New York City Marathon 2009
March 6, 2010
Filed under Running Videos
View clips of the New York City Marathon (Nov 1, 2009) from Manhattan, between mileposts 21 and 22. All races are featured, Wheelchair, Hand Cycle, mens and womens. Clips of top runners featured, including winners Meb Keflezighi and Derartu Tulu.
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2009 ING New York City Marathon
November 4, 2009
Filed under Running Videos
2009 ING New York City Marathon. Footage was taken near mile 17 of the course (on 1st and the E80s in the Upper East Side). The accompanying music is Such Great Heights by the Postal Service. Congratulations to all participants. Women’s winner: Derartu Tulu in 2:28:52. Men’s winner: Meb Keflezighi in 2:09:15 (first American winner since 1982).
New York City Marathon Inspiration video
October 23, 2009
Filed under Running Videos
New York City Marathon Inspiration video
The Marathon Generation
August 18, 2009
Filed under Running
If you’re a middle-ager, it’s increasingly likely that you or one of your friends will run a marathon. Folks in the 40-plus group are pretty much taking over the sport, accounting for a surprising 43% of all marathoners in the U.S. in 2004–up from 26% in 1980. The maturing baby-boom generation partly explains that growth. There are simply more folks over 40 out there. Yet there’s more than demographics at work. Surging interest in marathons at middle age and beyond testifies to our longer, healthier lives and our growing determination to get the most out of that bonus time.
How much healthier are we? Mortality rates are going down, and our quality of life is improving. The rate of chronic disability among those over 65 has plunged to less than 20% from more than 26% two decades ago. The number of nursing homes and their occupancy rates declined over the 10 years ending in 1995, even as the population aged, according to Milken Institute Review. We’re more educated than ever–and good health and education go hand in hand. For example, only 8% of Americans who have gone to graduate school smoke, compared with 34% of high school dropouts.
What are folks doing with all the extra healthy years? Many are pursuing long-forgotten passions. Patrick Bookey, 57, of North Pole, Alaska, chucked a 25-year career as a high school music teacher to pick up woodworking, which he had enjoyed in grade school. So what if he makes half his old salary? "It’s the most stress-relieving thing you can do," he says. "I absolutely love it. My wife has to come get me out of the shop in the evening."
That’s how a lot of older people nowadays think about marathons. "For days after running a marathon you just feel this sense of calm, of accomplishment," says Marla Rhoden, 50, a government administrator in Topeka, Kans. Her times are slower than they were 10 years ago. "But that’s not hard to take," she says. "I do well for my age." She placed first among runners ages 50 to 59 in the Boston Marathon in April.
A remarkable 20% of the runners who finished in Boston were 50 or older, up from 13% of finishers 20 years ago. The numbers are similar for the Seattle Marathon, where the 50-and-up crowd is growing 10% a year. In the New York City Marathon, that group accounts for 16% of finishers, up from 4% in 1976.
What may be most interesting about the increase in the number of boomers (and in some cases even their parents) who participate in marathons is that the movement seems to have staying power. Research from Yale University, Johns Hopkins and elsewhere shows that people over 50 who train regularly gain muscle strength and can improve their performance, relative to their potential, faster than people in their 20s. Put another way, it’s easier for boomers to slow their biological clock than it is for, say, their kids. Now, that’s incentive.
And you don’t have to be a marathoner to enjoy those benefits. Regular exercise of any kind lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, keeps weight down and improves mental outlook. It also reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Those are races everyone must run.
Kadlec’s latest book is The Power Years: A User’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life
Everything You Know About Marathons Is Wrong
A researcher reported recently that he could find no relationship between dehydration and cramping.
By GINA KOLATA
Most runners have heard the marathon lore: Your time will be best if the weather on race day is about 55 degrees and overcast, or even drizzly. And avoid dehydration at all costs, because it will cause your muscles to cramp and you could collapse at the finish line.
But none of that is true, researchers said at a recent marathon medicine and science conference in Chicago.
The weather theory “needs adjusting,” said Scott J. Montain, a research physiologist at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass.
“Most of what we know comes from the lay literature,” he said.
Thousands of runners are no doubt monitoring the weather forecast for Sunday, when the New York City Marathon makes its annual tour of the five boroughs. (As of yesterday, it looked promising, with temperatures expected to be in the upper 40’s and partially cloudy skies.) But the weather nostrums for marathoning that are cited so authoritatively in journal articles and textbooks are not always borne out in legitimate science. Montain and his colleagues set out to conduct a proper study.
They gathered data from 28 years of the New York City Marathon, 35 years of the Boston Marathon and 23 years of the marathons in Hartford, Vancouver, Duluth, Minn., and Richmond, Va. The routes for those marathons have barely changed over the years, and each had a large field — more than 10,000 runners. The investigators looked at the average times for the top three men and women, and at the times for the runners who placed 25th, 50th, 100th and 300th.
Elite runners ran fastest in the coldest conditions — 41 to 50 degrees. But the slowing effect with heat was not as great as had been previously reported. For every five-degree increase in temperature, times slowed by 0.4 percent.
Warmer weather had a greater effect on slower runners. On a 77-degree day, an elite runner would be about 5 percent slower than on a 41-degree day. But a runner who finished in three hours on a 41-degree day would be slowed by about 12 percent on a 77-degree day, finishing in 3 hours 21 minutes.
