This week, I marked two full years of writing
weekly articles on science and running for Runners Connect. Last year, I made a list of one thing I learned about running from each week of writing, and I'm doing the same this year. The shorter and more focused nature of my
articles on Runners Connect allows me to cover a huge number of topics, which
is reflected in the list below! Check out RunnersConnect.net for the full articles,
as well some guides to injuries that I've written and a ton of other really
useful information on running as well.
1. Massive
increases in training volume and intensity are likely to result in
overtraining, a problem where your body responds hostilely and normal
adaptation mechanisms fail. Avoiding
this is not just a matter of your training, though—getting more sleep and
keeping your overall stress level low also helps keep you safe from
overtraining. If you are overtrained, it
can take several weeks to work your way back to health.
2. Because
bones have a unique healing timeframe, the standard "increase mileage by 10% per week" rule might not work best for people susceptible to stress fractures. Two ways to make sure
your body can handle new mileage territory is by taking a down week every 3-4
weeks as you increase mileage, or using an "equilibrium" model, where
you increase mileage by 30% one week, then maintain that same volume for
several weeks before increasing again.
3. For
ideal performance, there's a balance between having a stiff, responsive surface
and a little bit of "give" so you can get a lot of energy back from
the ground. On a soft surface like
grass, you can get away with wearing the thinnest, lightest spikes you have,
but on pavement, you probably want something with at least some cushioning.
4. Some
innovative new studies have connected hamstring tightness with increased stress
on the plantar fascia and abnormal loading in the forefoot.
5. Many
runners get extremely sore calves after their first race of the season. This is because they spend the entire
offseason training in regular running shoes, then run an entire race in
low-heeled racing flats or spikes. To
avoid this, do some strides in low-heeled shoes (or in no shoes at all) a few
times a week, even during parts of the year when you aren't racing.
6. The four
best exercises for hip strength are the clamshell, side-step (or "monster
walk"), glute bridge with single-leg lifts, and quadruped hip
extension (pictured below). If you're only going to do a
few strength exercises, do these!
7. The most
common locations for runners to get stress fractures are the tibia, the
metatarsal bones, and the fibula (in that order). Together, these account for over 90% of
stress fractures in runners. Within this
group, half of tibial stress fractures occur in the first "third" of
the bone, and the most commonly fractured metatarsals are, in order, the
second, third, and fourth.
8. There's
no evidence right now that any style of footstrike is, by itself,
"superior." It may be that
footstrike is like pronation: an aspect of your running form that varies from
person to person and changes what kind of injuries you are likely to get,
but not necessarily injury rates overall.
9. Having
allergies to dust or pollen nearly doubles your risk for having asthma, and
being an endurance athlete already increases your risk for developing asthma. Moreover, many runners have asthma without
even knowing it! Cold air and pollen are the major aggravators for asthmatic
runners, meaning winter and spring training can be difficult.
10. Finding
the right medications to manage asthma can be tricky, so be prepared to work
with your doctor and try out a few different approaches before you get it
right.
11. In
theory, drinking water every 10-15min "to thirst" as you run is
optimal. It's okay to lose some water
weight while running; you don't need to replace every drop of sweat you lose
with water or sports drinks. Most people
will find that drinking one 12 or 16-ounce bottle of water per hour of running
will keep them from getting thirsty, which is the best measurement of how much
water you need.
12. A rare
subset of stress fractures are "high-risk" stress fractures, meaning
they are prone to slow and sometimes incomplete healing. These include femoral neck stress, navicular,
and fifth metatarsal stress fractures, among others. Fortunately, early diagnosis and treatment
can mean that these don't have to be career-changing or ending injuries.
13. Female
runners with a history of stress fractures should consider taking a calcium and
vitamin D supplement, as there is some evidence that this can lower your risk
for stress fractures in the future.
14. There
is emerging evidence that your vitamin D levels can have a significant impact
on your overall health and ability to recover.
You're at a greater risk for vitamin D deficiency if you have dark skin,
live far from the Earth's equator, or spend very little time outside. Exposure to direct sunlight and vitamin D
supplements can both raise your vitamin D levels.
15. Healthy
runners might get some benefit from doing single-leg balance training to reduce
the risk of ankle sprains, but these exercises are most useful to people who
already have a sprained ankle and
want to recover quicker and prevent sprains in the future.
16. The
glute bridge exercise with leg lifts and single-leg squats are two excellent tests for
measuring hip muscle function. People
with poor hip strength or coordination tend to let their pelvis drop when doing
single leg lifts while doing glute bridge, and their knee buckles or rotates
inward when they do single-leg squats.
Poor hip strength and coordination are also very closely linked to
running injuries, so these tests can be a useful screening tool.
