Archive for April, 2007

Last January, I ran my first official road marathon in Houston, Texas, in an attempt to qualify for this year’s Boston Marathon.  It was during this race that I gained an appreciation for how difficult running a marathon can be.  I was on track to run a time near 3-hours, but the last 5-6 miles became increasingly tough, both physically and mentally.  I managed to finish with a time of 3:14:15, which was just 45 seconds faster than what was required for Boston, but shortly after crossing the finish line, I was overcome with hypothermia.  The weather wasn’t particularly cold, but I was wet, standing in an air-conditioned room, and somewhat dehydrated.  I realize now that this is a perfect recipe for trouble after the stress of running 26.2-miles.

Last week, the Boston Marathon organizers sent out a weather advisory stating that we should expect cold temperatures, heavy rain, and wind gusts of up to 50-miles/hour on race day.  For those of you not familiar with the Boston course, it is a point-to-point run straight east from the town of Hopkinton into downtown Boston.  Since this bad weather would be caused by a rare late-season nor’easter, those strong winds would be in our face for the entire marathon.  Based on my experience in Houston, I understood the risks of hypothermia and believed I would be able to be fully prepared for the worst.  I was also confident that I would be able to run a faster time than I did in Houston.  Even though the Houston course is extremely flat and the Boston course is notoriously difficult, I still felt like I was in better shape and could conquer the hills of New England. 

I woke up early this morning (race day in Boston) after sleeping very little last night.  That nor’easter hit full force after going to bed, and the thought of running a marathon in those conditions was not very comforting.  After arriving in Boston at about 6am, I walked to Boston Common where we would board the buses to Hopkinton.  For some reason I imagined there would be large, comfortable, and warm charter busses waiting for us.  I was wrong.  With all the prestige of the Boston Marathon, the preferred method of transit is the school bus.  It took a while to load more than 20,000 runners on school buses in downtown Boston.  Did I mention it was cold, windy, and rainy?

After an hour bus ride to Hopkinton, we were dropped off at “Athlete’s Village”, i.e., a makeshift swamp at the local middle school.  The ground was completely saturated and flooded, so I quickly gave up on the idea of having dry shoes at the start.  I’ve heard from veterans of the race that the time in Hopkinton is usually a pretty fun party.  Not so this year.  It was two hours of wind and driving rain while standing in near-freezing water trying to stay warm.  It was a huge relief when the announcement finally came for us to begin the almost 1-mile walk to the starting line. 

It felt great to finally start running.  The rain was lightening up, the temperature was warming, and the first 4-5 miles of the course are downhill.  The spectacle of the race was immediately evident and it was difficult not to get caught up in the moment.  Running by the screaming girls of Wellesley College was likely the most impressive part of the day when it comes to Boston Marathon traditions.  I was even on track to beat my Houston time when I passed the halfway point. 

Enter mile marker 18, the hills of Newton, leg cramps, side cramps, and a big “wall”.  Apparently, the constant rolling hills on the course and the extra energy expended to keep warm while soaked through and running in the cold wind was more than my training prepared me for.  Moving forward became increasingly difficult, even with several walking breaks.  My right hamstring was cramped up, but when I would try to stretch it, my right quad would cramp up.  I somehow managed to continue on until I reached the 24-mile marker.  My hands went numb, my face was tingling, my lips were gray, and I began to become nauseous and disoriented.  Hypothermia had once again reared its ugly head.

The decision to obtain medical assistance with only 2-miles to go was not an easy one.  If it wouldn’t have been for my experience in Houston, I’m sure I would have gutted it out to the finish and then ended up in the hospital.  The good news was that I had done quite a bit of research and knew exactly what I needed at that point.  I spent more than 1/2-hour on a heated bus, wrapped in a fleece blanket, drinking hot sugar water and hot chocholate, and eating whatever my stomach could tolerate.  With the prospect of an impressive time long gone, I exited the medical station with the sole motivation of completing the race and at least having a finisher’s medal to take home from Boston.