One reason, Montain said, could be that slower runners spend more time on the course, and the temperature generally rises through the day. Or it could be because slower runners tend to run with a larger pack. A tightly clustered group of runners generates heat and blocks it from dissipating.
Montain and his colleagues also looked at whether marathon times were better under sunny or overcast skies. Only 13 percent of records were set on cool and cloudy days.
“It is more likely that a record will be set when it is sunny or when there are scattered clouds,” Montain said. He is not sure why that is; perhaps sunny conditions put runners in a better mood, he suggested.
Then there is the issue of cramping, that often excruciating, spasmodic, involuntary contraction of muscles that can occur during or, more often, just after a marathon. It almost always involves the muscles that were used to run — the hamstrings or calf muscles, for example. And it can last a minute or two — or much longer.
Conventional wisdom says cramps are caused by dehydration and that the solution is to consume salt and drink more fluids. Not true, says Martin P. Schwellnus, a professor of sports medicine at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
At the conference in Chicago last month, he reported that he could find no relationship between dehydration and cramping. He has studied cyclists, marathoners and triathletes, measuring levels of electrolytes and body-weight changes, both of which are indicators of dehydration. Those who cramped were no different from those who did not.
Two other studies looked at how much weight ultramarathon runners and triathletes lost during races — a measure of fluid loss and a direct indicator of dehydration. Those who cramped lost no more weight than those who did not. If anything, Schwellnus said, those who did not have cramps were slightly more dehydrated.
The cause of cramps, Schwellnus believes, is an alteration in the electrical signals going to exhausted muscles so that the balance between those signals activating muscles and those inhibiting them is distorted. One way to protect yourself is with proper marathon training and proper pacing. “Racing at too high of an intensity is one of the single most important risk factors,” Schwellnus said.
When muscles cramp, there is a simple and effective treatment: stop running and stretch that muscle. And, Schwellnus said, realize that the cramping will soon stop.
“Almost no matter what you do, if you stop the activity, the muscle will come back to normal,” he said.
Beyond the finish line of every marathon are runners who feel dizzy, and some of them collapse. It is not as common as muscle cramps, but the condition can afflict up to about 5 percent of marathon runners, said Michael N. Sawka, head of the thermal and mountain medicine division at the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. He wondered whether the cause could be dehydration, a commonly evoked mechanism.
Sawka looked at published studies. One compared 45 athletes who collapsed after an ultramarathon to 65 who completed the race and did not collapse. There were no obvious differences between the two groups: their body temperatures were the same (dehydration makes the temperature rise), as were their electrolyte levels. But those who collapsed were pushing themselves as hard as they could, were at or close to their personal records, or were medal winners in the race. Perhaps, Sawka said, “that final effort might contribute to collapse.”
The actual cause, though, does not appear to be dehydration, Sawka said. Instead, it is a pooling of blood in the lower legs and feet when vigorous exercise suddenly stops and the heart rate slows markedly.
Timothy Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, said he had stopped giving intravenous fluids to collapsed runners.
“We completely changed the way we treat patients,” Noakes said. “All we do is have them lie down and put their feet higher than their head.”
Postmarathon collapse, Noakes added, “is a benign condition.”
“Just lift their legs and you will help the majority of patients,” he said. “That’s all you need to do to make most people recover very, very quickly. You can infuse as much fluid as you want, and you will not get the same response.”
12 Secrets to Being The Perfect Human
August 14, 2009
Filed under Running
The Perfect Human
DEAN KARNAZES WAS SLOBBERING DRUNK. IT WAS HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY, and he’d started with beer and moved on to tequila shots at a bar near his home in San Francisco. Now, after midnight, an attractive young woman – not his wife – was hitting on him. This was not the life he’d imagined for himself. He was a corporate hack desperately running the rat race. The company had just bought him a new Lexus. He wanted to vomit. Karnazes resisted the urge and, instead, slipped out the bar’s back door and walked the few blocks to his house. On the back porch, he found an old pair of sneakers. He stripped down to his T-shirt and underwear, laced up the shoes, and started running. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
He sobered up in Daly City, about 15 miles south. It was nearly four in the morning. The air was cool, slightly damp from the fog, and Karnazes was in a residential neighborhood, burping tequila, with no pants on. He felt ridiculous, but it brought a smile to his face. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. So he decided to keep running.
When the sun came up, Karnazes was trotting south along Route 1, heading toward Santa Cruz. He had covered 30 miles. In the process, he’d had a blinding realization: There were untapped reservoirs within him. It was like a religious conversion. He had been born again as a long-distance runner. More than anything else now, he wanted to find out how far he could go. But at that exact moment, what he really needed to do was stop. He called his wife from a pay phone, and an hour later she found him in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. He passed out in the car on the way home.
That was August 1992. Over the next 14 years, Karnazes challenged almost every known endurance running limit. He covered 350 miles without sleeping. (It took more than three days.) He ran the first and only marathon to the South Pole (finishing second), and a few months ago, at age 44, he completed 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days, one in each of the 50 states. (The last one was in New York City. After that, he decided to run home to San Francisco.) Karnazes’ transformation from a tequila-sodden party animal into an international symbol of human achievement is as educational as it is inspirational. Here’s his advice for pushing athletic performance from the unthinkable to the untouchable.
