I lost by biking instead of running during my taper? Should I just wait and go for an easy run this weekend and see how it feels? I really hate to miss a Boston Marathon, but I also don’t want to do more damage.

Has something like this ever happened to you? It certainly has for me. Jane emailed me to ask me to be the voice of reason, so I unfortunately had to give her an opinion that I knew she did not really want to hear but probably knew that she should.

Runners can be very stubborn. When I was in high school, I tried talking my coach into letting me race with a broken ankle once. I even purposefully didn’t get it x-rayed for a week so that I’d have a chance to race. The fact is, though, that sometimes racing is just going to do more damage and when you weigh the risks versus the rewards it just doesn’t make sense.

Janet Hamilton, one of the instructors in the RRCA coaching certification class that I attended a few weeks ago, summed up the appropriate response really well. She said that the next time somebody asks you a question similar to what Jane asked me, I should tell them, “They’ll make another marathon.”

The marathon is a distance that you need to respect. Jane was diagnosed with plantar fascitis barely a week ago, so chances are pretty low that she is going to be in any shape to run for that sort of a distance or for that long on her feet without damaging herself further. My wife got plantar fascitis a week or two before she was going to run her first marathon, and she had to scratch the race back when we first met. She had the exact same thoughts going through her head as are going through Jane’s right now.

Right now, I don’t believe that Jane really needs to worry about any loss in her level of fitness. She is an experienced marathoner, and has peaked at 60 miles, so presumably she has been averaging 45+ miles per week for at least the last few months. While Jane may have deconditioned a little compared to a normal taper, she still has a pretty high level of fitness and if she were uninjured but still taking a similar layoff from running she would still be able to run.

I had some very minor plantar fascitis issues a couple of years back, though, and I basically had to take 5 weeks off before I was able to even consider running more than a few miles per week. If Jane’s doctor is saying no running then I would be inclined to agree with him.

Further evidence that Jane needs rest comes from the excessive swelling that she is experiencing. I am not a doctor and have never pretended to be one, but reducing the swelling from an injury may not necessarily be a good idea. Swelling is a necessary evil in order to heal, so constantly eliminating the swelling may prolong the healing process. Since Jane has been seeing her doctor and a physical therapist, they probably have the best idea for what is appropriate for her, but it is something that you may want to keep in mind if you are self-diagnosing your own injuries.

Here is part of Jane’s response after I told her as much (emphasis mine):

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but it is what expected! I guess I just needed another experienced runner to tell me. I’ve had too many doctors tell me I should give up running at my age so I don’t have a lot of faith in their opinions. [...] I hate to think that my training will go to waste, so was wondering if I would be ready to do Vermont City in 6 weeks. Any thoughts on that idea?

I cringe when I hear of doctors that discourage exercise. I can think of nothing better for somebody at Jane’s age than to run, but then again I can’t think of anything better for anybody of any age. It especially boggles my mind given Jane’s experience of running at least 7 marathons. If your doctor ever suggests that you quit running without a really good reason, you may want to consider finding a new one or at least questioning the doctor pretty closely before following through on his “advice.”

The biggest problem of course comes when you are hurt. As runners, we tend to be pretty set with our tunnel vision and don’t want to skip runs, but sometimes the choice literally might be between a month off or a year off depending upon whether we take the rest our body is telling us we need or if we keep running anyway and wind up doing further damage.

There are two things to bear in mind when you are overcoming an injury. First, you need to give your body the rest that it needs in order to recover. That may or may not involve a complete stop to your daily or weekly runs depending upon the injury, but it will almost certainly require that you at least decrease the duration and intensity of your workouts.

The second trick to overcoming your injury is to determine what caused the injury in the first place. If you do not know what caused your injury, then you are very likely to just get injured again as soon as you restart your training regimen. Any time that I start to feel any aches or pains, I look immediately at my shoes to determine if they are at fault. Are the shoes that I’ve been wearing appropriate to the kind of shape that I am in and the sort of workouts that I am doing? How many miles do they have on them, and are they ready to be replaced? Often times, you can solve most of your problems by replacing old shoes or shoes that are not appropriate for your body type. Problems with your feet can manifest themselves in your legs or even in your hips.

If the shoes are not what is at fault, then the next likely cause will be the way that you are training. If you increase the duration or the intensity of your training before your body has had an opportunity to adapt itself to a level that can handle those sorts of workouts, then you are almost always going to hurt yourself. Especially going into an endurance race like the marathon, it is almost better to be a little undertrained than a little overtrained.

Getting back to Jane’s questions, I do not think that the Vermont City Marathon is necessarily out of her reach as an alternative race to Boston. Then again, I do not think that it is necessarily within her reach either. Looking forward to it as a goal may be worthwhile, but Jane’s first priority should be towards recovering from her injuries. After that, she needs to get back to her training in such a way that she does not reaggravate anything that still may not be at 100% or even cause new injuries. Compensation injuries are not uncommon when you try running on something that is already hurt and you adjust your style of running as a result.

Whether Jane is ready or not will depend upon the severity of her injuries and on how fast she manages to recover. The wiser course may be to start considering a late Summer or Autumn marathon instead, but assuming that she is as addicted to running as most of the runners that I know (including myself) I would not be surprised if she kept Vermont in mind for her next Marathon. Hopefully she will recover well enough to be able to safely run the marathon, and if not then hopefully she will be smart enough to recognize that she is better off skipping it.

