running alck

Often, runners are too focus on their training and hence, tends to be more prone to injuries. I found an article in runner’s world.com which gives 10 laws of injury prevention. Hope it will helps. Cheers~

Law #1 : Know Your Limits

Law #2 : Listen To Your Body

Law #3 : Consider Shortening Your Stride

Law #4 : Use Strength Training To Balance Your Body

Law #5 : RICE works. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

Law #6 : Run On a Level Surface

Law #7 : Don’t Race or Do Speedwork Too Often

Law #8 : Stretch The Back of Your Leg

Law #9 : Cross-Training provides Active Rest and Recovery

Law #10 : Get Shoes That Fit.

More details of injury prevention could be found at Runners’ World website @ http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285–13413-0,00.html

5K

Pre-race: if you’re not hungry or feel queasy, you don’t need to eat. Otherwise, have 200 to 300 calories of high-carb foods and 16 ounces of fluid two to three hours prior. That’s a slice of wheat toast with a tablespoon of jam and a banana.

Post-race: A 5-K won’t deplete your energy stores, so there’s no need to eat a lot. Thirty minutes to an hour after finishing, have a light meal with carbs and some protein, like a cup of cereal with milk and one cup of berries.

10-K

Pre-race: A small amount of protein and fat along with plenty of carbs will stave off hunger and keep energy high. Eat 300 to 400 calories three to four hours before race time. Try a cup of oatmeal with honey and berries and plenty of fluids.

Post-race: Eat within an hour. Have a 400-calorie meal with 75 grams carbs and 20 grams protein.

Half Marathon (21k)

Pre-race: Four hours before, eat 400 to 800 calories to ensure your blood sugar stays steady. Eat two slices of french toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and syrup, a pear, half cup of yogurt and fluids.

Post-race: Eat 100 grams of carbs and 30 grams of protein (along with sports drink) within an hour. Dig into pasta with meat sauce, steamed vegetables, a salad, and whole-grain bread with olive oil.

Full Marathon (42.195km)

Pre-race: Have 800 calories over a four to five hour period with a sports drink in the last hour. Eat a large bagel with almond butter and jam, one or two eggs, a cup of apple slices, and an energy bar.

Post-race: Eat 100 grams of 100 carbs in the first 30 minutes and again one to two hours later, adding 30 grams of protein. Have two cups of sports drinks, a banana, and energy bar. then two cups of fruit salad, whole-wheat chicken sandwich with green, and frozen yogurt with berries.

Q: What is carbo-loading?

A: Carbo-loading means eating more carbs to increase muscle glycogen, which boosts endurance for distance events like half marathon and full marathons. The old way requires depleting glycogen by running long and eating a low-carb diet for a few days one week before your race, followed by three days of high carb diet. While this works, it may leave you feeling drained, put you at risk for injury and cause you to gain a few pounds.

Try a modified approach instead: The week before your race, reduce mileage and shift more of your total calories to carbs. This training cutback and increase in carbs boosts glycogen just as well, without the negative side effect.

article extracted from runners’ world nov 2009 issue

1. Change Nothing : No new food, gear, or stretches. Your big day is not the time to mess with your routines.

2. Wear a watch: Keep your own time to help pace yourself. For accurate splits, hit “start” once you cross the line, not when the gun fires.

3. Run the tangents: Don’t arc around curves; take a straight line through the turn. (It’s not cheating; courses are measured this way.)

4. Water stop How-To: Aim for an early table, but not the first! Pinch the cup, tilt your head, and pour into one side of your mouth.

5. Eat Afterward: Even if you feel like retching postrace, you need carbs and protein to begin recovery.

Do This, Not That!!

Don’t eat a pound of pasta the night before.!

Do eat medium portions of carbohydrates foe several days prior to the race.

Articles extracted from Runner’s World Magazine Sept 2009 issue.

1. FUEL UP: Eating a mix of carbs and protein less than 60 minutes after excerise will boost glycogen stores and repair muscles.

2. HAVE A CUP OF TEA: The antioxidants found in both green and black tea fight muscle soreness caused by inflammation

3. STRETCH IT OUT: Sitting down too soon after a hard effort can cause muscles to tighten and delay recovery. Walk for five minutes, then do some light stretching that targets the quads, hips and calves.

4. REST WELL: Aims to recharge with sever to eight hours of sleep every night, and tack on an extra minute per night for each mile per week you train. Take a nap if you’re feeling especially drained after a race or a long run.

5. RUN EASY: On recovery days, you should finish an easy run feeling like you could do it again.

article extracted from runner’s world magazine, nov 2008

Alright, I was reading up this month issue of runners’ world and would like to share with you how you could develop your best 5km race.

Lesson 1: Develop Speed (change up your track world)

Mix up the speed and distances you do in track sessios from week to week. One week, do 4 * 400 with a 60 second rest, jogged five minutes, then 4* 200 with 60 second rest. Another week, do 5 * 800, alternating fast 200s with 200s about 10 seconds slower. This will teach you how to surge and run faster when fatigued, perfect for the 5-K.

To do progression run by yourself, and to build strength as well as speed, try continuous laps for sets of 10minis , 5mins, 3minis, with 5-6 mis rest in between. Run 2 medium-fast laps and one very fast lap, repeating, until the time frame is up.

Lesson 2: Run Smart Intervals (sustain your pace without much rest)

Map out a loop (in a park or on the road) that will take you between 6 and 10 mis to run at a brisk pace. Do 2 to 3 repeats, with a few minutes rest in betweem at a progressively faster pace.

Lesson 3: Run Uphill (build strength and run with ease)

Find a hilly route of between 800m to 1.6km with moderate steepness, and run three or four repeats at about 10-K to 15-K pace with 3 or 4 mintues rest in between.

Practice good form – hips up and back straight. In time, the hills should feel easier and you should feel stronger.

Lesson 4: Run Downhill (Glide with ease)

You can make the downhill work part of a run of 6.4km to 9.6km in a park or on the road.

Lean forward with hips and chest up, shorten your arm swing, which will quicken your stride, enabling your feet to land directly beneath you.

Lesson 5: Learning to push (get comfortable finishing at a fast pace)

Try 3*1200 with 2 laps at about 10-K race pace and one lap faster than 5-K race pace, with a 400 job in between. Each 1200, the fast lap changed from first lap to second lap to last lap. You develop leg turnover and stride economy from the fast 400s, and strenght from the 1200s overall.

Lesson 6: Run with Group (gain energy from training with partners)

Lesson 7: Fix your form (improve posture to enhance breathing)

By keeping arms low and close to body, you avoid upper-body tension, keeping shoulders relaxed and allowed for better breathing.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME?

1. Fast trainingi is important for racing. But don’t make a race out of your workouts or you’ll leave your best running on track.

2. TO be fresh for fast workouts, run easy or cross-train the day before.

3. Warm up for every workout by jogging at least 1.6km and continuing with stretching and stride-outs.

4. Each workout is one step in a process, so don’t fret if a session falls short of expectation.

5. Hold back in the first 1.6k of a 5km so you dont risk a late race burnout and squander your hard earned fitness.

This article is extracted from “Runners’ World” June 2009 issue. For detailed guides, please purchase it at your nearest newstand.