Source: flickr - Alaskan Dude

Dumb-ass running advice is everywhere and excretes out of everyone. Most of the time the advice comes from a helpful, but unfortunately ignorant place.

Here is some advice you can follow to ensure you’re screwed up, or at the very least, give yourself the best chance at it!

 ”You have to have expensive running gear in order to run properly.”

Everyone knows you can’t run unless you have the latest shoe technology, wind breaking jacket, sweat wicking socket, and GPS watch, right? While these items can be fun, they are also mandatory to enjoying your running experience. As an added bonus, you get to spend a truck load of money.

Running has the highest barrier to entry to any sport, at minimum you need somewhere to run. That’s asking a lot, I know.

“No pain, no gain.”, aka, ”Pain is just weakness leaving the body”.

As you tear the muscle from the bone or fracture a metatarsal bone, take temporarily comfort in knowing that you’ve overridden all of the warning signs your body was trying to deliver.

There’s really no reason to differentiate between soreness/dull pain, and the sharp acute pains you experience as the bones crack in your feet. It’ll all heal, eventually… and you’ll be the stronger for it.

“ Run on your toes”

Sprinters run on their toes, and look how fast they run! I watched Usain Bolt run and I’m pretty sure he only ran on the first three toes. His pinky toes didn’t even touch the ground.

By not allowing your heels to touch the ground you can better work out your Achilles tendon and calf muscles, giving them the strengthening workout they need.

If your calf hurts afterwards, you just need to keep practicing, eventually you’ll have muscles of steel and the iron will of a gladiator.

Source - flickr - hseoane

“Running is serious business”

If you don’t take running serious, you won’t do well. It’s not about having fun, it’s not about spending time on quiet introspection, and it’s sure as hell not something to do socially.

Plan a month’s worth of workouts and grind through them no matter what. When you’re through your training plan, start again, or get a longer plan.

“You’re too old to start running”

If you haven’t started running by the age of 20, you’ll never be as good as you could have been if you’ve started running at 16, so don’t bother.

If you start now, you’ll probably get shin splints and tear the cartilage in your knee, as you fall to the ground after experiencing a heart attack.

Just fatten yourself up to improve the outline on your couch.

“Take ibuprofen daily”

Always remember to take an ibuprofen before you run, and after. It’s best not to think of the consequences of ingesting chemicals. Ibuprofen stops pain, you get pain from running. Therefore, ibuprofen will prevent any pain you would have experienced during the run.

Just because the British Journal of Sports Medicine wrote that “there is no indication or rationale for the current prophylactic use of NSAIDs by athletes, and such ritual use represents misuse.” doesn’t mean they’re right. Chronic pain or dialysis forever is worth the risk to reap absolutely no benefit.

“Walking is evil”

If you go out for a run, and find yourself walking it, you’re an embarrassment to runners everywhere. Runners don’t walk, and walkers don’t run.

Hal Higdon may have struck a success w/folks learning to run longer, faster, and better — but you’re better than that.

Listen to the experts – Proper Running: From Heel to Toe – a video!

There are millions more tidbits of horrible advice, what’s your most cringe worthy?

Source: flickr - sirspacepilot

Caffeine – the legal running performance enhancer

Most runners who race, or perform hard workouts, benefit significantly from caffeine consumption.

When I tell people this, it’s either obvious, or mind blowing. Caffeine will enhance your running performance. And it is legal, one of the few performance enhancers that is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Not that most runners have to concern themselves with this.

The benefits only appear to those performing aerobic exercise though, that is to say that short term, high intensity activities do not receive a benefit (e.g. sprinting).

Caffeine is actually so effective that some experts, like Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University in Canada say, “There is so much data on this that it’s unbelievable, it’s just unequivocal that caffeine improves performance. It’s been shown in well-respected labs in multiple places around the world.” [3]

In one study, elite runners improved their time in a treadmill run to exhaustion by 1.9% with caffeine. Caffeine boosted time to exhaustion in a cycling test by 15 minutes in another study. And in a study involving swimmers, caffeine was found to enhance performance in maximal-effort swims of up to 25 minutes’ duration. All aerobic exercise — all solid improvement.

This isn’t cheating, it’s just a smart way to get a little bit extra for that goal race you’ve been training for.

But it’s a diuretic, right?

You’re right, it is, but it’s very mild. So mild in fact that exercise essentially mitigates any effects.

