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Four exercises to build bulletproof knees

We know that running doesn’t wreck your knees (and might even make them stronger) but newer runners or those making a comeback occasionally experience some soreness, and the knee is one of the most common areas of injury for runners. The easiest way to keep knee pain at bay is to beef up the muscles around the knee joint.

Adding a handful of simple exercises to your routine will help your legs provide better support and alignment, giving your legs the oomph they need to keep going strong while preventing common injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome and runner’s knee. We have four exercises to help you get started.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Hold for a second at the top, squeezing your glutes and engaging your core muscles. Gently to the starting position. Aim for 10 repetitions, and then repeat on the other side.

1.- Forward lunges

Lunges engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles, and activate stabilizing muscles such as the hip abductors and adductors. They improve overall stability and reduce stress on the knees.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle, hovering the back knee just above the ground.

Push off the front foot to return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Aim for five to 10 repeats to start. You can build resistance by adding sets, or by holding weights once you become comfortable.

2.- Step-ups with knee drive

Step-ups strengthen the muscles responsible for supporting the knee joint during weight-bearing activities like running and enhance the knee’s ability to withstand repetitive stress and maintain proper alignment, reducing the likelihood of overuse injuries.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, facing a step, box, or bench.

Step up with the right foot onto the box, and then drive the left knee up toward the chest. Aim for your hip and knee to form a 90-degree angle. Step back down and repeat on the other side. Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

If you want more of a challenge, hold a light weight in the hand that is on the side doing the step-up (if you’re stepping up with your right leg, hold a weight in your right hand).

3.- Squats

Squats strengthen the quadriceps muscles which directly connect to the knee. Strong quadriceps provide the knee with more stability, thus reducing and preventing injury. Start with two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out, and your chest up.

Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if you’re sitting in a chair, keeping your weight on your heels.

Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then push through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.

As strength improves, you can gradually increase the number of sets, repetitions, or resistance (such as adding weights) to continue challenging the muscles and promoting knee strength.

4.- Single-leg mini squat

This exercise mimics the motions of running, engaging all the major muscle groups involved in running to build strength and stability while It also challenges balance and building proprioception skills.

Begin by standing on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and core engaged for balance.

Slowly lower your body by bending the knee of the leg you’re standing on, imagining that you’re sitting back in a chair. Keep your back straight, and go as low as you can (doesn’t need to be far!) while maintaining control.

Hold for a few seconds to challenge your balance and stability, and then push through the heel of the standing leg to return to the starting position. Try five-10 reps on each side to start.

As with any new activity, use caution and patience as you incorporate these into your routine. Feel free to modify by reducing the number of repetitions if you are struggling; if you’re very comfortable with lower-body strength training, add resistance by holding weights as you do the exercises.

 

(03/25/2024) Views: 118 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne
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Kenyan athletes Lagat Ivyne and Rutto Asbel secure the victories in women and men's category at the Run Rome The Marathon

The marathon of Rome, which took place today among the wonders of the eternal city, was a record-breaking event and dedicated to water. The Acea Run Rome the Marathon, in fact, is the first marathon dedicated to water and water saving. The 2024 edition was won by the Kenyans Asbel Rutto, in the men's competition, and Ivyne Lagat, in the women's competition.

The men's podium was completed by the other two Kenyans Brian Kipsang and Sila Kiptoo, while the Kenyan Lydia Simiyu and the Ethiopian Emebet Niguse finished second and third. Deputy general manager operations Giovanni Papaleo presented the award for Acea.

This year the Marathon has chosen "run for water" as its hashtag, to underline the profound connection that unites sport and water and the importance of water resources in protecting people's health and the health of planet Earth.

Along the over 42 kilometers of the race, Acea guaranteed many refreshment points, with around 60 thousand liters of water available to the athletes and over 100 thousand biocompostable glasses, with a view to the circular economy. It was a record race for the number of participants, for the number of foreigners and blessed by the record of the route.

The Rome marathon took place in one of the richest cities in the world in history and art but also in fountains and aqueducts, therefore an ideal place to affirm water as the identifying theme of one of the most important running events at a national level and international.

At the starting line this morning, over 19 thousand registered for the marathon alone, more than 40 thousand people who also ran the "Acea Run4Rome" solidarity relay and the 5 kilometer "Fun Run" city race. Four records have been achieved since the 2024 edition: record number of participants for an Italian marathon, record number of foreign participants, over 10, the record number of official pacers in the race, 200 of which over 100 foreigners from 15 nations and finally the record number of group training sessions, Get Ready, which were 5 in Rome and over 30 around the world, including the United States and Canada. A race route over 42 km long, renewed compared to last year, which from the historic center, starting and finishing on Via dei Fori Imperiali, crossed various points of the capital, among the wonders of the city.

Last kilometer, the arrival is thrilling, tears and heart pounding, the time needed to complete the Colosseum tour for the second time, which the marathon runners have achieved a spectacular finish line on the Imperial Forums with the Colosseum behind them which will also dominate in a unique souvenir photo in the world.

(03/19/2024) Views: 121 ⚡AMP
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Run Rome The Marathon

Run Rome The Marathon

When you run our race you will have the feeling of going back to the past for two thousand years. Back in the history of Rome Caput Mundi, its empire and greatness. Run Rome The Marathon is a journey in the eternal city that will make you fall in love with running and the marathon, forever. The rhythm of your...