Table of contents for Going Local (April)

1. Going Local » The Red Bull Flug Tug
2. How do you find people to run with?
3. Benefits of Sharing a Home Gym
4. How to find an inaugural race (or any local race)

In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about some things that you might be able to do locally throughout the month of April. This week, I’d like to answer a question from Lisa about how to find a local running club. She asked:

I am looking for a running group in my area. I live in Mesa, Arizona and my zipcode is 85207. If you have any information about this matter please advise.

Thank you.

The difficulty in finding people to run with in your area can vary dramatically based on where you live and at what speed you like to run. Some areas are full of fitness minded people who just like to go out and get a jog in, whereas in other areas you will get nothing but strange looks and comments (or worse) as you run by people. Even in an area where people do run, it can be difficult to find ones who train at the same pace as you.

Types of Running Groups

There are a few steps that you can take to find people in your area to run with. The first thing that you need to do is to decide what type of people you are going to look for. There are 3 basic groups of people that you might find that you can run with, and note that these groups are not mutually exclusive:

1. Running Partners: These are semi-random people that you get together with to go out for a run. For example, getting together with a friend or a neighbor would constitute finding a running partner.
2. Running Clubs: These are groups of people who get together to train and (usually) to socialize. They may be led by a coach who will help you get into shape safely, or it may just be a group of running partners that just kept getting larger and decided to become more formal and regular of a group. Clubs may or may not have dues, may or may not have a formal structure or charter, and may or may not compete in local races together.
3. Running Teams: These are similar to clubs, except that they tend to be much more competitive and may or may not involve coaching or training together. Most running teams compete in some sort of league or division and require that you pay dues and/or meet some set of criteria in order to join. For example, most colleges have cross country and track teams that compete in the NCAA, and many communities will have teams that compete in local USATF racing series.

So what is the best way to find running partners, clubs or teams that are in your area?

Local Races

The absolute easiest and most effective way to find people to run with is to go to a local race. There are a few different ways to find people to run with when you are at a local race, which is why most people will have the most luck this way.

• See who is running nearby. When you actually run the race, look around at the people around you. If they are racing near you, then they probably train at your pace and might make for a good candidate as a running partner. Strike up a conversation and see if there is anybody that lives nearby. You may even recognize a neighbor or friend that you didn’t realize ran.
• Look at people’s running clothes. Almost all teams and many clubs provide racing singlets or t-shirts to their members so that people can tell what team or club they belong to while they are racing. These groups of people may not race near one another depending upon their individual talents and where they are in their training, but they will usually congregate near one another before and after the race and are very obvious.
• Look at the registration forms. Many races will have a table with registration forms for other area races, and nearly all races will have a registration form for their own race. Take a look at these forms to see who sponsors them and who puts them on. It is not uncommon for a local running club to manage a lot of the local races. There may even be advertisements for local clubs mixed in with all of the race registration forms.
• Talk to everybody. Not only runners, but volunteers, spectators and race organizers may know of local running clubs or training groups that you could join. Make small talk with everybody you come in contact with and ask them about it. Most people at a small race are pretty friendly and willing to help out, at least in my experience.

Shoe Stores

Is there a specialty running store in your area? If so, that will probably be the second best place to find out about local clubs in your area. A specialty running store will almost always be owned by somebody that is involved in the local running community and will likely be runners themselves. Very often, the staff will be very knowledgeable and passionate about the local running scene as well. It is also not uncommon for the customers in specialty running stores to be a wealth of knowledge about the area. Again, it is well worth just heading in and chatting with everybody you meet inside.

Some local running stores may even offer training groups, coaching or just a place to meet for local clubs. Take a look at any bulletin boards for flyers and business cards.

Websites

Whenever possible, I try to find people to run with in person. Another option is to search online. Here are a few websites that are worth searching:

• RRCA Club Listings: The Road Runners Club of America allows you to search for clubs registered with them by state or by keyword. This is a “safe” option for finding a local club because the club will have had to register itself with the RRCA, pay its annual dues, and uphold a basic set of rules in order to remain a club in good standing.
• USATF Member Associations: USA Track & Field is the governing body of amateur and professional running in the United States. They are another good resource for finding local running clubs. If you are looking for a competitive team, you may find one with the RRCA but will probably have more luck by searching through the USATF listings.
• Google: Google is one of the best search engines on the internet right now, and a simple query such as “running club in city, state” (replacing city and state with where you live obviously) will return the websites of local running clubs. Your success may vary using this method, and you also have the added danger that the team or club website that you find is not appropriate or safe to join. You may find a great group of people to run with this way, but you will need to be a little more careful than you would by going through the RRCA or USATF websites.
• Cool Running: I put this site after Google because I do not know how well maintained this website will be now that they have been bought by Active. Cool Running maintains a list of running clubs organized by state, and also maintains lists of clubs outside of the United States.
• RRCA Coach Listings: The RRCA maintains a list of certified coaches that you can search on as well as a list of registered clubs. You may not directly find a running club or team by searching the list of coaches, but if you do not find anything local under the club search then it is worth seeing if there is a local running coach. Chances are good that an RRCA certified coach will be a part of a local running group or will at least know of any that are nearby.
• Running Ahead User Groups: Running Ahead is my training log software of choice, and it has an excellent user community attached to it through the forums. You can find regional groups and running clubs through here. Searching can be a little painstaking, but its well worth it if your area has an active group. I find that the conversations in the groups are often better than in the general forums. (Hat Tip: Perry)

If you live in the United States, then I highly recommend using one the RRCA or USATF websites. These are the sites that I have used to good effect in the past when I have moved into a new area, but if you know of any other good ones then feel free to leave a comment below and I will add it to the list. I don’t have much experience searching for clubs outside of the United States, so definitely leave a comment if you know of any good websites to search in other countries.