In a study to evaluate the amount of excessive sweating in long distance running, 9 athletes were given 450mg of caffeine either with 30 minutes of exercise or without.  The running resulted in a decrease in the urine flow and also a decrease in the amount of caffeine that was excreted in the urine.  This supports the belief that caffeine should not pose a threat of urinary problems to endurance athletes. (Barnard, 1992, via [1])

Source: flickr - mikebaird

How to Consume it

Runners commonly take caffeine in pill form (proven to be more effective than equal amounts of caffeine consumed in coffee) 30 to 60 minutes before races to enhance competitive performance. What’s the optimal amount? The ergogenic effect of caffeine is dose-dependent.

The maximum effect is seen with doses of 5 to 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-lb runner this translates to roughly 340 to 400 mg, or the amount of caffeine you’d get in 14 to 17 oz. of drip brewed coffee. The minimum amount of caffeine the average runner must consume for a measurable ergogenic effect is about 2 mg per kilogram of body weight.

It makes less sense to use caffeine as a daily workout performance enhancer, for two reasons. First, workouts are seldom maximal efforts, and the rationale for caffeine supplementation is to enhance maximal performance. Second, the ergogenic effects of caffeine consumption decrease with habituation. For this reason, if you are a regular coffee drinker, you should cease coffee consumption four to six days before participating in a race. [4]

Trial and Error

Like all new things, it’s best to try out your caffeinated powers in a workout, as opposed to finding out on race day whether being hyped up on caffeine is right for you. Also, it should not be used as a sleep substitute or a crutch for low energy.

I have experimented with varying doses and can vouch for the fact that too much will leave you feeling incredibly “hyped” up, and unable to settle into a pace, but finding the right amount produces worthwhile results.

If you’re looking to experiment, to get a little more out of your next workout or race, caffeine is a safe and proven consideration. Thoughts?

More Resources

1. Caffeine in athletics
2. Drugs in Sport
3. NYTimes : It’s Time To Make a Coffee Run
4. The caffeinated runner
5. Caffeine and sports performance

For eons we were perfectly content to run barefoot around the world with no problems other than the apparent ones. We wouldn’t run through a cactus patch without shoes on, but there’s a very good chance early man didn’t either. Commons sense, particularly about feet and cactus, somehow feels innate.

Somewhere along the timeline, someone decided we need shoes on our feet, particularly when we’re running.

Even though we’ve worn running shoes for a very long time, there’s an emerging trend of barefoot running or minimal footwear which is described as any footwear lacking a cushioned heel, a stiff sole, and arch support.

Here’s a look at some of the specifics of barefoot running and how you can involve yourself at any level you desire.

Flickr: paperkim

Avoiding Hard-Surface Injuries

Contrary to popular opinion, running barefoot on a hard surface doesn’t increase the likelihood of an injury. Our bodies are amazing and have an uncanny ability to protect itself against these types of injuries.

In fact, in 1960 an Ethiopian runner by the name of Abebe Bikila won the Olympic marathon as a barefoot runner.

The combination of muscles, joints, ankles, and nerve endings cause our legs to naturally adjust their shock-absorption to account for harder surfaces. Whether perceptible or not, our legs stiffen just enough to deal with the additional force generated by the harder surface, while still giving us the range of motion we need to run.

Experts say people can learn to strike harder surface with proper forefoot and midfoot form to further reduce any risks of injury, as well as create a more comfortable style.

Unexpected debris—Barefoot running does present a higher risk of some injuries that might not arise when wearing running shoes, even minimalist shoes like the “Vibram FiveFingers Bikila” and “Nike Free” series. These potential dangers include:

• Broken glass
• Nails, staples, and other pointed metal objects and debris
• Sharp rocks
• Puncture thorns, spines, and prickles
• Jagged, uneven sidewalk and street surfaces

Many running shoes, even those categorized as “minimalist” will protect your feet against all but the worst examples of the dangers listed above. However, bare feet have little to no resistance against most of these items, which could prove quite troubling, particularly if you’re at your farthest point from home base.

Be prepared—Should you suffer a puncture or cut while running barefoot, what will you do? The best course of act is to stop running and assess the damage. If you’ve suffered a severe cut you should immediately dial 911 or someone you know who can immediately retrieve you. Foot cuts can bleed profusely, and continuing to run or walk on the injured foot will worsen the injury.

Clean the wound to the best of your ability and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. When running barefoot it’s a sound policy to carry an adhesive bandage made specifically for feet, and some antibiotic ointment. Neither item will take up much space in a pocket or bag and could stave off further problems.