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Conquer Your Longest Distance Yet With These 9 Tips

Ultrarunners and coaches share their best advice for building mileage without getting injured.

Whether you want to progress from a 5K to a half marathon or a marathon to an ultra, a few general rules on how to run longer can help you get there.

While building mileage and time on your feet is paramount, the key to doing it successfully involves patience and persistence. “As much as volume matters—volume is king—too much volume too soon can get you on the sidelines,” Bertrand Newson, RRCA-certified run coach and founder and team captain of Too Legit Fitness, based in San Jose, California, tells Runner’s World. 

Follow these tips from Newson and other coaches and ultramarathoners to successfully increase your mileage, avoid injuries, and crush your longest distances.

1. Build a Base, Then Keep It Consistent

“I steadily built up to running 250-mile races over many years, but I started by running one mile at a time,” says Sarah Ostaszewski, pro ultrarunner with Tailwind Nutrition who won the 2023 Ouray 100-Mile Endurance Run. “Build a strong base and try to keep a consistent running routine, so then adding a little extra here and there won’t seem so daunting.” 

Base training typically requires about four to eight weeks (before following a race training schedule) to strengthen your cardiovascular system and your muscles, but the longer you can regularly run and set a foundation, the better. Your base work should involve mostly easy runs, low mileage, and maybe low-key speedwork (depending on your fitness level), like ending a run with strides. This part of your training is all about consistency, rather than actually building mileage. 

Ultrarunner Mirna Valerio stays consistent by focusing on time on her feet, rather than distance. “This has been mentally freeing,” the author of A Beautiful Work in Progress tells Runner’s World. 

“I have a standing appointment with my treadmill a couple times a week,” says Valerio, who will aim to run a minimum of 12 hours a day over six days at the Lululemon Further event, an ultramarathon for women in March. “I just get it done, which incidentally is one of my mantras.”

2. Find Your Best Approach to Building Volume

If you’re new to running and want to run longer, add another day of a short, easy run to your schedule, suggests Stefanie Flippin, an ultrarunner, Lululemon ambassador, and doctor of podiatric medicine, who has earned a first-place finish at several 100-milers.

Maxed out on available days of the week? Add to your long-run mileage, which is what Leah Yingling, ultrarunner and biochemical engineer who will see how far she can run in 24 hours at Lululemon Further, does first when aiming to build volume. The general rule is to increase your weekly mileage by about 10 percent each week, adding to that long run. For example, if you currently clock 17 miles per week with three four-mile runs during the week and a long run of five miles on the weekend, you would keep your midweek mileage the same, but kick up your long run to about seven miles next weekend.

Yingling, and many other pros, also do two runs a day. While this won’t work for everyone, if you don’t have a significant single block of time, clocking some miles in the morning and again in the evening and resting between can help you clock more mileage. One must-do to make it work: Tame the intensity on at least one of those runs.

Charlie Lawrence, 50-mile world record holder, views his second run of the day as a sort of active recovery. He often goes for double digits in the mornings, then runs for about four miles (at minimum) in the evening, keeping the effort light. 

No matter what, testing out strategies to see what works for your schedule is the best way to run longer. “That might be adding a walk a few days a week in addition to your daily runs, or maybe you’re adding back-to-back long runs,” says Yingling. “Whatever you do, find something that is sustainable.”

3. Follow a Progressive Training Plan

A good training plan will slowly build mileage to decrease your risk of getting sidelined, as research shows taking on too many miles too soon is one of the biggest risk factors for overuse injuries. 

When choosing your training plan, you have to be realistic about the time you have to build up to the distance you want to conquer—and where you’re at now, says Newson. For example, if you have your sights set on a half or full marathon, think about what you can comfortably run today. Then, following the loose rule of adding 10 percent more miles each week, how long do you need to train? If you currently run five miles without stopping and feel good after, and can comfortably clock 12 miles per week, you can probably conquer a 10-week half marathon plan. 

Another important factor to look for when it comes to mileage on a training plan: recovery weeks. Newson explains you’ll typically see this as three weeks of building, then a week in which you back off mileage a little to give your body time to recover and actually make gains from all the work you put into your plan. This will also keep your body strong and help you sidestep aches and pains, he adds.

4. Keep Easy Runs Easy

You’ve heard it before but it’s especially true when trying to run longer: Don’t overdo your low-effort days. 

“It’s important for me to always run my easy runs, short or long, at a conversational, aerobic rate of perceived exertion. This means that I can easily chat with a training partner for the duration of my runs without becoming out of breath,” Flippin says, who also clocks her heart rate to make sure she’s in an easy zone. 

Don’t worry about what shows on Strava, either. “I think a lot of runners run their easy runs too hard and that is because of ego and they don’t want people to think they are slow,” says Devon Yanko, ultrarunner who’s placed first in several 100-mile races and will aim to conquer her longest distance over six days at the Lululemon Further event. “I delight in the idea that people may look at my Strava and think I am too slow, because on race day that won’t be the case!” 

More generally, applying the 80/20 rule to your training overall can also help you record more low-intensity runs, Newson says, as it means 80 percent of your workouts should happen at a low intensity, and 20 percent at a hard effort.

It’s these easy runs that will help keep you running consistently—the key that unlocks higher mileage. “A B+ average of consistent runs, strength work, and recovery measures stacked over weeks, months, and years will always trump sporadic A+ weeks followed by a total drop-off,” Flippin says.

