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Resting Heart Rate

6/30/2010

Q - I was wondering if you could answer a question for me... I'm an avid and dedicated slow long distance male runner. I run about 7 miles a day. I average 71/2 to 8 miles/hr., and have been doing that for a long time - at least 15 years... I'm 52 yrs old... and weigh about 165-170 lbs... My resting pulse (early morning reading) is about 44-46. Does such a slow resting pulse make it difficult to lose weight?... I'd like to drop a few pounds but find it almost impossible. My weight hardly ever varies, but even when I try to cut down on my eating.... I don't lose any weight... I was wondering if such a slow pulse coincides with a slow metabolic rate?

A - I would say NO - a slow heart rate doesn't necessarily coincide with a slow metabolic rate. Your relatively low heart rate is due to the training you've already done which has brought about a strengthening of your heart muscle and as a result it is able to pump out more blood with each beat. This is why in elite distance runners you'll get resting heart rates in the low 30's.

But it also depends where you start with before training, since before training some folk will have a resting rate of 60 while others are closer to 75; and the person with 75 still might become an elite athlete and have a resting heart rate of 50. I believe the former world mile record holder, Jim Ryun, was in this situation.

So I would recommend you look more at your diet. So, with respect to your weight concern, I recommend you review your diet....and you may also want to check out your body composition to find out if in fact you should be losing weight in the first place.

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Black Toe

6/22/2010

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Q - I am a 9 time marathon runner and suffer terribly from "black toe", particularly in runs over 10 miles. My shoes are long enough, wide enough and high enough. My toenails are ruined from it. They have thickened and I file them flat and paint them as they are always blue. Sometimes they are too sore to run. Any ideas?

A - You really paint them? Well if it's any consolation this condition (medically labelled, subungual hematoma) is extremely common amongst all levels of runners. And in many cases it's simply inexpicable, seemingly defying all rational grounds for its occurrence. Sure, you'll hear explanations that this problem ususally results from repeated trauma of the toe against the toe box or tight-fitting shoes across the toe area.

However, it appears that in some cases the trauma or concussion that the feet absorb with the repeated impacts may be a sufficient trigger.

In any case, the nail root or nail plate has been dammaged, thereby resulting in some nail deformity. Consequently, all I can suggest is experimenting with different shoes and perhaps increasing the percentage of running on softer (i.e., grass, cinder) surfaces. You will have to be tougher than nails.....

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Cross Training

6/17/2010

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Q - My questions are why is it that despite my very hard training during injury (yes, I did all kinds of intervals! and wore my hr monitor to ensure) I have not attained the benefits that others have from pool running, although I certainly felt very fit & much stronger from the pool training.

Why is it that I am starting back at square one? I've talked to several people who came back stronger or equal after having cross trained in the pool. I hear stories of people setting PBs in races & doing the same times in their intervals when they return to the roads.

My dilemma is this is not my case. What would be reasonable to expect and how long should it take to get back even to close to my previous level. My fear is that I will spend the entire year "catching up" to last year, not building on past training & accomplishments and not moving forward. What should I be doing?

A - Many issues related to cross training are raised by this query. Dealing effectively with the specific questions is somewhat limited since I am unfamiliar with the details of the case, but let's see what we can do here for this obviously exasperated runner.

Generally speaking when training and/or race performances become puzzling or disappointing, I request a blood test to see if there's any sign of infection or low levels of iron (essential for oxygen transport). Another key factor to investigate is body weight, since a gain in fat of 4 lb. on a person weighing 120 lb. will slow their 5,000 meters by over 20 seconds.

Another crucial aspect in the aftermath of a severe injury is whether there exist any limitations whatsoever. If there is any abnormal sensation even remotely achey or bothersome, then there's likely to be inhibition mechanisms at work. The body's neuro-physiology is designed to protect you from motions that are associated with discomfort.

For example, if you're in barefeet and step on a sharp object, muscles which are acting in a way that will result in pain/injury are instantly inhibited - hence the foot is drawn back and body weight is shifted in an effort to avoid the threat.

