Posts in the Tips Category at , Page 15

10 Bits of Advice You Won’t Read in Runner’s World…

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Cait — 35 Comments ↓

I’ve debated putting this post up because it may bring up a little unease or irk some people…but here goes. There is something I like to call the Runner’s World vs. Running Times advice. More correctly, you give different advice to different people, right? Well…I think you’ll see what I mean.

Here are 10 Things You Won’t Find in Runner’s World but are just the truth:

1) All the gear in the world won’t make you faster. Yes a tricked out watch can keep you honest with paces but don’t get sucked into believing you need every new piece of gear…I’m pretty sure there were world records set back before Garmins.

2) All the ab specific work in the world won’t give you a six pack. To get abs like Shalane Flanagan you first have to do enough calorie burning cardio to get you lean enough to see the abdominal muscles. The abs are a particularly hard spot to see results because of that blasted adipose tissue over the muscles that you have to get rid of first.

3) All the post run/race recovery tricks won’t prevent you from ever getting sore. Yes there is a HUGE window of recovery to eat within 30 minutes after your workout that you need to take advantage of, but after any really tough effort you’re bound to be sore. Being sore is like the reward for pushing yourself…it means you done good.

4) Runners are achey, sore in spots, hurting somewhere nearly all the time.
Just saying.
5) There are no ‘quick fixes’…anytime you read ’10 Things to Make You Faster WITHOUT Trying’ is misleading. Yes, of course tying your shoes tighter or wearing shorts that don’t chafe will make running more comfortable and you’ll probably end up going faster, but it’s still going to be you working.

6) You CAN get faster it just takes ~~some~~ hurting. Really anyone is capable of improving, you may hit plateaus and get stuck in pace ruts but you can push yourself out of them. It’s just a matter of well, pushing…it’s possible it just takes being uncomfortable to get there.

7) Toting a water bottle, mid-run fuel, and a fanny pack is a necessity for a run regardless of distance. Going for the Western States 100 miler, yes…a four miler around the block, no.

8) Just because it’s new, it’s cool, there’s hype you should try it. I’m sorry, no amount of commercials, movies or books are ever going to get me in a pair of Vibrams.

9) Any single food is a miracle food and sure fire to make your running dreams come true. Yes, berries have loads of antioxidants and I’m certain we can all benefit from eating them. I’m sure they will improve my health and the trickle down effect holds that my fitness could improve too…but there is no magic bullet to PR’s.

10) Rest is always the answer. I could get in a lot of trouble for saying this but here goes. Truth is like number 4 states sorenesses and aches come with the game…it’s just a matter of gauging the degree of hurt. If you didn’t run for each and every time you were uncomfortable you’d never get one in. It’s a matter of learning the difference between injury pain and the pain of just running consistently. That said, even all the rest in the world won’t take care of certain injuries and you have to do other proactive measures: icing, massage, treatments, etc.

I toss it to you guys now, what would you add to this list?

Proper Running Form and the Freakshow Running Circus

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Cait — 22 Comments ↓

Does anyone else stare at runners just a little begrudgingly when they are injured? Sort of like that happy runner out there is just trying to stick it to me…they can do it and I cant! Ahhh, I’ll call it runner envy. So while I may be a little jealous in staring I’ll at least put these observations to good use.

Let’s talk running form. Sure the action of putting one foot in front of the other sounds easy, but have you noticed how some people can really take that ‘simple’ act and make it look crazy? There’s the hunchback, the arm swinger maniac, the shuffler, the head-bobber…get them all together and we could have a real carnival side show going on here.

If you take a look at those elite runners you see on TV or at the Olympics they tend to make running look effortless. Don’t be fooled they are hurting just like the rest of us but they are hurting efficiently. There’s no wasted movement because of arms swinging side to side…they are streamlined and every ounce of energy spent is going forward.

Sure not everyone is going to be able to run as fast or maybe make it look as easily as they do but you can at least improve your form. Better form will improve your running efficiency and that translates into faster times. We all like that, right?

* The hunchback: Getting hunched over can happen to the best of us as we tire towards the end of a race or hard workout. This is usually due to a lack of core or upper body strength, so doing strength and core work can really help with this problem. You want to always stay ‘tall’ when you’re running, think of a string attached to the top of your head and it’s pulling you up. When you catch yourself rolling forward, roll your shoulders back and get your torso up over your legs and not out in front of them.

* The tenser: Another common problem is the tiring runner will tense up; their shoulders will raise up to their ears, their fists are hard little balls, and their jaw gets clenched tight. Not only will this inhibit your range of motion but it’s wasted energy. You don’t want any muscles working harder than they have too…your jaw being forced shut isn’t helping your legs turn over any faster. When you feel yourself getting tense shake out your arms, wiggle your fingers/hands, and let your face relax. This also happens when someone is ‘trying too hard’…as crazy as it sounds trying to will yourself faster can work against you, relax and you’ll be surprised you’ll probably wind up going faster!

