Running really Does Lengthen Your Life!

Running Over Age 50 Cuts Death Rate in Half!

A 20-year study has shown that running has profound health benefits, cutting the rate of early death by more than half. Researchers found that running slowed cardiovascular disease, cancer deaths, cognitive decline, and poor immunity. The runners experienced no more wear and tear to their joints than non-runners.

At the beginning of the study, with most participants in their 50s, they were running four hours per week. Twenty years later they averaged 76 minutes per week and still felt running helped them maintain their obvious higher quality of health.

Running turns on various genes which are associated with conditioning your body’s energy systems to work better, including the metabolic use of fat and sugar.


Best part, not only did they live longer, but there was no increase in the incidence of arthritis in runners! So much for that theory!

This is awesome! Our lifestyles have now been vindicated!


Run Happy! Run for life! And above all, does this mean I’m really only in my 20’s?????


I am posting the entire abstract and press release so you don't think I'm making it up so I can justify marathon running for life!


Study Title:
Reduced Disability and Mortality Among Aging Runners


Study Abstract:
Background

Exercise has been shown to improve many health outcomes and well-being of people of all ages. Long-term studies in older adults are needed to confirm disability and survival benefits of exercise.


Methods

Annual self-administered questionnaires were sent to 538 members of a nationwide running club and 423 healthy controls from northern California who were 50 years and older beginning in 1984. Data included running and exercise frequency, body mass index, and disability assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI; scored from 0 [no difficulty] to 3 [unable to perform]) through 2005. A total of 284 runners and 156 controls completed the 21-year follow-up. Causes of death through 2003 were ascertained using the National Death



Index.

Multivariate regression techniques compared groups on disability and mortality.


Results

At baseline, runners were younger, leaner, and less likely to smoke compared with controls. The mean (SD) HAQ-DI score was higher for controls than for runners at all time points and increased with age in both groups, but to a lesser degree in runners (0.17 [0.34]) than in controls (0.36 [0.55]) (P < .001). Multivariate analyses showed that runners had a significantly lower risk of an HAQ-DI score of 0.5 (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-0.84). At 19 years, 15% of runners had died compared with 34% of controls. After adjustment for covariates, runners demonstrated a survival benefit (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.82). Disability and survival curves continued to diverge between groups after the 21-year follow-up as participants approached their ninth decade of life. Conclusion Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage.

From press release:
Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.


“The study has a very pro-exercise message,” said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. “If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” The new findings will appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.


When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn’t necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as “the compression of morbidity theory.”


Fries’ team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners.


At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits from running.


On average both groups in the study became more disabled after 21 years of aging, but for runners the onset of disability started later.


“Runners’ initial disability was 16 years later than nonrunners,’” Fries said. “By and large, the runners have stayed healthy.”


Not only did running delay disability, but the gap between runners’ and nonrunners’ abilities got bigger with time.


“We did not expect this,” Fries said, noting that the increasing gap between the groups has been apparent for several years now. “The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”


Fries was surprised the gap between runners and nonrunners continues to widen even as his subjects entered their ninth decade of life. The effect was probably due to runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general, he said. “We don’t think this effect can go on forever,” Fries added. “We know that deaths come one to a customer. Eventually we will have a 100 percent mortality rate in both groups.”


But so far, the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.


And the dire injury predictions other scientists made for runners have fallen completely flat. Fries and his colleagues published a companion paper in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in their elderly runners. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners, Fries said.


“Running straight ahead without pain is not harmful,” he said, adding that running seems safer for the joints than high-impact sports such as football, or unnatural motions like standing en pointe in ballet.


“When we first began, there was skepticism about our ideas,” Fries said. “Now, many other findings go in the same direction.”


Fries, 69, takes his own advice on aging: he’s an accomplished runner, mountaineer and outdoor adventurer.


Hanging on his office wall is a photo he jokingly describes as “me, running around the world in two minutes.” In the dazzling image of blue sky and white ice, Fries makes a tiny lap around the North Pole.