1. BE AUDACIOUS
Finding the right challenge is the first challenge. "Any goal worth achieving involves an element of risk," Karnazes says in his autobiography, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. Risk, yes, and creativity too. For instance, looking for the ultimate endurance running challenge, in 1995 Karnazes entered a 199-mile relay race – by himself. He competed against eight teams of 12 and finished eighth.
2. GO LACELESS
One of the biggest annoyances in long-distance running is lace management. After banging out 50 miles, it can be hard to squat or even bend over long enough to tie your shoes. The North Face recently responded to Karnazes’ complaints and came out with the $130 M Endurus XCR Boa. Its laceless upper is enmeshed in thin steel cables that connect to a tension dial at the back. A simple turn cinches the shoe onto the foot. No more slowing down to fiddle with laces.
3. FLIRT WITH DISASTER
In 1995, Karnazes ran his first Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile trek that starts in Death Valley, California, in the middle of summer and finishes at the Mt. Whitney Portals, 8,360 feet above sea level. After running 72 miles in 120-degree heat, Karnazes collapsed on the side of the road suffering from hallucinations, diarrhea, and nausea. He had pushed himself to the point of death to find out whether he was strong enough to survive. He was. Though he didn’t finish the race that year, Karnazes came back the next and placed 10th. He won it on his fifth attempt, in 2004. "Somewhere along the line, we seem to have confused comfort with happiness," he says.
4. EAT JUNK – LOTS OF IT
You wouldn’t believe the stuff Karnazes consumes on a run. He carries a cell phone and regularly orders an extra-large Hawaiian pizza. The delivery car waits for him at an intersection, and when he gets there he grabs the pie and rams the whole thing down his gullet on the go. The trick: Roll it up for easy scarfing. He’ll chase the pizza with cheesecake, cinnamon buns, chocolate éclairs, and all-natural cookies. The high-fat pig-out fuels Karnazes’ long jaunts, which can burn more than 9,000 calories a day. What he needs is massive amounts of energy, and fat contains roughly twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates. Hence, pizza and éclairs. When he’s not in the midst of some record-breaking exploit, Karnazes maintains a monkish diet, eating grilled salmon five nights a week. He strictly avoids processed sugars and fried foods – no cookies or doughnuts. He even tries to steer clear of too much fruit because it contains a lot of sugar. He believes this approach – which nutritionists call a slow-carb diet – has reshaped him, lowering his body fat and building lean muscle. It also makes him look forward to running a race, because he can eat whatever he wants.
5. CUT BACK ON SLEEP
Karnazes has a wife and two kids, and he worked a 9-to-5 job for the first eight years of his quest to transcend his own limits. Finding four hours for a 30-mile run during the day was next to impossible. The solution: sleep less. "Forgoing sleep is the only way I’ve figured out how to fit it all in," he says, noting that running in the dark can be soothing. Plus, there’s less traffic to contend with. He now gets about four hours of shut-eye a night. Before he started running, however, he was just a regular guy who got a regular eight. As he started to run more, he found that he could sleep less. The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise does lead to more restful sleep, and Karnazes takes this idea to the extreme. "The human body," he says, "is capable of extraordinary feats."
6. SHOW YOUR BODY WHO’S BOSS
"The human body has limitations," Karnazes says. "The human spirit is boundless." Your mind, in other words, is your most important muscle. As a running buddy told him: "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention to arrive safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow!! What a ride!"
7. GET A COOL WATCH
Karnazes wears a souped-up Timex that monitors his speed, distance, calories burned, and elevation, all of which is critical for deciding when to order the next pizza while in the midst of a 200-mile trek. Besides letting him order a pie on the run, his cell phone uses specialized GPS software to broadcast his location to the Internet for all to see. It’s fun to follow his icon rolling across the digital landscape, but it’s also useful when Karnazes disappears into the night. If he ever pushes himself too hard and collapses, his people can locate him. And fans would know something was wrong if his signal landed on top of a hospital icon.
8. LEARN TO LOVE KRAZY GLUE
If something goes wrong – and it inevitably will – it’s usually with Karnazes’ feet. In races and on training runs, he has battled giant, foot-devouring blisters. A surprisingly effective treatment: Krazy Glue. Pop the blister, slather the wound with the super-adhesive, and voilà – your foot is ready to take a beating again. The glue acts as a kind of indestructible second skin and has helped Karnazes finish competitions he wouldn’t have otherwise. (Officially, Krazy Glue recommends avoiding all contact with skin.)
9. GET USED TO IT
If you’re going to explore the boundaries of human endurance, you’ll have to learn to adapt to more and more pain. To prepare for the searing heat of the Badwater race, Karnazes went on 30-mile jogs wearing a ski parka over a wool sweater. He trained himself to urinate while running. He got so he could go out and run a marathon on any given day – no mileage buildup or tapering required. This training made the extreme seem ordinary and made the impossible seem the next logical step. Eventually, when he grew accustomed to the pain, it stopped hurting. "There is magic in misery," he says.
10. PROMOTE THE HELL OUT OF YOURSELF
Before he became Superman, Karnazes was the Clark Kent of the PR world: a humdrum marketing executive at a pharmaceutical company. But in the past three years, he’s published a memoir, nabbed a sponsorship from the North Face, appeared on Late Show With David Letterman, and gotten himself on the cover of a handful of magazines. The book and the North Face contract generate enough money to support his family, and the high profile translates into maximum motivation: Failure is scarier when the family income is on the line.