17. Polluted
air has a huge impact on your body's ability to perform. Heavy smog can saturate up to 5% of your red
blood cells with poisonous carbon monoxide, and ozone can impair your oxygen
intake by 11%. The link is so strong
that high school cross country times can be predicted by the amount of
pollution in the air. Pollution also
increases your risk of getting respiratory infections like the cold, and
severely aggravates asthma.
18. High
pollen counts can wreck a workout if you have allergies. Though the direct effects on performance are
untested, exposure to allergens has been shown to decrease the function of the
central nervous system, which could impair your running ability. Make sure you talk with your doctor if you
are a top-level high school, NCAA, or open/masters athlete, as you might need a
therapeutic use exemption for some allergy medications.
19. To
avoid gastrointestinal problems while running, avoid meals that are high in
fiber, fat, and concentrated carbohydrates (like fruit juice) immediately
before running. Also be aware that high
temperatures and dehydration can cause GI problems like nausea, diarrhea,
cramping, and bowel movement urgency too, and know that women are particularly
prone to GI issues, though the reasons are unclear.
20. Keeping
your shoes laced snug, but not tight, and making sure you have enough room in
the toebox of your shoe will help alleviate bruised toenails. Keeping your toenails trimmed short and
square and using an "ankle lock" lacing pattern can help, too.
21.
Carrying around excess weight will slow you down by about 1.4% per 1% of
body weight increase, but these measurements are from carrying around
artificial weight, like water bottles or camelbaks. Keep in mind that losing weight, especially
rapidly, is associated with muscle loss, so your best bet is to maintain a
healthy weight all the time, not try to cut down to a "racing weight"
several times per year.
22. Women
are more likely to get patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner's knee), medial
tibial stress syndrome (shin splints), and IT band syndrome than men. Women should be particularly attentive to
their hip strength, as they tend to have worse hip mechanics than men, which
might explain why they get knee and shin injuries more often.
23. Men are
more likely than women to get tendon and fascia injuries like patellar
tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis, though were' not quite
sure why. Men are also overrepresented
among injured runners with calf strains, knee osteoarthritis, and meniscus
injuries, though to what extent this is simply because there are more older men
who run is unsure.
24. Older
runners, especially men, need to keep in mind that their risk of calf injuries
increases as they age. Strengthening
your calves is probably a good idea for prevention if you are a master's
runner.
25. A few
new studies indicate that whether you have high or low arches doesn't affect
your overall injury risk, but it does impact where you get injured.
Runners with high, stiff arches are probably more susceptible to bony
injuries and problems on the lateral (outside) side of their foot, ankle, and
leg, while people with flat, flexible arches look to be more vulnerable to soft
tissue injuries on the medial (inside) half of their foot and leg.
26. Very
thin or very firm shoes can increase the pressure on the sole of your foot and
put more stress on your metatarsals, especially if you run on hard surfaces.
27.
Scientific studies have been skeptical of the usefulness of Active
Release Technique (ART) and Graston Technique to treat injuries. Despite anecdotal support for these
deep-tissue massage techniques, there's not much well-designed research
supporting their efficacy.
28. Balance
training can help athletes recover from ankle injuries, but you should probably
avoid it if you currently have an overuse knee injury like IT band syndrome or
patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner's knee).
29.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is an emerging treatment which has
shown promise for treating chronic tendon and fascia injuries in athletes. Firm standards on how to best use it as a
treatment protocol are, realistically speaking, 5-10 years off; until then,
it's best thought of as an experimental treatment.
30. Women
should avoid tight-fitting pointed-toe shoes as much as possible. Some evidence suggests that these shoes can
cause bunions, and wearing well-fitted, comfortable shoes certainly can't hurt.
31.
Unstable surfaces like Bosu balls, balance mats, and the like should
only be used for strength exercises which specifically target improving
balance. "Compound" exercises
like squats, lunges, or push-ups are best done on flat, stable ground.
32. Side
stitches are poorly understood, but research suggests that taking more time
between eating, stretching your abdominal muscles, and running and avoiding
concentrated, sugary drinks before and during running can alleviate your
problems. Spinal mobility might be
related to chronic side stitches in some athletes, so consider seeing a
chiropractor or physical therapist if you have chronic side stitch pain while
running.
33.
Platelet-rich plasma (or PRP) therapy is an emerging but still
experimental treatment for a range of running injuries. Studies on its efficacy are conflicting, so
if anything, it should be reserved for long-standing, recalcitrant cases of
patellar tendonitis, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis.
34.
Research indicates that the best benefits from pure sprint workouts can
be netted by doing six sessions of sprint training spread out over several
weeks. These workouts should consist of
a small number of very short (30 seconds or less) repeats at maximum or
near-maximum effort, with plenty of recovery.
35.
