Healthy Writers Club: Advice for Older Athletes

"Age 50 is a lot tougher than 40s" - Bill Rodgers

I will turn 55 years old this year. I am researching the effects aging has on muscle and joint tissue, cardiovascular fitness and other physical parameters.

Advice for older runners to maintain speed:

1) Hill training and interval training can condition both the aerobic and the anaerobic system, which lead to dramatic fitness improvements.
2) Weight Training can maintain muscle tone, strength and maintain fast twitch muscle fibers.
3) Plyometric exercises can increase your power and strength.
4) Creatine supplementation can be helpful in improving performance during repetitive high power exercise sessions
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The following nutrients are important for older athletes:

1) Vitamin C for collagen formation
2) Omega – 3 oils (from nuts, seeds, oily fish and wheat germ) for anti-inflammatory effects.
3) Sulphur – containing amino acids for joint cartilage health
4) Bioflavinoids for anti-inflammatory effects and improved local circulation
5) Antioxidants (selenium and vitamin E) protect against damaging free radicals that proliferate in the body with age.

There is growing evidence that seniors who exercise not only reduce the physical declines of age, but also protect their brains from age-related decline. Physical fitness is linked with a reduced rate of memory decline in middle age.


What advice do you have for older Athletes?

Healthy Writers Club: Run Walk Run

“The label of "marathoner" has, from the beginning, been awarded to those who went the distance under their own power, whether they ran, walked, crawled or tiptoed. When you cross that finish line, you've entered an elite group. About one-tenth of one percent of the population has done it. Don't let anyone take that great achievement away from you.” ― Jeff Galloway, Marathon!

Jeff Galloway

Jeff Galloway, a world-class athlete and member of the 1972 Olympic team, popularized the Run Walk Run Method of completing a marathon. Galloway takes the 26.2 mile marathon and breaks it down into a series of 5 minute intervals: Run 4 minutes walk 1 minute. You need to follow this method from the very beginning because you are saving energy. If you wait until you are tired to walk, you have run too far. The Run Walk Run Method is also a flexible method of running a marathon you can adjust the run times and walk times to your fitness level. I have presented a highly simplified version here in my blog. If you are an experienced marathoner you could run for a mile before taking a walk break. If you are a first timer you may only run for 30 seconds before taking a walk break.

 Walk breaks work because they are using muscles in different ways from the beginning. Your legs keep their bounce as they are conserving resources. When your calves are used continuously step by step they fatigue relatively soon. By shifting back and forth between running and walking muscles you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity.

I decided to try this method on my upcoming marathon on 4/6^th. I ran an hour outside this morning running for 4 minutes and then walking for a minute. I covered 5.9 miles in an hour. I can usually do a 10k in slightly less than an hour, but this would be closer to my goal pace for my upcoming marathon. I was not overly fatigued at the end of the run and I noticed my speed had not fallen off much if any at the end. However, I did found it difficult holding my body back at the beginning of the run, so I plan on doing another practice run tomorrow.

If you desire to learn more about Jeff Galloway and Run Walk Run here is a link to his website:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/index.html

Have you tried this method?

If so how did it work for you?



Healthy Writer’s Club: Southern Illinois Spring Classic

Today I ran the Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon. It is a small race that runs in the country from Lawrenceville, Illinois to the edge of Bridgeport, Illinois. 78 runners finished the half marathon portion of the race. It was a good race and I had a good time running it even though I was not properly prepared for it. I was in training for my full-time job the week before the race and I had not eaten right and not gotten enough sleep. I still managed to finish the race in 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Immediately before the race

 

Close to 3 miles into the race

 

Close to 9 miles into the race

Less than a half mile to go!

 

The end

What did you do this weekend?

Healthy Writers Club: Training Summary 3/16/2013

"There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open." - Nike Today I ran 13.6 miles which is my final long run before the Southern Illinois Spring Classic Half Marathon on 3/23. It was a nice, warm, and windy spring day. I had an easier time holding my body back and not running too fast. It didn’t seem to matter whether I was running against the wind or had the wind against my back. I was able to hold run at a pace that I found it easy to talk in short sentences. You might wonder why I ran 13.6 miles training for a 13.1 mile race. I am running the Southern Indiana Spring Classic Marathon on 4/6. I have included a graph of my run that shows my pace during my run. I finished my run at 5mph. This pace is a little slower than I would have liked, but the sinusitis and bronchitis slowed down my training. My heart rate finished at 127. I spent most of the race in zone 3, which is the aerobic heart rate zone. I want to be in the aerobic heart rate zone so my body can transport oxygen to the muscles during the run. By staying in the aerobic heart rate zone I avoid lactic acid build up which will slow me down. Here is a workout summary. I made it the entire distance without having to stop and walk which made me happy. I feel like I am ready for the half marathon but I am not hoping for a personal record (PR). What did you do today? What races have you signed up for?