11. BREAK IT DOWN
Fifty-six miles into his first Western States Endurance Run – one of the oldest 100-mile races in the country – Karnazes found himself alone entering a canyon at twilight. It was tough going – the trek boasts a total elevation change of 38,000 feet. With 44 miles to go, his spirit was flagging, but he found a way to make it seem conquerable: He remembered the next checkpoint would leave only a marathon and two 10Ks left to go. He knew he could run each leg, and that helped him achieve the whole.
12. AVOID KRYPTONITE
Forget tequila. Karnazes has given up hard drinking. His big vice these days: chocolate-covered espresso beans.
10 Extreme Marathons
August 14, 2009
Filed under Running
Source WomansDay.com
Check out 26.2-mile running challenges from around the world
Athletes compete in marathons for a number of reasons; along with the desire to achieve a new goal or to challenge their mental and physical state, there’s often the wish to travel and experience a new culture. With that in mind, we found some of the most inspiring, grueling and rewarding races—many located on difficult terrains, while others are held in breathtaking destinations. From running through the jungles of Africa to taking on the world’s highest peak, the challenges below serve as the perfect opportunity for many athletes to leave their footprints all around the world.
Great Wall Marathon in China
Most stairs to climb in a marathon
The Great Wall Marathon in northern China boasts an all-inclusive experience for athletes, offering a historical landscape, incredible views of Tianjin Province and an epic workout: 5,164 steps of the Great Wall, which are climbed twice throughout the course. The experience is also available in 5 km, 10 km and half-marathon form. Photo courtesy of greatwallmarathon.com
Mt. Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania
Most amateur-friendly marathon
Every June in Africa, a crop of the fittest amateur athletes take on the Mt. Kilimanjaro challenge. The route is a 10.5 km loop that is run four times, and each year the race is won by a nonprofessional runner. The pastoral landscape with Mt. Kilimanjaro on the horizon guarantees a scenic run, making this one of the most exotic marathons. Photo courtesy of Re: womansday.com would like to post a photo of Mt. Kilimanjaro Marathon for …Christina Helbig.
The Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland
Iciest marathon
The Polar Circle Marathon takes runners through the arctic tundra of Greenland—giving new meaning to the term icy hot. Runners blaze through uneven gravel roads and thick ice caps—with occasional snowfall—while absorbing the beautiful landscape of one of the least populated corners of the world. Photo courtesy of albatrostravel.co.za
Everest Marathon in Nepal
Highest-altitude marathon
Listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-altitude setting of any marathon in the world, the Everest Marathon—which began in 1987—takes runners on a journey through some very rough terrain. With a starting point of 17,000 feet above sea level, the course is mostly downhill (with two very steep uphill challenges), and is reserved for the more experienced athlete. Photo courtesy of Alison Greer
Safaricom Marathon in Kenya
Most exposure to the elements in a marathon
What started out as a fundraiser in 2000 has become one of the world’s most grueling marathons. Geared toward challenge-seeking runners, its course is set on the harsh dirt-road terrain of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy at an average altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level. Runners enjoy breathtaking views and, if they are lucky, glimpses of Africa’s big game animals. Photo courtesy of sokomoto.com
ING New York City Marathon in New York
Largest marathon
One of the hardest to get into—a 3-year waiting period is the norm for a runner not participating with a charity or running club—this marathon receives 100,000 applications each year. Being cheered on by spectators while running through all five New York 
Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego
Most musical marathon
From the Balboa Park starting point, around the San
Marathon du Médoc in France
Most indulgent marathon
This marathon—described as a mixture between Mardi Gras, Woodstock and Halloween—is in Pauillac, France. Runners head to the starting line to await a sip of wine and a trapeze act dangling overhead. The course navigates through vineyards and includes 22 refreshment stands and 21 food stands—which feature a variety of snacks, such as beef, oysters and ice cream. A red carpet decorates the last 100 meters of the race and runners are greeted with more wine once they cross the finish line. Photo courtesy of marathondumedoc.com
Dead Sea Ultra Marathon in Jordan
Lowest-altitude marathon
This marathon course is mostly downhill—competitors run from Amman, which sits 900 meters above sea level, to the Dead Sea finishing line, which sits 400 meters below sea level. Since there is minimal shade in the desert-like setting, runners have to make sure they bring sunscreen to protect their skin from the excess of direct sunlight. Photo courtesy of Thomas Ritter via panoramio.png
Athens Marathon in Greece
Most historically significant marathon
The word marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, which tells the story of a Greek messenger sent from the town of Marathon to Athens with the announcement that the Persians had been defeated. It is said that he ran the entire distance. Now, runners who participate in the 26.2-mile challenge—held on the exact same ground—are said to be running in the footsteps of one of many heroes who gave birth to Western civilization. Photo courtesy of Apostolos Greek Tours
12 Reasons You’re So Tired and How to Bounce Back
When people ask you how you are, how do you respond? Do you say you're fine—or tired?
If you were too exhausted even to answer the question, you're not alone: Fatigue is endemic these days. Here are a dozen potential reasons behind that run-down feeling and how you can re-energize yourself.
1. You're bored.
Boredom happens when parts of your life have created a rut of routine, says clinical psychologist Judith Sills, Ph.D. "There's not enough zap in your brain," she says. Sills, author of The Comfort Trap (Viking, 2004), concedes that humans are creatures of habit, so routines are essential for life. But comforting routines and habits can become deadening. That's when lack of zing can translate into fatigue. There's a loss of energy when you have nothing to stimulate you, she says.