Gyms, Health Clinics, and Fighting Clubs

Another option for finding running partners or clubs is to check your local fitness center, gym or health clinic. Associations such as the YMCA may also be a good resource if you haven’t had any luck with the previous methods. I have not had much luck finding running partners through the gyms that I have belonged to, but I have seen some that advertise running programs and it isn’t uncommon for me to meet runners that I already know working out at the same time as me.

Another option is to find a local fighting club and speak with a coach or some of the fighters before their workout. Combat athletes have a tendency to run a lot to keep in shape, and the club should be more than willing to help pair you up with a fighter to run with even if you are not a member because that helps the club just as much as it helps you. The types of people that are attracted to competing in combat also tends to be the type of person who is more committed, punctual, and enthusiastic, so they make for great running partners. (Hat Tip: Fight Geek)

Your Neighborhood

The last option is to just keep an eye out your window or to keep your head up while you are running in your own neighborhood. You may see somebody run by at about your pace that is worth meeting. I will admit that I have rarely found people that live nearby that train at the same pace as I do, but I am always open to meeting new people on a run and I have a good idea of who runs by my house on a regular basis.

You also never know who you might meet. I met my wife by running by her at a local park while she was stretching on a park bench and I was jig jogging in between repeats. We may not run at anywhere near the same pace, and we may not train next to each other regularly, but we certainly enjoy running together now and again.

Reader Suggestions

So what are your favorite methods for finding people to run with? Is there anything glaringly obvious that I’ve left off of the list that you feel should be there? Let me know in the comments so that I can add them to the list.

My general advice on any track, especially smaller tracks that you find indoors, is to switch your direction of travel on a regular basis if at all possible. If you aren’t sure what is available, then by default you should be running counter-clockwise (making left turns) as that is the standard direction that most people will expect you to be running in. There are a few things to bear in mind, though.

1. There may be rules about which way you go – make sure that you follow them. Some tracks have clockwise on even days and counter clockwise on odd days or something similar, but not all do so be sure to check ahead of time.
2. If nobody is on the track, then feel free to do whatever you want – be ready to conform to the rules if somebody else wants to use it at the same time as you though.
3. Know which lanes you can walk in and which ones you can run in – also be aware that some tracks may have walking lanes that go in the opposite directions as the running lanes. No matter which direction they go, be sure you know which lanes are which. On an outdoor track, the walking lanes are usually to the outside, but on an indoor track (especially small ones like the one that Rachel is using) the walking lanes are usually to the inside. The smaller the track, the more difficult it is to take the turns at the corners when you are running.
4. At low mileage and speeds there probably is nothing to worry about – so if the track you use has rules about always going in one direction then there probably isn’t a lot to worry about if you are just walking a few miles at a time. As you get into better shape or if you spend more time walking or running on an indoor track, you can stress your legs in an unnatural way and cause an overuse injury by always making tight turns in the same direction, and at that point you will want to look for alternatives.

I got a few good track workouts in this Winter on a local 200 meter indoor track. Last year I did some repeats running clockwise, but this year I only ran my intervals in the inside lanes and in one direction as I was always sharing the track with others. I did my warm up and my cool down laps in the opposite direction of my intervals as I was going a lot slower and was using the outside lanes, which gave me more warning when I went around turns that somebody was coming. The track that I use had tennis players on the infield so they kept the sides down to prevent the tennis balls from hitting the runners too often.

Tracks are a good way to supplement your workouts and can provide a little variety if you are used to only running on a treadmill. Whenever possible, I recommend getting outside if you can. Another option is to find a sports arena such as a hockey rink and run around the outside of the stands if there is a clear path. Running on the concrete above the ice rink in college beat up our legs, but some days there was just no getting outside and it provided a welcome change from the tiny odd-shaped track that we had available at the time.

(Photo Credit: Isaac and Aaron Goldberg)

Generally speaking, your body is only able to process so much of any particular nutrient at any given time. There are also certain substances that will help your body to absorb vitamins and minerals, and others that will block your body from absorbing them. For example, having vitamin D in your system can help your body absorb calcium, while caffeinated coffee or tea can interfere with the process.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you are taking any sorts of prescription medications or have any medical work coming up; excessive vitamins and minerals can sometimes have an averse reaction or cause problems that your doctor will be able to warn you about.

If you are going to take any sort of supplement, then you should take it with a meal. If you are going to take a multivitamin, then you should take any other vitamins at a different time of the day. For example, my wife takes a multivitamin with breakfast, and vitamin C with dinner. If she took the vitamin C with breakfast, then her body would be unable to absorb most of it. If you have a pill splitter, you can take part of a pill at different times of the day.