5. Master the Long Run

For most people, the long run will make up the bulk of your weekly mileage, but it doesn’t just help you clock more time on your feet. It also teaches you mental stamina, how to deal with fatigue, and it can help you get comfortable with being uncomfortable. With years of practice, this is what many pros say pulls them through farther distances.

Even though Lawrence can deal with being uncomfortable for long periods of time, he still turns to mind games to mentally check off miles. For example, he often breaks a race down into small, manageable chunks, often focusing on the next fuel stop (typically about every four miles) as a check point. If he’s struggling to get to the next four-mile marker, he may tell himself he’ll feel better in 10 to 15 minutes and checks in again then. 

In addition to breaking your long run up into segments, Newson also suggests dedicating each mile to someone else, which takes it outside of yourself and gives you another reason to keep going, and says to focus on the mile you’re in, simply putting one foot in front of the other. 

Finally, the long run is the perfect time to practice your fueling and fluid intake, Newson says, considering you need energy to clock longer miles. Aim to take in carbs when going for 90 minutes or longer, and go for about 30 to 60 grams per hour after the first hour. 

6. Schedule a Few Harder Workouts

To build endurance, you want to run long, but you can also add intervals and speed work into your schedule. 

Lawrence gets on the track for VO2 max-specific workouts at least once a week. VO2 max is the amount of oxygen you can take in while running and is a major marker of fitness—the better this metric, the easier running will feel, which will help you go longer with less effort. Focusing on VO2 max intensities on runs means going for about 90 to 100 percent of your max heart rate or about 5K pace, and it could involve intervals like 400-meter repeats. 

You could also focus on lactate threshold training. Your lactate threshold is the point at which your body produces lactate at a rate you can no longer clear, leading to fatigue. To help you prolong that side effect—helping you go faster for longer—practice running at your threshold pace. (Here’s how to calculate your running speed at lactate threshold). 

To do this, Ostaszewski prefers longer interval workouts with work periods ranging from six to 10 minutes near aerobic threshold. But tempo runs at your threshold speed are also smart. 

7. Supplement Your Runs With Mobility and Strength

Before you jump into high mileage, you need a solid warmup. Lawrence has been doing the same activation drills before runs for a long time. He starts with foam rolling most of the lower body, then does a series of exercises, like:

Leg swings

Down dog to lunge rotation

Ankle mobility moves

Banded work, like glute bridges

This go-to routine wakes him up and gets him in run mode, even when he’s not feeling it. 

Cross-training workouts are also key. Valerio mixes strength training, mobility workouts, Pilates, and rowing into her training schedule, which she says helps her avoid overuse injuries. Meanwhile, Flippin points to strength training in particular as crucial to running longer. She suggests starting with one day a week to build consistency, then adding on days from there. 

Lawrence focuses specifically on doing core workouts every day (one of his go-to moves: the ab roll out), along with dedicated gym time for lifting, in which he conquers moves like hex bar deadlifts.

8. Make Recovery a Priority

Many pro runners turn to a solid nutrition practice to jumpstart recovery and fuel future performances. “I ensure I’m always getting in carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of finishing a key workout or long run,” Yingling says.

Finding time for other recovery practices, like mobility work, foam rolling, even meditating, can also support your training and get you prepped for the next round of mileage, Newson says. Full rest days are also important, especially if you’re feeling any aches and pains.

And you can’t forget about sleep for recovery—striving for at least the recommended seven to nine hours—especially for those looking to push their mileage. 

9. Don’t Rely on Motivation Alone

Running your longest distance takes dedication and determination, but don’t expect to feel motivated every day. “People often wait to do things until they are motivated, when instead, they should have been focused on completing their plan or working toward their goal,” says Yanko. “I don’t jump out of bed every morning peppy and excited to run, but I am committed to doing the work and thus, I simply get the work done.”

Yanko also suggests tapping into curiosity to keep you going longer. “That is, instead of being intimidated by a workout or long run, I allow myself the opportunity to be curious about what might happen if I simply begin the session,” she says. “I do not believe that one workout or one long run ‘proves’ anything about my fitness or ability to race, so having curiosity means I can get into a session and allow it to unfold with confidence that if I just continue to show up and do the work, I will build my fitness brick by brick.”

Newson also suggests a running group to keep you accountable and consistent, and to elevate the fun of your workouts. 

“On the mental side, I always try to see the big picture and remember that all the miles I’m running are for fun and for my own personal enjoyment,” Ostaszewski adds. “I’m always aiming to enjoy the process and recognize growth in the journey.”

(03/10/2024) Views: 145 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World
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Paris 2024 Olympic medals to feature pieces of the Eiffel Tower

On Thursday, organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games unveiled a unique addition to this year’s Olympic medals: pieces of the iconic Eiffel Tower. Each medal for the Games will incorporate a hexagonal piece of iron taken from the heart of the Eiffel Tower, Paris’s most recognizable monument.

Built for the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in 1889 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, the tower was designed to showcase France’s industrial prowess and serve as a symbol for the city. Each piece will be a focal point in the center of the medals.

Crafted by the French jeweller, Chaumet, the six-sided piece will be in the medal of all 5,084 gold, silver and bronze medals. “We wanted to offer a piece of the 1889 Eiffel Tower to all the medalists of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet.