Keep in mind that this process is governed by reflex - you're not having to think it out. So unless you are completely free from discomfort, your movement might be affected to some degree, and this in turn can result in imbalancing and altering the normal running mechanics, which might cause what are termed "compensatory" injuries.

I also firmly believe that even the mental anticipation or expectation of a discomforting sensation at the site of injury can result in the inhibitory actions occurring, which is why it's sometimes a good idea to run with someone so as to distract your thoughts. Of course imbalances can result even after the injury is "healed" with absolutely no discomfort present. This might occur where the injury has resulted in a permanent alteration of bone or tissue.

Now if the aforementioned issues are judged not to be the culprits, then we have to be suspicious of the actual cross training that was engaged in and for what duration. Duration is obviously a factor since afterall it makes common sense that, in order to best train for running, a large part of your training must involve actually running - for how else will all of the specific muscles used in that action of running be trained?

If all one did was pool run with the feet not ever touching the ground then the key muscles that are located below the knee such as the soleus (muscle underlying the gastrocnemius, and attached to the achilles tendon) would never get trained. Not to mention all of the other smaller muscles that contribute to balancing and impact absorption.

So over the time of cross training by just pool running there occurs a gradual reduction in the running fitness of the lower leg muscles. If the period of time is just a couple of weeks, it might not be that big a deal; however, if it's in the order of 4 weeks or more there's going to be deterioration.

So, if possible, it's best to combine biking with pool running - but even then it's not quite the same since, for example, there's still no regular absorption of impacts going on. But cross training does maintain the fitness of the heart muscle, and some of the larger muscle groups in the leg, and the butt, and is helpful in managing body weight, so it's definitely better than moping and twiddling thumbs, which, back in the 1860's, er, I mean the 1960's, is what many of us did if we got injured.

So if you've trained as hard as you described, you should not be starting at "square one". You mentioned hearing of others that had successfully retained their fitness. And, I too can give examples of folks that were restricted to cross training returning to the "arena" very close to where they were, although never better.

Of course the event involved can make a difference - something like the 800 meters, which depends to a significant extent on basic speed, may not be nearly as obviously affected as something like a 5,000 meters, since basic speed which is related to power and strength, is relatively slow at deteriorating vs. aerobic capacity.

In 1991, I was coaching a 1,000 meter runner who incurred a foot injury requiring about 3 weeks in the pool. Within a month of returning he won the Canadian University 1,000 meter title in a time close to his best. (Note - the questioner is a 10,000 meter runner and the duration of her injury was 3 months and her post injury 5 km time has been slowed by over a minute.)

Without knowing the details of the cross training, it's impossible to judge whether the training you engaged in was truly close to being on a par with the regimen you followed in your usual injury-free state. For the same reason, I can't assess why your cross training associates with whom you've compared notes seemed to have enjoyed more success at retaining their capabilities.

I will say that when you're looking to maintain your fitness through cross training, that you should strive to simulate the normal workouts as much as possible. So if, for example, you were doing interval workouts of 8 x 800 meters, you would do 8 repetitions of whatever time it took you to accomplish them.

I even had a marathoner who when sidelined thought nothing of doing his 20 miler by pool running for 2:40 minutes. Now that's tough!

But never fear. If your health is ok, and your weight is ok, and your mechanics are ok, and you still have the same DNA, then you can be back. However, remember that you did get injured and so YOUR NEW TRAINING REGIMEN SHOULD CLEARLY INCLUDE SOME CHANGES, otherwise it's highly likely the same thing will happen again. Weight training designed to strengthen the area that was previously injured should be given serious consideration.

And in the meantime, avoid thinking negatively about where you are right now in comparison to where you've been, and positively and methodically begin anew. As that sage said: "Today is the first day..."