Fries collaborated with Stanford colleagues Eliza Chakravarty, MD, MS, an assistant professor of medicine; Helen Hubert, PhD, a researcher now retired from Stanford, and Vijaya Lingala, PhD, a research software developer.


The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and by the National Institute on Aging.


Study Information:
Eliza F. Chakravarty, MD, MS; Helen B. Hubert, PhD; Vijaya B. Lingala, PhD; James F. Fries, MD Reduced Disability and Mortality Among Aging Runners Arch Intern Med. 2008 August 168(15):1638-1646.Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Guidelines For Childhood Obesity Published

Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity have been recently published. Click on the title to read the entire publication. Quotes are from the published paper, but the opinions are my own. Novel concepts were discussed like better food choices and daily exercise!

The Endocrine Society has issued practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity and has published them in the September 9 Online First issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The guidelines were cosponsored by the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society.

"The Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee of The Endocrine Society identified pediatric obesity as a priority area requiring practice guidelines and appointed a Task Force to formulate evidence-based recommendations," write Gilbert P. August, from the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and colleagues. "Accordingly, the purpose of these guidelines is to summarize information concerning the seriousness of pediatric obesity and overweight; the diagnostic criteria; the available treatments and when to apply them; and the available measures to prevent overweight and obesity.”

As part of the recommendation, there are a few really important points that should be emphasized when treating these patients:

To help prevent obesity, clinicians should recommend that infants be breast-fed for at least 6 months and that schools offer children in all grades 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily exercise.

Clinicians should educate children and parents regarding healthy dietary and activity habits; advocate to restrict availability of unhealthy food choices in schools; ban advertising promoting unhealthy food choices to children; and redesign communities in ways that will maximize opportunities for safe walking and bike riding to school, athletic activities, and neighborhood shopping.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but think of how just these two little changes would make such a big difference in our society. This would be landmark in our little part of Texas! My kids at this point only get 2 physical education classes a week! And they can’t ride their bikes to school because there are no sidewalks!

"The objective of interventions in overweight and obese children and adolescents is the prevention or amelioration of obesity-related co-morbidities, e.g., glucose intolerance and T2DM [type 2 diabetes mellitus], metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, and hypertension," the authors of the guidelines write. "We suggest that pharmacotherapy (in combination with lifestyle modification) be considered if a formal program of intensive lifestyle modification has failed to limit weight gain or to mollify comorbidities in obese children. Overweight children should not be treated with pharmacotherapeutic agents unless significant, severe co-morbidities persist despite intensive lifestyle modification."

Bottom line: Better food choices and regular exercise! How novel?

Get your kids running with you and make the first step towards a better, leaner society. Encourage your kids to bike, swim, and do regular exercise every day!

Run Happy! And with your children!

Marathon Success Story

Marathon Success Story from Lyn Kelly...reprinted by permission:

I fully believe that the week prior to a marathon, those seven days while you wait and pray that you don’t fall victim to some ridiculous injury or random virus, can be more taxing and trying than training for a marathon (or even the marathon itself). It is pretty well known amongst the friends and families of marathoners that this is the week when we become rather "edgy". Moody might be a better term. Aloof, still another. As I left Luke’s Locker the previous Saturday to begin my "taper week" for the Community First Fox Cities Marathon, Suzanne St.Clair, after wishing me "Good Luck", said, "You’ll be fun to live with this week". I just smiled. Truth be told I’d become edgy around a week prior.

I had trained harder for this marathon than I had for any other. Taking a page from the book of Julie Brauer I had followed the Luke’s Locker schedule almost verbatim. I promised myself that I was going to break the 4:30 marathon barrier, but I was also running for a much more personal reason. One that I had kept to myself. One that I would write on the back of my pacer tag.

Saturday morning rolled around and I boarded a plane to Chicago O’Hare. From there I flew to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The drive from Green Bay to the Fox Cities area was around 30-minutes, enough time for me to get acquainted with Wisconsin and get nervous thinking about the race. The packet pick-up was very efficient and the people running the Expo were very nice. That is one of the reasons I so enjoy "smaller" marathons: the people are so sincere and personable. That afternoon I met with the leader of the Pace Group with which I would be running. His name was Gordy McDaniel. He’d paced every Green Bay Marathon, lived in the Fox Cities area and had paced the Fox Cities Marathon several times, and was an Ironman Triathelete. I felt I was in really good company.

