Extra-terrestrial Enquirer!

Beyond Runners escape frigid temps and migrate south

Natalie Dale went from a steaming 80 degrees to a freezing 8 degrees after running the AIA Marathon in Ft. Lauderdale February 17 and returning to the February 23 training run. Natalie ran a 4:22:24 and is now fully heat acclimatized. Jeff Datillo was treated to perfect temps of 53 degrees in South Carolina at the February 16 BI-LO Marathon as well as a Boston qualifying finish. Jeff ran a new PR of 3:10:17 thanks to ideal conditions and tips from personal training guru Ken Dettloff. When asked if he would visit Beantown this year, Jeff’s response was “Now, I'm tempted to run Boston this April since I'm already trained, but this is not optimal on the home front with the baby coming March 28th.” “hmmmm.” Julie Wojtaszek enjoyed 85 degree weather at an all inclusive resort in Mexico, but did not run a marathon.

Our reflective vests and blinking lights were in the news along with Cindi MacDonald’s rendition of a chilly Wednesday night run. The Beyond Marathon Training program was featured in a “Cool Running” article in the Kalamazoo Gazette’s Outdoor section on Saturday, February 23. Also featured were allied forces from the SHufflers and Borgess Run Camp.

Welcome to new Beyond participants Daniel Launt and Michele German! Welcome back Julie Steeby!

Flying Downhill with Declines

Save the steep grades for skiis!

High Intensity Comets will notice “Declines” interspersed in the training schedules. This workout is particularly important for those of you training for the Boston Marathon. Decline training will help prepare your quads to handle the stress of the early downhill miles of Boston as you make your descent from Hopkinton. The trick in the winter time is to find an appropriate grade free of ice, snow and slush. A grade similar to that found on Bronson Blvd is ideal.

We have all heard of “uphill” training, but why down hills? Sprinters have used downhill training for years to improve leg turnover, but it can also be beneficial to the distance runner as well and has been incorporated into many distance training programs. Decline training not only teaches you proper downhill technique, but will also improve speed while running on the flats and can even help prevent injury and muscle soreness.

When you first begin a decline training program, it is important to start with a small dose and gradually build up. Downhill running is easy on the cardiovascular system, so it is easy to overdo the pounding on muscles, connective tissue and joints. If you train carefully, however, you can actually decrease your risk of injury because your body will adapt so that it can better handle descents. After the first couple of downhill sessions, you may notice a bit of soreness in the quadriceps; this will eventually lesson and disappear as your muscles adapt to the demands of running downhill.

Increased Leg Turnover
Downhill training will increase leg turnover which improves acceleration and speed on flat terrain. Your maximal stride rate is controlled by your neuromuscular system and downhill running teaches your nervous system to allow you to run fast. Like any other skill, this is best achieved through practice.

Improved Downhill Running Performance
Bill Rodgers was a great natural downhill runner and often left his competitors behind as he ran away on the descents. He was able to make down hills his personal weapon by improving that skill during training. Anyone can gain this edge by improving skill and confidence running downhill.

Reduce Delayed-onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
If you have ever run the Boston Marathon or Borgess/National City Half Marathon you have experienced firsthand the impact downhill running can have on your muscles. When running hard downhill, your muscles work eccentrically to resist the force of gravity, which causes microscopic damage to the muscle fibers and surrounding connective tissue. This leads to inflammation and muscle soreness. Although you will be sore after the first few workouts, training on down hills protects your muscles from future damage and soreness. The muscles not only repair, but are also better able to handle future demands because the adaptations that occur within the muscle. A session of downhill running every two to three weeks is enough to maintain those adaptations.

Gaining an Advantage When Cresting a Hill
Runners will often work hard running to the top of a hill then back off slightly to recover. By practicing downhill running, you can gain an advantage by maintaining intensity over the top of a hill and down the other side.

Technique
The key to optimal downhill training is to allow gravity to help you flow down the hill, using minimal effort. This requires proper downhill form; you must adjust your body position forward so your body remains as close as possible to perpendicular to the hill. If you try to remain upright as you would on the flats, it will actually cause a braking effect…..a common downhill running error. As you run downhill, your leg turnover should increase as you gain speed. It is also important to prevent over striding, which will also increase the braking component of downhill running; increasing the jarring forces and slowing you down. To improve balance and stay in control, keep shoulders relaxed but allow the elbows to move out moderately from your sides.

The downhill workouts most appropriate depends on your goals and experience running downhill:

Downhill reps of 75-150 meters
These are the type of workouts that are scattered within your training schedule. Downhill reps on a gentle grass slope are a great way to learn technique and improve leg turnover while minimizing the chance of injury. This technique is often used by sprinters to improve speed. It is very important to warm up well, including a few striders on the flat before launching into these. Concentrate on correct body position and on letting your legs turnover more quickly as you gain speed. Limit yourself to three to five reps the first few sessions, particularly if you haven’t done much speed work recently.

