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Training Strategies

The Gift of Injury

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Going through some papers, I came across this piece I wrote 21 years ago, about midway through my running career. I am not sure what I did with this and if anyone else ever read it, but it reminded me how critical a juncture this was. The injury was patellar tendinitis, reportedly the 5th most common running injury. I did not run for over three months. But upon returning, I did so progressively with a commitment to avoid this going forward. Thus began my consistent use and tracking of running equivalents, mostly water running and Stairmaster and by incorporating REQs an adherence to daily workouts. It also marked the start of taping my knees with Leukotape right below the kneecap to take pressure off the patella tendon. The physical therapist used this during rehab and I just kept doing it. I buy Leukotape in bulk and don’t leave home without it. I tried the Cho-Pat, but find tape works much better. Also at this time, I began a regimen of weight exercises for my legs and knees four to five times a week. Specifically for the knees I use the quad machine, but rather than isotonic (up and down) reps I choose a weight that I can hold straight out with each leg for a count of 10, lower it slowly, then do the other leg. I call these isometric “holds” and do 10 to 15 per leg. Over time, this has built the quads above my knee, helping to keep the patella tracked.

There can be a silver lining in the cloud of injury, and I certainly found that with this bout of patellar tendonitis. Along with ITB syndrome and patellofemoral pain (runner’s knee), sore knees comprise three of the top five running injuries. So it behooves us to strengthen this vital part of our kinetic chain!

The Gift of Injury
(From November 22, 1995 – Thanksgiving Day)

I have been running for 18 years, typically 1,800 to 2,000 miles a year, five to six days a week. Fortunate to avoid a major injury, I have rarely been off my feet for more than a week. It’s been a large part of my life. In fact, I have wondered (without much interest in finding out!) what life without running would be like.

So, I was not elated to hear my doctor prescribe a likely two-month layoff to recover from persistent knee pain. And even that might not do it. It was not good news. But I had been dealing with this for over a year and it was affecting training, race times, and my enthusiasm for running. Running was still a tonic—something to look forward to and organize the day around, a way to stay fit, a social link, and stress releaser. The timing of this was bad. I was heading into a busy work cycle and was several pounds above normal weight. So with some trepidation, I agreed to the prescription of rest from running and rehab.

That evening, I thought about how to constructively approach this. There was a lot I could do: swim, pool running, bike, lift weights, some StairMaster – anything limiting direct pounding on the knee. But none of these seemed to be the elixir to replace a brisk seven to 10 mile run.

First, I decided it was a good opportunity to really learn to swim. I had been working on my stroke off and on during the past year, but it was still a mess. And lingering memories of nearly drowning as a kid kept me from relaxing and exerting myself in the water. It was time to get beyond that!  Second, I vowed to work out every day. Because of work that meant early morning workouts. Third, I knew it would be tough to keep from gaining weight. But instead of aiming to hold steady, I challenged myself to lose the extra weight, so when I was ready to run again, I would tread lightly.

So how has it gone these past two months? Swimming, surprisingly and pleasantly, is coming around with the help of a swim video, lifeguard tips, a pull buoy, and consistent training – at least four times a week. To vary the workout, I even started doing flip turns (my first were a real joke!) I discovered that as with running, going faster has benefits. With swimming, it leads to a sensation of gliding through the water and with proper rotation and reach, better stroke efficiency and reduced drag. My times are approaching 30 minutes for a mile (I figure about a 7:00 minute/mile running pace equivalent), which for “real” swimmers is not great shakes. But it’s all relative. A year ago, 40 minutes for a mile was a dream. Most notable though I’ve begun to look forward to the pool workouts, which with water running last about an hour. I’m not sure why this is, but swimming typically leaves me more refreshed than running. I’ve stuck to the schedule and have missed only one day since going on this program. On non-swimming days, I find a combination of StairMaster, stationary bike, weights, and stretching works well.