Additional preparations include Tetanus boosters. Under normal circumstances we should have a Tetanus booster shot ever 10 years, but many doctors and nurses will administer one upon sustaining any type of injury like mentioned above. Check your shot records and if you have any questions or concerns pertaining to the last time you might have had a booster shot, call your doctor and schedule one.

If you’re going to run on an asphalt track at your local school, take the time to chose a lane and slowly walk the full distance. Remove all debris that could potentially cause you problems. Don’t be embarrassed to show up with an outdoor push broom to use on your chosen lane. After all, they’re your feet. Who’s to say what preparations you can and can’t make prior to running?

Flickr: marylkayoe

Tips for Transitioning to Barefoot Running

Walking barefoot— The natural transition into barefoot running is to start walking barefoot as often as you can get away with it. Experts suggest no more than a mile every other day, but at least a quarter of a mile to start. To assist in making the transition as smooth as possible, do not increase your distance by more than 10 percent each week.

The sidewalk around your neighborhood is a great place to start. This keeps you close to home in case you suffer an injury and offers just enough differing terrain to begin the process of toughening and strengthening the soles of your feet.

Run in place on your forefeet—Your forefoot is the area of your foot that includes your toes and the thick pads just behind them. If you’ve ever heard the term “the balls of your feet,” this is a direct reference to your forefeet.

Your forefoot is the strongest part of your foot, which means it should be where your place your focus are you’re training your feet to run barefoot. Run in place, on a hard or moderately hard surface, to help strengthen your arches, Achilles tendon, and calves. These are the parts of your body that will be most impacted by the transition and it’s important to gradually get them in shape and properly conditioned.

Expect some soreness localized to these areas, similar to what you would expect if you started exercising new sets of muscles elsewhere in your body. You can help alleviate lingering pain and rejuvenate tired muscles by stretching both before and after each workout.

Proper stretching required—As with any form of physical activity, a proper warm-up period is essential. Stretching your calves and hamstrings, while transitioning to barefoot running, is one of the main keys to an effective transition.

Stretching your calves—To properly stretch your calves, keep your entire foot on the ground and take a normal step forward with your other foot. You will feel your calf muscle stretch. You can bend your forward leg at the knee to stretch the muscle even farther. When you’ve reached a comfortable point, hold it for a few seconds and then step back.

Continue this method, alternating calves, for 10-12 stretches per calf. Do this before and after each workout, which will increase the blood flow to the muscles, help prevent them from cramping, and keep them limber between workouts.

Stretching your hamstrings—The hamstrings are a group of massive muscles located on the backside of our thighs, and actually contain three individual muscles: the biceps femoris, the semitendonosus, and the semimembranosus.

They function as a group to give flexibility to knees and hips and allow us to stretch, hold various postures, and turn quickly. Because of their size and their potential for long-term injuries should they become damaged, it’s critical to warm these large muscles before running.

The best method for stretching involves laying your entire body flat on its back. With one leg left in position, slowly pull the other leg toward your chest while bending at the knee. With both hands on the topside of your knee, pull your leg down and toward your chest. You will feel these large muscles stretching. When you’ve reached a comfortable point, hold that position for several seconds.

Continue this method, alternating legs, for 10-12 stretches per hamstring. Like your calf stretches, do this before and after each workout for the very same reasons.

Take care of your arches—Also, massaging your arches frequently will help breakdown old scar tissue, which has built-up differently from running in shoes. It’s important to listen to your body and if your arches start hurting, stop running and massage them.

With your thumb of your left hand on the bottom of your right foot, gently rub your arches with your fingers. Your and will naturally contract, which in turn will cause your thumb to simultaneously massage the mid-foot section of your foot. You can wiggle your toes and bend your foot at the ankle to assist in the total massage of your arches.

Repeat the process on your other foot. It should only take one or two massages in any give setting to help those muscles relax and feel revitalized.

With proper training and preparation, you can become part of a growing exercise trend and will likely see you distance increase while your times decrease. Remember, slow and steady is the key to success.

Never exercise a muscle or tendon you believe you’ve injured and properly stretch before and after each session.

I stumbled on this gem while reviewing some of the wonderful Thirsty Thursday series Jack Daniel’s does on flotrack.

The reason why I love what he has to say is that he’s intelligent, pragmatic, and drops a few humour bombs into this videos. It’s worth watching the whole 7 minute video for the perspective of a wonderful coach and researcher. He takes a much more practical approach than you usually here in the media.

My body protested the heat jump constantly as I was running, sweat dripping down my face during a sunny, 80F’s run. Guess what happened the next day? Yeah, the same thing.