After picking up some "Olive Garden" pasta (and some chocolate chip cookies from a local grocery store called "Woodman’s") I proceeded back to my hotel, the Holiday Inn in downtown Neenah, just a half-mile from the finish line. All week I had been receiving calls and emails from my Luke’s Team and Luke’s coaches wishing me well. Now I was receiving the same from family and co-workers. My wife had hidden a card in my duffel bag that I didn’t find until late afternoon so I set it on my desk, encouragement from her and my kids to further inspire me. Then the phone rang and it was no other than Julie Brauer, the woman whose training regiment I had followed for the duration of the season. She was calling to make sure I was "ready" and that all the "last minute" questions that sometimes plague us runners had been chased away. We talked around twenty minutes and I felt better. Then the phone rang again and it was Trisha Cavender (with Stacy Geigenmiller in the background) calling to wish me well. We had a very short, but funny, conversation and I hung up feeling that I had all the support in the world behind me. The last call of the night was to my wife. She wished me luck and then I put the phone away for the evening.

I think that is loneliest part of being a runner, the time between when you go to bed and when you start the race. That is when you try to sleep and wrestle with any and all insecurities that still might be plaguing you. You feel cut off from everyone because, after all, only you can run that race. As I lay in bed I recounted, out-loud, as I had done for several nights now, my race strategy. Start out with the 4:15 Pace Group. First Gel between miles 7 and 8. At Mile 14 pick up the pace if you feel okay. Second Gel between miles 14 and 15. Put your iPod on at mile 18 and pick up the pace. Third and final Gel between miles 20 and 21. If you start to feel sick, ignore it. You can be sick after you cross the finish line. Don’t leave anything on "the table". Somewhere around 10:30 I fell asleep.

However, nervousness does not lend itself to a good night’s sleep so I proceeded to wake up almost every hour, making sure I hadn’t overslept (despite the fact that I had set the alarm for 5:15 AM and had arranged for a wake-up call at 5:30 AM). Around 3:30 AM I woke up to find that the alarm clock had come unplugged. I plugged it back in, reset the time, reset the alarm, and then arranged for a second wake-up call (that is one alarm and two wake up calls). I woke up on my own at 5:00 AM and turned the alarm off and cancelled the wake-up calls. I prayed, showered, dressed, reviewed my plan and left for the shuttle. Leaving the hotel I was greeted by a crisp 54-degree Wisconsin morning.

The shuttle ride to the starting point was around 15-minutes long. Upon arrival I proceeded to the "Bag and Tag" where I had arranged to meet with George Bene, our very own Bobbie Mulholland’s brother. He is an elite runner who happened to be up in Green Bay on business and decided he’d go ahead and run the Fox Cities Marathon. I had a vague idea of what he looked like as I’d seen him in a picture with Bobbie from the Disney Half-Marathon (one of the best marathon pictures I’d ever seen by the way). Aside from that all I knew is that he was full of energy. He arrived on the scene as advertised, very outgoing and friendly. It was almost as if we’d known each other our whole lives. He asked me what my goal was today and I told him that I’d told everyone at Luke’s it was sub-4:30, but my primary goal was 4:15 or better. George’s goal? He said he’d just see how he felt. He wished me the best of luck and then I proceeded off to the restroom before finding the 4:15 pacing group. I remember how three days before I had been talking with Brent Wolfe and telling him how I wished I was at the starting line. He had said I would be there before I knew it. Well, I was there. Brent had been right.