The extra weight went away, at least in part due to the early-to-early schedule. Late night cravings for pretzels, etc., have been largely displaced by early bedtimes. Also, I cannot eat thinking I will work it off doing a long run the next day. The fact is these activities do not burn calories the way running does. So I am more aware of what I eat throughout the day.

I do miss running! Especially the racing, although this is gratefully the off-season. I have no doubt that when I return, the fire will burn again. However, I think this pause has shown me I’ve been “chained” (I had to run!) to running, and I feel those shackles have been loosed. As with gaining a new friend while old ones are away, running will now compete with swimming for my time. It’s a dilemma I never expected but welcome.

So what I thought was going to be a hardship has turned out to be a gift. It answered the question of what life would be without running. As for all you injured runners, maybe I’ll see you at the pool!

The Inside Game

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Tom Derderian, coach of the Greater Boston Track Club and fellow 60+ runner with a 2:19 marathon PR, summed it up pretty well when he said after a USATF-New England Grand Prix race last year, “I know what to do, I just can’t do it” Granted, Tom’s standards are high. However reconciling memories of past times with current reality proves a challenge as we age.

When Father (or Mother) Time starts visiting varies significantly among runners. Debilitating injuries interfere with our mechanics. Maladies such as knee arthritis or worn cartilage make sustained training problematic. And the longer we have run, the more likely overall wear and tear. There are as many training plans and life circumstances as there are runners. But the questions remain: Why do we slow down? And what can we do to delay the onset?

To answer the first question, it’s critical to probe what is really going on in our bodies as we age. First, muscle strength is critical to performance. And assuming no change in training regimen other than aging, a study of active men aged 15 to 83 by Taylor Lexell showed both a change from Type II (fast twitch) to Type I muscle fibers and an overall decrease in the number of motor fibers as we age. In automotive terms, we scale down from 8-cylinders to six, or even four with each piston a bit smaller. No wonder climbing hills becomes more of a challenge! With fewer muscle fibers available to recruit, it’s akin to trying to field a competitive 50s or 60s team as the cohort shrinks!

There are also biomechanical changes in our aging muscles. The fundamental unit of muscle is called a sarcomere, within which reside two protein filaments, actin and myosin. Without getting too technical, when our muscles contract, actin and myosin slide across each other. This is called the “sliding-filament theory.” To this end, landmark research being done by Mark Miller, professor of Kinesiology at UMass Amherst, is looking at how age affects myosin actin cross-bridge kinetics. Dr. Miller describes the four levels of muscular function: whole body, whole muscle, single muscle fiber, and molecular. We certainly know about the first two – we run forward and use our leg muscles (e.g., hamstrings and quads) to do this. But the real action is inside, first with long, cylindrical bundled sarcomere cells and finally with the myosin and actin. It’s here where Miller is finding things work less well as we age. The actin and myosin slide, but not like they used to. Things get a bit sticky. So when Tom sees the finish line but his kick isn’t there, his actin-myosin bridge may not be cooperating. Not exactly what any of us want to be thinking about at that stage of a race!

To be honest, all of this is rather depressing! What do we have to look forward to?

If we’re going to keep running, we do have to come to grips with this. But it’s not necessary to accept the dramatic decline the age-grade tables suggest. Let’s recall those tables are based on actual performances. So if we can develop strategies that are above average, we may find ourselves moving up in age-grade %. What might those strategies be? I have found five:

1. Modify training that allows for continued hard efforts. The athlete used to running 50-60 miles a week and 6-7 days, may need to scale back to 35-40 miles over 4-5 days with two or three of those days quality, including speed or a race, long runs, and hills.

2. Work out aerobically every day if possible. It’s the “Use-It-Or-Lose-It” principle playing out. That means finding other cross-training outlets. Deep water running is great, as is StairMaster, cycling, and the various elliptical options.

3. Stay limber. A previous blog post gets into specifics about range of motion. The hard truth is we become less tensile as we age, and it’s critical to offset that with stretching, foam rolling, yoga, and jumping & skipping drills. In particular, please see my post on eccentric heel dips.