You may be asking where did the metal come from? No, it was not cut directly off the Eiffel Tower. According to Inside The Games, the metal was sourced from a metal warehouse in Paris by the company responsible for maintaining the 330-meter landmark. The use of recycled metal is also in line with the trend seen at the Tokyo Olympics, where the metals were made partly from consumer electronics.

The reverse side of the medals will feature the Greek goddess Nike flying toward the historic Panathinaikos Stadium in Athens, a tradition since 2004. With the approval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Paris organizers modified the design to incorporate the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Beyond the medals, the Eiffel Tower will play a central role in the festivities at the Games. From the opening ceremony, where sports teams will sail down the River Seine, to the potential placement of the Olympic flame atop the tower, the iconic landmark will be a focal point throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which run from July 26 to Aug. 11, and the Paralympics, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

(02/08/2024) Views: 207 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

For this historic event, the City of Light is thinking big! Visitors will be able to watch events at top sporting venues in Paris and the Paris region, as well as at emblematic monuments in the capital visited by several millions of tourists each year. The promise of exceptional moments to experience in an exceptional setting! A great way to...

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Doping-approved games receive massive financial boost ahead of first-ever event in 2025

The doping-approved Enhance Games has received a huge financial boost from the co-founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, and cryptocurrency investor Christian Angermayer among other billionaires.

Aron D’Souza, the man behind the doping-enthused Enhanced Games, has revealed he received millions of dollars in financial backing for his entrepreneurial idea a year and a half before his first planned Games in 2025.

As per the Canadian Running Magazine, D’Souza revealed that German-American billionaire and co-founder of PayPal, Peter Thiel, has invested a “single-digit million-dollar number” into the Enhanced Games.

He disclosed that Thiel isn’t the only investor on board since cryptocurrency investor and billionaire Christian Angermayer and Balaji Srinivasan, former CTO of crypto exchange Coinbase, have also invested in his idea.

Meanwhile, D’Souza wants to provide an alternative to what organizers perceive as a ‘corrupt Olympics’ and he openly criticizes the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its alleged exploitation of athletes, lack of payment of athletes, and rejection of “enhanced” world records.

On their website, they openly speak about using science and focusing on core sports, aiming to break world records and ensure fair compensation for athletes.

They insist that performance-enhancing drugs, when used responsibly, can significantly enhance training outcomes and allow athletes to reach their full potential.

“The Olympic Games are this ancient model reinvented by a colonialist aristocrat in 1896 for the Victorian world.

“We need to design a modernized Games for social media [like TikTok and Instagram] and broadcast television for short attention spans,” he added.

The Enhanced Games will focus on a limited number of events that are of high interest, like track and field, and swimming.

“The core focus of the Games is breaking world records. We only want athletes who have the potential to break world records in sports that actually matter. And so by having a much narrower set (of events), we can deliver much more cost-effectively,” he said.

Speaking about the prize money, the Enhanced Games competitors will be paid a base rate for competing, with bonuses for winning events and setting world records.

“We anticipate there’ll be multi-million-dollar prize pools for breaking world records. We have to create real incentives for athletes to jump ship from this very established prestigious system,” he added.

(02/01/2024) Views: 185 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula
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Five exercises to amplify ankle strength and stability

Adding a few ankle exercises into your routine can help you stay strong and steady during the final tough miles of any long training run or race, whether you’re tackling roads or trails. You’ll also avoid getting sidelined by a strained ankle or repetitive stress injury.

A runner’s feet endure a continuous impact that, over time, can take a toll on the network of tendons and ligaments in the ankles. Toward the end of a long run or hard training session, fatigue and low glycogen levels cause your feet’s responsiveness of to changes in terrain to diminish, affecting the swift micro-movements crucial for maintaining balance. This decline in agility places an increasing burden on your ankles, subjecting them to prolonged stretching and strain.

The result is not only discomfort, but disarray in your proprioceptive system—the internal compass that guides your body’s position and movement—causing soreness, slips and ankle rolls. These exercises not only fortify your ankles but also act as a safeguard against the pitfalls of a fatigued and under-prepared lower extremity.

1.- Hop and hold

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining a straight and upright posture. Engage your core to ensure stability throughout the exercise.

Lift one foot slightly off the ground, balancing on the other.

With the grounded foot, perform a small, controlled hop. Focus on using the muscles around the ankle to control the movement. Upon landing, immediately shift your focus to holding the position. Balance on the foot that landed, ensuring that your ankle remains stable. Imagine rooting your foot into the ground.

Try to hold the position for 10-15 seconds, before switching to the other leg. Perform two to three sets of 10-15 reps on each foot, gradually increasing the duration of the hold as your ankle strength improves.

Modify this one if you find it challenging at first: you can hold onto a stable surface (like a chair or railing) for support until you build confidence and strength.

2.- Lateral shuffle

This exercise enhances ankle stability by engaging lateral movement and weight transfer.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, maintaining a slight bend in the knees.

Take a lateral step to one side, followed by the other foot. Move with controlled and deliberate steps.

Keep a low and athletic stance throughout the shuffle with your core engaged.

Try four x 10 steps to the left, then to the right.

3.- One-legged medicine ball toss

This exercise enhances ankle strength, stability and proprioception.

Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee for stability.

Hold a medicine ball with both hands, positioned in front of your chest.

While balancing on one leg, toss the medicine ball in the air and catch it. Focus on stability during the tossing and catching phases.

