1. Know Your Limits. This is a hard one. Some people cannot tolerate long distance running year after year. I’ve seen this in my office all too often. Some people try again and again to get to the marathon distance, but just keep getting hurt. Everyone has a threshold. Learn yours. Follow the rules and avoid too much, too soon, too fast syndrome! If you get to 15 miles and get hurt every time, maybe your body is trying to tell you something. Work on your 5K time instead of trying to attempt a marathon yet again.
2. Listen to Your Body. I give this advice every time I talk to a group of runners. Many do not listen. If you get out of bed feeling like you got run over by a train, perhaps a little rest in is order; not a long run! Most injuries do not spontaneously occur; they start with little aches and pains. Ironman triathletes are the worse! Do not “train through the pain”. That’s just plain stupid (and yes, I’ve tried to do it too!)
3. Consider Shortening Your Stride. I have to admit, I hadn’t really thought of this advice until I read Amby Burfoot’s article. It makes sense. Overstriding increases stress, so shortening your stride will soften the landing when you run. I think this is also why the recent “barefoot” or “minimalist” craze has taken a string hold. It’s hard to overstride in minimalist shoes!
4. Strength Training Can Help. One thing that has been shown to decrease running injuries is strength training. This is especially true in women. Core strength training twice a week can really help you avoid the doctors office and prolonged time on the couch.
5. Ice is your Friend! See my video on first aid for tendonitis, rest and repeat every time you have an ache or pain. A little rest, ice, compression and elevation goes a long way!
6. The Surface Makes a Difference. Here’s great tip: Don’t always run on the right side of the road facing traffic! It allows you to see the cars coming at you, but here in Texas, it means you always run on a slight slant that causes a functional leg length discrepancy. (And don’t try to make up for it by putting a lift in your left shoe- that’s stupid too!) Also try to vary your surfaces, one day on the road, one day on the track, perhaps a treadmill day or a day on the golf course. Trails are also a good thing to put in the mix. The same thing, at the same speed, on the same surface all the time can quickly add up to an injury.
7. Too Hard, Too Much is a Recipe for Disaster! When I was younger (about a thousand years ago) I used to “race into shape”. Not a great plan unless you are a gifted teenager! Too much speed work or too much racing beats the heck out of your body. Always follow a hard day with an easy one, or two if you are over 35!
8. Stretch. I’m not going to debate the value of stretching. I’ve done that in other articles. I know there are some people who think stretching is bad. I’m not one of them! All I know is that runners that are tight get hurt a heck of a lot more than those that are flexible.
9. Cross training is not a Bad Word! When I turned 40 (yes, about 5 seconds ago), I took up triathlon. Why? Because I knew as a thin female runner, getting older, I needed to cross train to keep up my aerobic fitness and decrease the stress on my body. This lead to a love of swimming and eventually an Ironman. Who says you can’t evolve as an endurance junkie? Seriously though, swimming, biking, the elliptical, circuit weight training….These all help to maintain your fitness and change up the stressors n your body.
10. Shoes Make a Difference! Find the shoe that works for you. Your podiatrist or a good experienced shoe sales person can help you, but bottom line….get a shoe that fits and is the correct type for your foot type. The reason there are a million shoes are on the market, and growing, is that there is not one perfect running shoe (although this doesn’t stop people from asking for it!)
11. Orthotics Can Help! I realize that many people are shying away from corrective orthotic and trying to embrace the minimalist wave. Not everyone can run barefoot and not everyone needs orthotics. If you continue to have similar injuries over and over, what’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting a different outcome! If you are one of those biomechanically perfect gazelles, more power to you! But most of us could use a little help in that department. In many cases, you can correct some biomechanical problems with strengthening and stretching, but let’s face it….most of us are too lazy to do the work to correct our biomechanical imbalances. Orthotics can help. Thin of the as eye glasses for your feet. The majority of us could benefit from a tire realignment!

Drinking and Eating After a Race

Ok, I have been joking all week with my triathlon peeps that beer is the best recovery drink! But seriously, I think there are two questions that need to be answered:

1. How much do I really need to drink after exercise, especially in this ridiculous heat?
2. What is the best thing to drink and/or eat?

So, here are some simple answers to what is actually two very complex questions! Remember that individuals all differ and our sweat ratios also differ. A great way to determine how much fluid you need after a race or long run or ride is to weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses by drinking 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.

What should you drink and/or eat? Yes, I like beer after a race but science shows that you should consume a 4:1 car/protein ratio. (I hear all those fans of chocolate milk cheering).

Research has shown that eating 0.3-0.6 grams of carbohydrate for each pound of body weight within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.

Research also shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein). Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.

One study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only ate carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed a carbohydrate and protein drink.

Consuming protein has other important uses after exercise. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, making you more resistant to colds and other infections.

Good replenishment food?

• 1 medium banana and glass of low-fat milk.
• A bowl of granola with 1 C low-fat milk.
• Low-fat yogurt with 1/2 C of fresh berries.
• Almond butter on whole wheat toast.
• A bowl of whole grain cereal with low-fat milk.