The fix: Do something new, Sills suggests. Even small changes, such as a two-day getaway, can be life-affirming. "There's a clear link between our emotions and the anticipation of satisfaction and physical energy," she says. Changing your routine also helps. Try driving down a different road or eating food you haven't tried before. "When you take in new information, your spirit feels a sense of possibility," says Sills. "It's mind food."
2. You have allergies.
Think of allergies as the body's way of fighting unwanted guests. The trouble starts when allergens, such as pollen, certain foods, or animal dander invade the mucous membranes of the eyes and throat, says Lily Pien, M.D., an allergist at The Cleveland Clinic. This triggers the body's antibodies to fight the invaders, causing a release of histamines. The body's reaction to the allergens is often excessive, leading to sneezing, shortness of breath or itching. "It's these reactions that wear you down, especially when they keep you from sleeping." she says.
The fix: "Don't misdiagnose yourself," says Pien, "Most people are allergic to more than one substance." She advises seeing an allergist and getting a skin test to determine the allergens that may be affecting you. Antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays are both typical treatments, she says, and adds that 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from allergies.
3. You're over-caffeinated.
It seems like a contradiction, but caffeine, a stimulant to the central nervous system, can actually make you tired, says Cheryl Forberg, a registered dietician and the author of Positively Ageless: a 28-Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You (Rodale Books, 2008). A once-a-day dose in the morning in tea or coffee is fine, she says. But people can create a vicious cycle when they keep ingesting more caffeine to counteract the exhaustion they feel after the previous dose wears off. And, she adds, the cumulative effects of the day's caffeine—such as increased heart rate and a rise in blood pressure—can also keep you from getting a good night's sleep.
The fix: Consider antioxidant-rich green tea, says Forberg. A cup of green tea contains 50 mg of caffeine, compared to coffee's 137 mg and black tea's 65 mg. Not eating or drinking high-caffeine foods and drink—including dark chocolate and certain soft drinks—from late afternoon on is also a step towards restful sleep. Keeping caffeine to a minimum is the best way to go, she says.
4. You're multi-tasking.
Doing one thing at a time is a luxury for most people. But multi-tasking has its downside. "When you multi-task, you need to switch back and forth from one project to another and monitor all the projects simultaneously," says Neal Roese, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Multi-tasking is a big drain on glucose, which fuels everything the brain does, he says. Not surprisingly, studies show that too much flitting from one task to another ultimately leads to errors and fatigue. Ingesting sugar may keep you going temporarily, but eventually you crash.
The fix: The trick, says Roese, is to keep your projects down to a minimum; he suggests no more than three at a time. Prioritizing your projects and taking the short frequent breaks that allow glucose levels to be restored are also useful strategies.
5. You're anemic.
People with anemia typically don't have enough red blood cells in their body. And, because these blood cells are the body's transportation system for oxygen, fewer of these cells mean less oxygen makes its way to the cells—including that of the brain. "People whose cells get less oxygen may be less able to concentrate and they may feel less energetic, says Alan Greene, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and the author of Raising Baby Green (Jossey-Bass, 2007). The most typical type is iron-deficiency anemia, but loss of blood cells through internal bleeding can also be a cause. He says anemia is especially harmful to children, who need the oxygen to fuel their developing bodies and brains.
The fix: Greene advises taking a blood test. On a complete blood count (CBC) test, a low hematocrit indicates anemia (hematocrit measures what proportion of blood volume is made up of red blood cells). Testing serum ferritin, a measure of the body's iron stores, can detect iron deficiency, which can cause symptoms even before full-blown anemia develops. Eating iron-rich foods like lean meat, poultry and beans can help increase the supply, especially when accompanied by foods high in vitamin C. Greene also suggests women and children take supplements that contain iron. Men should speak with their physicians first before taking iron supplements, as their bodies don't easily excrete any excess, and too much of the mineral can also be a cause of fatigue.
6. You have poor posture.
Standing up straight looks impressive and, it turns out, has health benefits. If you hunch your shoulders forward, don't equally distribute your weight on both feet, or create an inward curve in your lower back, you're setting yourself up for fatigue, says Kathleen Koch, an exercise physiologist at The Cleveland Clinic. That's because it's harder for blood to nourish muscles that are being held in inefficient positions typical of bad posture. "Reduced blood flow means your heart and lungs have to work harder, and this makes you tired," she says. Sitting improperly and even running with poor form has the same effect.
The fix: Koch suggests strength and core training to address poor posture. For example, she says to correct slouched shoulders—a sign that the chest muscles are disproportionately stronger—you need to strengthen the muscles in the upper back. Because poor posture is a good indicator of muscle imbalance, it's important to train all muscle groups equally, she says.
7. You have an underactive thyroid.
One of the top medical reasons for a slow metabolism and low energy is hypothyroidism, says Nunilo Rubio Jr., M.D., assistant professor of endocrinology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Women are more predisposed to the condition, which is from the thyroid gland's secreting less of its hormones. This, in turn, causes fatigue, as well as weight gain, intolerance to cold, and dry hair and skin. Rubio calls it the "turtle effect." Unfortunately, in most cases, it's the body's own autoimmune response that's to blame. The antibodies involved gradually can damage and, in some cases, destroy the thyroid, a condition known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In severe cases, says Rubio, metabolism slows down so dramatically that the patient usually requires an intravenously administered dose of thyroid hormones.