My wife, Lais, was waiting at the 25-mile marker with dry gloves and a hat so that I would be able to tolerate the cold once I actually stopped running at the finish line.  I should also mention that she was able to master the Boston transit system enough to meet me at three other places along the course to provide support and encouragement.  I originally thought that I could have come to Boston and run this race alone, but now I realize that I would have never made it to the finish without her here today.  

At the end of the day, I am again humbled by how difficult a marathon can actually be.  Someday, I hope to be able to do one of these without becoming hypothermic, but I am encouraged by the fact that I was able to work through it and ultimately finish.  In addition, it was cool to be part of the one and only Boston Marathon run in a nor’easter.  Even though it took me more than an hour longer than it did in Houston, finishing the world’s most prestigious marathon never felt so good.   

Finally warm and dry in Boston,

- Patrick

Technique isn’t likely to hold you back when you first start running, but the faster and farther you go, the more likely it is to affect your performance. Good running technique can often be judged both visually and from within if the running feels smooth and efficient, it probably is.

A great way to get feedback on your running technique is to join a running group. Such groups usually include runners of varying abilities, some of whom should be able to help you improve your performance.

This section describes a few basic components of good form for both running and walking. It’s not necessary to memorize the list. Instead, as you read it through, think about your own running style, one component at a time. Keep in mind that the most important thing you can do to improve your running technique is relax.

Positioning

Feet

Your feet should point straight ahead and be positioned parallel to one another. When each foot strikes the ground, it should be directly underneath your hip.

Thighs

When your left foot strikes the ground, your left thigh should accelerate backward while your right thigh moves forward (and vice versa).

Hips

Your hips should be flexible, allowing for a longer, more efficient stride.

Torso

Your torso should be erect, with your pelvis tucked in (neutral position). Visualize running tall.

Shoulders and arms

Your anus should swing naturally, starting at the shoulder joint. Walkers should keep their arms slightly bent at the elbow, their wrists relaxed, whereas runners should bend their arms at the elbow and keep their hands cupped. Runners should also focus on keeping their shoulders square and driving their arms backward, which will create a rebound effect, sending the arms forward.

Common problems

Beginning runners especially will want to watch for these common problems.

Overstriding

Overstriding occurs when, during an effort to increase stride length, the knee locks as you reach with the lead foot. The lead foot then lands in front of your center of gravity, causing jarring and braking. In this position, the knee is less able to absorb shock and sooner or later pain results. To eliminate Overstriding, be sure that with each stride your foot strikes the ground under your hip and with the knee slightly flexed.

Upper-body twisting

Running and walking are generally linear activities. If you allow your upper body to twist too much, energy that should be used to direct the body forward is expended in wasted rotational motion. What’s more, if your upper body twists, your arms and feet lend to follow and cross the midline. Not only is this style of running or walking inefficient, it increases your chances of being injured. Concentrate on moving your arms through 90 degrees while keeping your body square.

High hands, hunched shoulders

When fatigue sets in, your hands will tend to rise and your shoulders to hunch. This leads to increased tension in the muscles of the upper body and wastes energy. Your shoulders and hands need to stay relaxed and loose. To ensure that they do, concentrate on your posture: head up and eyes focused ahead; shoulders square, pulled back and down; chest lifted and abdominal muscles contracted (pressed towards your spine); pelvis in a neutral position.

Shuffling

Runners who shuffle typically fail to lift their knees high enough and may swing their arms and hips too much to compensate. Developing adequate hip-to-knee flexibility and strength can help solve this problem.

Some runners don’t strength train because, they say, they lose speed if they bulk up. This is a myth. Strength training is vital to the development of speed. Although you can become a capable runner without working with weights, increasing muscle tone by strength training will help - and make running more enjoyable as well.

The main reason to strength train is that it can assist you in developing your muscles in a more balanced way, which reduces the risk of injury. Injuries tend to occur when muscle strength is insufficient to support weaknesses, whether those are naturally occurring or have been introduced by previous injuries. For example, if you sprained your ankle or twisted your knee when you were a teenager, there may be lingering scar tissue around these joints. By increasing the strength around these old injuries you can give the joints the support they need to keep the injuries from flaring up again.

