Stretching, Prep, & Tips

Stretching

Flexibility is important to runners. Running relaxed is the secret to running faster. In order to improve (and maintain) your flexibility, you need to do some stretching.

When to Stretch

The best time to stretch is after your muscles have had a chance to warm up. That's why most track athletes jog a mile or two, then do some stretching before the hard part of their workouts. You can do the same. Here are the different times you might consider stretching:

BEFORE RUNNING: Your muscles will not be warm, so don't overstretch. Just before running, do one or two easy stretches just to signal to your body that you are ready to go. Don't stretch anywhere near your limit. You should not feel pain.

WHILE RUNNING: Run five or ten minutes, then stop to stretch. Your muscles will be warmer, thus stretching will be easier. You still don't want to stretch to the point where it is painful. Stretching should be gentle.

AFTER RUNNING: Finish each workout with some easy stretching. If you have access to a whirlpool, the warm water will make stretching even easier. Stretching at different times of the day is another option.

Hydration and Nutrition

Contributions by Josh Clark of Coolrunnings.com

The Truth about Water

It's an old saw among runners, but it still holds true: if you wait to drink water until you're thirsty, you've waited too long. Thirst is not an adequate indicator for when you need water. Even those who are relatively sedentary need a whopping two and a half quarts of water every day (not that most people actually drink as much as they should). Add a fast run to the mix, especially on a hot day, and that figure can double: the average person sweats one to one and a half quarts of water per hour while running.

At that rate, waiting until your body starts sending out thirst signals puts you in serious danger of falling behind and becoming dehydrated. Everyone who exercises should drink water constantly -- not just while exercising, but all day long. Try to drink four to six ounces of water every hour you're awake, plus a bit more after you run. Don't be shy; it's difficult to drink too much water, since any excess gets (literally) flushed away.

Which brings up the most reliable, though perhaps indelicate, way to see if you are drinking enough water: a visit to the restroom. If your urine is pale or clear, your body has a good fluid balance. If your urine is dark, on the other hand, then you probably should head for the water cooler.

So what's the big deal?

Simply put, water is essential for maintaining almost all of the body's vital processes. It makes up most of your blood. It keeps you cool through perspiration. It enables the storage of glycogen, an essential source of energy, in your muscles.

When you become dehydrated, you not only lose performance as a runner but you also risk becoming seriously ill. For every liter of sweat you lose, your heart rate increases about eight beats per minute (you can lose a liter in as little as half an hour, depending on the conditions). If you don't get some fluids, you add stress to your heart, your core body temperature rises, and your performance goes into the basement. Your body is unforgiving when its water stores dip at all below normal levels. Even slight dehydration will slow you down.

Sports Drinks

In 1958, a salty-sweet beverage named Bengal Punch made its debut at Louisiana State University as the first sports drink (followed seven years later by Gatorade). Since then, a booming industry has sprung from this modest beginning. The drinks are everywhere, and there's no escape from their hyperactive advertising.

Putting aside for a moment the pitchmen's implied promises of superhuman athletic ability after just a few sips, it turns out that sports drinks do in fact offer the everyday runner some real benefits. Everyone's belly is different, though, and all bellies react differently to different drinks. To avoid any unpleasant suprises, be sure to experiment gradually with sports drinks during training and especially before using it during a flat-out race.

What do they do?

Among the chief benefits of sports drinks are the carbohydrates they provide to help the body replace the energy-producing glycogen a runner expends during exercise. In the days before sports drinks, some runners created their own kind of sports drink, carrying defizzed soda with them to get the same type of energy boost, a technique still practiced by many. The trouble with these makeshift energy drinks is simply that they often have too many carbohydrates. Drinks that have a concentration of more than eight percent carbos (and some sports drinks fall into this category) are more likely to cause upset stomachs than those with lower concentrations.

Those same carbohydrates, when in appropriate concentrations of six to eight percent, also help the body absorb the sports drink up to 30 percent faster than water. This, of course, is great when you have been pushing hard and need to rehydrate in a hurry. Beware, though, that the concentration of carbohydrates is not too high. Some sports drinks, as well as some sodas and juices, have a sugar content that actually slows absorption.

Finally, sports drinks contain electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, that are lost with sweat. Sodium in particular is helpful in speeding absorption of the drink. While it is not at all clear that your body actually loses very many electrolytes during running, studies have shown that electrolyte-replacement drinks do cause the body to retain more fluid than plain water.

On balance, sports drinks do provide an energy boost and slightly faster fluid absorption than water (again, provided that the drink has the proper concentration of carbohydrates). They are most useful during or after long or unusually hard workouts. For runs and races under an hour, however, it matters little whether you have a sports drink or plain, old-fashioned water (except that water has no calories).

Beat the Heat

There's nothing like the call of a bright, warm day to draw a runner out to the roads for an energizing run. But when that bright warmth becomes just plain heat, your pleasant summertime jaunt can turn into a difficult slog if you're unprepared.

Take the heat seriously. Beyond being merely uncomfortable, it can be dangerous under extreme conditions. If you do not take proper precautions or if you push beyond your limits, your blood pressure can drop too low or you could suffer heat exhaustion. No matter how fit you are, no matter how strong a runner, the heat of summer should not be underestimated. If your body's natural cooling system cannot keep up, you will shut down.

Give yourself a chance to get used to running in the heat. As temperatures rise in the summer, scale back your effort and gradually build back. It takes about two weeks to acclimate to hot temperatures. Understand, though, that you probably cannot and should not run as fast as you did in cooler weather. Adjust your pace and your goals, and take walk breaks if necessary. Run shorter distances if necessary.

Precautions Against the Heat

On very hot days, absolutely avoid running at midday. Early morning and late evening runs can make for cooler jaunts, and in the case of morning outings, you'll also have less air pollution in urban areas. Try to begin your run with the wind at your back so that you will have a cool headwind on your return. Avoid direct sun by running in the shade as much as possible; don't forget to wear sunblock for runs over 20 minutes.

Dress lightly, and wear light-colored clothes. Avoid cotton t-shirts, which will become soaked and heavy and prevent evaporation of your sweat, which is how your body cools itself. Not incidentally, wet t-shirts also mean chafing and in men can result in bloody nipples. Instead, wear singlets in lightweight, breathable fabrics like Coolmax.

Before you head out, drink a big glass of water and then bring a water bottle along for the run. Water is your best protection against heat exhaustion, and you should have about a cup of water every 15 or 20 minutes during your run. It doesn't hurt to pour some over your head once in a while, either. Whatever you do, do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. By then it will be too late, and you could be well on your way to heat exhaustion.

Spotting Trouble

The first sign of trouble is often heat cramps in your legs. Stop and massage them, and try drinking some salt water. However, if you start feeling dizzy and dehydrated and your pulse and breathing grow very rapid, you probably have heat exhaustion. This is brought on partly by fluid loss (sweating) and partly because your body has sent so much blood to the skin to help cool you down. Your brain actually stops getting enough blood and oxygen. Stop exercising immediately. Get out of the sun, get some rest and drink loads of fluids (preferably at room temperature, perhaps with a pinch of salt in every glass). Try taking a cool bath.

If you ignore the signs of heat exhaustion, you risk running into full-fledged heat stroke. This is not to be taken lightly and can even be fatal. The condition is marked by chills, difficulty breathing, confusion, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, and a lack of sweating, even though the runner is very hot. Immediate medical attention is called for.

Just use common sense. Take it easy, and enjoy your run. If you begin to feel dizzy or sick on a run, stop running and get out of the sun.