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April 30, 2011

Try Chi?

Filed under: Coaching Tips — Tags: Chi Running, Danny Dryer — Dr. Cathy Utzschneider @ 10:36 am

Feel sore or as if your running form is getting sloppy? Try the Chi form of running – for a change. Quite frankly, coaches are divided as to whether it’s worth changing running form, but most of us say that if you do consider changing it, start by incorporating changes in drills before you run and build strength and flexibility in your whole body to support the changes. For example, building strength in your core muscles and strength and flexibility in your hamstrings will help your overall running form.

So what’s Chi (pronounced chee) running? A concept with origins in the ancient martial art of T’ai Chi, Chi running is a concept of techniques and training principles developed by Danny Dryer to help you stay free of injury. Dyer wrote Chi Running: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running. The Chi form focuses on preserving energy efficiency and is based on the physics of body mechanics. Basically, the form reduces the impact on your joints and allows your leg muscles to work less when you run. 

Dryer’s Chi method addresses five main points of form. They are:

Run Tall. Hold your spine straight so your joints are in alignment and your skeleton is supporting your weight. (When runners slump and bend forward at the waist, their leg muscles rather than your overall skeleton supports most body weight.)

Lean Forward Slightly. By doing this you use gravity to propel yourself forward – not just your legs. This lean also helps keep your body in alignment, with your foot landing under you – not in front of you. So – lean from your ankles, not your waist, and keep your spine straight. (But don’t lean so far forward you are out of control or actually falling!) 

Land on the Mid-Foot. While you’re running, land with a mid-foot strike. You want your foot to land underneath you, in line with your hips and shoulders.  

Run from Your Core. Engage your core muscles while you run. Strong core muscles help keep the hips and pelvis aligned. (Keep your pelvis level while you run.)

Relax. Tightening up your shoulders or other muscles can waste energy, making you less efficient. To help you relax, before you run do ankle, hip, and pelvic circles. While you run, shake out your arms and hands, and do a few neck circles.

As Dreyer says, practice makes perfect!

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April 23, 2011

Desiree Davila: 2nd Place and A Victory in History

Filed under: Running News — Tags: Denise Noland, Desiree Davila, Mary Kate Shea — Dr. Cathy Utzschneider @ 8:00 am

Who could not have been moved by the women’s finish of this year’s Boston Marathon – and particularly by Desiree Davila and the second-by-second contest for first place? She finished second….by 2 seconds. The finish was a “memory keeper”, Desiree’s marathon a symbol of victory after months and months of hard training.

She gave all women runners –marathoners or not – reason to cheer….

• …for her performance. Desiree came close to being the first American woman to win Boston since 1983. She never gave up the fight, toughing it out in a series of surges in the last quarter mile on Boylston Street to finish, finally, just two seconds behind Kenyan Caroline Kilel. She ran 2:22:38, a personal best by 3 minutes and 40 seconds. She ran the best time for an American woman at Boston, ever. She became the third fastest U.S. female marathoner of all time, next only to Olympians Deena Kastor (2:19:36) and Joan Benoit Samuelson (2:21:21).

• …for what her performance represents: the value of patience, perseverance and competition; the importance of support (she was trained by the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and sponsored by John Hancock); and the thrill of striving for goals. There were thousands of victories for women marathoners – including the elites, middle-of-the-packers, and first timers. There was 53-year-old Joan Benoit Samuelson who ran the marathon in an astounding 2:51:29. There was 49-year-old Mary Kate Shea who ran Boston in 3:42:30, three minutes faster than last year. There was Denise Noland, 46, who has wanted to run a marathon since she was 12. She fell at mile 8, running over to hug a supporter with a “Go Denise!” sign. She cut her elbow, hand, and knee and pulled a butt muscle – and finished the marathon nonetheless. She’ll be back next year.

Thank you, Desiree, for a memory we can all share.

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April 15, 2011

Last Minute Marathon Questions — Boston Anyone?

Filed under: Coaching Tips — Tags: Boston Marathon — Dr. Cathy Utzschneider @ 5:35 am

What’s the forecast for Monday? partly sunny, windy, high of 56 degrees.

What should I wear? Wear a disposable T-shirt over racing gear that you can throw off. If it’s cold in the morning, wear a woolen cap and gloves.
Don’t forget sunblock. (Don’t wear a T-shirt made of cotton – it won’t help you perspire to cool down your body.)

What’s the easiest mistake to make at the Boston Marathon? It’s not losing focus, letting the hills overcome you, or wearing the wrong clothes. It’s starting out too fast.

What do I do if I feel claustrophobic at the start? Space is tight during the first quarter of a mile. If you’re feeling claustrophobic, head to the far sides of the road to give you more room to maneuver.

Where are the water stops? There’ll be water and Gatorade at every mile beginning at mile 2. Plan your hydration to avoid overhydrating.

What are signs of heat stroke? Weakness, light headedness, blurred vision, shortness of breath, confusion, nausea, and vomiting. Stay hydrated.

What happens if I get a cramp? Stop for a minute, stretch it out, and massage the area. Hydration and electrolyte balance help fend off cramps.

What about a side stitch? Breathe deeply and exhale through pursed lips. Water and Gatorade Endurance Formula will be at every station.

What happens if you get a blister? Stop and have it treated at one of 26 Red Cross stations along the route. You can help prevent blisters by wearing breathable socks that wick away moisture.