The fix: Rubio suggests those suffering from fatigue ask their physician for a blood workup to determine the level of thyroid- hormone activity. If you're diagnosed as having hypothyroidism, a doctor will typically start thyroid-hormone replacement therapy. Once thyroid-hormone levels are restored, energy usually returns to previous levels. (Although iodine deficiency is often linked to hypothyroidism, most people in the U.S. get adequate amounts by using iodized salt and eating iodine-containing food.)
8. You have undiagnosed heart disease.
A heart that's unable to pump blood efficiently has to work harder to transport oxygen throughout the body. Fatigue is the result, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., cardiologist and author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health (Ballantine Books, 2008). Several conditions can cause the heart to overexert itself, including clogged arteries, high blood pressure and heart-valve problems. Typically, fatigue due to undiagnosed cardiovascular condition manifests after exertion.
The fix: If you've ruled out anemia, hypothyroidism and infection, and you still feel tired, it's important to get diagnosed for potential heart problems, says Goldberg. Tests typically include an echocardiogram to see how the blood is pumped through the heart, and a stress test to reveal arterial blockages. Not pinpointing heart disease as early as possible can mean more severe symptoms over time, such as shortness of breath and fluid build-up.
9. You're not exercising enough.
It seems counterintuitive that doing nothing can make you fatigued, but it's true. "If you move, you'll feel less tired," says Dr. Koch of The Cleveland Clinic. When you're sedentary, she says, your metabolic rate decreases and you burn fewer calories, so you feel exhausted. Exercise gets that metabolic rate up, which means more energy, and not only the physical kind. People who say they're tired are often depressed, says Koch. Exercise increases the production of dopamine, a hormone that's a mood enhancer.
The fix: Literally, start with small steps. Koch says that research confirms that even a 10- to 15- minute daily walk provides cardiovascular health benefits But, she advises, don't forget to include strength training in the mix, which helps build lean muscle mass. Overall, increasing your amount of weekly exercise means you'll be able to burn even more calories, she says. And that means even more energy at your disposal.
10. You're dehydrated.
At least half of our bodies and 92 percent of our blood consist of water. "Water serves as a medium for the body to perform its life-sustaining functions, such as regulating body temperature and eliminating waste," says Toby Amidor, a registered dietician in New York City. "If you don't ingest enough water to help these metabolic reactions occur, you'll become tired or lightheaded."
The fix: At the first sign of thirst or dizziness, all you need is a small amount of liquid, as little as half a cup or water or fruit juice, says Amidor. Although many people drink huge quantities of water daily as a matter of course, she says many experts now suggest that people simply heed the body's signals for hydration. The water in fruits and vegetables also count as part of your intake, says Amidor. The caveat, though, is that older people often lose their sense of thirst and need to be reminded to hydrate on a more regular basis. For the rest of us, making sure we have access to water as needed—in portable non-plastic containers—is a good option.
11. You're pre-diabetic.
Glucose supplies energy to the body and brain. It's not surprising that not enough glucose will make you extremely tired. But the same is true when you ingest too much, says Dr. Greene. Normally, the act of eating signals the body to produce insulin which, in turn, fuels the cells with energy. But, says Greene, when you're pre-diabetic, your body can become insulin-resistant—overeating or ingesting too many simple carbs is often a factor. The result is all that excess glucose doesn't get into the cells, but rather it gets stored as fat or spills into the urine, and you grow tired.
The fix: A fasting blood sugar test will determine if you're pre-diabetic, says Greene. If you fall into that category, consider it a wake-up call to change your eating and exercise habits. Greene recommends a Mediterranean-type diet, consisting of whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of healthy fats.
12. You have sleep apnea.
Many people with sleep apnea don't even know they have it, says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice whose specialty is sleep disorders. Sleep apnea, which is typically caused by anatomical problems, impels the sleeper to stop breathing, sometimes as many as 150 times an hour. When breathing shuts down, even for only a couple of seconds, there's less oxygen supplied to the brain. The body senses the danger and wakes you to breathe. "In severe cases, this constant waking is comparable to total sleep deprivation," says Breus, who's author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight and Feel Great through Better Sleep (Plume, 2007).
The fix: See a medical professional who's certified in sleep medicine or clinical sleep disorders, says Breus. You'll be referred to a sleep center for diagnosis. The most popular form of treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), which shoots air through the nasal passages and throat while you're asleep. Other solutions include using nose filters, dental appliances to help correct jaw displacement, or surgery to remove excess throat tissue which tends to accumulate in overweight people. Weight loss may eliminate the condition entirely in some cases, says Breus.
Source: Coeli Carr for MSN Health & Fitness
Preventing and Treating Common Running Injuries
August 4, 2009
Filed under Running, Sports Injuries
Every runner's guide to preventing and treating 10 common pains and sprains.
By Denise Mann
WebMD Feature
Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson, MD
"Don't run and you'll heal," are the words that every diehard runner dreads hearing.
"Runners don't want to stop running, and the good news is that you can run through most pain without causing permanent damage," says Lewis G. Maharam, MD, medical director of the New York Road Runners Club, the New York City Marathon, NYC Triathlon, the Suzuki Rock 'n' Roll Marathon — among others. "But," he cautions, "if pain changes your running style, stop and see a sports doctor."
Most common running injuries are due to overuse, overtraining, or a biomechanical flaw in body structure and motion.
