TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Friday, November 21, 2008

Q&A: Is it normal to gain weight and be puffy after long, intense exercise?

Posted August 9th, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

It is not normal to be puffy after a long ride or any other form of exercise. Your doctor should check for kidney problems, hormone abnormalities or diabetes. If these tests are normal, you drank way too much during your ride and are lucky that you only suffered from excess fluid retention. You could have developed hyponatremia, a serious condition that can kill you.

Normal healthy kidneys have a limit to how rapidly they can rid your body of excess fluid. If you take in more fluid than your kidneys can clear, fluid accumulates in your blood and dilutes the salt level. Since fluid moves from an area of low salt to high salt, and your brain has far more salt than your blood does; the fluid will move into your brain to causes swelling, seizures and even death.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Hyponatremia …
… Too much water

Posted May 7th, 2007 at 10:18 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Nutrition, Hydration

For the last 40 years, sports medicine experts have told athletes in endurance events that they should take fluids frequently during events lasting more than one hour. However, three years ago, a 28-year-old woman collapsed and died after finishing the Boston Marathon. Her blood salt levels were extremely low and she died from a condition called hyponatremia.

A few weeks ago, a policeman training for bicycle duty died of the same condition. On July 26, 2005, sports medicine experts issued a warning to all athletes from the First International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference.

I have never seen this syndrome in well-conditioned athletes. It has been reported almost exclusively in very thin, less-fit, slower and novice athletes, and is far more common in women. This condition is caused by drinking too much fluid and is not caused by excessive loss of salt in sweat or by exercising. When people with psychiatric problems force themselves to drink huge amounts of water while sitting still, they also can die of hyponatremia, only in this case, it is called water intoxication.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Tips for staying safe and expecting the unexpected

Posted April 20th, 2007 at 7:52 AM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

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

Most runners are aware of the dangers of overtraining and have read countless articles on how to prevent them through a sensible and well-structured regimen, the “10% Rule”, and many other strategies.

However, the one downside to this focus is that it often leads runners to overlook other, important safety and health concerns. That’s why we decided to put together this basic, and yet incredibly useful, list of tips to help you beginners be more aware and prepared on your next run:

1) There is safety in numbers. Running in pairs or groups has its social benefits, but also can help increase running safety. If you hurt yourself, there’s someone there to give you the help you may need (think how much better off you’d be after rolling an ankle to have assistance getting home). If you prefer to run solo, stick close to home and consider running only in populated areas that you are familiar with. This way, help is much easier to come by.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Study finds that mild dehydration does not impair exercise performance

Posted February 12th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Jamal Walker

Section: Nutrition, Hydration

The Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois published a study showing that 46 percent of recreational exercisers are mildly dehydrated (Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, June 2006).

However with good reason, the study does not say that they are harmed. There is no data anywhere to show that this mild dehydration affects health or athletic performance. Another study from the University of Connecticut shows that a person must lose a tremendous amount of fluid before it affects his performance (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, October 2006).

When you exercise for more than an hour, you [need to] take in fluid … but not too much. Excessive fluid can cause a potentially fatal condition called hyponatremia. Normally, the amount of salt and other minerals in your bloodstream should equal the same total mineral content in every tissue in your body. If the mineral concentrations are not equal, they try to become equal. Fluid moves from the area of lower mineral content to that of the higher concentration.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Scaling the infamous “Wall” Part II: Raceday

Posted February 1st, 2007 at 3:00 PM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

This is the second and final installment in “Scaling the infamous Wall”. Make sure you also go back and read “Part I: Marathon preparation”.

The big day has finally arrived and its time for you to run the epic marathon! You have preparedfor several months, weeks, and days; setting yourself up for success by training with a plan, tapering effectively, living healthily, carbo-loading, and calculating your true pace. You are ready…SO DON’T BLOW IT!!

Months of hard work can be negated by a poor raceday strategy and/or by overlooking seemingly “minor details”. Conversely, running smart will complement your training and go a long way towards producing the optimal, marathon experience. Below are five raceday tips that have greatly enhanced my own racing and are capable of doing the same for yours.