4. Hit the weights! There’s nothing like an all around weight program to slow muscle loss. And for those who have not partaken, to build it! Our vulnerable running parts — hips, legs, knees, and feet — are protected by strong quads, hamstrings, calves, and upper and lower back muscles.

5. Stay in awe and enjoy the ride! The human body is a truly amazing instrument and sticking with a training program in spite of declines in performance is a powerful statement to ourselves and others – we’re still vital and have things to do!

Perhaps you’ve seen the Pixar movie, “Inside Out, ” which depicts how our experiences and memories affect emotions. Similarly, we have muscle memory that gives us the confidence to enter a race and push ourselves. In the long run, if the effort is the same, that supersedes the results. We’re out there – attacking, not dreading, the hills and doing our best!

How Many Pairs?

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When I worked at Marathon Sports, I was surprised how many customers came in to replace their one pair of shoes. Often the old ones were way beyond worn. Maybe I’m spoiled, a collector, or both, but I feel my closet is empty without a choice of running shoes. At the store, I didn’t want to come across as hard sell – out to boost sales. But my motivation was sincere. So I tried various ways to broach the topic. Sometimes successfully, more often not. 

So, how many pairs is enough? 

As with most things, it depends. Do you just run on roads, just trails, or both? How many days a week do you run? How far? Do you race a lot and/or do regular speed workouts? Are you a bigger or smaller person? Is your gait light to the ground or do you tend to strike hard?

You want an answer, not more questions. OK! Simplistically, for most runners I suggest three pairs. Your main pair is your regular trainer. Something with a basic amount of cushion, such as a Brooks Ghost or Adidas Energy Boost for neutral runners or an Asics 2000 or Saucony Guide for those needing some support. Your second pair can be a newer model of the same shoe or a similar fit of another brand (preferred.) The aim is to give your running body a break from the same old, same old. Also, alternating your shoes gives them a chance to air out. Not to be an alarmist but there are fungi lurking in our shoes! Above all, never (never!) let any pair of shoes you run in get too worn. Many customers coming in with tattered shoes complained of achy knees and feet. There is a connection! For some runners, shoes lose their resiliency after 200-250 miles. For others it’s more. Rely on feel, not some arbitrary mileage or passage of time. 

I’d like to note something I practiced before working at the running store – stockpiling! I did this when I really liked the model I was using and there was a good online close-out price. A secondary concern was whether the new model would fit as well. I recall once ordering five pairs of closeout Asics DS-Trainers. When they arrived I numbered the tags to track them. The reasoning for stockpiling is sound enough – “why mess with what works?” But shoes do evolve from model to model (usually but not always to the good) as a result of user feedback. There is a perception (not totally unwarranted) by changing models shoe companies are out to get us to buy more shoes. But if you’re running regularly, several pairs a year is ideal anyhow. And as noted above, your feet and body benefit from a change, however slight. I know closeout prices are hard to pass up. So maybe you buy one pair on closeout rather than three (or five!)

For your third pair consider racing flats or light trainers. You can use these for racing and maybe once a week lace them up for faster tempo runs or speed workouts. It’s fun to run fast! And lighter shoes will help you do that, as long as you don’t overdo it.

So that’s the basic guideline for road/path/track running. Three indeed! Now if you mix in some trail running, it’s good to have a shoe intended for that purpose. Trail shoes usually have deeper and firmer soles, so when you run over big stones you avoid a bruise and can better traverse uneven terrain. If trails are your main venue, then a second pair of those, as noted above for road shoes, is suggested. 

You might wonder how many pairs I have. I counted 14! When you’ve worked in a running store, promotional shoes come your way gratis and after you’ve tried on the latest and have a nice employee discount, there is incentive to stock up. I admit this is excessive (if not obsessive!) I generally run five days a week and find I gravitate towards three different brands and models of trainers and two pairs of racing flats – one for 5K and 10Ks and a slightly more cushioned one for half-marathons. So I have some culling to do! I’m involved with a non-profit supporting kids in Haiti so I will be passing on most of these little used pairs.