If you can, try to get as many of your vitamins and minerals as you can through the foods that you eat. If you eat regularly throughout the day and include plenty of fruits and vegetables, then you probably do not need to supplement.

Photo by boxercab

I was recently asked what do you do when a dog is not on a leash, and it looks like it may want to chase you?

I have had mostly good luck following the steps below, but I will also be the first to admit that I have also been bitten before. I have not been bitten very many times, and I plan on continuing to follow these steps as being the least intrusive to my run, the least danger to both myself and to the dog, and from my own experience has the highest success rate.

What to do when a dog chases you:

1. Stare down at the dog before he really starts making his move, even if you have to slow down and/or walk backwards.
2. Make an effort to move away from his turf or his owner so that he doesn’t feel as threatened while you are asserting your dominance, which is what you are doing in step number 1. Move slowly; you want to discourage the dog from chasing you, and not give it a new game.
3. Talk to the dog and try to calm it down. I will usually say, “Good puppy” or something like that in a soothing voice to try to calm the dog down and show that I am not a threat. It probably helps that I have a deep voice.
4. If he makes a break for you, stop and bring your hands, arms and legs in towards your body. If you are a man, put your hands in front of your crotch so that the dog can not bite you there. You want your body to be in a straight line so that there is nothing hanging off of you for the dog to attack and grab hold of. Many dogs are just friendly want to play with you or check you out; I don’t assume that the dog going to bite me until it does, but I also do not want to make it easier for the dog to injure me.
5. If you are bit by the dog, kick it in the head. If you can, try to kick it below its muzzle on its chin as that will cause the most pain while being the least likely to permanently injure the dog. The goal is to give it one good lick that will teach it not to bite runners in the future and hopefully confusing or hurting it enough to leave you alone in the present. Get away from the dog, and call the game warden or your local sheriff at the first possible convenience.
6. Start moving away or continue your run depending upon whether the dog just wants to sniff you or is being playful or is still threatening to bite. Unless you were bit, do not move too fast until there is some distance between you and the dog. You can probably out run a dog over the long haul, but in a sprint you are all too likely to lose.

Photo by James CharronWhen I am confronted by a dog, I do not want to hurt it. If I am attacked, though, I will do what I have to in order to protect myself. It is not the dog’s fault if it attacks you; it is the dog’s owner’s fault. A dog should not be let to run loose in a settled area without supervision; in many places that is illegal.

If a dog chases you off of its property, then you should call the sheriff or game warden even if it does not bite you. The owner will probably get upset with you no matter what happens, but if they have been served a warning to keep their dog under control then there is a slim chance that they might actually put it on a leash or stand outside with it to keep it under control. This will make the dog less likely to hurt a runner or a passing child or anybody else, and it will also protect the dog from getting hurt by traffic.

If you are bit by a dog, and it breaks your skin, then you should probably go to the emergency room and make sure that you are up to date on any vaccinations and shots that you might need, as well as to patch up any tears that you can not treat yourself at home. Rabies is not the only thing that you would need to worry about, and in fact is probably unlikely, but the treatment right after you are bit is much less painful than the treatment that you would get if you gave yourself time to succumb to the infection.

What others do when a dog chases you:

My method is not the only way of dealing with dogs, and it may not even be the best method. Here are some other methods that people I know have tried to varying degrees of success:

1. Run away as fast as possible. I am not a fan of this method, as it only encourages the dog to chase you. If you have enough of a lead, then you might be able to get far enough away that it will give up and go home, but I do not really trust my sprinting abilities that much.
2. Carry mace or pepper spray. Mace or pepper spray can be useful not only against dogs but also against two-legged assailants. I do not like carrying anything more on a run then I have to, though, and 99% of the time I do not get chased. Another problem that weapons pose are that they can be used against you, and are really only useful if you want to hurt something. I prefer not to hurt the dog until it has definitively shown me that I am in danger.
3. Throw an imaginary rock. I have never tried this, but I have heard a few people use this method. Maintain eye contact with the dog and reach down to the ground for a rock, even if there isn’t one there. Stand up, cock your arm, and make a throwing motion at the dog. Supposedly, this will usually scare the dog away. If it doesn’t, though, then you are only teaching the dog that he doesn’t have to be afraid of you, and may encourage him to attack you. I have never tried this, though.
4. Yell, clap your hands, and stomp your feet. While I have on occasion yelled to make a noise and startle the dog, I have had less success compared to trying to use a soothing voice. The problem with clapping your hands or stomping your feet is that it provides a target for the animal and might encourage it to jump on you if it isn’t startled away.

My dog history

I have been chased by numerous dogs before. Sometimes, the dog will want to run with me, and even had one keep up for about 9 or 10 miles. I had to drive it home, since there was a river and a few bridges in between the end of our run and the dog’s home.

Usually, the dog is only trying to protect its home or its owner, and is satisfied when I leave them both in peace and move away. My run might slow down for the 20 seconds it takes to pass a driveway, but otherwise we both manage to get along just fine.

Photo by Lance McCordNow and again, a dog will really want to play and be friendly, but it is hard to tell the difference sometimes between a dog tearing after you to play and dog chasing you to hunt. I have also been bitten by a dog before when it wanted to play, and it obviously was not trying to hurt me so I just let it be. He was just overly excited and his owner had slipped on the ice and lost control of him.