The race began with The Call’s "Let the Day Begin" ringing through the Appleton, Wisconsin area. The sky was mostly overcast and the temperatures had not seemingly changed, a slight breeze lending a chill to the air on occasion. Everyone seemed to being doing well at the start with jokes of "the first .2 miles are always the toughest" and similar comments being heard. From the onset I was impressed with the crowd support. The Fox Cities area is made up of several small cities such as Appleton, Menasha, Neenah (which is pronounced Nee-nuh, but being a Texan I kept pronouncing it Nee-Nah like Hee-Haw) and Kimberly. Everywhere you went people were out there to greet you, sometimes in droves sometimes just a family or two, but they were there. Most runners had their names imprinted on their bibs so if the crowds could see the name they would call it out as you ran by them. Cheerleaders from the area schools were out in force, doing cheers for you as you went by, creating "tunnels" to run through, or doing the wave for individual runners. It was so encouraging that you couldn’t help but unconsciously speed up as you ran past. It was an exhilarating atmosphere from beginning to end. However, I think the first point where I felt that the race would be different was around mile 3 when another runner named Chris and I stopped for a restroom break. There was a line so after (patiently) navigating that, we had to speed up for almost a mile to catch our crew, averaging a sub-eight minute mile for the duration and I didn’t feel tired. I felt ecstatic.
Gordy was an excellent pacer. He’d run the Fox Cities area for several years and knew every curve, divot and pot hole and directed us accordingly. Another gentleman in our crew was Tom Jensen, a 66-year old runner who was a veteran of 50 or so marathons. I also met Vincent Uzzardo, or "Vinnie" as he introduced himself, a runner from Chicago who was running his first of three marathons in nine weeks. He had run a PR of 3:20, but was using this race as his final long distance run for Chicago. His reasoning? "What’s 6.2 more miles?" You have to love the attitude of marathoners!

We soon came across a girl limping along the course and my "Luke’s Coach" instinct took over. She had a 4:30 pace sign on her back, but it was obvious she had taken off on her own and (maybe) gone slightly faster than she should have. I asked her if she was okay and it turned out her knees were really bothering her. I had some ibuprofen so I offered it to her which she gratefully accepted. Again, I sprinted back to catch up with the group and still felt great. Chris joking said that I should now be referred to as the "Road Doc".

As we moved along Gordy, Tom, Vinnie and I were heading the 4:15 crew with the others behind us. At mile 9 we reached Riverside Park and it was Gordy’s turn for a quick restroom break and I was (somehow) "elected" to be the pacer until Gordy’s return. For a minute I was back at Luke’s and it was Saturday morning. Margaret McKinnon and I were leading the Yellow Crew out on a long run. Gordy quickly caught back up and I was released from "point". The weather was still cooperating and the miles felt great.

We reached our first hill at Mile 11 and Vinnie and I trudged up it. Gordy caught up with us and told us that we were going too fast and needed to slow down just a little. I’d never been told I was too fast with any pace group; that was another sign that maybe this race would be different from the others. But we still had 15 more miles to traverse and things could change quickly.
We crossed the halfway point and I told Gordy I was thinking, per my plan, about pulling away at Mile 14. He said it was my call, but he suggested that I wait until mile 20 and then take off. I decided that it might be wise to listen to a course veteran so I held off and continued with the group. Besides, I really enjoyed the company. The clouds were starting to clear away so I donned my University of Texas bandana (i.e. "do-rag") and a cheerleader encouraging the runners yelled out, "Go, bandana guy!". My second nickname of the day.

We reached Mile 18 at just under 3-hours, a small goal that I had established for this race. Gordy said that Vinnie, Tom and I should plan on speeding up at mile 20. We said okay, but didn’t want to just leave Gordy behind, especially since he had so expertly navigated the course for us. It seems though he had a subtle way to make sure we complied. As we approached Mile 20 he told us he was dropping back to check on the rest of our crew that was starting to dwindle. Telling us to "maintain our pace" and that he’d "be back later", he dropped back and we proceeded onward. It wasn’t until mile 22 that Vinnie noted Gordy hadn’t returned. "I think that was his way of getting us to speed up", Vinnie offered. From miles 20-23 we did sub nine minute paces and sometimes, sub-eight. Around mile 23 Tom said he was going to slow it down a little. He was trying to qualify for Boston, 4:15 at his age, and he didn’t want to do anything that might cause him to falter. So now it was Vinnie and I.

