According to a study reported in The Stroke Journal, carried out in Dijon, Bordeaux and Montpellier, big calves can be a cause for celebration.
The research on 6265 subjects indicated that hefty calves signified a reduced risk of stroke. The larger the size of someone’s calves, the lower the risk of clots on the neck arteries.
This supports the idea that body shapes may determine health fates.
Keep running, stay healthy.
For your personal running training plan visit runningtrainingplan.com
Leading researchers agree that it is not easy to determine why some runners seem to get injured more often than others. Usually, it is an increase in distance or an increase in pace that can cause a problem. But how much further and how much faster? Although we have broad guidelines, such as ‘do not increase weekly mileage by more than 10%’, it’s impossible to say specifically when someone will get injured (unless of course they step in a big hole like I did last week).
However, work carried out at the Drayer Physical Therapy Institute at the University of Delaware can give us some clues. Dr Irene Davis, research leader, says that research has identified some biomechanical features in people who tend to suffer from two common injuries. Once these features are known and then corrected, improvements can be made. Runners with knee pain tend to drop their hip on each stride and also have knees that cave inwards on footfall. Similarly, runners who suffer stress fractures of the tibia often show a characteristic gait. They tend to land heavily on the heel. Again, risk can be lessened by measuring impact pressure and making the runner aware of the damage it could be causing.
Of course, these problems will be exaggerated by increased mileage and speed. In particular, running just slightly faster increases impact shock markedly.
Hopefully, in time, we’ll see more studies like this so that we can all learn how to minimise our risk to injury. But, in the meantime, do not underestimate the benefits of having a well-trained therapist look at you run.
Research carried out by Sophie Hopper from Leeds Metropolitan University has shown that ‘Type D’ personalities are more likely to take up individual non-contact sports such as running.
Type D (or “Distressed”) personalities are typically anxious, irritable, insecure, and socially inhibited, and tend to use maladaptive coping strategies (resignation / withdrawal) when faced with stressful situations.
Questionnaires focussing on personality traits and coping strategies were completed by 334 students, and the study showed no difference in prevalence of Type D personality between the sexes.
Sophie commented that the research would assist coaches and sports psychologists to help athletes with a Type D personality develop more effective coping strategies. We could argue that running is a coping strategy that Type D personalities use to deal with life stresses, and can think of many a great athlete who would dispute that their personality type has been a disadvantage to them.
Also on the plus side, Type D personalities are usually very supportive of others and may be the champion of the “underdog”. They often provide a shoulder to cry on. They tend to be compassionate and content with themselves and life in general, and favour punctuality and consistency.
If you visit or live in Sussex then we can now offer you a sports massage service in our new treatment room. You can have treatment for an existing injury or have preventative therapy that will help you keep running. For more info visit the Magic Hands Therapy site
Researchers at the University of Exeter have carried out a small study which shows that the nitrate in beetroot juice leads to a reduction of oxygen uptake, slowing the rate at which a person becomes exhausted.
Subjects could exercise up to 16% longer after drinking the juice, and the reduction in oxygen uptake was greater than that achieved by any other known means – including training. The 8 men, aged between 18 and 38, were given 500 mls of beetroot juice for 6 consecutive days before completing a series of tests, including cycling tests. The group had an average 2% reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance. They also had a lower resting blood pressure which was evident within an hour of consumption.
Professor Andy Jones, lead researcher from the University of Exeter, noted that the work showed eating nitrate rich foods could increase endurance, and said “I’m sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results.”
Experts welcomed the research findings, but cautioned that the study had been small and called for further studies on a larger scale.
Earlier this year, the comedian, Eddie Izzard, completed a running feat that astonished just about everyone who heard about it; this was especially true amongst the running community. Any runner knows how hard it is to run a marathon. But what about running more than one marathon? Maybe 2 in a week, or 2 on consecutive days. The famous explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes famously ran 7 marathons in 7 days. It was hailed as an extraordinary human achievement and rightly so.