So, this is one view on that pervasive shoe question. Happy roads and trails. And please remember; don’t run in shoes past their prime!

Running Times – Gone!

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Running Times started in 1977, the year I took up distance running. There really weren’t good running books back then so the magazine became my go-to source. I devoured every issue, usually reading it cover to cover the day received. Without fail, there was something, usually many somethings that could be incorporated immediately into one’s training and racing. I kept piles of RT around, only discarding them when making long distance moves. 

There were regular features. I loved the Shoe Guy, J.D. Denton, who owed a Fleet Feet store in Davis CA. His offbeat articles on life in a running store were funny, refreshing, and educational. The Owner’s Manual, written by various authors but often Pete Pfitzinger and Owen Anderson, provided a plethora of training advice. I lost count the number of times I had developed an injury or training impasse that the current issue addressed, as if the writers had been talking to my training partners! Nutrition, coaching, shoe reviews, performance tips, race results, and the latest discoveries in sports medicine and psychology were regular topics. Generally an accomplished masters runner was profiled along with their training regimen, providing many good ideas to try. Every year they ranked the top masters (about 10 deep) by age group. Alternately, it showcased high school and collegiate runners. Without Running Times, I probably would not have been aware of others in my cohort around the country or the juggernaut college programs.

What made Running Times unique was both the quality and depth of its articles. RT was not glossy, like Runner’s World, but was full of substance. Many articles were four to six pages long, with illustrations to break up text. Every issue had a nice balance. Even the ads were good – I bought a number of books and gear from the Marketplace section. For many years the last page was reserved for “By The Numbers”, a list of obscure running factoids. 

About 15 years ago I stopped discarding. The pile grew. There was no way to mine the gold in those pages. So last year I started going through the pile, from oldest forward, cut out articles and pasted them in notebooks by topic. Typically about half of each issue was worth saving. This process took several months, because I invariably read the articles while cataloging. Gems galore! I left room in the binders for many more years of Running Times.

Then in the December 2015 issue, a bombshell. Rodale Press, the publisher of Runner’s World, which had acquired Running Times in 2007, would discontinue it in January. I had passively wondered if/when the ax would fall when the magazine was sold. Rodale said they would maintain the tradition and focus on more serious running. And for many years they did. Maybe the 115,000 circulation, compared to Runner’s World 800,000, wasn’t enough to justify RT. The public statement was that Rodale wanted to stay “focused and aligned for continued growth as a company.” Another way of saying Running Times wasn’t paying off. They said they would incorporate aspects of RT into Runner’s World. But after four issues, it’s clear Running Times is gone, solid gone. Remnants of RT in Runner’s World are hard to find.

We live in a world of change. And in business consolidation rules. The small guy gets squeezed out. Maybe it’s a faint hope that some enterprising, idealistic folks will buy the rights to Running Times and recreate the magic that leapt off the pages for 38 years. Meanwhile, I have three filled notebooks to leaf through. Not all is lost!

Eccentric Heel Dips – The Magic Elixir!

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We runners have some predictable issues and injuries. Starting from the bottom the most prevalent are plantar fasciitis (PF), Achilles tendinitis, calf strains, sore knees, tight hamstrings, hip and groin strains, and lower back pain. If you’ve been running very long, you’ve probably had bouts with all of these. I certainly have!

What to do? Could there be a one-size-fits-all solution to these multiple maladies up and down the kinetic chain? Well, no. But I have found one rather simple exercise that both directly and indirectly addresses these issues – eccentric heel dips. I think some of my clients consider me eccentric and obsessive when I impress upon them the importance of doing them – day in and day out. Perhaps they are right. Meanwhile I take my own medicine and perform them multiple times each day.