Here's how to prevent and treat the 10 most common running injuries so you never get sidelined again:
1. Runner's knee
Runner's knee is a wearing away of the back of the kneecap, causing pain in the knee. This can occur because of decreased strength of middle quadricep muscles, or shoes that do not give proper support when you come off of your forefoot on the inside. What to do? Maharam says the condition is typically treated with a full-length sports orthotic and strengthening exercises directed at the middle quad muscle. Talk to a sports medicine doctor about getting into physical therapy and learning about the best stretches to heal runner's knee.
2. Stress fractures
Stress fractures can be caused by overtraining, a shortage of calcium, or by some basic biomechanical flaw — either in your running style in or your body structure, says sports podiatrist Stephen Pribut, DPM, clinical assistant professor of surgery at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Common stress fractures in runners occur in the tibia (the inner and larger bone of the leg below the knee), the femur (thigh bone) and in the sacrum (triangular bone at the base of the spine) and the metatarsal (toe) bones in the foot.
"The more the miles, the greater the stress," says Maharam. And this is one injury you should not ignore. "Stress fractures are like a hardboiled egg," he explains. "The shell is cracked and next stop is a full-fledged fracture." See a doctor who specializes in treating running injuries, Maharam advises. "We only tell runners to stop when they have a fracture or a stress fracture and then we put them in a pool for water-running because stopping exercise is unacceptable to (most) runners."
3. Iliotibial band syndrome, a.k.a. ITBS
Marked by a sharp, burning knee or hip pain, ITBS is a very common running injury among marathoners. Indeed, it's responsible for as many as 80% of all overuse pains on marathon day. The ITB is a ligament that runs along the outside of the thigh — from the top of the hip to the outside of the knee. It stabilizes the knee and hip during running, but when it thickens and rubs over the bone, the area can become inflamed or the band itself may become irritated — causing pain. "ITBS may be caused by running on a banked surface that causes the downhill leg to bend slightly inward and stretches the band, inadequate warm-up or cool-down, running excessive distances, increasing mileage too quickly or certain physical abnormalities," says Pribit.
The best stretch? Place the injured leg behind the good one. If the left side is sore, cross your left leg behind your right one. Then lean away from the injured side toward your right side. There should be a table or chair that you can hold onto for balance. Hold for 7 to 10 seconds and repeat on each side 7 to 10 times, prescribes Pribut. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (some brand names are Motrin and Aleve) can help get the swelling down, he says.
4. Shin splints
The most common type of shin splints happen on the inside of legs. These medial shin splints are a running injury that results from a biomechanical flaw in your foot (which can be made worse by a shoe that doesn't offer enough support) and/or overtraining.
"Your best bet is to switch to a motion control or thicker shoe and a make sure to stretch out your calf muscles" before and after running, says Michael Fredericson, MD, doctor for the Stanford Cross Country and Track Team and an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. Do this by standing with your rear foot approximately two to three feet away from the wall. Your rear leg should be straight, the front leg bent and your hands touching the wall. Your feet should point ahead with heels on the ground. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times on each leg. Now do the same thing with your rear leg (that was straight) slightly bent at the knee. You should feel this stretch lower down.
5. Plantar fasciitis
Also known as pain in the middle of arch of the foot, plantar fasciitis is a running injury most frequently caused by an abnormal motion of the foot or too-tight calf muscles. Normally, while walking or during long-distance running, your foot will strike the ground on the heel, then roll forward toward your toes and inward to the arch, Maharam explains. "Your arch should only dip slightly during this motion but if it lowers too much, you have what is known as excessive pronation." What to do? "It is usually corrected with an orthotic and calf stretches" before and after running, Maharam says.
6. Achilles tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is a running injury that typically occurs from abnormal foot stroke in push-off and too-tight calf muscles. "If you are pronating to the side and pulling at an improper angle, it becomes stressed and inflamed. That's why getting an orthotic to correct the biomechanics of your foot stroke at push-off is key," Maharam says. Also, he suggests doing the same stretch recommended for shin splints.
7. Muscle Pulls
Whether hamstring, quads, or any other muscle, pulls come from not being flexible and/or overexerting specific muscles. "Basically, pulls occur because you haven't stretched or because you are trying to beat your 18-year-old son in a sprint and you are 45," Maharam says. Pulls are basically small muscle tears, and the best way to treat a pull is to do more stretching before and after a run. To prevent hamstring pulls, place one leg on a chair and get your knee straight and bend over. Hold for 15-20 seconds. For an acute injury, ice and anti-inflammatory medication is helpful.
8. Ankle sprains
Ankle sprains occur because runners don't always watch where they are going. "They can step off curb or into pothole," Maharam says. "Pay attention to where you are running or run on a really good, level track where there is less chance of finding a gopher hole." When and if an injury does occur, ibuprofen and ice can help reduce swelling and pain.
9. Dizziness and nausea
"Most runner's drink too much, not too little" water, Maharam says. This can cause overhydration — also known as diluting — which lowers sodium levels in the body and stresses the kidneys. Common symptoms of diluting are nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. To avoid these problems, Maharam suggests: "Drink about one-cup (8 oz.) of fluid every 20 minutes while running. This way you will avoid becoming diluted."
10. Blisters
One of the most common sports injuries, blisters on the feet are usually caused by friction combined with excessive moisture. Avoid them by choosing synthetic socks — such as those by Nike Dryfit — that wick away moisture," Maharam says.