After completing a set, switch to the other leg. Try three sets of 10 tosses to start.

This exercise can be done with a cement wall, bouncing the ball gently off the wall with each toss and from both forward and sideways directions—it’s also a fun exercise to do with a partner.

4.- Eccentric calf raises

Try doing these on a step, lowering let your heels a few centimetres below the step with each one, to get a slightly deeper stretch.

Stand with feet hip-width apart and rise onto your tiptoes. Lower heels to a slow count to five.

Let your heels touch the ground, then immediately rise onto your toes again.

The key phase in this exercise is the eccentric one (the lowering part) when the tendon and muscles lengthen to control the downward path of your body.

5.- Single-leg Romanian deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift targets multiple areas for runners—it not only strengthens the hamstrings and glutes but also enhances balance and stability, crucial for maintaining that strong foundation during tired miles.

Begin standing on one leg, with a slight bend in the knee. Hinge at your hips, pushing them backward while simultaneously lowering your upper body towards the ground. Keep your back straight and your chest lifted.

As you hinge forward, extend your non-standing leg straight behind you. Work to keep your extended leg, hip, and torso in a straight line, forming a “T” shape with your body.

Reach your hands towards the ground, going as low as your flexibility allows. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to return to the upright position, bring your extended leg back to the starting position, and repeat.

Aim for three sets of 10-12 repetitions on each leg.

These exercises collectively target ankle strength, stability and mobility, providing a comprehensive approach to help you maintain an unshakeable foundation. As with any exercise, start with a light load, or use your body weight and gradually increase as your strength and technique improve.

(01/29/2024) Views: 219 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne
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AIU ban James Karanja for four years

James Karanja, the athlete who competed and won a race during his provisional suspension, has been banned for four years by the AIU.

Kenyan long-distance runner James Karanja has been slapped with a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit for violating an anti-doping rule.

Karanja tested positive for the use of 9-norandrosterone, 19-noretiocholanolone, Nandrolone, and his results from September 10, 2023, have been disqualified.

19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone are Metabolites of 19-nortestosterone (Nandrolone) (and 19-norandrostenedione) which are Prohibited Substance under the WADA 2023 Prohibited List under the category S1.1 Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS). They are non-specified substances prohibited at all times.

The AIU explained that the athlete failed to respond to any of their messages and therefore he will be banned for four years unless he reaches out and proves that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional.

“The Athlete has not demonstrated that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional. Therefore, the mandatory period of Ineligibility is a period of Ineligibility of four (4) years,” the AIU further noted.

Meanwhile, after being provisionally suspended last year, Karanja breached the AIU rules and went ahead to compete and win the Tropical Rainforest Run, a trail half-marathon in Tawau Hills, Malaysia.

The AIU makes it clear that during a provisional suspension, an athlete is not supposed to compete as they conduct their investigations.

According to the AIU, Karanja tested positive for the prohibited substance Norandrosterone during an in-competition test at the 2023 Kuching Marathon, where he finished fourth and was eligible for prize money.

(01/27/2024) Views: 230 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula
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The Pill That Over Half the Distance Medallists Used at the 2023 Worlds

What's the deal with sodium bicarbonate?What if there was a pill, new to the market this year, that was used by more than half of the distance medalists at the 2023 World Athletics Championships? A supplement so in-demand that there was a reported black market for it in Budapest, runners buying from other runners who did not advance past the preliminary round — even though the main ingredient can be found in any kitchen?

How did this pill become so popular? Well, there are rumors that Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been taking it for years — rumors that Ingebrigtsen’s camp and the manufacturers of the pill will neither confirm nor deny.

So about this pill…does it work? Does it actually boost athletic performance? Ask a sports scientist, someone who’s studied it for more than a decade, and they’ll tell you yes.

“There’s probably four or five legal, natural supplements, if you will, that seem to have withstood the test of time in terms of the research literature and [this pill] is one of those,” says Jason Siegler, Director of Human Performance in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University.

But there’s a drawback to this pill. It could…well, let’s allow Luis Grijalva, who used it before finishing 4th in the World Championship 5,000m final in Budapest, to explain.

“I heard stories if you do it wrong, you chew it, you kind of shit your brains out,” Grijalva says. “And I was a little bit scared.”

The research supports that, too.

“[Gastrointestinal distress] has by far and away been the biggest hurdle for this supplement,” Siegler says.Okay, enough with the faux intrigue. If you’ve read the subtitle of this article, you know the pill we are talking about is sodium bicarbonate. Specifically, the Maurten Bicarb System, which has been available to the public since February and which has been used by some of the top teams in endurance sports: cycling juggernaut Team Jumbo-Visma and, in running, the On Athletics Club and NN Running Team. (Maurten has sponsorship or partnership agreements with all three).Some of the planet’s fastest runners have used the Maurten Bicarb System in 2023, including 10,000m world champion Joshua Cheptegei, 800m silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, and 800m silver medalist Emmanuel Wanyonyi. Faith Kipyegon used it before winning the gold medal in the 1500m final in Budapest — but did not use it before her win in the 5,000m final or before any of her world records in the 1500m, mile, and 5,000m.

Herman Reuterswärd, Maurten’s head of communications, declined to share a full client list with LetsRun but claims two-thirds of all medalists from the 800 through 10,000 meters (excluding the steeplechase) used the product at the 2023 Worlds.