1) Hold back on the first mile. Often runners go out way too hard and burn off precious glycogen. Remember that pace you calculated from the “scouting race” in Part 1? Go out 10-15 seconds slower than that for the first mile. With all the excitement of the start, it will take a conscious effort to accomplish this, but your legs will thank you around Mile 20!
Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

TFS Review: nuun portable electrolyte hydration

Posted January 19th, 2007 at 5:00 PM by Kathryn Magro

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Proper hydration is essential for runners and other athletes. Sports drinks are good options, but many people don’t enjoy their very sugary taste and/or experience stomach problems from the excessive carbohydrate intake. Looking for an alternative? Try nuun’s portable electrolyte hydration. Read on for our comprehensive review and the results of our product testing.

Product: nuun portable electrolyte hydration
Price: $6.50 per tube (12 tablets)
Rating: Excellent 8.6/10.0
Pros:Effective hydration on the go; convenient; versatile; won’t cause stomach discomfort; variety of flavors
Cons: Lacks vitamins; no individually packaging
Overall: An effective and convenient hydration option for runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes.

nuun is a portable electrolyte tablet. The tablets come in a small container that resembles Airborne and quickly dissolve when added to 16-20oz. of water. They are also effervescent so no mixing or shaking is required for the tablets to dissolve (unlike many sports drink powders).
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

How Much Water Should I Drink? How Much is Too Much?

Posted October 15th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Nutrition, Hydration, Health & Fitness

For the last 40 years, sports medicine experts have told athletes in endurance events that they should take fluids frequently during events lasting more than one hour.

However, three years ago, a 28-year-old woman collapsed and died after finishing the Boston Marathon. Her blood salt levels were extremely low and she died from a condition called hyponatremia. A few weeks ago, a policeman training for bicycle duty died of the same condition.

On July 26, 2005, sports medicine experts issued a warning to all athletes from the First International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, July/August 2005).

I have never seen this syndrome in well-conditioned athletes. It has been reported almost exclusively in very thin, less-fit, slower and novice athletes, and is far more common in women. This condition is caused by drinking too much fluid and is not caused by excessive loss of salt in sweat or by exercising. Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

When to Say “No” to H2O

Posted May 25th, 2006 at 10:59 PM by Allyson Rosen

Section: Running & Training, Nutrition, Hydration, Training Tips, Health & Fitness

Believe it or not you can drink too much water, potentially leading into a coma, twitches, seizures, stupor, or even death. This is a condition known as hyponatremia, or simply, “water intoxication” and is typically associated with endurance running.

Researchers who studied 488 runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 62, or more than one in eight, had a serious fluid and salt imbalance from drinking too much water or sports drinks. Three of them had extreme imbalances.” – Linda A. Johnson, The Boston Globe

Don’t panic yet! Keep reading! The more educated you are about how to drink your water or sports drink, the better you and your body will be. First, I’ll explain how and why this condition occurs.

Too Much Water Scenario: Say you are running in a half or full marathon. You drink a lot of water before your race and during your race. The liquid part of your blood, (blood plasma) begins to increase while your salt content of your blood becomes diluted. Salt is already being lost from the sweat pouring out of your body. The amount of salt available for your body’s tissues will steadily decrease during the course of the race to a point where it can interfere with your muscle function, brain and heart. In addition, you may begin to feel symptoms that are frequently felt when you are dehydrated; lethargy, confusion, nausea, fatigue, etc.

A study by researchers at the Memorial Hermann Healthcare Organisation in Houston, Texas found that 21 of the 5,000-odd runners in the Houston Marathon got hyponatremia. The longer the runners took to complete the race, the more at risk they were, as they tended to stop at every water station along the course. Research thus far suggests that women are more vulnerable to hyponatremia than men, probably due to their smaller body size.” – Realbuzz.com

Again, don’t panic! You can prepare against hyponatremia way before your race! Weigh yourself before your long run and again after. Your weight should go down. If you gained weight, you over-hydrated. On your next run, cut down on the amount of water you are consuming and weigh yourself again. Try to find the right balance for your body. You can also try to guzzle an isotonic drink, rather than water, or have a snack that is high in sodium, such as salty pretzels. Also, try not to gulp down your water, take it easy and sip.

Drink smart!

Comment on this post | Permalink