I love running midday because it breaks up my day nicely. Work, mental break, work some more. The temperature is usually at its hottest when I sneak out the door though.

It got me thinking though, am I stupid for heading out in the heat? Should I just go run in the morning or at night when it’s cooler?

It turns out the exercising in the heat has benefits, potentially quite powerful ones. This assumes of course you don’t pass out from heat exhaustion.

A study was done in 2010 using cyclists. The riders were divided into 2 groups.

One set began heat acclimation which involves riding in the heat over a period of days for the body to adjust. In the study, the riders completed 10 training sessions in a lab heated to 104 degrees.

The cycling effort was “easy” paced for 45 minutes, rested for 10 minutes, then rode for another 45 minutes during each session.

A second set of riders, acting as a control group, completed the same training but in a cooled laboratory, so that they would not become heat acclimated.

Afterward, each rider repeated the laboratory performance tests from earlier, to see how they now compared. The laboratory in which they rode during the cool sessions was chilled to  55F.

The cyclists who performed heat acclimatization were 4-8% better over the distance than those in the control group! This is a dramatic difference, especially at an elite level. I wonder if a 4 hour marathoner, who simply performed a portion of their training in the heat, would be able to perform 10 minutes faster from the training?

The riders in the study were all trained athletes (and cyclists, not runners), so it’s not clear how exactly this transfers to an amateur, or even elite runner. We can extrapolate that there are benefits to heat training, and racing cool, much like there are benefits to training at altitude and racing at sea level.

That’s not to say that altitude training is comparable to heat training, or you will reap the same benefits. Each appears to stress the system differently, but with the same underlying ideas. Your body is stressed and forced to respond by more efficiently transporting oxygen. That’s to say nothing of the psychological benefits, which will be more variable among folks.

Running in the Heat: How do you get acclimated?

The short answer is, you spend time “running the heat” – up to 100 minutes per day of exercising in hot temperatures.

The longer answer is, well, much longer:

Human’s ability to sweat allows us to cool our bodies even when running in extremely hot environments. However, the need to circulate blood out to the skin periphery for this cooling draws this much needed blood away from working skeletal muscles and causes a lower cardiac filling and stroke volume leading to higher heart rates at any given work load. The loss of electrolytes and fluid via the sweating (without adequate replacement) will lead to a decreased blood volume and add additional demand on an already taxed heart.

Heat acclimatization is one way to improve ones ability to run well in a hot environment and in extreme cases is necessary for survival. Heat acclimation is merely when an individual has been conditioned to maintain a higher blood plasma and volume level, increased sweat rate, a decreased salt amount in the sweat produced, decreased fatigue rate of sweat glands, and quicker onset of sweating when placed in the heat. These changes are all needed to meet the demands on the body mentioned above. Heat acclimation is produced via repeated exposure to heat sufficient to raise body core temperature. This is most effectively done by exercise (skeletal muscle contractions) vs. sitting in a hot room. Only a few sessions of one hour of moderate exercise in the heat will produce an effect in un-acclimated individuals with changes being seen in a few days.

Some interesting highlights to acclimatization:

• One can become acclimatized to heat and cold at the same time. Even with training bouts being on the same day in the different environments.
• Most of the improvements in heart rate, core and skin temp, and sweat rate are acquired in just ONE week of heat exposure. Heart rate adaptations are seen in just 4-5 days! However increases in sweating and a feeling of “ease of walking” in a hot environment can take up to one month to occur.
• More is gained from a 100 minute bout of heat exposure exercise than one 50 minute bout, but adding bouts beyond 100 minutes of exposure did not quicken adaptation.
• Heat exposure adaptations have been studied to disappear as quickly as one week if the subject is not re-placed in the heat, but may last as long as 3 weeks in some individuals.

All facts taken from “Human performance physiology and environmental medicine at terrestrial extremes” Pandolf, Sawka, Gonzalez. ISBN: 1-884125-02-6

Don’t be overzealous

Be sure to undertake the desired heat adaptations gradually, through easy sessions. Don’t rush or overdo the acclimation process. Heat injuries can have severe consequences. Never attempt to “tough it out”.

Overheating can be dangerous (which is why heat acclimation exists, of course). If you begin to feel ill during any of the acclimation sessions, slow down or stop. It can also help to have water/sports drink with you during your run.

The moral of the story is don’t shun running in the heat, you are actually benefiting from it. Embrace it, enjoy it, and don’t be stupid.

Resources for learning more

• Study: Heat acclimation improves exercise performance
• Sports Science: Heat Acclimization
• RunningTimes: Myths about running in the heat