After years of trial and error, Maurten believes it has solved the GI issue, but those who have used their product have reported other side effects. Neil Gourley used sodium bicarbonate before almost every race in 2023, and while he had a great season — British champion, personal bests in the 1500 and mile — his head ached after races in a way it never had before. When Joe Klecker tried it at The TEN in March, he felt nauseous and light-headed — but still ran a personal best of 27:07.57. In an episode of the Coffee Club podcast, Klecker’s OAC teammate George Beamish, who finished 5th at Worlds in the steeplechase and used the product in a few races this year, said he felt delusional, dehydrated, and spent after using it before a workout this summer.

“It was the worst I’d felt in a workout [all] year, easily,” Beamish said.

Not every athlete who has used the Maurten Bicarb System has felt side effects. But the sport as a whole is still figuring out what to do about sodium bicarbonate.

Many athletes — even those who don’t have sponsorship arrangements with Maurten — have added it to their routines. But Jumbo-Visma’s top cyclist, Jonas Vingegaard — winner of the last two Tours de France — does not use it. Neither does OAC’s top runner, Yared Nuguse, who tried it a few times in practice but did not use it before any of his four American record races in 2023.“I’m very low-maintenance and I think my body’s the same,” Nuguse says. “So when I tried to do that, it was kind of like, Whoa, what is this? My whole body felt weird and I was just like, I either did this wrong or this is not for me.”

How sodium bicarbonate works

The idea that sodium bicarbonate — aka baking soda, the same stuff that goes in muffins and keeps your refrigerator fresh — can boost athletic performance has been around for decades.

“When you’re exercising, when you’re contracting muscle at a really high intensity or a high rate, you end up using your anaerobic energy sources and those non-oxygen pathways,” says Siegler, who has been part of more than 15 studies on sodium bicarbonate use in sport. “And those pathways, some of the byproducts that they produce, one of them is a proton – a little hydrogen ion. And that proton can cause all sorts of problems in the muscle. You can equate that to that sort of burn that you feel going at high rates. That burn, most of that — not directly, but indirectly — is coming from the accumulation of these little hydrogen ions.”

As this is happening, the kidneys produce bicarbonate as a defense mechanism. For a while, bicarbonate acts as a buffer, countering the negative effects of the hydrogen ions. But eventually, the hydrogen ions win.The typical concentration of bicarbonate in most people hovers around 25 millimoles per liter. By taking sodium bicarbonate in the proper dosage before exercise, Siegler says, you can raise that level to around 30-32 millimoles per liter.

“You basically have a more solid first line of defense,” Siegler says. “The theory is you can go a little bit longer and tolerate the hydrogen ions coming out of the cell a little bit longer before they cause any sort of disruption.”

Like creatine and caffeine, Siegler says the scientific literature is clear when it comes to sodium bicarbonate: it boosts performance, specifically during events that involve short bursts of anaerobic activity. But there’s a catch.

***

Bicarb without the cramping

Sodium bicarbonate has never been hard to find. Anyone can swallow a spoonful or two of baking soda with some water, though it’s not the most appetizing pre-workout snack. The problem comes when the stomach tries to absorb a large amount of sodium bicarbonate at once.

“You have a huge charged load in your stomach that the acidity in your stomach has to deal with and you have a big shift in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide across the gut,” Siegler says. “And that’s what gives you the cramping.”

A few years ago, Maurten was trying to solve a similar problem for marathoners trying to ingest large amounts of carbohydrates during races. The result was their carbohydrate drink, which relies on something called a hydrogel to form in the stomach. The hydrogel resists the acidity of the stomach and allows the carbohydrates to be absorbed in the intestine instead, where there is less cramping.

“We thought, okay, we are able to solve that one,” Reuterswärd says. “Could we apply the hydrogel technology to something else that is really risky to consume that could be beneficial?”

For almost four years, Maurten researched the effects of encapsulating sodium bicarbonate in hydrogels in its Swedish lab, conducting tests on middle-distance runners in Gothenburg. Hydrogels seemed to minimize the risk, but the best results came when hydrogels were paired with microtablets of sodium bicarbonate.

The result was the Maurten Bicarb System — “system,” because the process for ingesting it involves a few steps. Each box contains three components: a packet of hydrogel powder, a packet of tiny sodium bicarbonate tablets, and a mixing bowl. Mix the powder with water, let it stand for a few minutes, and sprinkle in the bicarb.The resulting mixture is a bit odd. It’s gooey. It’s gray. It doesn’t really taste like anything. It’s not quite liquid, not quite solid — a yogurt-like substance flooded with tiny tablets that you eat with a spoon but swallow like a drink.

The “swallow” part is important. Chew the tablets and the sodium bicarbonate will be absorbed before the hydrogels can do their job. Which means a trip to the toilet may not be far behind.

When Maurten launched its Bicarb System to the public in February 2023, it did not have high expectations for sales in year one.

“It’s a niche product,” Reuterswärd says. “From what we know right now, it maybe doesn’t make too much sense if you’re an amateur, if you’re just doing 5k parkruns.” 

But in March, Maurten’s product began making headlines in cycling when it emerged that it was being used by Team Jumbo-Visma, including by stars Wout van Aert and Primož Roglič. Sales exploded. Because bicarb dosage varies with bodyweight, Maurten’s system come in four “sizes.” And one size was selling particularly well.

