Roundups

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

We don’t want to slow down, right? Unfortunately, we all know that there are those things that do slow us down. Two of those things? The hot sun and starting too fast. Well, here’s some information on how much the sunlight can slow us down as well as why fast starts slow us down.

How much does sunlight slow you down?

Answer: pretty much when it’s already hot outside.

This probably isn’t surprising but it’s a good reminder that the temperature and relative humidity aren’t the only things that matter. Cloud cover, or lack of, can make a big difference in what pace we can hold.

Why do fast starts slow you down?

We all know not to start too fast, right? It’s been drilled into us. Still, we occasionally do so by accident and pay the price. What’s happening when we make that mistake?

We might now have an answer.

It appears that, when you start fast, you are less efficient. In the case of the study at hand, the fast starters would be 3 minutes slower in an hour run or 8.5 minutes slower in a 2.5 hour run.

Does it really matter that efficiency is the reason we slow down? Probably not. The main thing is that we still know that going out too fast slows us down later. However, I always think it’s nice to know what’s going on and now we have a better picture of that.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Ask science and injuries are still in many ways a black box. We don’t really know what causes them. We have some ideas but there is no concrete evidence. Some will tell you heel striking causes injuries. Others will tell you midfoot or forefoot striking causes injuries.

The truth is that different injuries have different causes. What we don’t know is that there are some overarching causes that apply across the board.

Well, there have been a couple recent developments on this front.

Forget the term "overuse injury"?

First, a letter published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine makes the case that we should ditch the term "overuse injury" in favor of the term "training load errors".

Their idea is that it’s not how much you train, it’s how your training load changes over time. They talk about an "acute:chronic load ratio" which essentially compares your workload over the past week to the average of your past 4 weeks. If your ratio is above 1.2:1 (meaning your most recent week is more than 120% of your 4 week average), you have an elevated risk of injury. If your ratio is 1.6:1 (meaning your most recent week is more than 160% of your 4 week average), you are far more likely to get injured.

This seems like common sense. If you’re increasing your training load, either volume or intensity, there’s a risk. You’re much less likely to get injured if you don’t increase. The more gradual you build, the less likely you are to suffer an injury. However, at times at least, we need to increase and possibly risk injury if we want to get better. This is a good reminder that there is risk that goes with the reward so we should keep that in mind and take good care of ourselves as we increase our training load.

How to prevent running injuries?

Has the question really been answered? Well, this article suggests it might have.

While the idea is sound, a more gentle foot plant (I have always preferred that term to "foot strike" which, in my mind, conjures an image of a violent collision with the ground) should reduce impact forces and lead to less stress, I’m not fully convinced of the final conclusions drawn.

Consciously focusing on changing your form can backfire. Maybe it’s worth experimenting with if you suffer injuries already but there is risk involved. Just be careful if you give it a try.

Image credit: Running painful ankle injury by 4Chion Marketing, on Flickr

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a recap post. Here’s one in a slightly different format than we’re used to.

I’ve long believed that anyone who says they don’t have the answer to everything probably knows more than the self-proclaimed "expert" who claims to know everything. Let’s be honest, it’s impossible to know everything about every topic that can come up, even in a field in which you’re an expert.

For most questions, you can find an answer. However, sometimes there simply isn’t an answer.

For example, stretching before working out. First, we thought it was a good thing. Then we thought it was a bad thing.

The truth?

The review found few lingering negative impacts from these short stretches, especially if the volunteers followed that stretching with several minutes of jogging or other basic warm-up movements. … People who stretched in this way for at least five minutes during a warm-up were significantly less likely to strain or tear a muscle subsequently.

Now, distance runners are highly unlikely to suffer a strain or tear. These are injuries that typically occur in explosive sports. So the result for distance runners seems to be minimal likely benefit but also minimal likely detriment. So do what you’re comfortable with.

For another example, what will help with running injuries?

The answer isn’t all that clear cut. I’ve experienced this with plantar fasciitis, a very stubborn injury for some people. Depending on the individual, I’ve seen various treatments work. From shoe changes or inserts to direct stretching of the plantar facia to strengthening of the muscles of the foot to stretching of the calf or even hamstring to the Strassburg Sock. Sometimes it’s a combination of more than one of these things, sometimes just one of them gets the runner past the problem.

There’s not always a rhyme or reason for what works, either. So what do I usually tell a runner who experiences plantar fasciitis or any kind of soreness in the bottom of the foot? Try several things. See what works for you. Then be serious about doing it until the problem is completely resolved.

Sometimes this is what works best. Sometimes smacking the side of the TV was the best option (to use the analogy Hutchinson did in the link above). Sometimes trying whatever you can think of is how you will get over that injury. Why? We may never know. However, if it works, does why really matter?

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

In this past week, I came across two articles I just have to share.

Cure for muscle cramps on the way?

Muscle cramps are probably one of the most annoying but least well known problems runners can face. We don’t really know what causes them. We thought it might be dehydration but that appears to not be a significant, if any, factor. Same for sodium and potassium. All three of those things might make a difference but, if they do, the difference isn’t significant. We thought it might be fatigue. While that seems to be a still leading candidate, it seems like it’s more than just that.

Well, there is a new idea out there.

I’ve noticed that some exercise physiologists I respect are pretty excited about this. It doesn’t appear to be another gimmick that someone is throwing out there just to make some money. This one may be serious and may be out in the near future. Definitely something to keep an eye on if you suffer from muscle cramps.

Sugar and running

Runners have an interesting relationship with sugar. We know that, in the form of refined grains or processed foods, it’s not good for our health when we’re not running.

What about when we are running, though? The truth is that the sugar itself isn’t bad. It’s bad when it hits the bloodstream at a time when we’re not going to immediately burn it.

So here’s a handy little guide on when sugar is good for us and when it’s not.

Maybe a more simple guide: Stick with whole foods while not running. Go ahead and use sugar while running long to supplement your fuel stores.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Taking a break from the always good to read Sweat Science blog, I have a couple links here that go into topics I find very interesting.

Choosing the right shoes

For some time, I’ve been a fan of choosing shoes based on what feels good. Some recent evidence backs me up on this. However, the consensus is still motion control for heavy pronators, cushion for under pronators and something in the middle for neutral runners.

Well, with growing evidence, maybe this will change:

Our bodies are actually “very good judges” of how each of us should move and run, he said. When we ignore or fight our bodies’ natural movement pattern, he said, such as by trying to control pronation, the risk of injury rises.

Instead, he said, we should pay close attention to our body’s opinion about running shoe options.

It has always seemed like common sense to me. If your shoes don’t feel good, they are going to cause problems. I’m still a little split on whether you should get motion control or cushioned shoes based on the amount you pronate but this just reinforces my instinct that, if the shoe doesn’t feel good, it’s not going to work for you.

So, whatever you decide to do about the other factors, make sure you’re buying shoes that feel good. If you ignore this one step, you’re asking for problems.

Isometrics for tendon pain

For some time, we’ve known that eccentric exercises (lengthening the muscle while contracting it or the "negative" in weight lifting terms) are good for treating tendon pain. However, these exercises are also very painful to perform.

What if there were a better way? That’s what some researchers asked.

The result? It appears isometric exercises (contracting the muscle while neither lengthening or shortening) are quite effective and less painful.

An interesting takeaway they offered:

The most important thing from the research? Tendons seem to love heavy isometric load and it reduced tendon pain immediately.

They are calling for more research and I second them. This initial result, though, seems very promising.