Healthy Writers Club: Training Summary 3/9/2013

"Mental will is a muscle that needs exercise, just like the muscles of the body." -Lynn Jennings When you are ill you need to understand that your body is giving you a signal to rest. So I took it a little easy giving my body a chance to recover from the sinusitis and bronchitis. I am sure some people are going to look at my training summary for this week and think, that was taking it easy! I remember before I started running and I was in awe at what some “normal” people could do in training.

Sunday was 6.6 miles in 63 minutes indoor on the treadmill. Most of my running this week was done indoors on the treadmill. I felt strong during my run like my strength was finally coming back.

Monday was 3.5 miles in 31 minutes again indoors on the treadmill. I took it a little easy after the longer run on Sunday. Tuesday was a day off after running three days in a row. Wednesday was an hour of cross training at the Y with my personal trainer. I did squats, rows, and dead lifts and finished with 7 minutes of circuit training, rotating from stepper carrying a kettle bell, sit ups and push-ups. Thursday I ran 3.5 miles in 31 minutes, I really felt strong like I was all the way back. Friday was a day off to rest up for Saturday. My first day back to running outdoors was on Saturday and I ran 13.1 miles. I was a little apprehensive about a Long Slow Distance (LSD) after losing two weekends to being sick. But I really felt strong a few miles into the run I felt like I could run forever. I had a hard time holding myself back at the beginning of the run. I knew I was running too fast. When I crossed 9.0 miles I knew I was ready for the half in two weeks. The general rule of thumb is, if you can run 10.0 miles in training without having to stop and walk you can run a half.

How were your workouts this week? Have you had to bounce back from an illness or injury? If so how well have you done?

Healthy Writers Blog: Sinusitis and Bronchitis

“There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before.”
Henry David Thoreau I don’t like missing a workout even if I am sick. I ended taking three days off this week due to the above mentioned ailment. Today was my first day back to working out since being sick. I decided to take it slow, easy and see how I felt. At 30 minutes I was sweating profusely. I slowed down just to see if I could crank a few more minutes of running out of this workout. I ended up running 3.8 miles in 37 minutes. This made me think, what are some general rules of the thumb to follow for running while you are sick?

This is what I have learned.Illness below the neck requires time off, illness above the neck does not. Take caution when running with anything worse than a mild cold, because it can escalate into a more serious condition. With a sinus infection you need to take 3 days off from running or it can lead to something worse, such as pneumonia. With a fever or the flu it is recommended that runners wait until the day after symptoms disappear to resume running then ease back into it.

What advice do you have for trying to exercise while you are sick?

Healthy Writers Club: Bad Running Day

"We all have bad days and bad workouts, when running gets ugly, when split times seem slow,  when you wonder why you started. It will pass."-Hal Higdon

Today my goal was to run 20 miles I barely made it 7. I chalked it up to the fact that I have been training 6 days a week lately. This included a half marathon 2 weeks ago and 18 miles last weekend.

I researched some things that can cause bad running days. This includes dehydration and under nourished, so make sure you are eating and drinking enough. Obsessive runners and over-training, training 6 days a week could be a little much. Other influences that can cause bad running days are lack of sleep, disrupted routines, poor diet, family stress, work stress, illness, weather, and long periods of sitting.

One suggestion is to vary your pace or terrain. I have been using the same course for my long runs. It is getting boring. I will try a different course next time. Another suggestion is to take a day off because continuing to run when it does not feel right can do more harm than good.

Have you bad days running?

If so, what do you do to pick yourself up?

 

Healthy Writers Club: Eighteen Mile Run

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." - Ann Trason

 

In order to complete a marathon you have to run. The more you run the easier it becomes. In order to get the same result you have to run faster and farther. I started running in 2007. I still remember the sense of elation I felt when I ran a mile and a half without having to stop and walk. Running is a true addiction.  It takes more of the drug to get the same sense of elation. It then became a 5k to feel elation, next a 10k, then a half marathon, and finally a full marathon. Now I am training for the Southern Indiana Classic Marathon on April 6^th. Today was an 18 mile run, I covered the distance in 3:11 a little slower than I would have liked. Today was cold, windy, and the temperature was around 25 when I started running.

 

 

I ran along the Warrick Wellness Trail. It was recently completed and there is not much traffic on it.

 

These pictures were taken approximately 5 -6 miles into my run.

 

                                   I was really starting to warm-up at this point not feeling nearly as cold.

 

 

            I made it the entire 18 miles without having to stop and walk. The last mile and half was really tough, I wanted to stop, part of me was saying I did not really have to go that far today. It is amazing how much of running is actually mental and not physical. Today near the end of my long run, I struggled to overcome self-doubt and a desire to give up. But at the end of mile eighteen the sense of accomplishment made all my internal struggles well worth it. Today I achieved my goal for which I am grateful.

             What do you do to keep going on your long runs?