And a couple of times, I have been bit. When I lived in Connecticut, there was a dog that chased me any time that it was outside when I ran by. I was in my teens and it had not yet occurred to me that I could call the game warden to control the animal. After it had chased me perhaps 8 or 9 times, it managed to catch up to me once before I was far enough away from its house for it to lose interest, and it bit my leg. That was the first time (of only twice) that I have felt a need to kick the dog. It yelped and ran away, and it never bothered me again.

The second time I was attacked by a dog and felt a need to kick it, the dog bit at my hip through my winter running clothes and clawed at my legs. Thankfully, I had full length pants on. The owner threatened to call the police on me when I had the gall to kick his dog when the dog ran out of his yard, ran across the street, and attacked me. I told him to go ahead and kept moving, and then called the police a few minutes later when I got home.

That guy gave me the evil eye every time I ran by and he was outside after that, but he always grabbed his dog when he saw me coming. Unfortunately, I think he only controlled the dog when he saw me coming, because about a year and a half later the dog had to be put down when it attacked a kid on a bicycle. It was not the dog’s fault, but I guarantee that the dog’s owner still has not taken responsibility for what happened.

That was a lone occurrence, though, and the vast majority of my interactions with dogs while I have been running have been friendly or at least brief and uneventful. Most domesticated dogs will not attack you, especially if you do not give them a reason to.

Have you ever been chased or attacked by a dog? What have you done to protect yourself, and how effective was it? Do you have any good tips that I can add to my list above?

If you are fine when you are running, but get numb legs or feet when you finish, then take note of what you do when you finish your run. When I was in high school, I would often head straight to the rest room when I got done running. The toilets were a little lower than they needed to be, and I was cutting off the circulation in my legs. My problem went away as soon as I started standing around for a few minutes after my run before sitting down anywhere, especially somewhere that involved creating less than a 90 degree angle with my legs.

Photo by CAZASCOIf your legs or feet go numb when you are running, then 90% of the time you will have one of two problems. The first cause for numb feet or legs is that you have your shoes laced too tightly. While it is possible that you are cutting off circulation at the ankle, the more likely problem comes from having the laces pulled too tightly near your toes. There is a blood vessel on the top of your foot that can be easily compressed.

Do not make your shoelaces too loose, though, because you will be more likely to trip or give yourselves blisters. What might be too tight one day may make for a perfect fit the next day, depending upon how swollen your feet are before and during your run. It is normal for your feet to swell up to a slightly larger size throughout the day, especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet. They can also swell up a little during a run.

The second cause for numb feet or legs has to do with your shoes. Do your shoes fit properly? Are they a half size or full size too small or too large? Are they new shoes or do they have a few miles on them? When you bought your shoes, did you have running socks with you and wait until later in the day to try the shoes on? Did you seek the help of an expert at a specialty running store?

Improperly fitting shoes can easily lead to numbness. They can cut off circulation and/or apply pressure at points on your foot that does not really work well with your specific biomechanics. You may not even feel any problems with your feet; biomechanical problems caused by your shoes can travel up your leg and manifest in your ankles, calves, or knees. Your biomechanics can change as you get into better (or worse) shape throughout an exercise program, especially if you experience a large weight change or change in body composition.

A third problem with numb legs may be related to trauma, but these reasons are far less likely than tight shoelaces or improperly fitting shoes. Jim Manatel had to stop running after he damaged a nerve during a run after overtraining his body and not stretching enough after his runs.

If numbness persists anywhere in your body for any length of time, you should visit your doctor and get the problem diagnosed. Like many illnesses or injuries, early treatment (or prevention) can save you a lot of pain and grief in the future.

Have you ever had any problems with numbness during your workouts? Has it only happened in isolated incidents, or have you had recurring problems? How did you solve your problems with numbness, or are you still suffering from them? Share your stories in the comments.

Training Runs

During training runs, you don’t really need to worry about drinking anything while you are running if you are well hydrated at the start of the run and are running for less than an hour. Depending upon conditions, you might be able to go for 90 minutes or so without drinking anything extra. Alternatively, you might only be able to go 30 minutes safely. It all depends upon the environment you are running in that day and your own physiology. If you are not sure if you are well enough hydrated, then assume that you are not. Read my article, “How to Hydrate,” for tips and instructions about getting yourself well hydrated to begin with.

On training runs, I will have water when it is convenient but I do not go out of my way to make sure that there is water available unless I am running in the 20+ mile range (over 2 hours) or unless it is going to be a really hot day and I am running more than 75 minutes or so. Anything shorter than that and on cooler days, then I will just make sure that I have water waiting for me when I am done. I do drink it when it is available, of course, and if I am doing any kind of speed work then I will try to make it available for between repeats.

Racing

During a race, I will usually take water at most (if not all) of the aid stations. I tend to run through them. If you pinch the sides of the cup together, you can make a smaller hole to pour the water out of on one side, and a hole to allow air into the cup at the other. This lets you drink the water without spilling it all over yourself or doing your best impersonation of a drowning person. If you carry your own water, then a sports cap will make it a little easier for you to pour the water into your mouth and drink small amounts at a time.

Running through water stops and aid stations is an acquired skill; if possible, have somebody out with some water on a training run or run a small race where you can practice if you want to get really good at it. Slowing down or walking is a perfectly good option, especially in a long race.