At Mile 24 Vinnie asked what my goal was for this race. I already knew that his goal was just to casually finish. After all, this was just a long training run for him. I told him that 4:32 was my PR, but I wanted to come in under 4:30. He looked at his watch and commented that I was going beat that goal by quite a bit. I said it was looking that way, but until I crossed the finish line I wouldn’t say that. Noting he was a 3:20 marathoner I told him that I didn’t want to slow him down and he was more than welcome to move on without me. He immediately said no. He wanted to watch me get a PR and encourage me along the way if I started to falter. I realize that running is often considered a solo sport, but sometimes you’ll find success with a team. Vinnie was my team. He was the reason I didn’t need my iPod to motivate me. As we continued along mile 24 I told him that I would like to reach mile 25 under four hours, another one of my smaller goals. He looked at his watch and then me. "That won’t be a problem." We reached mile 25 a few minutes under four hours, a bridge greeting us just on the horizon that made me inwardly groan because of its incline, but Vinnie and I again took it without slowing down.

Now we were less than a mile from crossing the finish line and my stomach was starting to feel funny. Maybe it is nerves or too much adrenaline or just my psyche, but whenever I get near the finish line of a marathon my stomach always begins to feel a little queasy, making my legs not feel as strong. This time, though, I had Vinnie pacing me. We ran by two ladies within .2 mile of each other telling us that the finish line was just around the corner. After the second one Vinnie joked, "That’s what the last lady said."

We crossed mile 26 and there was the finish line just ahead. Vinnie looked at me and said congratulations and offered his hand. I shook it hardily, a handshake that said "Thank you" better than I could then verbalize. In a moment that is etched in my mind we came upon a runner at mile 26.1, without a word we both pivoted, Vinnie to the right and me to the left, passed him and crossed the finish line. The time was 4:07:18. Later I would discover that my chip time was 4:06:12. I had beaten my PR by over 25 minutes.

Vinnie came over and again congratulated me. I then let him in on another reason I had trained so hard for this run, a reason I hadn’t told anyone directly. It was written on the back of my pacer tag. "I RUN IN MEMORY OF SUE KATE WEBB." She was my grandmother, one of the greatest women I have ever known and will ever know. She had passed away in March of Breast Cancer. When I crossed the finish line I had pointed Heaven-ward and thanked God and then thanked my grandmother. I began to choke up when I told Vinnie, but held it together. He wished me well and we shook hands one more time.

Suddenly I heard my name being called and there was George, waiting outside the finisher’s coral. He "high-fived" me and said, "I was expecting you around 4:30! What is this all about?" He made me feel like a "Rock Star", telling me how awesome my time was. I was humbled by this considering he had just run the marathon in a time of 2:52:33 (a 6:35/Mile pace). I thanked him for waiting around to see me finish and he smiled and said it was worth it.

Shortly thereafter Tom crossed at a mark of 4:11:03, a Boston Qualifier (again) at 66 years of age. I congratulated him. I waited around a few more minutes for Gordy to lead the rest of 4:15 crew across the finish line which he readily did at 4:13:59. I walked over and thanked him for helping me to achieve my goal. He is a great guy and the best pacer I’ve ever had the privilege to meet.

I spent a while longer meandering around the finish line, wanting to verify that my time was legit and not my imagination. I took the shuttle back to my hotel where my brother, Owen Kelly, and Trisha had already texted me to ask how I had done. I made calls to my wife and kids, mom, dad, friends, coaches, and runners to tell them how I did. I was ecstatic. Carolyn Bolsinger called me and simply asked, "How did you do?" She had jokingly (or maybe not) told me that if I didn’t break the 4:30 barrier she wouldn’t talk to me until next year. I told her that I didn’t break the 4:30 barrier; I broke the 4:15 barrier. She was very happy for me. I guess we’ll still be talking for the remainder of the year.