* The flightless bird: This is the person with arms akimbo, flapping like made. It comes in many different forms but you want your arms only swinging front to back; not side to side across your torso. You also want your elbows bent at about 90 degrees, not up so high you’re punching yourself in the face or down so low you look like Frankenstein. For each arm swing you want to feel like you’re ‘picking your pocket’ and that means as your arm swings back let it graze just about to where the back of your shorts pocket would be if you had one and in front of you going up to about chin level.

* The suffler and the leaper: Stride length is a tough one to work on and get just right; you don’t want to look like you’re leaping and you don’t want to be barely picking your feet up. Leaping is over-striding and leaves you hanging in the air too long and shuffling is under-striding. The ‘perfect’ stride rate has been figured out to be 180 steps per minute or 90 strides per minute. So a stride is counted when one leg makes a full running cycle. A quick test to help you gauge how your stride is doing is to count your strides as you run for 30 seconds and try to get as close as you can to 45. Check in with yourself throughout your run.

* The head-bobber and the other guys: Really, any wasted movement is extra energy spent and you want to eliminate that. Everyone has their quirks or habits while they run (I knew a guy who grunted about every 5 strides…annoying!) but if you can get as close to ‘perfect’ form as possible you’ll not only feel better but you’ll be running faster.

It’s TOUGH to change your form and you also want to do this GRADUALLY so you don’t wind up getting hurt. You don’t want to pull a muscle that’s weak because you haven’t been using it much before. So if you have things to change in your form pick ONE to focus on at a time. From there make it your priority to really think about fixing that single area at the end of each of your runs. Start with consciously making yourself stand tall for the last half mile of your runs…after awhile make it a thought for the full last mile of your run, etc. When you’ve fixed that one and are used to running all the time like that move to another area.

On that note, you can then chuckle at the rest of the circus carnival runner oddities as you see them on the road. 😉

1) What’s your running form malady?
I used to run with my arms up to my chin and against my chest…I worked on that but if I’m not careful I tend to over-stride.

2) Have you done much form work in the past? Have you tried core or strength work to improve your form?
Yes and yes. Core and strength work really helps people!

3) Your sure-tell sign that you’re tiring at the end of a race or workout.
My shoulders start to tense up and raise to my ears and I get this really wacky facial expression…I’ve been called Popeye before. :/

What I’ve Learned From Working in a Running Shoe Store

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

My very first job when I was in high school was working for my local Fleet Feet Sports, a running specialty store. Here’s some things I picked up (along with loving the discount!):

* Not all shoes are created equal. People buy into hype; if you’re a 300 pound man looking to get into running, you in a Free shoe has disaster written all over it. So many times I’d have people come in and demand a certain shoe, feel convinced it is what they need because of a craze or commercial. I’d do my best to advise otherwise, sometimes they’d listen but not always and in the end you just have to let them do what they will. I’d be hard-pressed to believe those shoes lasted much longer than a day or two or he didn’t come down with shin splints so painful he was crying like a baby.

* Products are meant to sell but the right ones do so for good reason. Like above, companies pay tons of money to market their goods…advertising is an art and a game. This isn’t always to say that their merchandise doesn’t back up the slick claims and aren’t top quality, just that as a buyer you’ve got to be smart. Do some research, know your stuff, and if you don’t then don’t be afraid to ask. If you go to a running specialty shop, the good ones will have their employees go through training so they will KNOW what things/shoes/accessories/etc. work and which ones are just hype. Just ask it.

* Know your boundaries. When people came in to get fit for a shoe, I’d ask to see the person walk so I could see what kind of foot type they had. From there I’d be able to offer them the best shoes to keep them injury free. I can’t say I love feet, runner feet tend to be gnarly, but with socks on I’ve got no problem. Even sans socks I don’t mind watching people walk. But when a man came in, took a seat, and proceeded to take off his shoes…as he was getting to taking off his socks he asks, “Do you have anything here for really bad foot fungus?” I drew the line. Keep your socks on thank you very much, the anti-fungal treatments are on the shelf over there.

* Loyal customers get the schwag. Local running speciality stores are in competition with the bigger chains that may have cheaper prices on certain things. What you don’t get from Big 5 is the knowledge about running in particular; so if you’re going in regularly and are nice to us employees we remember that. This means if we get some freebies from retailers or know it’s okay to slide a little 10% off discount your way, we’ll keep you in mind. I’ll call it the ‘I like your face’ discount.

* Got injuries…we’ve probably been there to. Runners tend to work in running shoe stores and we are PEOPLE, not just employee droids. If you’ve got a problem, question, or anything else feel free to engage us in a little communiqué. We can offer up some tips, suggestions, advice, or if nothing else commiserate. Especially if you’re knew to the sport, feel free to pick the mind of your shoe fitter.

