SR homepage Winter 2007-08
In this Issue
Bridge the Gap - Part I
 
Overcoming the Post- Marathon Blues
 
Running and Massage
 
Chicago Marathon 2007 -
my marathon debut!
 
Coupon: Free 36" foam roller!
 

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Bridging the Gap
 
Bridging the Gap is a series of articles written to help amateur runners improve their running ability and performances.  "The Gap" refers to that long void in road races that occurs after the elites pass and before the masses.
 
Part I: Improving Your Athleticism
 
Running is the simple motion of jumping from one foot to another, over and over.  The major  difference in this jumping motion between elite and amateur runners is the distance of the jump, or the stride length (of considerably lesser variance is stride rate which tends to be around 180 for most developed runners at all levels).  This increased distance between footikes produces greater impact forces on the body of which many recreational runners would not be able to endure for an extended period without injury.  If enough time is allotted, however, to develop, strengthen, and improve the musculo-skeletal system, the recreational runner can improve their capacity for a natural longer stride.  Then, through proper training, this new stride can be conditioned to endure for longer periods of time.  The following guidelines describe a pre-season program to prepare and initiate this process. 
 
It is important to note it is not recommended to consciously extend your stride when running.  One of the purposes of this program, as is the purpose of other running related exercises, is to stimulate and develop a more efficient, stronger, and faster stride that comes naturally through adaptations to the exercises. 
 
Phase I : Isometric Strengthening
  1. quarter squat holds: 3*30 sec
  2. full squat holds: 3*60 sec
  3. lunge position holds: 4*20 seconds per leg
Phase II: Vertical Ballistic Strengthening
  1. two-legged vertical jumps: 2*20 reps
  2. single-legged vertical jumps: 3*20 reps per leg
  3. high skipping: 2*20 reps

Phase III: Horizontal Ballistic Strengthening

  1. two-legged horizontal jumps: 2*20 reps
  2. single-legged horizontal jumps: 2*20 reps per leg
  3. long skipping: 2*20 reps
  4. bounding: 3*100 meters

The exercises in each phase should be performed 2-3 times per week.  Allow 2-4 weeks to gradually progress through each phase such that the sets/reps listed are attainable with minimal fatigue and less than 24 hours recovery time is needed.  A warm-up run, stretching, light running drills, and strides should be performed beforehand.

A great thing to work on before formal '08 training ...
 
Joe McConkey
Boston Running Center - Head Coach
questions/comments on this article?
Overcoming the Post-Marathon Blues
 

After spending four or five months dedicating every waking moment to your marathon training and going through the euphoria, elation, and jubilation of marathon weekend and the actual race itself (unless you were unlucky enough to run Chicago), many runners may find themselves feeling empty, unfocused, irritable, and even depressed. You may wonder if this is normal, why it happens, and what you can do to keep a healthy perspective on running during your off-season.

 

To answer the first question, yes it is completely normal to feel a sense of emptiness and depression following your race. Whenever we put a lot of time and effort into an activity and have such high expectations for an event, we are bound to be at a loss for what to do with ourselves when it is over. We forget what it is like to have a free Saturday or Sunday when running 15 miles is no longer the priority. We forget what it is like to go out and have a few drinks on a weekend and not worry about missing your early morning long run with your friend or fellow group of runners. What is it about completing a marathon that can take a runner from feeling so exhilarated and accomplished to feeling adrift and despondent? For many first-time runners, training for a marathon is the first time in a while (or maybe ever) that they held themselves accountable to a structured training regimen. Never before have they disciplined themselves to train with a specific goal in mind. Now that the goal has been achieved, the routine that was carved out seems to have lost its meaning.

 

The key to overcoming this sense of loss is to find a new activity or hobby to occupy your time. As training begins to wind down, many runners will begin thinking of their next challenge to help with them deal with the imminent end to their current event. Some runners may be thinking more about how sore their body is from completing their race than what their next race will be. But give yourself a few weeks to recover and you'll be craving for the regulation and organization that defined your life a short time ago. Whatever path you choose to pursue, you need to ask yourself the following question - "what new challenge will make me feel really good about myself?" Many runners will find that the answer is simple - train for another marathon. Typically with the next race, a runner will raise the stakes. A first-timer is no longer happy to just finish, she wants to improve her time. A competitive runner may no longer be satisfied with their time; he wants to run a qualifying time. Some runners may want the experience of running one of the bigger races, like Boston, New York, or Chicago.