That night I had a pizza at a local establishment known as "Cranky Pat’s", but I was anything but "cranky". I was so happy, so thrilled. I still feel that way. At times like this I feel sad for those who have never experienced the thrill of finishing a marathon, that feeling of accomplishment. This is also when I remember why I run, why I enjoy it after all these years. Yes, there are times when I’d rather not train, when I’d rather not wake up so early to get in my run. But marathoning is not meant to be easy, and that is what makes it fun.

How Long Do Functional Foot Orthotics Last in Runners?

Dr Crane from Foot & Ankle Associates of North Texas answers questions at a local running forum. This is the first in a series of Q&A. If you want her to address any questions in her next series contact her and we will put your question on the list. We are dedicated to your running injury free!

Question #1: How Long Do Orthotics Last?



Run Happy! And Injury Free!

Running Advise Video part Two

Dr Crane at Luke's Locker in Colleyvile part two....make sure to check out part one!

Running Advise Video Part One

Dr Crane at Luke's Locker in Colleyville, TX talking to their new marathon running group.

19 Tips To Run Faster!

We may not all be destined to become elite runners, but most of us feel pretty psyched when we see even small improvements. The older I get the more I look to small improvements for my motivation. The great thing with running, unlike many other sports, is that it’s very simple to objectively measure progress. How are you progressing? Or have you got yourself into a rut?

The following check list may help you pinpoint areas of nutrition, training, motivation, injury prevention, or equipment to address that will help boost you to the next level.

1. Fuel right before runs - have a low fat meal or snack containing low glycemic index carbohydrates 1-3 hours before your run. I personally like oatmeal mixed with Cheerios before my morning run.
2. Core strengthening – Pilates, yoga or simply core strengthening weight workouts. Personalized programs help to strengthen core and major muscle groups important to running, as well as lengthen out tight areas. A more fluid moving, stronger, less injury prone body is the result.
3. Cross-train - even the worlds’ fastest female marathoner-Paula Radcliffe-does some of her sessions on a Nordic track (a machine which mimics cross-country skiing). Water running and cycling are also useful to maintain cardiovascular fitness without the constant impact and injury risk. I finally bought a bike a month ago and I love it!
4. Refine your running technique – Your podiatrist or physical therapist can help you with gait analysis. Improving technique can not only make you a better runner, but you may feel less soreness and reduced injuries.
5. Aim to be a healthy weight - a BMI (body mass index) of 20-25 gives us a rough indicator. Running becomes more difficult when we gain weight, conversely, becoming underweight may negatively affect performance and health. I can admit that I actually have gained weight and became faster!
6. Increase milage gradually - the general rule is no more than a 10% increase in mileage each week. This decreases the injury risk, and gives the body time to adapt to increased stress and improve.
7. Wear appropriate shoes - that are comfortable and functional for your foot type; and above all learn to recognize when they are past their use-by-date to help avoid injury. Five hundred miles or 6 months are the expiration dates on running shoes!
8. Start runs hydrated - and carry sports drink or gels on runs that are longer than 60-90 mins. Losing even 2% of our body weight through sweat can affect performance. Providing carbohydrate and electrolytes during longer races, will also be a huge benefit to your final time. Weigh yourself before and after a run. Make sure you replace your fluids!
9. Run with a group - if you find it difficult to stay motivated, running with a group, or a running peep can give you a time and place to be consistent with your running.
10. Get in the zone - Load your mp3 with music that uplifts you. Buy run gear you feel great and comfortable in, or map out new run routes to stay inspired. Mix it up!
11. Find a great massage therapist - regular massage improves mobility and flexibility of the muscles, increases blood flow, and relaxes the muscle. All this means recovery from a hard session or race (normally 48-72 hrs) can be reduced by up to 50%! A good massage therapist can also pinpoint problem tight areas before they become injuries. I love mine although I scream when she hits my sore spots!
12. Learn to run faster - do 1-2 runs every week that challenge your pace. This may be an anaerobic threshold run where you hold a faster pace for eg 20mins during your normal run. Other options are hill fartlek sessions-where you run an undulating loop, pushing hard on the uphills-or interval sessions – where a shorter distance is run hard, with a few minutes of jogging between eg 5-6 x 1mile or 6-8 x 800m.
13. Find a mentor or supporter - this may be someone you admire as a runner, or who makes you feel enthusiastic about your running goals. It may be your coach, partner, or another runner who you catch up with regularly to talk life and running.
14. Set goals with training and racing and follow a program. Like anything in life, we are more likely to be successful with a clear vision and tactics.
15. Eat right after runs - consume a meal or snack containing 1-2g carbohydrate/kg of body weight and some protein immediately after runs longer than an hour. I personally drink an Ensure or protein shake as soon as I stop sweating! Glycogen (the muscles main energy source for running) is replaced much faster in this period immediately post training.
16. Utilize and learn to love ice-baths - or cool water soaks, especially after long or hard runs. The effect on recovery is amazing.
17. Race - there’s nothing like a race situation to push you to the next level, while also giving you a sense of accomplishment. It’s amazing how the legs find a new gear to train at as well!
18. Learn to train easy - we are not invincible, and do not become great by running hard every day. In fact injury and chronic fatigue is the more likely outcome! Recovery runs or easy days are crucial to gain the benefits from our harder runs. Do a daily check…are you fatigued when you wake up? That’s a day to pull out your bike or run easier.
19. Enlist specialists - get professional advice when needed from qualified and respected Sports Podiatrists, Nutritionists, Physical Therapists, Sports Physicians, Chiropractors, Exercise Physiologists, Coaches, and even Sports Psychologists!