* Give us feedback.Okay, we don’t necessarily want to know that your last run was wrought with excruciating GI distress…but telling us that you did love the shoes we fit you in really does feel nice…just saying. The same goes if you didn’t think that shoe was too stellar, talk to us and we can work with you to find another one that works. In the place I worked there was a 30 day guarantee, if you really didn’t like a shoe, come back in and we’ll refit you and make a swap. Sometimes picking the perfect shoe takes a little bit of work…trial and error. As for which gels or bars taste good, let us know…a particular piece of apparel chafes really bad…let us know. Then we can order the things that people want.

Fleet the Foot!

I really did have a lot of fun working in the running shoe store…that said I also feel that at some point in their lives EVERYONE should have to work a customer service type job just for the sake of a reality check. Think of it as a reminder that in the end everyone is a person and should be treated as such…at the end of the day we all lace up those trainers and bust a sweat like you.

1) Where do you get your running shoes, clothes, and supplies?

2) Do you have a relationship with a particular store where you get your running goods?

3) Have you ever worked in customer service type jobs and what have you learned?

4) Do you find feet a little bit disgusting?
I have a foot thing…I just don’t like touching them. Don’t worry, I include my own nasty running feet with the judgment. 😉

Defining Your ‘It’: Dreaming, Thinking, Setting Goals

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

What is ‘IT’ to you?

Do you know what you want? Is there an inkling in there? Are you not totally sure that it’s what will make you happy, but it might? Are you afraid to say it…maybe even think it?

Setting our sights on something can be scary…sometimes speaking goals puts too much weight on them. But it still could be worth putting the weight on the words and striving towards ‘It’…striving towards something.

Having a concrete goal and writing it down has proven to be one of the most effective ways of actually achieving something…funny how the a remarkably ‘simple’ act is instrumental in a potentially insurmountable outcome.

Because even if you don’t exactly get to the ‘it’ you originally thought of…getting there is a journey and if your ‘it’ evolves over the trek that’s okay. Redefine it. But still go after it.

Heck, even if you fail…and you might, there are no promises, it’s a risk…at least you tried, right? At least you won’t have to wrestle with the regret of not knowing.

Goals can be scary to share, but the people who DEFINE their ‘it’ and write it down somewhere, even if in secret, are far more likely to continue on that journey towards it. They have better chances of achieving their ‘it’…but even if they don’t, at least they don’t have the regrets of now knowing what ‘could be’ if they never tried.

Define it…Redefine it if you have to…go after IT.

Or is this more your style?? 😉

(Hey, even if your ‘it’ for the moment is cake…if it gets you through the workout I call it a win! hehe. Not all goals have to be so HUGE or long term…mini-goals can be set and achieved too!)

1) What’s and ‘it’ you have?

2) Do you write your goals down, or have a little to-do kind of list?
I have way too many lists, mostly because I seem to get lots of ideas in strange/random places and I don’t want to forget about them. 😛

3) Do you bait yourself to finish certain tasks/workouts that will get you headed towards where you want to go?
All about the carrot in front of the horse…works surprisingly well too! 🙂

Superstitions, Stupidstitions, Rituals and Routines…

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Do you have any superstitions? Any little routines that you ~~like~~ have to do before a race? Some little secret good luck charms or habits that for whatever reason you do; you probably know on some level they are ‘dumb’ or silly and don’t reeaaally promise a good outcome, but you do it anyways…better safe than sorry, right? 😉

To a degree getting into a routine is a good thing:

* Keeps you organized
* Makes sure you don’t forget something
* Consistency is generally always the best bet in terms of running/workout performance (limit the variables)

So it could be argued that those little pre-race, or workout, ritual/routines DO have some kind of positive effect on the outcome. It’s more just a matter of what they are and how quirky they get. Hey, we all have embarrassing little habits/secrets, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours! 😉

Good ‘Normal’ Pre-race/run rituals:

* Starting your warm-up exactly the same time, every time out: this could be for both hard workouts and races…again, consistency
* Doing the same sequence of warm-up drills/strides: after your easy running, do your stretches, drills, and strides in the same order…helps your body know what’s coming and ensures you don’t forget something
* Putting the shoes/bib number/singlet on in the ‘right’ order: okay, here is kind of where we move towards not that important, but if it helps you not forget something…I know some people have to put such-and-such on at just the ‘right’, specific time before they go to the line
* Same pre-run/race foods: okay, the night before you probably want to steer clear of the World’s Hottest Tri-Bean Chili, but the night before isn’t going to make or break you (unless you’re moving into the marathon, plus races) but rather what you eat in the hours leading up to the run or race. Though, I won’t judge if you’ve ‘got’ to have your ritualistic bowl of pasta. You don’t need to feel chained to the SAME pre-run foods but it’s probably a good idea NOT to trying something new on race day.