Remember, Pribut says, that "about 90% of running injuries are due to overtraining, so a very slow buildup is important, and so are rest days." You'll save yourself pain and reach your goals, Pribut says, if you "avoid the 'terrible toos' — training too much too soon, too often, and too fast."
SOURCES: Lewis G. Maharam, MD, medical director, New York Road Runners Club, New York City Marathon, and NYC Triathlon. Michael Fredericson, MD, team physician, cross country and track team, Stanford University. Sports podiatrist Stephen Pribut, DPM, clinical assistant professor of surgery, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
The 7 Ultimate Achievements In Endurance Running
By: Shane
Below are brief descriptions of some of the greatest accomplishments in endurance running. Even if you’ve never run a mile in your life you have to respect these athletes for their achievements.
1 – Three men ran 4,000 miles across the Sahara desert in 111 days. Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin ran the equivalent of two marathons a day for 100 days to become the first modern runners to cross the Sahara Desert’s grueling 4,000 miles. They were stricken with tendinitis, severe diarrhea, and knee injuries all while running through the intense heat and wind, often without a paved road in sight. Temperatures varied from over 100°F during the day to below freezing at night. Typical day: up at 4:00am, run until lunch, eat, run until 9:30pm. Then get up and do it again… for 111 days.
2 -
Xu Zhenjun ran a 3:43 marathon – backwards. In a world where 99% of people never finish a marathon in their lifetimes and of those who do, 90% don’t run under 4 hours, Xu Zhenjun of China managed both, in reverse. I thought Zhenjun was a rare person who ran backwards for fun, but it turns out there are a bunch of people who prefer to run backwards. Timothy "Bud" Badyna, the father of backwards running (pictured right), has also completed a sub-4 marathon backwards and a 10K in 45:37.
3 – Mark Covert has run at least one mile every day since July 23, 1968. In the decades since he started the streak, Covert has covered more than 136,000 miles. At his competitive peak, he ran more than 150 miles a week and was one of the top road racers in the country, finishing seventh in the 1972 Olympic trials marathon. He still averages eight miles a day. Sure, on some days his running may only consist of 9 or 10 minutes, but did you read how long? Since 1968. Covert has said:
"I’ve trained through illness and injury, run plenty of times when I shouldn’t have. I ran on the days my parents passed away and I’ve run when every one of my four kids was born. I still look forward to running every day, although the trees go by more slowly now."
Covert is now the Cross Country Coach for Antelope Valley College (he knows a little about running). I guarantee his runners have trouble finding excuses to miss practice.
4 – 7 Days, 7 Continents, 7 Marathons. Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr. Michael Stroud went seven for seven during a grueling week of marathon running and transcontinental travel. The pair ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents from October 26 – November 2, 2003. The men ran in Chile, the Falkland Islands, Sydney, Singapore, London, and Cairo before completing their marathon of marathons by running the New York City Marathon. Besides battling the exhaustion that any marathon runner faces, Fiennes and Stround also had to battle jet lag and dramatic changes in temperature and humidity during each race. The feat was especially impressive for Fiennes, who suffered a heart attack just four months earlier.
5 – Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie’s marathon world record. Haile Gebrselassie ran a marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 36 seconds in 2007, crushing the old world record by nearly 30 seconds. These days marathon winners are consistently throwing down times like 2 hours and 6 minutes. It’s so common, I think we have forgotten exactly how fast it is. That is keeping a 4 minute, 48 second-per-mile pace for 26.2 straight miles! For a non-runner, it may be difficult to comprehend just how remarkable this feat is. Very few people in the world can even keep that pace for 1 mile.
6 – Finishing Badwater (anyone). Plain and simple, Badwater is the toughest endurance run in the word. Each year, approximately 70 people attempt to run 135 miles from Bad Water, Death Valley to the portals of Mt. Whitney. In case you’re not familiar with Badwater or Mt. Whitney, Badwater is the lowest place in the Western Hemisphere and Mt. Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous United States. Basically you’re running from the lowest place in the U.S. to the highest. In addition to the 13,000 feet worth of ascent, there are the 130°F (55°C) temperatures to deal with. Participants are forced to run on the white lines on the side of the road to keep the soles of their shoes from melting and a heat suit to keep them from frying in the sun. The winner from the last two years has finished in the 24-25 hour range but the average finish time is in the 35 hour range. My first question was "How in the world does someone train for this type of event?" Luckily for me they have a training guide on the Badwater homepage. Here are a few examples of training recommendations I picked off the site:
(1) – HEAT is the main nemesis, acclimate your body NOW!! Start using a sauna on your EXPOSED body. Do not wear any protective clothing.
(2) – ENDURANCE is very slow to develop. Set a target of being able to WALK, ONLY, at 20-30 minute per mile pace, NON STOP (NO SLEEP) for 24-30 hours. Do not exceed this pace, nor train in this way more than once a week.
7 – Dean Karnaze ran 350 miles non-stop. "The Relay" is a 200-mile, 12 person relay race. Not only did Dean Karnaze run this race by himself, he ran an extra 150 miles from his home to the starting point. Karnaze ran 80 hours straight and burned an estimated 40,000 Calories to cover the 350 miles. I couldn’t even stay away that long, yet he kept a good pace the whole way. Karnaze has also has finished the Western 100 ten times, the Badwater four times, and most recently he ran 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days in all 50 United States.
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