 

Although you may be highly motivated to tackle the next challenge, take an appropriate amount of time to recover before moving on. Immediately jumping into the fire increases the risk of physical injury and mental burnout. Maintaining a positive outlook during your off-time will allow you to clearly evaluate your previous training methods, identify what worked well for you, recognize how you can improve on your running and training habits, and isolate the steps you need to take to make those improvements. Whatever your goal may be, the mere fact that you have taken the time to think about what it is you'd like to do next is most significant. You will regain a sense of control and structure over your life and feel motivated, happy, focused and directed as you push yourself to a higher level of athletic achievement.

 
Boston Running Center - Sports Pyschologist
send comments on this article to Dr. Kimball at info@gtksports.com
Running and Massage
 
In-training massage
Regular massage during your training will assist you in your goal of getting to the starting line injury-free and completing your goal. With all of the long miles that you will be logging in your training phase, you may notice some muscle pain and soreness as you increase miles and put more stress on your body. You may even experience the beginning of some common running injuries which may not only hinder your training but stop it, if not addressed quickly.
 
A sports massage will utilize various massage techniques including stretching, cross fiber friction and deep tissue and lymphatic techniques, to name a few, in order to improve the athlete's range of motion and flexibility of the muscles, aid in the reduction of swelling and edema, break up and soften fibrotic/scar tissue, relax muscle spasm which may become a culprit in compensatory patterns.
 
Pre-race massage
A pre-race massage can be used as a supplement to your warm-up to enhance circulation and reduce excess muscle and mental tension immediately prior to competition. The massage session is usually somewhat vigorous and short - not lasting more than about 15 minutes. If this is offered at your event, take advantage, but it is suggested that if you have not had massage before, then this might not be the time to try it for the first time. Having no experience with massage and not knowing how you respond to massage could hinder your performance.
 
Post-race massage
Once completed with your event, a post-race massage reduces muscle spasms and helps release lactic acid and other metabolic wastes that may be trapped in the muscle tissue from a hard effort. Many sports massage techniques enhance the body's own recovery process, improving your return to training and competition - and reducing the risk of injury. A massage immediately following an event aims to aid circulation and should be non-specific and rather gentle.
 
Many runners, particularly marathoners, also schedule an appointment for a more intense treatment 24-48 hours after the event and this should be a staple in your training. Although getting a quick post-event rubdown at the finish-line massage tent may have felt good, a massage 24 to 48 hours after the marathon works best.
 
General tips
Whether you have never had a massage before or you're a seasoned massage veteran, keep a few things in mind:
  • Find a therapist that you trust and are comfortable with - ask about his/her training and experience and for a tour.
  • Communicate with your therapist before and during the session. Let your therapist know when you are training and how it's going. Always remember that you are in control of the treatment. Don't hesitate to let your therapist know if you dislike something he or she is doing or if a technique feels particularly effective.
  • Schedule your massages for your off-running days. Use the time to relax, reflect and recover.
  • Drink plenty of water before and after a massage. Hydrated tissue is more receptive to massage, loosens more quickly and stays more pliable longer.
  • You may feel soreness during a massage. Let your therapist know what is tolerable for you. You may also experience soreness known as "post-treatment trauma" a day or two after therapeutic work. It's normal, but should dissipate in another day or two if you stretch and drink plenty of water.
Don't miss out on a great opportunity to improve your running and extend the overall life of your sporting career. Getting an occasional massage can provide many benefits as well - so help yourself to better running and reduced injury.
Sara Phelps
massage therapist
Moore Massage - Voted Best of Boston 2007
Chicago Marathon 2007 - my marathon debut!
 
The Destination
 "Pops I am so proud of you", personally I prefer Dad but those words from my sons were music coursing through my body, along with the endorphins. Together they almost balanced out the tremors running through my quads and the occasional cramps. I had completed my first marathon. My sons joined me after the finish having waited at the 23 mile mark with no shade, my 16 year old was badly dehydrated from the 90 degree heat. For the 10,000 who started and did not finish the heat and humidity was immeasurably harder.
 
The Beginning
"So how many miles are you putting in, what's your plan, Chicago is not too far off, third week in October how many weeks is that"?  Peter my running club buddy innocently asked. We were onto our second pint before heading down to the fireworks on the rain studded July 4th. I mumbled, "Actually it is at start of October and am running about 20 miles a week, had some back trouble". I ruminated over my reply as we walked to Memorial Drive.  I had not started training nor had a plan in mind other than to complete my first marathon. Clearly I had a ways to go.
 