The faster that you can keep moving during a race, though, the better that your time is theoretically going to be. Do not sacrifice your race by trying not to lose a few seconds if you have not yet gotten the knack for drinking on the run, but do practice during your training runs so that you can see how much or how little that you need to slow down when you get to the water stops.

Tips and Strategies

If there are trash barrels out, please try to throw your cup into the trash so that the volunteers don’t have to collect it and so that another runner doesn’t slip on it. This was a big problem when I ran the New York City Marathon. Be sure to watch out for flying appendages when you are going through a water stop, both from your own body and from those around you. While I love telling the story about how I was punched by an Olympic gold medalist, most people aren’t so lucky and it is certainly something that I hope to avoid in the future. Read my race etiquette tips for other ways to get safely through an aid station.

When you are racing, if you only have enough water in your cup to drink or to pour on your head, always opt to drink it. Drinking the water is more effective at cooling your body down than pouring it on your head. If it is really hot and you have enough water to do both, then go for it. When I get a full cup at an aid station (8 to 10 ounces+, say) then I will usually take a sip and then pour the rest on my head and face. Or, since it is full, I will just let myself spill the water on my face and chest as I drink it and call it good. That works too.

You should try not to drink too much water at once when you are running or right after you get done running; instead, aim at drinking a little water spread out over a short period of time. Drinking too much water at once can dilute your blood, which can lead to faster excretion of the water by your kidneys. Taking half of an hour after your run to drink that 30 ounces of water will probably do you better than drinking it all at once as soon as you are done.

Gel Packs and Food

If you are going to be consuming gel packs or any other kind of food during your race, then I recommend that you slow down a little. I never try to take a gel pack or eat while I am running at or near full speed because accidently inhaling your food and then coughing it out of your nose is not a very pleasant sensation.

I also recommend waiting until you are approaching an aid station if you do not carry your water with you so that you can drink some water after consuming the gel pack or food. Water will help you digest whatever you ate so that you can actually use it for fuel, and it will also help keep your stomach from getting too upset.

Practice makes perfect

I can not reiterate enough how important it is to practice. It is not a difficult skill to master, but it can take a little while to get the hang of drinking on the run. When you try to run too fast and drink water at the same time, you will choke yourself and wind up having to stop and heave until you can clear your windpipe.

Make an effort to have somebody holding water for you on a training run, or run a few short races before you get to your goal race. During these practice races, if there is enough water for everybody then double back and go through a water stop twice. I never would have thought of doing that until a man I met after the Boston Marathon this year told me that he ran through the Wellesley Tunnel twice. I wish that I’d been that brilliant!

Remember to pinch the cup, and slow down enough to keep from choking. As you get better, you will be able to stay closer to your race pace while drinking the water, until eventually the real trick will be grabbing the cup of water without spilling it on the volunteer handing it to you! And don’t forget to toss your empty cup into a trash barrel or off the side of the course to make it easier for the volunteers and safer for your fellow runners.

• 
  Photo by Dawn PerryAsk the lifeguard. The easiest way to determine the size of a swimming pool is just to ask somebody at the pool who knows.
• Check the pool for markings. Most pools will mark the pool at regular intervals along the edges. Just be careful not to confuse distance markers with depth markers.
• Mark a rope. You could use floating lane dividers for this purpose if you are not worried about being precise, but if you mark a rope at regular intervals and then attach the ends of the rope to the edges of the pool, you can easily determine the length. The easiest method is for one person to hold the end of the rope at one edge, and for a second person to carry the rope to the far edge and pull it taught to mark where the pool edge lies. Check the marks on the rope to determine the length. A long tape measure could also be used along the edge of the pool.
• Determine the circumference of a round pool. If you are not swimming in a standard Olympic sized swimming pool, but are in an oddly shaped or round pool, then you need to determine how you will be swimming your laps and measure accordingly. If you are going to swim along the outside edge of an above ground pool, then determine the approximate circumference by determining the diameter and multiplying it by 3. The diameter is the distance from one edge of the pool to the other while passing through the center of the pool. The actual circumference would be measured by multiplying by Pi, a mathematical constant that is approximately 3.14. The distance that you swim will be less than the circumference of the pool, however, as you will not be swimming through the outside edge and will be to the inside a bit. Multiplying by 3 will still give you a long estimate, but makes the math easier. Placing a rope in the pool is probably an easier way to measure, and bound to be more accurate. You will need some way of keeping the rope floating through your approximate swim path.

I’ve never used a swiss ball, although I’ve used those balls that are weighted. Is there a difference? I’m down to trying anything new when it comes to ab work.

It turns out that she does in fact have a swiss ball, she just had not heard the terms that I refer to them as before. Below I have provided a brief description of medicine balls and swiss balls, as well as their ugly step-brother the bosu ball.

Swiss Balls

Swiss balls are large inflatable rubber balls. Other common terms for it that I can think of off of the top of my head are exercise balls, stability balls, gym balls, sports balls, fitness balls, balance balls, yoga/pilates balls, body balls, and therapy balls.

The advantage of using a swiss ball rather than a hard surface is that your more of your muscles need to be engaged while you are exercising in order for you to counteract the instability of the ball. This is especially good when you want to work on your core muscles, which contribute to your balance.