Therapeutic ultrasound, a mainstay of athletic training rooms and
physical therapy offices, does little or nothing to improve recovery. Most of the effects on your body can be
accomplished just as effectively with a simple hot pack.
36.
Specific exercises to strengthen your lungs or improve your airflow
don't have any impact on your ability to run because your lung capacity is not
a limiting factor in distance running.
Because of this, lung-strengthening contraptions and airflow improvers
like Breathe Right strips offer no benefit to runners.
37. Women
who have foot deformities like bunions, neuromas, and hammertoes are vastly
more likely to wear shoes that are ill-fitted and too small for their
feet. Do your best to wear comfortable,
well-fitted shoes as much as possible—trendy women in New York City walk to
work in comfy athletic shoes, then put on their high-heeled dress shoes once
they get to work!
38.
Iontophoresis, a method of delivering drugs through the skin which uses
an electrical current instead of a needle, appear to be able to deliver
corticosteroids to an injured area without incurring the type of damage that's
been associated with corticosteroid injections.
Some small studies have supported iontophoresis as a useful adjunct to a
traditional rehab program for Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis.
39.
Nitroglycerin, delivered to an injured area via a skin patch, shows some
very promising results in early studies on treating tendon injuries. For now, they are an experimental, off-label
treatment for nitroglycerin patches, which are typically used to treat chest
pain in people with heart disease.
40. People
who play ball sports like basketball or soccer before becoming runners have a
substantially lower risk for developing a stress fracture while running. Every year you played a ball sport before
becoming a runner confers a 13% reduction in the incidence of stress
fractures. For women, this relationship only holds if you had normal menstrual
periods (i.e. were not amenorrheic) during your tenure as a ball sport player.
41. When
returning to running after a soft-tissue overuse injury like Achilles
tendonitis or patellofemoral pain syndrome, some research indicates that it's
okay to run with some mild pain, as long as that pain does not climb above 5/10
on the pain scale and fades by the following morning.
42.
Research published in the last year indicates that poor hip strength and
stability are associated with medial tibial stress syndrome, also known as shin
splints. Doing a hip strength routine is
a very good idea in general, but especially if you have a history of shin problems.
43. Cold,
windy, and wet weather increases your risk for hypothermia—that should be
obvious. But runners who are young,
tall, and thin, as well as those who run at a slow pace, are also at a greater
risk for hypothermia, even in only moderately cold or wet weather. Fortunately, cold weather is not nearly as
much of an impediment on race day as hot weather, at least as measured by
medical tent visits at major road races.
44. Running
outside in the cold will make your shoe feel stiffer, as the EVA foam that
makes up the midsole becomes significantly harder in cold temperatures. Shoes with softer midsoles are modestly less
susceptible to this problem, but still harden substantially in cold
temperatures.
45. Healthy
runners are pretty good at keeping impact forces under control when they are
fatigued from running fast. Runners with
a history of injury, however, don't appear to adapt as well to fatigue and
experience greater impact when tired vs. healthy runners.
46. Going
for long, continuous runs, which results in exertional fatigue (a different
phenomenon than the metabolic fatigue that results from fast running) again
does not have a major impact on the mechanics of healthy runners, but runners
with knee injuries show a pronounced increase in abnormal hip mechanics after a
prolonged run.
47. Epsom
salt soaks, an old-school low-tech treatment for overuse injuries, don't have
much in the way of proof for their efficacy.
You are better off spending your time and energy on treatments with more
evidence supporting them.
48. Even
though running shoe companies can make some outlandish claims about how
effective the technology in their latest and greatest shoes is, your body seems
to be smart enough to not be deceived into changing how you run based on what
you hear about a shoe.
49.
Dimethtyl sulfoxide, or DMSO, is a chemical which has some profound
effects on the core biology of your body, and even though it's been touted as a
treatment for overuse injuries by alternative medicine advocates, there's no
scientific proof it has any benefit.
Don't waste your time or money on such an exotic and powerful chemical.
50. Most
evidence indicates that overuse injuries are not related to inflammation. Though the "inflammatory theory" of
running injuries popularized traditional treatments like icing, compression
wraps, and anti-inflammatory drugs, the most successful injury treatments have
nothing to do with modulating or reducing inflammation.
51. Lactose
intolerance can cause GI problems in runners who are not aware that their
stomach can't handle lactose, a sugar present in dairy foods. A doctor can administer a lactate tolerance
test to definitively establish whether or not your body can handle lactose.
52. Calcium
and protein work together to strengthen your bones. Too much protein and not enough calcium can
cause a net loss of bone mass, and
increasing your consumption of calcium doesn't seem to be an effective way of
increasing bone mass unless it's accompanied by an increase in protein intake,
too.
I hope you've learned a few things from this
summary of another year's worth of writing.
I certainly have! Best wishes to your training and racing in 2014.
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