The Funky ~~Stupidstitions~~ Superstitions:

* Lucky Charms: Okay, I’m not making fun of anyone who has them, because I used to like to race in a certain brand of socks…don’t worry I washed them and cycled through different pairs. (They had funny cartoons on them) Yes, I looked dorky, but I will say though, that going with comfort and socks I knew didn’t give me blisters isn’t totally invalid reasoning…maybe…hehe.
* Last Minute Details: I’ve known people who HAVE to eat exactly THREE pieces of a particular candy snack just before they put their spikes on…there was a girl who liked to listen to the exact same pump-up song during her warm-up…I liked to do one last jump in the air (I probably only cleared about 2 inches) just before the gun went off. These things don’t really impact the outcome, we know that, but it makes us feel secure…mmmmk.
* The Carry-ons: These guys are the ‘lucky’ things hidden away where only you know about them. Think the girl with the stuffed teddy crammed in her sweat bag. It could also be a bracelet or piece of jewelry I guess…these are kind of lucky charms but they have a little more meaning behind them. Maybe that stuffed teddy was given to her by Joan Benoit…you never know???

Also probably not the best pre-run food option. 😉

The thing is, routines and rituals are pretty normal in our sport. Runners do have to have a little bit of OCD in us to get our butts out the door to do the exact same motion day in and out. It’s just a matter of keeping routines in check so that they aren’t on the overly-obsessive side. An example is refusing to adjust your training regardless of how you’re feeling because you feel you HAVE to do XX number of miles/minutes.

That is not going to help you; in training you want to think of the program as the outline…as you go along you define the outline and that could include some erasing and reworking within reason. The same things goes for races, sometimes you have to think on the fly and adjust your pre-race plan. Be flexible…at least just a bit. 😉

1) Do you have any rituals that you like to do? Can be pre-race/run or anything else.

2) Do you generally like things scheduled and organized or are you a more on the fly person?
Depends on what it is I guess…with running and workouts I like a little more order.

3) And superstitions that you know logically have no bearing on the result but you like (or in the past liked) to do?

Running the Numbers: When to Eat High and Low on the Glycemic Index

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Is this bagel high or low on the glycemic index? Am I supposed to be eating low glycemic foods or are it the high ones that are better? Wait, what the heck is the glycemic index anyways?

I’m a runner and I love carbs. By now I think we’ve all learned that multi-grain breads are better than the standard white and we should veer towards brown rice over white. But in the flood of ongoing studies and information shoved down our throats it’s sometimes tough to stay up to date on what the latest word is about the stuff that goes in our mouth.

I love exercise because it does make me feel like I have license to chow. The whole ‘if the engine is hot, it’ll burn’ thing, and getting too stressed about what foods are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ isn’t the best thing…and honestly there are conflicting messages; depending on who you talk to and what you read you could end up wondering if there is actually anything you should be eating!

But let’s be honest, to a certain degree we fitness folks have to be aware because part of running our best is fueling our best. So at least informing ourselves enough to achieve our performance goals IS smart. I like the saying, “Eating for performance.”

The glycemic index then rates our foods depending on the rate of which they are broken down by our body and converted to energy; it works off of a scale of 1 to 100.

High GI foods (rated 70 or more) are broken down the fastest; these are our white breads, cereals, potatoes and starchy goodnesses. Here we also have our sports drinks and foods. Think of these ones as the more processed foods.
* They offer up the fastest form of energy once eaten.
* Times to eat: during a race/workout, just prior to a race/workout (like if it’s the last thing you’re having), RIGHT after your run…within 15-30mins
* RECOVERY WINDOW: I’ll say it again because it’s this important, you want a high GI food along with a protein source within 30 minutes after your workout…miss this window and your recovery rate drops at least 60%

Low GI foods (rated 55 an under) are absorbed more gradually by the body; here are our apples, bananas, old fashioned oats, and beans. These ones are of the unprocessed variety, and usually high fiber.
* Supply gradual, sustained energy
* Keep you fuller for longer
* Times to eat: hours after a workout (post the recovery window you’ll want these guys) and throughout the entire day unless you are actually running or are about to head out

Moderate GI foods are anything in the middle and depending on your workout/running schedule choose from them according to which above category they are headed towards the most.

The bottom line is that the Low GI foods are typically your best bets but it’s important to realize that there ARE times when your body will crave that immediate source of energy. If you’re in a marathon, eating an apple isn’t really going to be doing you the favors you want it to. (and I’d like to see you multi-task that one too! hehe)

I’ve spoken with Krista Austin and in working with Dathan Ritzenhien she shares that before a race he’ll eat just plain, white rice. It gives him the quick shot of energy he’ll need, it’s a low residue food (read as not much fiber which will sit heavy in the stomach) and he knows it won’t cause him any distress. Is it plain? Sure, but he’s not eating it because it will glorify his taste buds…he’s eating for performance.