You can also use swiss balls in place of a chair, which is useful if you are an otherwise sedentary person or if you are having some back pains. I have not tried this for more than about 10 minutes, though, and I recommend talking to your doctor or physical therapist before deciding to give up chairs on anything approaching a regular basis.

Medicine Balls

Medicine balls are the weighted balls that look similar in size and texture to a basketball, although they are usually a bit smaller and can sometimes have handles. They are usually made of leather or rubber, and are filled with sand, plastic pellets or (in the homemade variety) rice. They usually weigh between 3 and 18 pounds.

Medicine balls can be used like dumbbells by doing lifts such as squats or presses. Where they really shine, though, is in core work where you can toss the balls off of a wall or to a friend. When doing situps, they are a little easier to hold against your chest than a dumbbell and are much easier to toss around for a more dynamic workout.

A unique advantage for medicine balls that I have never had any desire to do is to have somebody drop them on your stomach while you are doing situps. This is a popular exercise for boxers to condition their gut to getting punched.

Bosu Balls

Bosu balls are fairly similar to swiss balls except that they look as though they were cut in half. They have a flat, rigid bottom with a gel filled semi-circular top.

They are called bosu balls because there is no top or bottom. Bosu stands for “both sides up” (or “both sides utilized”) and can give your muscles a unique stability challenge. If you put the rigid side down, then you need to balance your body against a ground that is not even and which moves beneath you based upon your center of gravity. If you put stand on the rigid side and have the ball side down, then the bosu ball will act like a balance board where your feet are firmly planted on it but it will wobble back and forth.

I most often use bosu balls with the rigid side down when I do shoulder presses in order to work on my balance.

Examples

My photographer moved to Massachusetts so I haven’t been doing new demos for way too long, and I never got around to doing swiss ball crunches or any medicine ball or bosu ball work. Here are a few other swiss ball exercises that I have written about and demonstrated before, though:

• How to do a bridge on a swiss ball
• How to do dumbbell “bench” presses on a swiss ball

Most exercises that can be done on a bench can be done on a swiss ball, and many that are done standing up can also be done while sitting on a swiss ball or standing on a bosu ball. It adds a nice dynamic that makes your muscles work together to keep you balanced. You can also substitute medicine balls in many exercises that utilize dumbbells or kettle balls. (Kettle balls are basically just lumps of iron with a handle that are engineered to be awkward to handle.)

So now that you know the difference between these useful tools, what are your favorite exercises that utilize them?

This should probably go thru the website, but here it is anyway:

I had a member ask me today about pain in his legs and based on what he described and showed me, I think he has posterior shin splints. I suspect flat-footedness, but he also squats heavy and lifts heavy in general. He says the pain backs off after about a mile, but comes back. I think he said he ran about 8.5 on Sunday…

I told him ice for sure, which he is doing, and maybe some over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs and maybe 7-10 days of no running.

Any thoughts? Have you run into this before with any runners you know? Have you ever tried “arch-strapping”? I noticed that is a some-times cure for pain associated with flat-footedness.

I do think the guy is somewhat flat-footed.

What are posterior shin splints?

Posterior shin splits are a very common running injury. The most common culprits are excessively worn running shoes and doing too much hill or speed work before preparing your body for that sort of workout. He is probably suffering from tight calf muscles which is exacerbating the problem.

Posterior shin splints are an inflammation of the tendons that attach to the inner side of the shin bone and causes pain in the inner surface of your shin bone extending down to the arches in your feet. They can often mask an underlying stress fracture, especially when there is acute pain and swelling. If he does have a stress fracture, then the best advice is to take time off from running for at least a few weeks or even a few months.

How do I treat posterior shin splints?

Assuming that he does not have a stress fracture, then I would say that taking a few days off from running and getting some swimming or biking in should help a lot while maintaining his level of fitness. I would also cut back on speed work for at least a week or two. The first thing to do when nagging pains start to appear is to follow the RID or RICE methods of injury treatment. It is important to try and determine what is causing the pain in the first place, though, so that it will not return once he starts running full weekly mileage again.

He should start stretching his calf muscles after every run, whether his shins are hurting or not. Icing immediately after a run will help to reduce any swelling, as will ibuprofen. After icing to reduce the swelling, applying heat will bring fresh blood into the area which can aid in repairing any damage, but will also cause the swelling to come back. I don’t recommend heat when there is already swelling. My theory is to ice early and ice often. My favorite method of icing from the ease of use standpoint and the use of time standpoint would have to be giving myself a short ice massage in any tender areas. He should plan on icing for at least a few weeks after the pain has subsided.

How can I prevent shin splints from returning?

How many miles does he have on his running shoes? One of the first things that I do when I begin getting pains like that is to determine which pair of shoes have too many miles and retire them. I rotate between 4 and 5 different pairs of shoes at a time – they last longer both in a calendar sense and in a miles sense.

He may also want to make sure that he is wearing shoes that are appropriate for his particular gait. Different shoes are designed for different styles of running and account for different body types. He might want to go to a local running specialty stop and seek the help of an expert when replacing his shoes.

Does he wear his running shoes when he squats or does deadlifts? If so, he might want to consider doing those types of exercises in flat shoes or in his socks. Running shoes have a small lift at the heel which throws off your center of gravity and makes those types of exercises less effective and more dangerous. I am not so sure that they could be causing the problems in his shins, though.