Here’s the basic description: Stand on the edge of a stair or any kind of a riser that allows you to dip your heels to a comfortable stretch. Supported only by the front of your foot, allow your body weight to stretch the heel downward, allowing one foot to take the majority of the weight. When you hit bottom, and just after a second or two, push back up onto your toes with both feet and then repeat the downward stretch with the other foot. Remember this is a dynamic, not static stretch – keep moving! Do some while bending the knee and some with straight legs. Repeat for one to two minutes if you have the time – 15 seconds if you’re going up an escalator. Any amount of time is beneficial. Find excuses to do these throughout the day, and certainly before and after you run. Focus on where you feel the stretch. Do not be surprised if you feel it all the way up your back. There are neuromuscular connections all through the kinetic chain.

Now that I’ve described these, let’s explore what’s going on. First, with eccentric exercises, there is negative resistance applied to the muscle, which lengthens it. Muscles resist force rather than produce it. An illustration is the basic bicep curl. When we lift the weight towards us we are concentrically shortening the muscle. When we let the weight down it is eccentrically lengthening. While we might think of concentric exercises as more strengthening and eccentric as stretching, eccentric action also strengthens muscles. In fact, about 30-40% more weight can be handled eccentrically. Not surprising, eccentric exercise helps build concentric capacity. For example, if we lower the weight slowly when doing bench presses, over time that helps increase the amount of weight we can press back up. As it relates to running, heel dips not only ward off debilitating injuries but also enhance spring in our step and improve balance.

Give heel dips a try! But do not expect an overnight miracle. You have to be willing to do them regularly to see the benefits. Heel dips are most helpful with calf, heel, and foot issues. But if your hamstrings are tight (and what runner’s are not!), you should feel a slight stretch there too. If there is pain, don’t overdo it. While this stretch will improve circulation and help healing, it can also increase irritation and inflammation. As with all things, too much of something good can be detrimental. Once you get the hang of this, start holding a 10-pound weight while doing your dips.

So maybe it’s not magic. But it sure is effective! I’ve been doing these consistently for over six months and have not had the recurring hamstring and calf issues I had been plagued by. Maybe they will work for you too!

Running Fast

I was talking with a customer at Marathon Sports the other day. He wanted to run faster and was looking for a pair of shoes to enable that. Not an unusual topic – who doesn’t want better race times! This conversation reminded me of three interrelated things that directly affect our speed: range of motion; turnover; and push-off.

First, range of motion or ROM. Jack Daniels observed that 1984 Olympic women distance runners had a heel-to-heel stride length of 58” and men 74”. This is probably the top end for most of us – but for purposes here let’s assume an average stride length of 59 inches, or roughly 1.5 meters. For a 5K race, that is about 3,300 strides. If a runner’s full ROM is reduced by just 1”, in essence that means running an extra 90 yards. At a 7:00 minute pace this would add 22 seconds. So instead of 21:46 5K, it would take 22:08. For a 10K, double that difference to 44 seconds. And for a half marathon, 92 seconds or 1.5 minutes. Clearly, a price is paid for a constrained ROM.

Second, turnover, or cadence as the cyclists call it, is another key part of the equation. One’s normal cadence is affected by height, weight, and stride length. Elite runners average about 90 heel-to-heel strides a minute. There is no physiological reason serious recreational runners should be that far behind – 85 strides is a good goal. Let’s say a runner’s cadence is instead 83. This results in a theoretical difference of 2.3%. Using our 5K scenario, this could mean another 31 seconds. Combined with the ROM factor that’s and extra 53 seconds. Extrapolating that for the half marathon – the gap grows to nearly four minutes – Yikes!

Third, push-off directly affects the time we spend in the air. Look at a video or still shots of top runners and note most spend very little time touching the ground. This is a result of push-off. Whether you move from your heel or your midfoot to launch your toe-off, that spring-like action serves to elevate and suspend you in air for some brief period of time. How brief varies significantly between runners. And targeted training can increase your lift.

So how do these three elements relate? Push-off directly affects both stride length and cadence. If you’re off the ground longer, your stride length will naturally be longer. Whereas if you have a strong push off, you may find this decreases your cadence. The reason it may not is a favorable rhythm allows you to get in a groove and stay there. Again, watch the top runners. They exhibit a rhythmic flow.