On that note, once your race or workout is done, then you can tantalize your taste buds all you want…I mean you earned it, right? 😉

————
You can read more tips on how to fuel your running in this article I did: Timing Your Fuel
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1) Do you worry about low or high GI foods? Do you try to pick one form of carbs over the other? (ie: whole grain, brown vs. white, etc.)
I do try to stick to whole grains and brown rice/pasta, but I’ll admit to not really keeping track of the GI foods all that well…working on it?? 😉

2) Which, if any, things do you ensure to eat to fuel your running best? Or that you eat because you know it’s best for your body?
Over the years I’ve gotten a lot better at upping my protein, I love eggs, cottage cheese, and shrimp the most. The carby’s I never had a problem with.

3) Thankfully when you are busting your butt you still carry that license to indulge a little more, what’s your top pick? Or, because in heavy mileage it’s sometimes straight up necessary to go for calorie dense foods (hello, Bill Rodgers eating mayo-covered pizza…it worked for him!) how do you pound the cal’s?
Said it a million times, but go to pick for treats are Pop-tarts and Ben & Jerry’s pints…there, said it again.

Farleks Aren’t Just For Workouts – Surging in Races to Break Your Competition

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Fartleking. The term probably calls to mind particular workouts, but fartleking isn’t something you do just in workouts. If you watched the US Olympic Marathon Trials and took a look at the splits the women were running (or watched any of the post-race interviews) you’d see that their miles were kind of all over the place. They opened up over 6 for the first mile, then ping-ponged around the mid-5’s throughout; they were farleking.

Why is there farleking in a race? Well, a race can be run for two reasons: to get a fast time or go for the win. The latter is a strategic race and typically seen in the big time races where titles and top three finishing slots are more important than the eventual time. Fartleking, or throwing surges in, is one tactic to break your competition.

Getting back to last weekend’s marathon, Amy Hastings surged to the lead after mile 18 because she knew that it was down to four runners and if she dropped the pace she could potentially drop one of the women, or at least develop a gap. Mentally, getting a gap on your competition can sometimes be enough to beat them before the finish line. Getting gapped or being stuck in ‘no man’s land’ is difficult and can sometimes be the nail in the coffin for a racer.

Hastings wasn’t able to gap the other women because they responded and were just stronger on that day; but that doesn’t mean that throwing surges in late in the race isn’t a smart strategy. Another reason is because fartleking a race is not the ‘easy’ way to get a fast time and it’s tough on the body. Your body runs best (and your PR’s will usually come from) running even paces; when you drastically swing from a fast pace to a markedly slower one your body never is able to get into a real rhythm. If a runner isn’t used to fartleking, it’s even harder for them to keep pace or hang on; the advantage goes to the one putting in the surges.

The lesson? If you’re able to train your body to fartlek, or surge, in a race and hold it together you can use it to your advantage to try and break your competition.

How? Do it in practice; get yourself used to varied paces. There are TONS of different ways to fartlek outside of the traditional one minute hard/one minute easy formula.

Try this – Finish Fast 800’s Workout:

* Warm-up
* 6-8 x 800 meters – Run the intervals comfortably hard through 600 meters but then for the last 200 REALLY pick it up and hammer to the end
* 400 meter easy recovery jog between each one and finish with a cool-down

Another Variation – Slow/Fast 800’s:

* Warm-up
* 6-8 x 800 meters – But alternate the pace of each 400 – The first 400 done at what you’d do a tempo run at or just slightly slower, the second one done at about 3k pace
* 400 meter recovery between and cool-down

*** To make this one more advanced do the 800’s continuous for 4 miles, starting with the ‘slow’ 400; the focus is to really pop those hard 400’s but still keep the’slow’ 400’s faster than an easy/medium effort…even the ‘slow’ 400’s start to get tough by the end!

Finally, Greg McMillan did a great artlcie for Running Times on the ‘Move and Match’ kind of fartlek workout. Here is an example of having a team or training partner to help add unpredictability to a workout, simulating what would happen in a race.

The bottom line is breaking your competition is all a part of racing, one way to do that is to throw in a surge, or multiple surges. You do it right and you could put a gap on them, break them mentally, or at least tire them out. If you’re used to surging you’ll be better able to handle it and keep the race in your control.

1) Do you do farlek workouts?

2) Do you do farleks or surging in races?

3) Have you tried varying the pace of standard interval workouts like in the examples above? Getting used to finishing an interval even faster is a good habit to keep in mind.

4) What do you tend to think about during your hard workouts?
I try to remember to stay relaxed, drop my arms, and stay smooth. If I’m running with someone I like to be right behind them and I just stare right at their back and try not to let any distance get between us.

