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Helathy Food for Runners

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:19:58 +0100

I just found this wonderful recipe for healthy food on Runner's World. I can't wait to try it - it's great to find nourishing, healthy food that also tastes fantastic!

Take a look at it here:

Anxiety on Race Day

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:43:09 +0100

Most runners suffer from anxiety on the day, or the weekend, of a race.

I just found this video from Runners' World giving good advice on how to stay calm and run your best race.

Understanding Your Natural Running Pace

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:40:35 +0100

I just read a great post on Understanding Your Natural Running Pace by Matt Fitzgerald. He writes about how we all have a natural running pace, and what we can do to improve it.

Here is a link to the article:

http://running.competitor.com/2009/12/training/understanding-your-natural-running-pace_7280

Read and enjoy!

Treadmill Running

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:00:48 +0100

With winter here, most of us are turning more and more to treadmills for our running. If you are used to running on hilly terrain, you will find that running on a treadmill without incline gets boring! So you might find yourself adjusting the incline to get some uphill sections into your run.

That's fine, but what about downhill running? Running downhill creates what is known as an eccentric exercise for your legs. Surprisingly, more injuries occur when running downhill than when running uphill or on the flat.

So how do you train for downhill running using a treadmill? Watch this great video from Runners World, where Budd Coates explains how to do it:

Water and Sports Drinks – 2 Myths Busted!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:19:12 +0100

What should I drink?

If you have been running for a while, you have almost certainly heard that it is essential to remain well hydrated. Dehydration has been blamed for premature fatigue, pulled muscles, cramps, dizziness, nausea and heat exhaustion. But what are the facts?

I have recently been reading The Runner's Body by Tucker and Dugas , and it is interesting to read their view on this subject. They note that runners who finish marathons in the fastest times are those who lose the most weight – typically about eight pounds. The proponents of avoiding dehydration recommend that you should attempt to replace the water you use during a run.

Do you really believe that elite runners would finish faster if they drank a gallon of water during a marathon? If so, I wonder why nobody has tried it yet!

The truth is that all this talk about dehydration is greatly exaggerated. Marathoners, and even ultra-marathoners, showed little concern about hydration until recently. Even now, there are more issues with hyponatremia (due to too much water in the bloodstream) while running than with dehydration.

Hyponatremia is the main reason behind the promotion of sports drinks for runners. It all started with Gatorade back in the 1960s, when researchers found that most professional football teams played better in the first half than the second half of the game. So sports drinks, starting with Gatorade, were developed to solve the problem of second-half fatigue.

There is a huge difference between professional footballers (moving in short, fast bursts with long breaks and carrying several pounds of extra equipment) and long distance runners!

I shall discuss this subject in depth in my next newsletter, due Friday January 1, 2010. In this letter I'll give you my recommendations on what to drink (water or sports drinks) and how much, for both training runs and races.

To read more about this vital subject, register now in the box at the top of the page – it's free, and you can opt out any time you wish.

Runner's World The Runner's Body: How the Latest Exercise Science Can Help You Run Stronger, Longer, and Faster (Runners World)

Swine Flu – Prevention & Cure

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:02:25 +0100

I just read an interesting article in Life Extension on how to combat H1N1 Swine Flu.

In summary:

During the winter months, the risk of contracting a cold or flu increases.
With the threat of a swine flu pandemic, people are more concerned than ever about how to protect themselves and their families.
Many nutrients and drugs can help prevent viral infections and hasten their resolution when they do occur.
Nutraceuticals that may protect against flu include Vitamin D, garlic (both aged and non-aged forms), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), lactoferrin, zinc lozenges and melatonin.
Pharmaceuticals that can help combat flu include cimetidine, Tamiflu®, Relenza®, ribavirin, and amantadine.
Individuals who suspect they may have the flu should take action as soon as possible to fight the viral infection. Antiviral medications are typically only effective if initiated within the first 24-48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

What to Do If You Contract Influenza

The article was written by William Falloon, and appears in the January 2010 issue of Life Extension. Without giving the full article, let me tell you the drugs, nutrients and hormones that he takes as soon as the first symptom of common cold or flu manifests:

1. Cimetidine – 800 mg (and higher) each day.

This drug is sold over-the-counter in pharmacies to contact heartburn, but its beneficial side-effect is to reduce T-suppressor cells, keeping the immune system in a hyperactive state. Read the package insert in case this drug is contraindicated for you.

2. High-Allicin Garlic -- 9,000mg once or twice per day.

Eat food right afterward to avoid stomach-esophageal burning. You'll stink after this, but so what?

3. DHEA – 200-400mg early in the day.

This is a much higher dose than normal to protect against inflammatory cytokine responses.

4. Lactoferrin – 1,200 mg/day.

This natural component of mother's milk boosts killer cell activity to destroy certain viruses.

5. Zinc Lozenges – two 24 mg lozenges every two waking hours.

This is a very high dose and is toxic if taken over the long term. You should only do this for a few days.