So what about Eddie Izzard, a man with little sporting inclination or running pedigree? With just 6 weeks of training he undertook the seemingly impossible task of running 43 marathons in 52 days — 1100 miles. It is almost beyond comprehension to anyone who has any experience of endurance running how he did it. It truly was a fantastic human achievement, and one that illustrates how amazing our bodies are.
But it’s not just the body — running just a single marathon demands a huge mental effort too.
So how does someone, essentially untrained and inexperienced, run 43 in 52 days?
Sports psychology teaches us the power of imagery or visualisation. Mentally rehearsing the desired outcome is proven to be an effective way of improving our chances of success. If we can vividly imagine ourselves performing at a particular level, for instance, running under 40 minutes for a 10k race, then we become experienced in the act — we expect to do it. Come race day, we will do all we can to match our behaviour to that performance — both consciously and sub-consciously.
Sports psychology is firmly planted in the positive side of the motivation model; we motivate ourselves to achieve what we want.
But, there is another side of the motivation model, and some would say that it provides an even stronger motivation than the ‘towards pleasure’ side.
We all know what it feels like to be beaten, and very few actually enjoy it. When you race, do you race to win or do you race not to lose? Do you know what thought will help you more.
Of course it depends on the individual.
Moving back to marathon running, is it enough to motivate ourselves by wanting to keep going?
Keeping going results in more pain — do we really want that?
Now, if you are Eddie Izzard you might employ a slightly different tactic.
What kept him going, mile after mile, day after day, with blisters upon blisters and toenails dropping off and legs and joints that must have been screaming at him to stop?
If you imagined (and imagined so strongly you almost believed) that you were being chased by a bear, would that keep you going?
It kept him going.
Is there a more common injury for the new or beginner runner other than knee pain?
Probably not. Almost a third of all runners will suffer with knee pain, and many of those will be affected when they start running.
Last week I heard of another sufferer; a lady who recently started running to train for the London Marathon. Like many new runners she went to her doctor for advice and treatment. She was told that she’d probably need knee surgery to correct the damage that running had caused.
I am not going to delve here into the depths of the causes and treatments of knee pain in runners because this is just a short advisory article about what not to do. What I will say is that any runner suffering with knee pain should seek a proper diagnosis and treatment advice from a sports injury specialist. We hear of too many new runners who have consulted their doctor about their knee pain and ended up with treatment by knife. Although I’ve not asked all of them, most have been dissatisfied by the outcome. Almost universally, they are dissatisfied because as a result they are unable to run as they did before. Some have had to stop completely, whilst others have had to greatly reduce the level of running they can cope with.
Surgery is irreversible, it should be a ‘last resort’ treatment and yet all too often it is the first port of call.
The problem with runner’s knee (and we are talking specifically about patellofemoral pain not ITB pain*), is that it can worsen quickly and it doesn’t usually go away unless the runner changes something about their body or the way they run. Runners make impatient patients and the new runner will often take what they perceive to be the quickest fix. Of course, the correct treatment will depend on the individual, but most often it will include muscle strengthening and/or correction of the alignment by way orthotics or (shoe inserts).
Hopefully, you will never suffer with knee pain, but if — like many runners — you do, and if you hear the word ‘surgery’, run in another direction as quick as you can. You’ll end up learning more about your running and more important than that you’ll reduce the chances of the injury stopping you running in the future.
* ITB or iliotibial band pain is often also (incorrectly) called runners’ knee. The cause and treatment is quite different to that of patelloformerol PF pain. Nevertheless, the same advice holds regarding surgery.
We’ve now uploaded our first free training plan to the main site on the downloadable training plans page.
It is a plan for absolute beginners — those who want to start running. Suitable for people who would like to lose a bit of weight or just to get a little fitter and more healthy. It’s an 8 week program, turning the non-runner to someone who can run 5k (or just over 3 miles) without stopping.
Obviously, once a non-runner completes this program there is no going back. Eight weeks is plenty of time to get used to all the benefits that running offers, and also just about enough time to develop the healthy running addiction that we incurables enjoy.
More will follow, feel free to make a suggestions (via a comment) to any specific schedule you’d like to see made available.