“If you’re an endurance athlete, you’re around 60-70 kg (132-154 lbs),” Reuterswärd says. “We had a shortage with the size that corresponded with that weight…The first couple weeks, it was basically only professional cyclists buying all the time, massive amounts. And now we’re seeing a similar development in track & field.”

If there was a “Jumbo-Visma” effect in cycling, then this summer there was a “Jakob Ingebrigtsen” effect in running.To be clear: there is no official confirmation that Ingebrigtsen uses sodium bicarbonate. His agent, Daniel Wessfeldt, did not respond to multiple emails for this story. When I ask Reuterswärd if Ingebrigtsen has used Maurten’s product, he grows uncomfortable.

“I would love to be very clear here but I will have to get back to you,” Reuterswärd says (ultimately, he was not able to provide further clarification).

But when Maurten pitches coaches and athletes on its product, they have used data from the past two years on a “really good” 1500 guy to tout its effectiveness, displaying the lactate levels the athlete was able to achieve in practice with and without the use of the Maurten Bicarb System. That athlete is widely believed to be Ingebrigtsen. Just as Ingebrigtsen’s success with double threshold has spawned imitators across the globe, so too has his rumored use of sodium bicarbonate.

Grijalva says he started experimenting with sodium bicarbonate “because everybody’s doing it.” And everybody’s doing it because of Ingebrigtsen.

“[Ingebrigtsen] was probably ahead of everybody at the time,” Grijalva said. “Same with his training and same with the bicarb.”

OAC coach Dathan Ritzenhein took sodium bicarbonate once before a workout early in his own professional career, and still has bad memories of swallowing enormous capsules that made him feel sick. Still, he was willing to give it a try with his athletes this year after Maurten explained the steps they had taken to reduce GI distress.

“Certainly listening to the potential for less side effects was the reason we considered trying it,” says Ritzenhein. “I don’t know who is a diehard user and thinks that it’s really helpful, but around the circuit I know a lot of people that have said they’ve [tried] it.”

Coach/agent Stephen Haas says a number of his athletes, including Gourley, 3:56 1500 woman Katie Snowden, and Worlds steeple qualifier Isaac Updike, tried bicarb this year. In the men’s 1500, Haas adds, “most of the top guys are already using it.”

Yet 1500-meter world champion Josh Kerr was not among them. Kerr’s nutritionist mentioned the idea of sodium bicarbonate to him this summer but Kerr chose to table any discussions until after the season. He says he did not like the idea of trying it as a “quick fix” in the middle of the year.

“I review everything at the end of the season and see where I could get better,” Kerr writes in a text to LetsRun. “As long as the supplement is above board, got all the stamps of approvals needed from WADA and the research is there, I have nothing against it but I don’t like changing things midseason.”

***

So does it actually work?

Siegler is convinced sodium bicarbonate can benefit athletic performance if the GI issues can be solved. Originally, those benefits seemed confined to shorter events in the 2-to 5-minute range where an athlete is pushing anaerobic capacity. Buffering protons does no good to short sprinters, who use a different energy system during races.

“A 100-meter runner is going to use a system that’s referred to the phosphagen or creatine phosphate system, this immediate energy source,” Siegler says. “…It’s not the same sort of biochemical reaction that eventuates into this big proton or big acidic load. It’s too quick.”

But, Siegler says, sodium bicarbonate could potentially help athletes in longer events — perhaps a hilly marathon.

“When there’s short bursts of high-intensity activity, like a breakaway or a hill climb, what we do know now is when you take sodium bicarbonate…it will sit in your system for a number of hours,” Siegler says. “So it’s there [if] you need it, that’s kind of the premise behind it basically. If you don’t use it, it’s fine, it’s not detrimental. Eventually your kidneys clear it out.”Even Reuterswärd admits that it’s still unclear how much sodium bicarbonate helps in a marathon — “honestly, no one knows” — but it is starting to be used there as well. Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum used it when he set the world record of 2:00:35at last month’s Chicago Marathon; American Molly Seidel also used it in Chicago, where she ran a personal best of 2:23:07.

 

Siegler says it is encouraging that Maurten has tried to solve the GI problem and that any success they experience could spur other companies to research an even more effective delivery system (currently the main alternative is Amp Human’s PR Lotion, a sodium bicarbonate cream that is rubbed into the skin). But he is waiting for more data before rendering a final verdict on the Maurten Bicarb System.

“I haven’t seen any peer-reviewed papers yet come out so a bit I’m hesitant to be definitive about it,” Siegler said.

Trent Stellingwerff, an exercise physiologist and running coach at the Canadian Sport Institute – Pacific, worked with Siegler on a 2020 paper studying the effect of sodium bicarbonate on elite rowers. A number of athletes have asked him about the the Maurten Bicarb System, and some of his marathoners have used the product. Like Siegler, he wants to see more data before reaching a conclusion.

“I always follow the evidence and science, and to my knowledge, as of yet, I’m unaware of any publications using the Maurten bicarb in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” Stellingwerff writes in a text to LetsRun. “So without any published data on the bicarb version, I can’t really say it does much.”

The closest thing out there right now is a British study conducted by Lewis Goughof Birmingham City University and Andy Sparks of Edge Hill University. In a test of 10 well-trained cyclists, Gough and Sparks found the Maurten Bicarb System limited GI distress and had the potential to improve exercise performance. Reuterswärd says the study, which was funded by Maurten, is currently in the review process while Gough and Sparks suggested further research to investigate their findings.