All About the Iron – Low Energy? Get Your Iron Tested

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

Running with low iron levels feels like you’ve got 200-pound dumbbells strapped to you and you’re running at a tempo effort…then you look down at your watch and want to cry because the pace is slower than you used to do your easy runs. Sounds like fun, huh?

Actually, some people aren’t able to workout if they have been anemic for quite a while. Low iron levels is not a rare problem with distance runners, or endurance athletes in general, and while women are especially prone to it, I think it’s important to understand that endurance athletes, regardless of gender, have to be careful to watch their iron levels:

* Stronger hearts and higher blood volume. This is all great when it comes to performance but with a higher amount of blood in the body it can dilute the amount of iron present.

* Healthy diets. Again a positive, but if an athlete is eliminating a lot of iron rich foods because they are deemed ‘unhealthy’ in other ways, this can lead to diminished iron stores. (ie: red meats, egg yolks)

* Running. I didn’t realize this but in each foot fall to the ground we are engaging in what is known as ‘foot strike hemolysis’. What this means is each time your foot plants it is breaking up red blood cells that carry iron. This is more so in larger runners, but we all do it.

* Blood loss.Obviously women lose iron and blood through *ahem, we know what* but trace amounts are lost in both sweat and urine too. Now, if you’re having blood lost in your GI tract, that compounds the problem but is also indicative of bigger issues you need to get addressed.

Mooo...lean red meats are high iron foods.

The thing is that having low iron levels doesn’t only effect how you feel…low energy is usually a red flag but if you go too long with low iron you’re setting yourself up for potential injuries like stress fractures. Being anemic for too long can lower your bone density and lead to osteoporosis.

How do you know if you have low iron levels, and what’s a ‘normal’ level? Unfortunately, it usually isn’t until you feel the effects of anemia that you think about getting tested. This is when you’re times start to drop and you constantly feel like you’re dragging. This is another reason why getting a blood panel done whenever you aren’t ‘feeling right’ in your runs is smart.

Runners put a lot of stress on our bodies but we are also more in tune with them than the average folks. We can tell if something is going awry; also, when we want our bodies to perform at 100%, we notice when we’re off sooner than just sofa surfers. To athletes, even a 10% drop in how we feel is a lot.

In asking Cal Poly coach Kelly Strong how she handles athletes that experience a sudden drop in performance, she answers, “For someone going through these types of situations, the first thing I would ask is about their sleep, nutrition, iron levels, etc.” For good reason, and in fact, it’s not a bad idea to keep tabs on your iron (and other important stats) every now and again to make sure everything is on the up and up.

Getting back to what are ‘normal’ levels, again it’s different for athletes. Here’s an excerpt from Pete Pfitzinger’s site:

You should find out both your hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels. Normal hemoglobin concentration ranges from 14 to 18 grams per 100 ml of blood for men, and 12 to 16 grams per 100 ml of blood for women, but for an endurance athlete, the lower end of normal should be extended by about 1 gram per 100 ml, due to our larger blood volume.

Ferritin is a measure of your body’s iron stores. Normal reference ferritin levels are 10-200 ng/ml for women and 10-300 ng/ml for men.

Dr. Martin says that in his experience with runners, training and racing performances are usually affected when ferritin levels drop below 20 ng/ml, and that when those athletes increase their ferritin levels above 25 ng/ml they experience a rapid turnaround in performance.

Personal anecdote here, I’ve had experience with low iron, and I remember being tested and having been in the low teens…it was not pretty. I actually went through a series of iron infusions (think three days of sitting with an IV drip lasting 3 hours…your mouth tastes like pennies!) to quickly boost the iron levels. From there I now always take a supplement in addition to what I eat naturally. I know of other runners who have gone the liquid iron route, I’ve never had those but they seem to get the job done too.

Again, I’m not a doctor, but when I was training at a high level it was the norm for everyone to get bloodwork on a consistent basis. We shot for our ferritin levels to be around 100. Again, yes, that is higher than what is ‘normally’ recommended, but better safe than sorry, right?

Some quick notes:

* If you aren’t feeling well in your runs and things continue to go downhill regardless of backing off and more easy days…go in and get a blood panel done. Make sure they test you iron levels and REALLY hound your doctor if you have to. Doctors are very busy but demand their attention and explain that you are an athlete. Get your coach involved (they should be already by this point if you have one) and they can help.

* DO NOT pound a ton of iron pills all at once. This will make you feel REALLY sick and it could be dangerous. I take a supplement with 65 mg of elemental iron; start with just one a day and gradually build your way up if you need to. If you’ve got a background of anemia, I’d suggest taking a supplement in addition to aiming to get iron in the foods you eat.

* IV’s and liquid iron are in more severe cases but not something to be afraid of. Talk to your doctor and a quick boost can work wonders…you’d be surprised how quickly you can feel the turn around once your levels are getting back up there.