Up and Down Intervals
Up hills and down hills can be incorporated in the same workout by doing intervals in which you run up a hill hard, than sustain the intensity over the top and down the other side. If you make these intervals two – six minutes in duration (with a one to two minute recovery jog in between), these make excellent VO2 max workouts and can replace the ones listed on your training schedule. These training sessions are time-efficient as they incorporate the benefits of several different types or workouts, and reinforce the ability to maintain effort over the top of a hill and shifting technique to pick up speed on the downhill.

Hilly Courses
Doing your regular training runs on hilly courses is an effective way to get used to running downhill without major changes to your training program. To gain the most benefit, concentrate on correct downhill running technique and increasing leg turnover as you run down the hill. Making downhill running part of your training routine allows you to gain experience so that downhill running technique becomes second nature.

Race Simulation
If you are training for the Borgess/National City Half Marathon, your muscles need to be able to handle the 2 mile descent from the start into downtown Kalamazoo. If you are training for the Boston Marathon, you need to be able to handle the descent from Wellesley into Newton Lower Falls at 15 miles, and the plunge into Boston proper after cresting Heartbreak Hill. If you are preparing for the ING New York City Marathon, your body needs to be ready for the downhill into Manhattan at 16 miles. It is important to try to simulate the descents that you will encounter in your goals races in terms of steepness, length, and where they fall within the race.


Pfitzinger, P. 2005. “Moving Up by Going Down.” Running Times 328 (July/August): 16

Winter Soreness!

Have your winter runs been reduced to a crawl?

Feeling a bit sore? Rest assured you are not alone and are probably feeling about as beat up as New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady. Let’s face it, the last three weeks not only saw increased mileage, but the added challenge of running high mileage in snow, ice and slush.

Slipping and sliding through snow, ice and slush like we have over the past few weeks can sabotage your running form. Your muscles tense and are not used the same way they are when you run on dry surfaces. As a result, you become sore, and your risk of injury increases. Ice cleats can help in some, but not all conditions. You can read a review of several of the most popular via this Ice Cleats Review from Runners World.

The amount of muscle soreness you experience tomorrow will always be directly proportional to how far you work your muscles beyond what they are accustomed to today. Below are some tips in dealing with muscle soreness:

Start Slow, Warm Up: Always precede any high-intensity running you do with easy jogging and stretching. These precautions warm and lubricate the muscles, making the fibers less prone to tearing during the training. On Saturdays start slower than the pace you train. On Tuesdays always do a warm up slow jog followed by stretching before your work out.

Cool Down: Circulation is the primary facilitator of the muscle repair process after intense exercise. Finishing workouts with low-intensity activity keeps circulation levels up without further damaging muscle fibers and thereby kick-starts the recovery process.
Stride Outs: The most effective way to minimize muscle soreness is actually to cause it in small amounts. Doing so results in structural adaptations in the muscle that make it more resistant to future tearing. To stimulate these adaptations, do four to six 100-yard stride-outs twice per week.

Easy Recovery Runs: Muscle soreness also has a tendency to accumulate if the muscles are not given adequate opportunity to heal between hard workouts. So you should always schedule recovery workouts (short and easy) between your harder and longer training sessions. You may not feel like a run will do any good but a short easy run will aid in your recovery.

Cross Training: Cross training such as spinning, using the elliptical trainer, swimming and water running may also be used during easy days and can aid recovery by increasing blood flow and adding to cardiovascular fitness without causing additional muscle damage.

Refuel and Hydrate: You should also consume protein immediately after your workouts. The faster you get protein into your body, the faster your body can go to work repairing muscle damage. Always consume plenty of carbohydrate, to restore energy, and fluids for hydration following workouts as well. The most convenient way to get all the nutrition your body needs for immediate post-run recovery is to simply drink a carbohydrate-protein sports drink (eg. Endurox). In one study, athletes who consumed such a drink after a hard workout exhibited 36% less muscle damage than a control group the next day.

Antioxidants: Antioxidants can also reduce muscle soreness. Oxygen radicals are believed to play a role in the cellular damage that follows the rupture of muscle fibers during exercise. By consuming a diet that is high in antioxidant vitamins and enzymes you can limit this damage.
Time: Time is the only true cure for muscle soreness. Certain treatments, however, can reduce the severity of the soreness you experience while time works its magic.

Icing: Icing is the best way to reduce inflammation and the associated soreness. Combining a cold treatment with compression of the sore muscle, for example with a neoprene sleeve, is even more effective than a standard ice massage. Although not particularly appealing during the winter months, an ice bath is even better.

Elevation: Elevation is another tried-and-true treatment for inflammation. Simply sit with your legs propped above heart level for 30 minutes or more. Or simply put your butt up against a wall and raise your legs upon the wall for 10 – 15 minutes.

Massage or Self Massage: A visit to a massage therapist (we can refer you!) for a deep tissue massage or the use of a self message device such as The Stick can do wonders in enhancing circulation and stretching muscles.

Stretching: Frequent stretching also increases circulation and speeds the return to full mobility. Always stretch a sore muscle very gently, and if it is extremely sore, do not stretch it at all. In such a case light activity is a better alternative.

Many of these concepts are from:
That Hammered FeelingSimple Steps to Soften Muscle Soreness
by Matt Fitzgerald