We are unique individuals, and one formula will not be right for everyone. It takes time to figure out what works best for us, but the important thing is that you learn from experience, and enjoy the process of becoming a better, stronger runner.

Run Happy! And Injury Free!

To Stretch or Not To Stretch? That is the Question!

Stretching 411

The jury is still out when it comes to stretching in the running community. I have been running for almost 30 years with multiple coaches on numerous competitive levels, all of them told us to stretch daily to get faster and avoid injury. Yet many incredibly competitive runners never stretch and never seem to get injured. Is there any proof that this common recommendation is actually valid? What do the studies say about stretching? Does it really prevent injury? Will it make me faster? Again, the experts really don’t agree on much! In most arguments between stretchers and non-stretchers, it inevitably comes down to "stretching helps prevent injuries" and "stretching is a leading cause of injuries in runners".

The motion of running, repeated over many years, strengthens and shortens several posterior muscles. The most affected are the calves, the hamstrings and the lower back muscles. These muscles play a primary role in lifting the feet and moving the runner forward. Exercise physiologists blame shortened muscles for a reduced range of motion, decreased athletic performance and increased risk of injury. To add insult to injury, the aging process contributes to further loss of joint and muscle flexibility.

The majority of runners and coaches believe stretching improves performance and reduces the risk of injury. In the meantime, experts disagree on the benefits and dangers of stretching. While many experts credit stretching with numerous benefits, improper stretching remains the second leading cause of running injuries! So, if we believe in stretching; what is the most effective method?

First and Foremost; the warm up and cool down should never be optional in your running routine. Cold muscles are at the highest risk for injury; by warming up and increasing the temperature of your muscles they will be more flexible and have an increased speed of motion. Warming up can loosen your muscles and soft tissue as much as 20 percent. The cool down allows blood to continue flowing through your muscles, working its way more slowly from a high level of exertion to its normal resting condition. Build stretching into your regular schedule, both before and after your daily run; after warm up and as part of your cool down. Take the time, it’s worth it!

The Do’s and Don’ts of stretching:

Do

1. Warm up prior to stretching. Walk or slowly jog at least 10-15 minutes prior to stretching.
2. Slowly add stretching to your workout slowly. Gently stretch a little more each day. Your muscles can actually stretch almost 1.5 times their length, but if you try to achieve this all at once you will hurt yourself!
3. Relax. Tension makes it almost impossible to stretch effectively
Breathe. That may sound easy but try to breathe from you diaphragm or stomach
4. Make it a routine, try to stretch every day, even if you don’t run. Follow the same order of stretches every time for consistency
5. Listen to your body. Some days, less is more!