Some high iron foods include: spinach, legumes, liver (yum!), oysters, lean meats, dried fruits, egg yolks, as well as whole grains and cereals that are iron enriched.

Things that block the absorption of iron are having tea and coffee with these foods. Conversely, having something with vitamin C in it will HELP iron absorption. Another quote from Pfitzinger, “You will absorb three times as much iron from your cereal and toast if you switch from coffee to orange juice with breakfast.”

Olive Oly chooses to go the high spinach route. 😉

So if you’re not sold on pumping the iron into your blood yet, then you may just have to figure it out for yourself the hard way. Best of luck tackling those PR’s with the 200-pound weights strapped to your back. 😉

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Stephanie Rosthstein has been making some headlines lately in talking about her struggles with not just low iron but getting diagnosed with celiac disease (which was blocking her iron absorption). HERE and HERE are two articles about how she’s gotten her issues resolved. In case you have a brain fart, she was just in the US Olympic Marathon Trials. 🙂
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1) Have you ever had low iron levels?

2) Do you make an effort to get more iron into your diet? Do you take a supplement?

3) How do you tell if something is going awry in your body? Has being an athlete given you an early heads-up and sent you in to figure out if there was something wrong?
After my fun adventures with anemia I later got to ride the wild roller coaster of hypothyroidism…fun tales for next time. 😉

Get Faster by Getting Stronger Running Hills – Build Strength to Gain Speed

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Cait — 21 Comments ↓

Jack and Jill ran up a hill to make them faster runners. Jack fell down ‘cuz he couldn’t keep pace and Jill went barreling up faster. I think I like that nursery rhyme better, don’t you?

Hill running, hill repeats, hill tempos, hilly switch-backs, hilly long runs. All of them can improve your strength and speed as a runner. Some people seem to think that runners fall into one of two categories: hill runners or flat runners. To some degree it’s true, you may naturally be better at climbing than someone else, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve by running hill.

“I by no means think I have mastered the hills or climbing but I am improving and for me that means hours running up vertical inclines, sometimes fast sometimes just a long grind, but always pushing to get better,” explains ultra marathoning champ Michael Wardian, “I am trying to do hills a few times a week, that is a weakness or has been so I want to fix that.”

During base training season is another instance where adding hillier routes into the mix is a great idea. “But I’m getting ready for track season, not cross-country, why should I be doing hill repeats now?” you may wonder. The answer is because hills will make you FASTER on the flats. The power and strength you gain from running up hills will translate to being speedier when you go back down to the flats.

Don’t believe me, then try this. When I was training with the Nike Oregon Project, Alberto Salazar would have us drive out to this sketchy little track at a local YMCA. It was comical that Olympians (not me, my training partners, trust me, I know my place! haha) would be busting out workouts while dodging potholes in lane one and sharing the track with tons of walkers who were completely oblivious. Why did we go to this track, because it sat right next to a hill where we could alternate between track intervals and hill repeats.

Try This Hill Sprints Workout:

* Warm-up (duh)
* 4×200 meters on a track (with 200 meter recovery jog)
* 8×200 meter hill charge (easy jog back down for recovery)
* 4×200 meters on track (with 200 meter recovery jog)
* Cool-down

How much ‘easier’ did that second set of 200’s feel once you were back down on the track? Compared to the hill blasts you probably felt like you dropped the sandbags you were carrying. Strength from hills = speed for flats. If you don’t have a track next to a hill you could do this on the treadmill and adjust the grade.

hill power = track speed

Short hill repeats are just one example. Even doing your ‘easy’ days on hillier routes will build up those quads. With anything in your training you want variety, so mix it up. Doing a tempo run uphill is a go-to workout for the Hudson Training Systems group; Coach Brad Hudson stresses that here the focus is not so much on the actual splits but effort.

Long hill repeats…back to pothole, podunk track we’d do track/hill/track combo workouts anywhere up to 800 meters on the hill. That’s the longest this particular hill was, but that’s hardly stopping anyone from finding a longer hill. Back to Wardian, who actually does a lot of his training on a treadmill, he likes to do repeats of 3 miles in length; he ramps the incline up each mile starting at a 4% and ending at 8%.

The thing you do have to be very careful about in running hill repeat type workouts is running the downhills which is really tough on the knees in particular. Go really easy and keep in mind if you’re doing a long run with lots of rolling hills or downhills your quads can get mighty sore from the downhill portions…you may not think that would be the case!

With anything, practice makes perfect and there is a technique to running uphill. (Downhill too, but for brevity sake I’ll cover that in another post) Don’t let yourself hunch over; stand tall, if you feel your shoulders up in your ears, shake out your arms and relax.

Keep your eyes locked up and to the summit, that helps with staying tall, and be sure to power through the top and up over the crest. Don’t stop right before the top because you’ll break all the momentum you built up…you want to use the momentum to keep you moving and then fly back down the backside. (If you’re racing that helps a lot! What goes up must go down.)