The Journey
I started the next day and did not stop. Joe gently threw away the plan that I had scrambled together, he added in to my track and long runs, tempo runs, more warm up runs, easy runs, and lonely runs I became like a person possessed. Trained through injury, Joe stopped me from track workouts for 6 weeks and substituted more medium and easy runs to give legs a chance to recover. Lots and lots, of these lonely runs, along the river. Chiropractor worked her magic thumbs smoothing but not soothing away at scar tissues. Trained through sore throat and head cold. Boss at work said go home, rest do what you have to do, if you don't run the marathon you will be unbearably miserable, perhaps he does care. So I ran I ran I ran I ran, good runs, tough runs, calves would involuntarily pulsate at night, not painful, but something I would not sign up for.
By the end of September I was already ramping down, working away on my race psychologyl, trying to prepare myself and staunch those waves of self doubt.
Running buddies would say "You look strong" and I'd say "Really?". I printed out my running logbook, reminded myself that this was something I really, really wanted to do and I had trained for it. Took this with me to Chicago and my massage stick.
 

The Very Long Run (race day)
Now 13 weeks and some 450 miles later having used warm ups, stretches, foam roller and the stick to work away those tight calves, I stood in coral C with 5 minutes to go, automatically ducking as runners ditched their water bottles before start, I held onto mine.  I had never seen so many runners before. The spectators were yelling encouragement before we even started. Joe and I had spoken at length about starting steady and that my first goal was to finish. Actually he said it was my health but that was not going to stop me. It was going to be hot, 80-90 degrees, no surprise. I started with the 3hr:50 min  Pace group. I looked at my split at end of 1st mile, 8 minutes. I realized that Joe was right on the money telling us to be aware of what is going on and to use our training experience to adjust. I slowed and mentally separated from this pace group. I drank from my bottle as needed and worked towards a steady 8:45 pace. An Elvis impersonator loomed up almost dead stop in front of me waving to the crowd. I moved to one side trying to regain my focus, I am not a fan of Elvis.  I try to disassociate but am not able too. At mile 6 I am loose and am beginning to just run. I try to close my mind but the crowd is enormous and the never ending bands are playing. Hard to switch off so I stop trying. I am running between the tall buildings, there is shadow, it is warm and humid but manageable. Start noticing how slippery the water stops are, miles 8-11 do disassociate. Looking for sons at half way mark, don't see them, not surprised, street is wide and filled with runners, some have stopped and are throwing up. Brain thinks these are the B and C coral runners and they are throwing up! Make sure I keep taking gel and water. Halfway 1hr :55 min OK OK I can do this.
 
Mile 16 no more shade, exposed to sun, Mile 16-17, I pass Pradeep and Andy, running buddies from my club, they are having a tough time from prior running injuries. Mile 18 meet up with Erin from club, run with her briefly then get cramps in upper thighs. Stopped to deal with them, breathed them out, and kept focused on breathing. Mile 19 a runner stops in front of me, I make a quick move around him and cramps come back, quads are beginning to hurt. Mile 20 I notice that many runners are walking, I walk through a water stop and start up running, look at watch and realize that secondary goal of qualifying for Boston (3:45 mins) is not likely. Focus on reaching mile 23 to see my sons, Dan my youngest joins me for 50 yards, try to look cool but quads hurt. More runners walking-running, those who are running smoothly are a rarity, some stop. I keep going, am feeling OK, keeping hydrated, taking the gel...expresso love. I was not interested at all in beer being offered somewhere back, think I'd rather listen to Elvis. People are yelling at you, signs are saying you are almost there..right. Hear one guy talking to his legs "Come on legs" I try this too, mine don't respond either.  I have another mile to go, quads hurt. Mile 26 an official tells me I can stop running as race has been stopped. I ignore her. I see the finish line in the distance, like an old movie where two lovers are running towards each other and never meet except that I am bloody well going to.  I cross the finish line, they remove my chip, I look at my watch 4 hrs 8 mins. I exit the funnel to sounds and sights of runners, not aware of the tumult that is taking place I hear someone yell "runner down", I move on eager to meet up with my sons. I keep walking, not too soon to start getting those toxins out of my legs though not sure if I want to totally reconnect back with my body just yet.
 
Jonathan Dovev
Cambridge Running Club member
Thanks for reading!

Boston Running Center
 
 

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