6. Melatonin at bedtime -- 10-50mg.

This very high dose induces a powerful immune response and facilitates deep sleep to fend off an infection. Only take it at bedtime, because it will make you very drowsy.

7. Aged Garlic Extract – 3,600 mg/day.

Aged garlic has unique immune-boosting properties that work differently from those found in high-allicin garlic.

William Falloon takes these in addition to his normal supplements, which include 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 per day. It seems to me that it would be prudent to build a flu prevention kit containing these items, most of which can be obtained at any health food store. If you choose to, you can get some of them directly from LEF at LifeExtension.com

Disclaimer: This information is based on an article in Life Extension, January 2010. The author has an affiliate relationship with Life Extension and may receive compensation in return for purchases made from them. Neither JenkiNternational LLC nor Alan Jenkin take any responsibility for the reliability of this information . Information presented in this and other articles on this site is based on personal opinion and research and is not intended to prevent or cure any medical condition. The statements made have not been approved by the FDA. Which may be a good thing. (I thought I'd check if you're still reading.)

Is Runner's World Wrong?

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:38:30 +0100

Achilles Stretch

I don't generally disagree with Runner's World, but I take exception to the article Stretch Your Calves Correctly. The article recommends runners to use the active-isolated toe lift for stretching the calf, rather than what I call the Achilles stretch. The authors claim that this gives a better stretch for the gastrocnemius (the outer calf muscle).

As you know, I recommend two stretches for the calf muscles – the Achilles stretch for the gastrocnemius and the calf stretch for the soleus muscle. The authors of the Runner's World article claim that the Achilles stretch (which they call a “calf stretch”) puts pressure on the calf, which responds by tightening up. After running today, I decided to try the active-isolated toe lift, but found that it seemed to do nothing for my calf.

Actually, it seems to me that this stretch is more of a substitute for my calf stretch, which you could call a passive-isolated toe lift, since gravity is doing the work.

Calf Stretch

Having said that, I recognize that all runners are different, so what works for me might not work for you. Why don't you try it, and see what happens? I'd really like to see your experience with this stretching variation on the Forum page!

Treadmill Time Down South

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:43:57 +0100

When it's cold and rainy, it's time to unfold the treadmill and enjoy running in the great indoors! Normally, I hate the treadmill, but by looking at the weather outside the window I find I can take pleasure in it. Also, it is a great opportunity to try something different.

Yesterday I had scheduled intervals. With the bad weather, I decided to run my intervals on the treadmill. However, I also wanted to make them part of my “running faster” program, so I did a variation on the usual interval theme.

I set the treadmill at a slow speed to warm up and then gradually cranked it up as I felt comfortable. I also checked my heart rate on the treadmill – something I don't normally do. I think I found the explanation for why the first few minutes of exercising are so painful.

I found that my heart rate quickly went up to 70-80-90-100 and then started to drop back to 80. As I increased the speed, it went back up to 100-110 and then dropped back to 80-90. By the time I got to a normal easy running pace it had settled into a 110 area.

This might explain my discomfort in the early stages of a run. I would be interested to hear from you if you have experienced this while running. I have not heard of it before, so don't know whether or not it's normal.

Once I had settled down, I did a slow, easy jog until the first 10 minutes was up. This was at my normal slow stride rate. Then I increased my stride rate to the maximum I could sustain for 1 minute. I found this was a 30% increase.

After the minute was up, I dropped back for 5 minutes, then repeated the process, ending with a cool down to lower my heart rate.

The point here is that, instead of running at a faster pace during the intervals I maximized my turnover, keeping the pace constant. This sounds like it should be easy, but in fact it's quite a workout. What is happening is that you are accustoming your heart and lungs to the fastest turnover you can manage, shortening your stride as you do it.

If this sounds weird, you need to look back at my earlier posts on running faster to see why I'm doing this!

Biscayne 20" X 60" folding treadmill

Transformer series full-sized folding treadmill with 3.0HP motor, 20"X 60" running belt, iPod dock, fan, cup holders and speakers.

(BTW, if you want to be notified when I post here, you can use the RSS feed button where it says "Subscribe to this blog". Just click on it, and it will bookmark a link for you that will automatically load the latest posts to your toolbar. Isn't that neat – it took me a while to figure out what that button is for!)

Disclosure: to ensure compliance with the FTC regulations, I need to disclose the fact that the advertisers on this page may pay me an advertising commission! This helps to defray the costs of maintaining this website and allows me to continue providing you with good information based on my own experience and research.

How to Run Faster – Tempo Runs

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:53:56 +0100

I just finished my first tempo run workout since I started the “run faster” program. The idea behind this program is to increase stride rate, or turnover. So today, instead of working on running pace in the intervals I worked on turnover.

I ran the first 10 minutes as a warmup at an easy, comfortable pace and stride rate. Then I cut into a 5 minute interval running at a comfortably fast stride rate. I followed this with 5 minutes running at the fastest stride rate I could manage.