What about my arches?

When I had some issues with plantar fascitis last year, I got a boot that I wear that stretches out my arch, and that helped a lot. I would wear it whenever I was sitting in one place for any length of time and when I went to bed. The last time that I had shin pains, though, was when I was in college and I had a stress fracture; I didn’t even know about those boots at that point. I am not sure whether something like that would help or not, but it is unlikely to hurt. I have never strapped my arches in preparation for a workout, though, so I can not really offer any advice on the effectiveness of that. Any time that I would have needed to, I opted to cross train instead.

Disclaimer

I hope that this general advice is helpful, but if the pain doesn’t go away then he should go see his doctor or a sports therapist. I also want to point out that I am not a doctor and do not pretend to be one, and that the advice above is just how I would treat myself in a similar situation and what I have done in the past before resorting to professional help.

“G” is somebody I know locally outside of the running community, and he asked me:

I got conned into running the 5 miler at the Yarmouth clam festival.

I don’t have any good running clothes… anything you recommend? I was gonna hit dick’s sporting goods and pick something out, but I wanted to see if you knew of anything special I should look for.

I was just wondering about attire – I’ve been ramping up my running lately and starting to chafe a bit, so thought I’d invest in something decent so I don’t sever my leg at the thigh.

When it comes to clothing, it doesn’t really matter. If you expect that you are going to run on a regular basis, then you should get some running shorts with the liners. There will be way less chafage, and way more comfort. If you were only planning on running this one race, then I recommend wearing briefs and whatever shorts you have. Don’t wear a swim suit under any circumstances; that’s just asking for pain.

Any brand of running shorts will work, although I like the Race-Ready shorts. I only have one set, but they have velcro key pockets rather than just the one sewn inside the liner, as well as some mesh pockets along your back. The only time I use them in short races is in the Winter when I need to do something with my gloves, but they are handy for the longer runs.

I prefer to avoid cotton when it comes to shirts, but there is nothing wrong with it. Any t-shirt will do. If you want to get fancy, a singlet or a polyester t-shirt will be more comfortable. If you are willing to spend the money and will run enough to make it worthwhile, then getting some sort of technical fabric will be worth it, especially since the race that you are planning on running has historically been very hot every year.

If it’s easier, you should head over to Maine Running Company instead of Dicks. John Rogers does a lot of good in the local running community so I point people his way whenever I can. Maine Running Company is where Walkabout used to be (well, actually, still is) on Forest Ave across from the Great Lost Bear in Portland. There’s a parking lot behind the store but the access is right before you get there so you have to keep your eye out.

Why do you want to taper?
All performance athletes and most recreational athletes choose a specific race (or other endurance event) and then base their training on a peak performance at that race. Some may be more serious about their training than others, and may follow a schedule more loosely or strictly, but in general there is always the goal race. If you were to train to the best of your ability without regard to the race, then you may do quite well at the race but you would not be very likely to have a breakout performance. You would be too tired.

Instead, most training schedules bring in a taper before the race so that the body will have a chance to repair any damage to the muscles that your training has imparted, and to allow you to rest before the event so that you do not come to the starting line already fatigued.

Some of the benefits of a taper include:

1. A reduced level of perceived exertion: You can run faster and longer with less energy and strain.
2. Improved muscular economy: The amount of oxygen that your muscles require at a given intensity decreases, and your VO₂ max (a measure of aerobic performance) can improve by as much as 8%.
3. Improved glycogen storage: Your muscles can store more fuel than is possible during intense training, assuming that your diet provides that fuel.
4. You will sleep better.

How do you plan a taper?
First, you need to decide how long you are going to taper for. If you are an experienced athlete running a 1 mile race, then you probably will not need to taper for 3 weeks. If you are running your first marathon, then 3 or 4 days just is not going to be enough. In general, the more experienced you are, the less that you need to taper. The farther and/or more intense your race is going to be, the longer you need to taper. For an average person, a 1 week taper is usually enough for a 5k and maybe even a 10k race. About 3 weeks is right for a marathon.

Second, you do not want to begin your taper too soon. If you taper too soon, you will decondition your muscles and will be less physically fit than if you “trained through” your race and did not rest before it at all.

If you decide that you are going to taper for more than one week, then you need to take a ladder approach. For example, if you are averaging 50 miles per week and want to taper for 3 weeks before a marathon, then your weekly mileage may look something like this:

• 4 weeks to go: 50 miles
• 3 weeks to go: 40 miles
• 2 weeks to go: 20 miles
• Race week: 37 miles (The race itself is 26.2 miles, remember…)

One thing to bear in mind, however, is that the first thing to go is your training volume. Your training intensity should not diminish until the last week or even the last few days before the race. You still want to maintain whatever interval or tempo training that you are doing. First, cut back on your long run distance, and then on your medium-distance runs throughout the week.

You should definately take care to get in a few runs in the days leading up to a race to keep yourself loose, and these should be at an easy pace. If you race at 8 minutes per mile, then you would want to do your pre-race runs at 9:00 or 9:30 pace with maybe a few short pickups thrown in at 7:45 or 8:00 minute pace.

The exact nature of your taper is going to be dependant upon what sport you are involved in and the nature of the race you are tapering for. I will write some future articles with more specific information for different sports; this was just meant as a quick overview with some very general examples.