So don’t be like Jack, follow Jill and tackle that hill. Then when it is track time you’ll feel that much faster.

1) Do you like running hills? Do you consider yourself a hill runner?
I tend to do a little better on flats…I need to build up some quad strength!

2) What kinds of hill workouts or runs do you do, if any? Do you do treadmill incline workouts?

3) Do you live near hilly trails or running routes? If not, how do you simulate hills?

To Run Faster, Find People Faster Than You

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Cait — 21 Comments ↓

“One of the fastest ways to improve is to train with someone better than you.” So is written by Matt Carpenter on is site. True words from one of the greats.

Source
In case you don’t know who Matt Carpenter is, a quick background would include the terms: ‘The Lung’, ‘Pikes Peak Legend’, ‘Trail Running Dominance’, and ‘Ultra Running Anomaly’. The man has won the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon a total of 18 times and holds the course record for both. His is especially adept at altitude racing and running, hence ‘The Lung’ moniker attributed to his ability at hypoxic running. Currently he lives in Boulder, CO and still has an ongoing love affair with trails.

Interesting though, that while he lives near ample miles of beautiful trails he busts out two of his hardest workouts per week in his garage. On his $10,000 treadmill no less. I can’t delve too much into the treadmill bit just yet, it’s in working on some magazine articles that I ventured down it to begin with, but Carpenter’s reasoning for sticking to the ‘mill are quite simple, “It does not care what the weather is like, what time of day it is or even how I feel. Without exception my best seasons come after I spend the winter running with ‘Q’ on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

‘Q’ is capable of humming along at 3 minutes 20 second per mile even at a 25% grade. Carpenter has tripped too many treadmills in the past so he invested, he won’t need to worry about such things with ‘Q’.

If you want to get better, you have to be pushed by someone (or something) better than you. You have to be pulled along when you’re hurting, you have to be dragged along through the pits of pain, hang on, and keep going. Then come back for more. Why do you think racers enlist rabbits or pacers? Or athletes will seek out groups where they will be at the back of the pack?

The Africans are different from US athletes in that they all train together. Here we may have a smattering of groups but it’s not like it is over there. They get up, run together, eat, rest, run again…repeat. Together they train (and suffer), together they improve.

In a great article on Kara Goucher at RunBlogRun, she is quoted, “When I’m with a group of women, they don’t care if I’ve been up all night. They’re hitting the pace, and I’m going to get left behind if I don’t have the pace.” This is in explanation of a recent coaching change where her newest training partners are Shalane Flanagan and Lisa Uhl. Heading into the US Olympic Marathon Trials, two of the favorites are training partners. You can bet they push each other to be their best.

It works on all levels; you don’t have to be an elite runner to benefit from being at the back of the training pack. So find runners, seek them out.

* Running time warp. If you’re graduated from high school, don’t be shy, go talk to a local team’s coach. When I was in high school we had a few awesome adults come out there and sweat out our interval sessions with us. Trust me, you could be surprised at how much fun it is taking a trip back to high school…runners are generally less annoying than typical ‘mean girls’ and they won’t make you sing Justin Bieber tunes. (maybe)

* Running clubs. Go to a running shoe store and ask if there are any local running clubs; many meet up during the week outside of going to races. Honestly, if that isn’t an option just ask the running shoe people at the store…I’m sure they can help you out.

* Treadmill befriend. Like Carpenter explained, the treadmill really doesn’t care if you’re hurting, it won’t back off unless you physically make it. I’ve come to like tempo runs on the treadmill because you can just zone out and not worry about the splits, they are taken care of.

If you want to improve, often times it takes being the little fish in a big pond and then rising the ranks. What you DO have to be careful about, and I am going to stress this a lot: RESPECT YOUR RECOVERY DAYS!!! Was that clear enough? To build your fitness and strength you have to tear your muscles down with hard workouts, but you then have to allow them time to recover and rebuild.

That means if you have to run all your easy days by yourself so you’re not tempted to run too hard, do it. The most important aspect of getting faster is being able to hit your hard days…the runs in between are just getting time on the legs, recovering, and getting in the cardio. Don’t tire yourself out on the easy days. You have to strive to get better but also remember you must walk the fine line between pushing and NOT racing in every workout.

“One of the fastest ways to improve is to train with someone better than you.” So is written by Matt Carpenter on is site. True words from one of the greats.

1) Do you run by yourself, train with a team, meet with a group? Do you meet only for hard days?

2) How about treadmill running; have you tried any workouts on there or do you like the track, the garmin, heart rate monitor? What keeps you accountable and pushing?

3) Would you rather be the fastest person in the group or team or at the back/mid-pack?
I like to have other people faster than me. If you’ve ‘outgrown’ one group, maybe it’s time to move up to another and re-introduce yourself to the back of another pack? 😉