The fourth stage of the tempo run was a repeat of the second stage, running at a comfortably fast stride rate. Of course, after the exertion of the previous interval, this was no longer comfortable, but my goal was to match the previous stride rate. Finally, I ran a 5 minute cool down at a relaxed, easy pace and stride rate: total time 30 minutes.

What I found was interesting. During the run, I found myself really struggling to maintain the fast stride rate – this was a real workout! Up until then, the run had been relatively easy, but this is where it started to get tough.

That was a good sign: it meant I was challenging myself. The problem came in the next section, when I found it hard to maintain the “comfortably fast” stride rate. In fact, I lost all sense of time: I looked at my watch and decided I had run 2 minutes over the time, so dropped back to running at my easy rate. In fact, I had only run 2 minutes in that interval, not 7!

I noticed two other interesting things about this run. One was when I compared my time against the last time I did a tempo run. I had noticed that during the fast interval I seemed to be going faster than normal, but to my surprise I found that my overall pace, despite the long slow section, was almost 1 minute/mile better than previously!

Something obviously is working already, even though I'm not expecting my pace to improve yet. I figured that at this rate I should be able to take at least 10 minutes off my half marathon time – maybe even 15! It's so encouraging when you get that kind of surprise.

The other interesting thing I noticed was that my legs felt better during the warmup than normal. When I'm about four minutes into my warmup, I tend to get pain in my lower legs, especially the left one. (I attribute this to surgery I had on that leg a few years ago for a popliteal aneurysm.)

Today I had no pain in my lower legs. I'll watch this to see if I can find a good running tip here, but there are two possibilities that come to mind.

The first is that, since it was a cold day, I was wearing my Opedix ® running tights, which give great support to my legs. It's possible that either the support or the extra warmth helped my circulation in the early stages of the run. I'll check to see if this is a regular experience or just a “one off” and let you know.

The second possibility is the fact that I did some weight training after my easy run workout yesterday, paying special attention to my legs with squats. I had felt that my calves, knees and quads had been feeling weaker lately, so decided to work on them. (You may remember that my weight training consists of combining it with my stretching, so that I stretch during the time I would be resting between sets – a great way to save time for those who would rather be running than pumping iron!)

Keep checking in and see where this goes!

Disclosure: to ensure compliance with the FTC regulations, I need to disclose the fact that the Opedix tights were provided by the manufacturer in return for my reviewing them. I had no problem with this, especially since I found them to be excellent for running in! I also need to disclose that the nutritional supplements articles contain a link to my USANA associate site. Again, I really do take the products and would not recommend them if I did not believe in them. There, I think that meets all the legal requirements, except to mention that the advertisers on this page also may pay me an advertising commission! All these help to defray the costs of maintaining this website and allow me to continue providing you with good information based on my own experience and research.

Running Tips for Cold Weather

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:45:50 +0100

On Monday I was in Cancun, Mexico with sunshine and 87 degrees. When I woke up this morning (Wednesday) in Huntsville, Texas, it was also sunny. The difference is that it was about 35 degrees with a strong north wind.

I decided to wait for the weather to warm up before I ran. Yesterday I ran the treadmill because it was raining, so I was looking forward to today's run. The forecast said it would be 53 degrees this afternoon – good, but not great!

In fact, it peaked at about 44, just after I finished my run. Since I had run an easy treadmill run yesterday, I decided to go for a PACE today. If you have been following my blog for a while, you'll remember that this is Al Sears' invention – a short workout with intense bursts alternated with recovery walks.

You can read more about his program in the blog at http://halftrainingschedule.com/blog/weight-loss-and-exercise. I use it also to practice increasing my stride rate as part of my program to run faster. There are several articles on How to Run Faster in this blog.

My quandary on cold days is what to wear. I'm inclined to overdress and get too hot, but sometimes that awareness causes me to under dress and get too cold! Today I wore my Opedix tights layered under a pair of running pants with a T-shirt, a fleece and a light windproof jacket, topped off with a cap and a pair of socks on my hands. (For some reason I always lose my running gloves between seasons, so I end up wearing a pair of socks instead – they work like fingerless gloves! The gloves will show up in the spring, of course.)

I found out the best thing about the PACE run – it's an ideal cold weather run! It's strenuous, but mercifully short. This means that if you overdress you won't too hot, and if you under dress you don't have long enough to get really cold!

In fact, my legs and feet were comfortably warm and my top half was comfortably cool: perfect! With the workout being short (less than 20 minutes) my clothes were still dry at the end, rather than wet with sweat like they usually are.

My conclusion is that if you occasionally get really cold weather (40-45 is really cold for me!), choose those days to do the short PACE workouts. You'll work harder than normal because you'll want to generate the heat, but you won't get either too hot or too cold. Best of all, you'll still be dry at the end of the run, rather than wet and chilled.

By the way, the next newsletter in the members' area will answer some of your questions about nutritional supplements, following the article in the previous newsletter on that subject. If you are not already registered, you can sign up now to insure that you will receive it and all the other valuable newsletters I provide (at no charge) in this service. I promise I will never spam you -- I hat spam just as much as you do.