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Lead Stories: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Why you should cool down

Posted February 20th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

At the end of a marathon, a runner sprints over the finish line, falls down and lies unconscious for a short time. What’s the most likely cause? The possibilities include dehydration, hyponatremia (excessive fluid intake with too little salt in the blood), heat stroke, drunkenness, a heart attack or stroke. Usually it is none of these.

Almost all athletes who collapse after finishing a marathon suffer from postural hypotension: lack of blood flow to the brain because blood drops from the brain to the legs.

Treatment is to lie the person on his back, raise his feet high over his head and wait for him to revive. If he or she is not alert within seconds, you should consider the more serious causes of unconsciousness and get medical help immediately.
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Active and Dynamic Stretching: An injury prevention tandem

Posted January 16th, 2007 at 4:24 PM by Richard Quinn

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

Stretching before and after running (and any physical activity) is an important aspect of preventing injuries. Stretching can also help with muscle recovery, optimizing muscle gains and increasing flexibility. There are two general types of stretching that can lead to these benefits: active and dynamic.

Active stretching (as seen above), also known as static stretching, entails stretching a muscle to an elongated position and holding that stretch for a certain amount of time. This is the most common type of stretching that most of us have been taught from a young age. Although there is some debate about the effective of active stretching, Sports Fitness Advisor states:

“This debate relates to an acute bout of static stretching prior to exercise. It is still considered important and beneficial to athletes away from competition to to bring about a long-term increase in range of motion.”

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Racing Etiquette: A Guide for Beginners

Posted November 17th, 2006 at 4:00 PM by Jenna Sumara

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

You know those dreams where you show up to the fist day of school and your naked? I’ve been plagued by those dreams, not about return to school, but rather about re-joining the world of racing.

I dream that on race day I am naked, show up late and end up stuck at the front of the pack before the start line. Then, I run so slow that people start knocking me over while other runners point and laugh.

Sure, I used to run 5k’s as a kid, but when you’re young you can get away with not knowing all the rules of race etiquette. As an adult, you want to be able to show up on race day focused on having fun and performing your best; not on how to pass, where to line up or how to get a drink from the aid stations.

That being said - I have complied a guide to racing etiquette so that the only thing that’ll make you, and I, stand out from the crowd is just how darn fast we are! :-) Read the rest of this entry »

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Balancing the benefits and consequences of running

Posted November 7th, 2006 at 1:00 PM by Anuradha Kher

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab

Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise and participation in the sport is growing exponentially.

A large part of running’s appeal is that it is easy to get into; requiring only minimal equipment and can be done almost anywhere. For the most part, people run (usually in an effort to stay in shape and/or relieve stress) without giving the activity enough consideration.

Getting started: Things to consider
Beginners and/or runners who are coming back from a long layoff, often do not fully appreciate the possible consequences of the sport. On the other hand, there are also a whole slew of overlooked benefits of running that go beyond just staying in shape or relieving stress. Read the rest of this entry »

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