Don’t
1. Don’t bounce!! Bouncing risks pulling or tearing the muscle you’re trying to stretch and relax. Muscles must be stretched gradually.
2. Don’t hold your breathe
3. Don’t stretch if it hurts
4. Don’t forcibly stretch an injured muscle, gentle and less is more
5. Don’t hurry through your routine
6. Don’t listen to your friends opinions about the best technique for stretching Try them all and decide what works for you

Bottom line: Most experts agree that stretching reduces muscle soreness after running and results in better athletic performance. Gentle stretching after a race or intense workout can also promote healing and lactic acid removal from the muscles. Stretching is most effective when performed several times each week; a minimum of one stretching session per week is sufficient to maintain flexibility.

Most coaches and runners believe in stretching before and after every workout. The experts never agree on much, but the majority seems to feel that stretching is beneficial to runners if done properly. So follow the precautions outlines and always warm up prior to stretching. Your body will thank you and who knows, you may even get a little faster!

Run Happy! And warm up and stretch before!

Novice Marathon Training Advice

Most people get hurt running too much, too soon, too fast. The marathon is just that….a marathon. The training should be done over a 4-6 month period. Put in the time, put in the mileage, and be smart so you will get to the finish line (and be able to walk the next day). Marathon running is like everything else worth doing in life, nothing comes easy and nothing comes free! You have to put in the time and sweat or you will feel the effects of your under-training at the famous “wall” between 18 and 22 miles. I’ve been there, and it’s not pretty….at Chicago in 2004 I thought I was going to perish on the street at 24 miles due to lack of training the last few weeks before the marathon (and a stomach bug the week before)…that was the most painful 4:07 I ever ran….

So what is good training? What program should you follow? Take my advice, if you have never run a marathon before and your goal is to finish your first; join a training group. It’s amazing how much easier those long runs are when you have a group of like-minded (usually completely insane) people to run the distance with. Several national groups are available in most cities and in my personal experience, the Galloway walk-run program and Team-in-Training from the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society seem to be the two best at getting novice runners to the finish line. Local running stores often have good support groups as well. In the DFW area, both Luke’s Locker and Run-On have good training programs. The worst thing you can do is download a program from the internet and try to follow it without any support group. Most people don’t have that much will-power and tend to either quit or get hurt following a half-hazard schedule. Individual training is fine for those of us who have been running marathons for years, but I even like getting my group together and finding a common goal. It’s like group therapy….when you’ve been to hell and back with a group of people, that bond is amazing…I’m closer with my running peeps than most of my family.

Having trouble getting started? Buy a book on marathoning or one that is particularly inspiring. My personal favorite is Jeff Galloway’s Marathon. He gives good advice for the novice runner and helps you to have realistic expectations of your projected finishing time. My most valuable tip on getting started is to find a goal. Pick a race that is 6 months or so in the future. Enter! Write a goal time down on a business card and then write intermediate goals for local 5K’s, a 15K and a half-marathon along the way. Put this card is your pocket or purse and carry it with you everywhere. Look at it daily! Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror asking “Did you run today?” And keep a detailed log of your running. Either on the computer or handwritten, nothing is more motivating than not wanting to fill in a zero!

So now you’ve started…the first few miles are under your belt and you no longer feel like you are going to throw up after running just a few miles. You have your program, your log started and goal card in your pocket. And two pair of shoes…oh yeah…we forgot to talk about shoes (see Shoe Advice from Dr Crane). Now you are ready…oh yeah, what about stretching (see Stretching 101 from Dr Crane). Truly, you must be ready to go now….oh yeah, my foot is starting to hurt me when I first get up in the morning. I guess there is more to this running thing than just getting out of bed in the morning and lacing on the shoes….but they do say that the hardest part of a marathon training program is the first few steps out of bed or off the couch! Good Luck and Happy Marathoning….need more tips, peruse the website (my favorite is “The top ten things people do to hurt themselves” or send me an email…..and remember, don’t try anything new on race day…same food, same socks, and shoes with at least 50-75 miles on them….