To keep things simple, let’s consider push-off neutral to cadence. The real question then is how can you simultaneously improve these three elements. The magic elixirs, if you will, are running drills and hill repeats. Six to eight running drills are optimal. These should combine skipping, jumping, fast stepping, and striding, all while moving quickly along with hip extensions and forward lunges done at a walking pace. The menu of drills selected should stimulate and stretch the full range of core and leg muscles and tendons. Six to 10 hill repeats of 50 to 200 yards run on a moderate hill at 90% effort every week or two will enhance your ROM, stride length, and cadence. What’s not to like about that!

But drills and hills are not quite enough. Exercises such as active-isolated rope stretches, developed by Jim and Phil Wharton, and heel dips are vital to both stretching and strengthening the calves, hamstrings, and Achilles. Weight training also helps. Quarter-squats and toe rises using the Smith machine or the leg press machine along with weighted lunges build essential muscles that enhance push off.

Bottom line, speed is a product of all the above. Seems like a lot, I know. There may be some shortcuts, but I haven’t found them.

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The Art of Recovery

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Like many, for years I ran with the mindset that faster was better. If you want to race fast, you’ve got to train fast – an extension of the no pain, no gain philosophy. For me, that worked pretty well. Have never been a high mileage runner – more than 40 MPW on five days a week seemed to invite injury. But most of it was pretty fast paced – usually between just 45 and 60 seconds/mile slower than 10K race pace.

I‘ve been racing for 38 years and thankfully spent very little time on the DL – until three years ago. For the first 35 years, I was out of action an average of about 2-3 weeks a year. I attributed this, in part, to taking the approach of not running through injuries. If something cropped up, I hit the pool and Stairmaster until things felt solid. And then it was immediately back to the fast-paced stuff. The two exceptions were a 3-month outage due to a torn piriformis (which I hadn’t even known existed!) and a two-month layoff due to patella tendonitis, for which 15 years later I still preventively tape.

So along I went on my merry way. Averaged 1,930 miles from 2008 to 2011. And was half convinced I could ward off Father Time. Then things started to happen! Calf pulls and hip strains became ongoing occurrences keeping me off the roads for weeks at a time. Though I dutifully pool ran and StairMastered and kept up with strength training, my average mileage between 2012 and 2014 dipped to 1,287/year – a 33% drop. And my race times reflected that. I realized that to achieve my best times, even age-graded, required more than 25 mpw of running. How could I get back to 40 mpw without nagging injuries? Though a creature of habit, I was willing to try something new.

In his book, Build Your Running Body, Pete Magill, a California-based coach and national caliber masters runner, talks about the importance of recovery from races, hard workouts (which by his description was most of mine!) and other stresses. Coach and author Greg McMillan suggests running these at a 7-hour (yes hour!) marathon pace, a shade faster than walking.  Yikes – who of us is going to road test that? Kenyans are known to run 9 min/mi recovery runs, though this may be their second run of the day. So there’s a spectrum of possibilities but the midrange for recreational runners seems to fall in the 2-3 minutes/mile slower-than-10K race pace, something I considered snail’s pace!

I decided several months ago to test out this recovery stuff. I planned out a training schedule that gradually built me back to 40 mpw. I have now been there for three weeks. I am running five to six days a week but two of the days are strictly recovery runs, generally shorter — 5 to 6 miles, at 2:15 – 2:30 per mile slower than my target 10K pace. This has not been easy to do. I’ve had to hold back while focusing to retain my normal cadence and bounce. But I now find myself looking forward to these runs, largely because they leave me feeling looser the day after or the day before a tough effort. I’ve even allowed this “snailing” to creep into my long runs, where I have moved from targeting ~75 seconds over 10K pace to 90+. Rather than feeling washed, I’m more invigorated after these runs. The side benefit is that when I do hard efforts, there is no excuse to keep from digging deep. I’m not saving anything for tomorrow’s run.

Not enough time has passed to see the effect on race times. But so far I’m optimistic the higher mileage and more focused hard workouts will show results. We are all an Experiment of One. I’ll have a lab report after the fall races!