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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

ASK LARA: Ankle Sprains and When to Return to Training

Posted September 18th, 2008 at 12:16 PM by Lara Johnson

Section: Columns, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. I sprained my ankle about 6 weeks ago. When can I start running and being active again? I haven’t been doing much activity since other than I’m on my feet a lot at my waitressing job. Sometimes it feels a little sore after a long day. I enjoy running and biking. Can I start back?
~Katie from CT

A. I’m sorry to hear about your ankle sprain, however it seems like you are in a good place to begin building back to your training. Since you’ve been actively walking on it at your job without pain for the majority of time, and since it has been 6 weeks, you are close to recovery. The important thing to keep in mind is to build back gradually without overdoing it.
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Your First Marathon:
You Can Do It!

Posted November 12th, 2007 at 6:30 PM by Andrew Goodman

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Motivation, Training Tips, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Completing a marathon puts ordinary runners in the company of elite athletes—finishing a 26.2-mile run is an impressive accomplishment.

But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to join the ranks of marathoners around the world. With dedication and training, most runners can complete a marathon—and then have the satisfaction of being able to say, “A marathon” Yeah, I’ve done that.”

So don’t shy away from a marathon because it seems too hard, too long, too painful. With the right attitude and a good training regimen, it’s just 26.2 miles away.
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Tapering for Athletes and Ordinary Exercisers

Posted October 2nd, 2007 at 10:55 AM by Adam Berger

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Tapering refers to the period just before a major race or game, when an athlete reduces workload to be in peak shape on the day of the competition. Ordinary exercisers can apply this training principle when they plan to enter a local race or charity event.

Top athletes must spend a tremendous amount of time training to be able to compete successfully. Their huge volume of work leaves them near exhaustion and before major competitions, they have to find the best way to reduce fatigue while retaining fitness. Many studies have been done to help athletes and coaches decide on the best strategy.

Researchers at the University of Montreal compiled the results of 27 scientifically acceptable studies. They concluded that the best duration of tapering is two weeks, the optimum training volume reduction is by 40 to 60 percent, and the intensity of workouts should be maintained (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2007).

Training load during taper: Almost all of the studies agree that athletes should reduce the amount of work they do. While each athlete must decide on his optimal reduction, many bicycle racers drop from up to 400 miles a week down to fewer than 200, and many runners drop from above 100 miles to fewer than 40.
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Training Peaks delivers free advice & training plans from running expert Hal Higdon

Posted May 6th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Running & Training, Training Plans

Starting this spring, the active individual can train with running plans designed by Hal Higdon; a renowned coach and best-selling author.

These plans are part of Training Peaks ongoing support of Higdon; to deliver training to the masses via the World Wide Web. In addition, as part of their sponsorship of the Training Peaks program, Target will underwrite six training programs that will be offered free to athletes. The free programs are perfect for beginners because they show how to run safely and smoothly.

“We’re excited about our partnership with Target because it allows us to offer these high-demand training plans by Hal Higdon to active people everywhere for free,” said Donavon Guyot, chief executive officer, Training Peaks.
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