There are a lot of questions and problems you will “run” into as you progress in your training. Below are some training tips to some of the most common issues runners can have. If you can’t find your answers here, feel free to Email us or drop by any of our locations and pick the brain of some our experienced and knowledgeable staff.
10 % Rule
When beginning a running or walking program, people often want to know how to increase mileage (or exercise duration) quickly without getting injured. For most people, the expectation should be about 10 percent per week…
Blisters and Chafing
Have you noticed an increase in blisters or chafing in those “not so nice” areas? During running, chafing and blistering of the skin is caused by friction. Eliminate the friction—the chafing and blistering will go away automatically. There are a couple of key ways to eliminate the friction: using technical clothing and anti-chafing products…
Carbo Loading
Most runners have heard of carbohydrate-loading. If you’re new to the sport and don’t know much about this concept, it’s an important one if you attempt a marathon. Carbo-loading is when you eat more carbohydrate-rich foods than usually during the last days before a marathon as a way to extend your endurance. That’s the reason most marathons have a pre-race pasta party the night before the race…
Dress Code
Check the weather, and dress for your race as if it’s about 20 degrees F warmer than the thermometer actually reads. This rule of thumb helps you dress for how warm you’ll feel at mid-run, not the first mile, when your body is still heating up. This doesn’t account for significant wind-chill, however, so on very windy days, you may need to dress warmer…
Dressing for Winter
Is the fear of winter weather legitimate? There is no question that if runners are improperly clothed they are putting themselves at risk. In order for the vital core organs to stay warm and functioning in the cold weather, blood flow to the extremities slows down, causing the hands, arms, legs and feet to feel numb and cold. The body stops using fat as a source of energy, which causes runners to fatigue much more quickly…
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, and muscle cells) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes. Electrolytes and carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses and muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells. When electrolytes have been depleted through sweat from exercising, specifically sodium and potassium, your muscles and nerves lose the ability to carry electrical impulses across cells properly and this can lead to muscle cramping…
Energy Gels and Sports Drinks
Bonking happens when the body runs out of necessary sugar energy and is forced to turn to other less efficient sources of energy. Sugar is the only thing the body can use for energy, so when it runs out, it’s forced to convert protein (muscle) into sugar. This conversion process has serious side effects. When marathoners reach this point they are said to have “bonked.” The human body can store enough sugar energy to sustain a typical marathoner for between 45 minutes to an hour. After that you have a choice. You can try and “bonk” for the rest of the marathon, or you can use energy gels or energy drinks…
Finding Time to Workout
Now that you have decided to give running a go, how do you know that life is not going to stop you dead in your tracks? There are all those barricades to success that try to stop us from taking care or ourselves like family, work, community and other interests. So here are some quick tips on how to make running, or any other exercise, a habit rather than a passing fad…
Fueling For Races 3 Hours or Longer
There are a lot of runners and triathletes out there who are learning how to take in some fuel during events and workouts over an hour and that is great news! The not so good news is that as some of those athletes start going longer than 2-3 hours problems start occurring that didn’t happen before. So what is going on here? Isn’t 1-2 gel packs an hour enough? Do I absolutely have to have an electrolyte supplement? More water? What?
How to Run and Still Like it
Have you grown up dreading running? Are you afraid of how miserable you might feel and do you wonder how on Earth anyone could like such a torturous form of exercise? Well, I have a simple idea to try that might help. It is called running slow…
Hydration
Staying hydrated may be one of the most important aspects to your health and your performance while running. The human body is made up of about 66 percent water (about two-thirds of your body mass). Once the body starts to become dehydrated, it can’t function at its full capacity and your health and performance will be at risk. Being dehydrated can affect the body in many ways, especially during exercise…
Pre Race Nutrition
After all the training leading up to your big event, the last mistake you want to make on race morning is with your pre-race nutrition. There are some athletes who decide that they want to skip all the confusion and try not eating. While this may work for a morning 5k, it gets more risky with a 10k and down-right nonsense for a half marathon or marathon. Several studies show that repeatedly show substantial increases in performance with proper fueling before an event…
Long Run Nutrition
Do energy gels really work? How do I use them and how many will I need for my marathon? Should I try them before the race? Where do I put them? This article can help you find these answers. If there’s one time that eating smart pays off, then long runs are it! One of the biggest and most easily avoided mistakes for new runners has to do with not eating enough during long training runs. Reality is that the human body will run out of glycogen (sugar) in less than two hours unless replenished…
Plan Your First Run
The first run can be intimidating. There are a lot of unknowns that can cause anxiety the first run is usually the hardest to finish. But it is always best to look at the glass half full- you have armed yourself with all of the things needed to complete your run successfully. You have new shoes, new goals, and fresh ambition. All that is left is creating a game plan and stepping out the front door…
Recovery Drinks
Running drains your muscles of precious energy stores in the form of glycogen. The first 2 hours after a run is the crucial window when your muscles will absorb the highest amount of glycogen to replace what it just lost. Adequately replacing glycogen stores requires not only the right carbohydrates, but also some protein to aid your muscles in absorbing the carbohydrates. The best part about finishing a run is that it is OK to eat some of the more sugary, higher glycemic foods.
** Chocolate milk is not a great option to get your protein; it is loaded with simple sugars that are not good for you…
Rest
Resting is often overlooked in a training program. For every three weeks of volume training you should have one week of decreased volume and intensity in an effort to ‘ABSORB’ the prior weeks’ training. This is an opportunity to regroup physically, mentally and emotionally. It also has been found that rest can be beneficial to review your progress as a means of boosting your confidence…
Sports Bra’s 101
A good sports bra is not something to ignore. Any woman can tell you how bad having the wrong bra can be, so why don’t women pay very much attention to have the right one? Well, there are several reasons. The majority of women don’t know what they need and do not know that there are different bras designed for different sports. There are low-impact, medium-impact, and high-impact bras…
Stretching
When you start a running program, you probably don’t plan on getting injured. And maybe, you hope to be able to keep running and feeling good for a long time. If that is the case, then you really need to add stretching to your training routine. It will help you stay injury free, recover better and feel better. Flexibility is also an essential part of being fit. So, here are some things to remember…
S.V.I.P Layering System
The key to staying warm in cold weather it to stay dry, prepare for the temperature, and keep the wind off…
Technical Clothing
Technical clothing does more than just look and feel good. It actually helps to improve performance and reduce recovery time. Our body defends itself against overheating in two ways. The first is to sweat, cooling the body through evaporation, and the other is to pump the overheated blood to the surface of the skin, cooling by radiating the heat through the skin…
The Perfect Shoe
Not sure where to start your shoe shopping? Having trouble finding a pair that fits?“If the shoe fits, then wear it,” isn’t just an edgy remark toward someone else, but it’s also a wise expression encouraging the purchase of the perfect shoe to stay injury free. For some runners, the perfect shoe may seem like an unreachable mirage in the desert—something to be hoped for, but not seen, or a completely unrealistic…
Walking During Runs
Walking is one the most basic exercises, yet it’s productive and at times, very demanding. Just ask the PGA tour professionals. Using walking in your marathon-training program is a huge advantage for many reasons…
When in Doubt , Don’t
Our experiences has been that the body is smarter than we give it credit for. There seems to be something innate that gives us clues as to whether we should or whether we shouldn’t. The trick is learning when to back off and when to go for it…