What should I do right after I finish?

Wrap yourself in a Mylar blanket or anything else to keep your body temperature from dropping rapidly. Grab something easy to eat, such as a banana.

Try to get back to where you’re staying as soon as possible to relax, shower and rehydrate. As soon as possible, change into some dry, warm clothes – including a pair of fresh socks and comfortable shoes that have plenty of room for your newly swollen feet.

During the first 30 to 45 minutes after you cross the finish line your muscles can absorb 50% more glycogen than at any other time. Research has shown that a little protein—post-exercise—helps your muscles absorb more glycogen. A good choice would be a smoothie at room temperature—it’s easily digested, has a little protein, and is rich of carbohydrates. Light foods that are easy to digest (vegetables and fruits like oranges and bananas) will also help nourish your body and speed up your recovery, not only by providing you with calories but also with necessary minerals, antioxidants and enzymes.

A short walk will help your muscles recover and is a much smarter choice than doing nothing at all. It will help get your blood flowing while starting the process of tissue repair.

After that, a very gentle massage can help get your blood flowing, the toxins out, and nutrients into your muscles.

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April 9, 2011

The Week Before A Marathon (Boston!)

Filed under: Coaching Tips — Tags: Boston Marathon — Dr. Cathy Utzschneider @ 6:28 am

As John Hancock Coach of the Boston Marathon, I’m getting more calls than usual these days.

It’s no surprise. The week before a marathon – or before any major race – can be a time of high-flying anxiety. New pains emerge in new places. Worries about training multiply. Was a 20 miler a long enough long run? Why am I feeling so sluggish now – should I get my iron checked? Should I worry that I didn’t fit in only three of the five interval workouts I had hoped to? I can’t concentrate on anything!

Remembering a few things will help.

First, you’ve done your training. Don’t look back. You’ve done your best under the circumstances. Rest will help more than exertion now (your weekly mileage should be no more than 30 to 40% of your peak mileage).

Don’t do any speed workouts. If you want to do some one-minute pick-ups at a pace slightly faster than your easy pace, fine.

Skip any strength training you’ve been doing. Consider getting a leg massage no more than two days before the marathon. (But if you’ve never had a leg massage, don’t try it now!).

Be sure that you’re hydrating enough.

Get plenty of sleep – it’s an important part of the tapering process.

Set aside at least 5 minutes a day to sit and focus on all the worries and concerns. Visualize the course. Think about some reasonable goals – a high (“C” goal), higher (“B” goal), and highest goal (“A” goal).

Enjoy your extra rest time – rent movies, read books and magazines, call your friends.

Regarding carbohydrate loading, begin it four days before the marathon. If it’s on a Monday, start increasing carbohydrates (from 50 to 60% to 70 to 80% of total calories) on the Friday before. If your marathon is on a Sunday, start on the Thursday before.

Finally, write some notes about all you have done to prepare for the marathon that you wouldn’t have done had you not committed to it. Whatever happens on the day, you’ll feel you’ve achieved a lot already.

Congratulations for doing your best to put your foot on the starting line.

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April 2, 2011

Legs Feeling Draggy? Check Your Iron Levels

Filed under: Coaching Tips — Tags: ferritin, iron levels — Dr. Cathy Utzschneider @ 7:39 am

Feel as if you’ve been dragging for the past week or more in your daily runs? Legs feel unusually heavy? Perhaps it’s because you’ve been training hard for the Boston Marathon. Or perhaps not. Perhaps your iron stores are low. Adequate iron is essential to running performance, and it’s worth checking iron levels with your doctor. According to different studies, between 25 and 60 percent of competitive female runners and up to 20 percent of male runners have low iron stores.

“Why is iron so important?” one runner asked yesterday. You need red blood cells to produce hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to your muscles. Anemia simply means having a low hemoglobin level. Your running performance suffers as a consequence.

There are a few reasons runners tend to have lower iron levels. (We lose more iron than those who are inactive.) First, foot strike hemolysis – the breakdown of red blood cells when your foot hits the ground – occurs if you are running high mileage, particularly on frozen roads or on asphalt. Second, runners lose a small amount of iron through sweat and urine. Third, many runners are either vegetarians or they eat little if any red meat. Red meat contains heme iron, which is more bioavailable – more easily absorbed – than plant sources of iron (broccoli, etc.).

Serious women runners should have their iron levels checked at least twice a year, with male runners’ levels checked once a year. Also, have your blood tested before running as dehydration (after running) may make your iron levels appear higher than they are.

Ask your doctor to check your hemoglobin, hematocrit (the percentage of red blood cells in a blood sample), and the ferritin, the protein inside cells that stores and releases iron in your body. They’re quick tests, with blood typically drawn from the inside of the elbow. (My experience is that a ferritin levels of less than 40 nanograms/ml is often associated with reduced running performance. Some women runners, however, have done well for years with a ferritin between 20 and 30 ng/ml. )

How much iron do you need?

Adult women generally need at least 15 milligrams of iron per day, men only 8 milligrams per day. (Iron requirements have not been established for high mileage runners.) Too much iron can be a health hazard.

How can you prevent iron depletion? Check out Nancy’s Clark’s advice here.

There are many factors that contribute to our best running performance. So let’s not forget iron!

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