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Hot Weather Running

6/16/2010

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Q - I got into a bit of a tiff with a running bud the other day about the benefits of training in hot weather. I told him that doing hard workouts in hot weather actually gives you more benefit, even if you don't go nearly as fast. And he feels, trying to do workouts like intervals when it's hot is a waste of time. Aren't I right?

A - Hate to disappoint you, but I believe that as far as the benefits you have in mind (which I suspect are aerobic) are concerned, your friend is more accurate. Not that you're completely wrong mind you.

Unquestionably, running when it's hot and humid makes for a workout that's perceived as relatively tougher, even though the performance (i.e., time for a distance) achieved is less.

However, under such conditions, your body is being asked to deal intensely deal with two things instead of one:
(1) the running activity, and
(2) thermoregulation.

And dealing with the latter prevents the same sort of muscle output that otherwise would be possible. So the body may be denied the same opportunity to get specifically fatigued especially when doing longer intervals or runs.

Now, this can be combated by lengthening the rests, in order to allow getting closer to the time objectives. For example, instead of taking 2:00 between repeats 1200's, you may want to take 3:00. And with long continuous runs, you may want to take "cooling" breaks, rather than persisting at a crawl.

If you’re really concerned about getting the most out of workout, I suggest you run at sunrise, or sundown, or in the dark on measured road surfaces. Otherwise, in order to acclimatize to the heat, you've got to train in the heat – but that’s another question.

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Race Day Nerves

6/9/2010

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Q - I need help. I repeatedly have troubles with my stomach. When I race. I get cramps/gas, etc. The annoying thing is I've tried to do exactly the same routine when training with respect to when and what I eat before workouts, particularly the long weekend runs, and I don't have any stomach problems. Am I doomed?

A - Please, let's not get too dramatic lol. Of course you're not doomed. To a certain degree, you have become relatively insensitive to the workout situation, meaning that most times a regular training athlete doesn't get too nervous with butterflies before workouts. However, unless you're a vulcan, this is definitely not the case in the hours, and even days before a race.

When one is preparing oneself for an important performance - a moment of truth - it can often result in a myriad of physiological and psychological responses. One of the areas that is greatly affected is the gasto-intestinal tract since blood is dramatically shunted away to other parts of the body to prepare for the impending "battle"- so the GI tract's functioning is reduced which means that food and drink that has been eaten within a few hours of the event will not be digested as usual.

This is why it's important perhaps to enter more ("off Broadway") races, so as to experiment with, and to learn when, what and how much food and drink can be taken in. Such "dress rehearsals" also provide the opportunity to practise emotional control and to effectively reduce the stimulation level on the day of the big one.

May you get your butterflies in formation.

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Running Efficiency

6/1/2010

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Q - Hey Peter, so what's the deal with running efficiency? submitted by Hal.

A - Hey pal Hal, here's the deal. Efficiency (or Economy) as applied to the world of runners pertains to the amount of oxygen the runner utilizes while running at a given speed. It is determined in the lab with runners running on treadmills and, rarely in the field, with runners connected to apparatus carried along in a vehicle while the runner runs around a track - good drivers need only apply.

It is an issue of interest because it varies between runners, so two runners running at 8:00 min per mile pace and having the same Maximum Oxygen Intake (VO2max), or aerobic fitness, might utilize different amounts of oxygen, and so be running at different percentages of their respective VO2max The one using less oxygen is said to be more efficient or economic. One reason for the variance can running form, i.e., the manner in which the person runs; however there's also a cellular component as well. As far as improving efficiency, apart from insuring good running form, there are indications from investigations that faster running (intervals) and weight training may have some impact.

A good example as to the potential significance of efficiency is provided by Frank Shorter who won the 1972 Olympic Marathon for the U.S. A lab investigation on Shorter revealed that he had a VO2max of about 70 ml/kg/min. which is lower than most elite runners who have values closer to 80; however, measurements also revealed that Shorter didn't require as much oxygen for a given running speed as most.

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Resting Heart Rate

Black Toe

Cross Training

Hot Weather Running

Race Day Nerves

Running Efficiency

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