Among those who call themselves runners, there seems to be a shared sense of community and understanding. We smile knowingly at tales of windy 20-milers or sunrise jogs on the water. We compare black toenails and favorite Clif Gel flavors.
Unfortunately, we can also sympathize and relate to stories of injury or woes from those taking lengthy breaks from a regular running routine; spending their mornings in physiotherapy rather than on the trails. Although many people believe that injuries are a natural consequence of such a high-impact sport, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
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The faster an athlete moves in training, the faster he or she will be able to move during competition. So athletes use a training technique called interval training in which they run, cycle, skate, ski or swim very fast for a short time. When they become severely short of breath, they slow down until they recover, and then move very fast again.
Researchers at Ithaca College showed that athletes can gain as much by doing this type of intense interval training on consecutive days as on alternate days (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, September 2007).
Interval training causes considerable muscle damage, so it usually leaves athletes sore the next day. Most trainers recommend exercising at a slower pace until the soreness disappears. That is why athletes usually follow each intense day with one or more easy days.
However, many competitions require an athlete to exercise flat out for several consecutive days. He/She may have to compete in multiple preliminary heats over several consecutive days to reach the finals.
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For many busy women, it can be a struggle just to fit in that recommended thirty-minute daily dose of physical activity. But for a growing number, an effort to get regular exercise has been replaced by an obsession with burning calories and fulfilling rigid workout quotas - to the point of skipped work, depression, and potentially fatal harms to physical health.
While a fit body needs activity, exercise bulimia – an obsessive illness with serious consequences for the body and the emotional psyche - is becoming increasingly common. Experts estimate that at least 4% of Americans struggle with excessive exercising, but the diagnosis of exercise bulimia is rare in a culture that celebrates trim physiques and a disciplined dedication to workouts. In fact, most sufferers from exercise bulimia aren’t diagnosed with any medical problem until symptoms of more common eating disorders, namely anorexia and bulimia, rear their heads. And unfortunately, they often do, as most of those who struggle with one of the three will battle the others at some point in their lives.
It can be easy for exercise bulimia to go on for years under the radar –
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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.
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Tiredness and cramps in athletes can have many causes, but lack of potassium in their diets is not one of them. Many years ago, Dave Costill of Ball State University tried to create potassium deficiency in runners. He couldn’t do it because potassium is found in all foods except refined sugar, and his athletes would not stay on a diet that consisted only of hard candy.
The kidneys and sweat glands conserve potassium so well that you don’t lose much. If an athlete develops potassium deficiency, it is usually caused by drugs, such as diuretics or corticosteroids, or by diarrhea or repeated vomiting.
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Lots of athletes and exercisers take ibuprofen, an over- the-counter medication, and other nonsteroidals to ease pain in their joints and muscles. A study from the University of Florida shows that nonsteroidal drugs inhibit exercise-induced muscle growth and strength.
Athletes train by taking a hard workout and damaging their muscles. They feel sore on the next day and exercise at reduced intensity until their muscles are healed. When they feel no soreness, they take a hard workout again.
When muscles heal from the stress of a hard workout, they are larger and stronger. Damaged muscles release a healing prostaglandin called Cox-2, that causes muscle growth and increased strength. Ibuprofen blocks Cox-2 and therefore will delay or inhibit muscle growth.
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One of the most difficult problems for athletes is knowing when you are training too much. You make a muscle stronger only by stressing that muscle, feeling sore on the next day, and taking easy workouts or days off until the soreness goes away.
Then you are supposed to take a hard workout again. If you do not feel soreness on the day after a hard workout, you have not injured your muscles, and they will not become stronger. However, if you try to work hard when your muscles feel sore, muscles do not recover and will feel sore all the time.
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