Muscle groups are generally arranged in an opposing fashion and while one contracts, the other relaxes (in support of the movement). As a runner, you will be most concerned about the opposing groups that include the quadriceps and hamstring combination, the abdominal and lower back muscles, and the calf and anterior shin muscles (those at the front of your leg below your knee).

As well as helping to prevent injury, strength training can help prevent the decrease in muscle mass that occurs with age (usually the result of reduced activity and the aging process itself), thereby lessening your susceptibility to osteoporosis and other diseases. Studies have shown that even the elderly can increase their muscle mass and enhance their bone density through strength training.

Finally, increasing your strength has a psychological benefit, too: feeling strong feels good. Although weight training and variations thereof that lead to increased muscle strength can be tedious in the beginning, in time it can be very satisfying to flex a muscle and feel the strength in it.

Cautions

Before embarking on any strength-training program, you should get instruction on technique from a qualified trainer, especially if you’re using free weights.

Even if you do most of your strengthening with gym equipment, it’s best not to rely on machines alone, as they tend to allow very specific, often limited ranges of motion. (The strength you develop will be focused in die ranges that you are working.) Free weights can provide more variety and a greater range of motion. Strength training exercises have even been developed for working on large “physio” balls.

Start with light weights and do a larger number of repetitions. As you become more skilled and/or wish to gain greater strength, you can decrease the number of repetitions and increase the weight.

No matter what your age or fitness level, give yourself 48 hours between strength-training sessions. Strength training can be hard on muscles and it is very likely that your muscles will feel sore for a day or two after your session. Part of this soreness is due to minute tears in the muscle caused by the exercise. Given sufficient time, the muscles will knit back together to be stronger and more efficient. But if you don’t give your body enough time to recover, you can do yourself more harm than good. This is especially true when you begin; as you get stronger, you will find you can push your limits further.

Although you may be developing muscles in order to run, this does not mean you should develop only the muscles in your lower body. Upper body strength is necessary for good running posture. For example, if your erector spine muscles (in your back) are weak, you will find it more difficult to stand up straight when you run and will tend to lean forward. This in turn will decrease your stride and your endurance.

One last warning: At some gyms, people hang around selling various drugs and supplements they promise will help you get stronger faster. Even if that’s true, it’s certainly a case of short-term gain for long-term pain. Drugs can do irreparable harm to your body.

Hill running

Why run hills? Maybe you live in a city such as San Francisco or Vancouver where it is hard to avoid them. Maybe you want to improve your running fitness so that you can run longer and faster. Whatever your reasons, running hills can be both rewarding and tough.

Running hills works your body both aerobically and anaerobically during the same session. As with lifting weights, this type of running is resistance training. As you build your muscle strength and endurance, your legs will get stronger and you won’t tire as quickly. Over time. knowing that you can run up - and down - hills will bolster your confidence and give you a whole lot of new places to train.

When you first start to run hills:

1. Pick one small, short hill to start.

2. Start slowly. Pay attention to what muscles your body is using as you climb.

3. Run a short distance to start; 1-2 minutes is enough. If the hill is longer than this, take a walking break and then try to continue to the top.

4. When you get to the top, jog or walk slowly back down the hill.

5. Repeat the slow run up and walk down 2-4 times to start.

6. Listen to your body; if your muscles are straining or you’re having trouble breathing, slow down.

7. Once you can comfortably run up and down your chosen hill, you can challenge yourself by increasing the length or grade of the hill, the number of intervals (the number of times you run fast up and slowly down) or the speed of your run. Be careful not to do too much too far too fast. Also remember that running downhill places a lot of stress on your joints, so take it easy!

Stretching

Stretching can make you a better runner by increasing your flexibility. Don’t forget to warm up gently first with some walking or on-the-spot jogging. Should you feel particularly tight, knead your muscles between your fingers to get the blood flowing. (If you have a running partner, you can massage each other’s muscles when necessary.) Ease into your stretching routine and stick to light stretching before your workout, saving your deeper and longer stretching program for after your run. Stretch before and after every run.