What about the runners who used sodium bicarbonate in 2023?

Klecker decided to give bicarb a shot after Maurten made a presentation to the OAC team in Boulder earlier this year. He has run well using bicarb (his 10,000 pb at The TEN) and without it (his 5,000 pb in January) and as Klecker heads into an Olympic year, he is still deciding whether the supposed benefits are worth the drawbacks, which for him include nausea and thirst. He also says that when he has taken the bicarb, his muscles feel a bit more numb than usual, which has made it more challenging for him to gauge his effort in races.

“There’s been no, Oh man I felt just so amazing today because of this bicarb,” Klecker says. “If anything, it’s been like, Oh I didn’t take it and I felt a bit more like myself.”

Klecker also notes that his wife and OAC teammate, Sage Hurta-Klecker, ran her 800m season’s best of 1:58.09 at the Silesia Diamond League on July 16 — the first race of the season in which she did not use bicarb beforehand.

A number of athletes in Mike Smith‘s Flagstaff-based training group also used bicarb this year, including Grijalva and US 5,000 champion Abdihamid Nur. Grijalva did not use bicarb in his outdoor season opener in Florence on June 2, when he ran his personal best of 12:52.97 to finish 3rd. He did use it before the Zurich Diamond League on August 31, when he ran 12:55.88 to finish 4th.“I want to say it helps, but at the same time, I don’t want to rely on it,” Grijalva says.

Almost every OAC athlete tried sodium bicarbonate at some point in 2023. Ritzenhein says the results were mixed. Some of his runners have run well while using it, but the team’s top performer, Nuguse, never used it in a race. Ritzenhein wants to continue testing sodium bicarbonate with his athletes to determine how each of them responds individually and whether it’s worth using moving forward.

That group includes Alicia Monson, who experimented with bicarb in 2023 but did not use it before her American records at 5,000 and 10,000 meters or her 5th-place finish in the 10,000 at Worlds.

“It’s not the thing that’s going to make or break an athlete,” Ritzenhein says. “…It’s a legal supplement that has the potential, at least, to help but it doesn’t seem to be universal. So I think there’s a lot more research that needs to be done into it and who benefits from it.”

The kind of research scientists like Stellingwerff want to see — double-blind, controlled clinical trials — could take a while to trickle in. But now that anyone can order Maurten’s product (it’s not cheap — $65 for four servings), athletes will get to decide for themselves whether sodium bicarbonate is worth pursuing.

“The athlete community, obviously if they feel there’s any sort of risk, they’re weighing up the risk-to-benefit ratio,” Siegler said. “The return has got to be good.”

Grijalva expects sodium bicarbonate will become part of his pre-race routine next year, along with a shower and a cup of coffee. Coffee, and the caffeine contained wherein, may offer a glimpse at the future of bicarb. Caffeine has been widely used by athletes for longer than sodium bicarbonate, and the verdict is in on that one: it works. Yet plenty of the greats choose not to use it.

Nuguse is among them. He does not drink coffee — a fact he is constantly reminded of by Ritzenhein.

“I make jokes almost every day about it,” Ritzenhein says. “His family is Ethiopian – coffee tradition and ceremony is really important to them.”

Ritzenhein says he would love it if Nuguse drank a cup of coffee sometime, but he’s not going to force it on him. Some athletes, Ritzenhein says, have a tendency to become neurotic about these sorts of things. That’s how Ritzenhein was as an athlete. It’s certainly how Ritzenhein’s former coach at the Nike Oregon Project, Alberto Salazar, was — an approach that ultimately earned Salazar a four-year ban from USADA.

Ritzenhein says he has no worries when it comes to any of his athletes using sodium bicarbonate — Maurten’s product is batch-tested and unlike L-carnitine, there is no specific protocol that must be adhered to in order for athletes to use it legally under the WADA Code. Still, there is something to be said for keeping things simple.

“Yared knows how his body feels,” Ritzenhein says. “…He literally rolls out of practice and comes to practice like a high schooler with a Eggo waffle in hand. Probably more athletes could use that kind of [approach].”

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(01/21/2024) Views: 196 ⚡AMP
by Let’s Run
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Sebastian Coe says Russia, Belarus still banned, but situation could change

Athletes from Russia and Belarus are still banned from athletics events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, but World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said on Monday that the situation could change, and that a working group is monitoring it.

Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) at next year’s Olympics.

Athletes holding a Russian or Belarusian passport who have secured their places through existing qualification systems on the field of play will be deemed eligible to compete at Paris 2024, following specific conditions.

World Athletics, however, decided to stick to the blanket ban despite the IOC’s decision.

Athletes from both countries have faced a multitude of sanctions from international competitions since the conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022.

During a media call with agencies including Xinhua on Monday, Coe confirmed “there is no change [to the ban]”, but expressed hope that the sanctions could be lifted.

“The most important thing is that the autonomy and independence of international federations to make these judgements is really important. We made a judgement which we believe was in the best interest of our sport,” he said.

“Do I see anything changing in the foreseeable future? I don’t know. The world changes every five minutes, the situation could change. We do have a working group that is monitoring the situation within the sport, and it will advise and guide the Council on what circumstances might need to exist for any exclusion to be lifted,” Coe added.

Coe also expressed his confidence in the competitiveness of the athletics competitions in Paris, following a “stupendous” season that has seen 23 world records and nine world U20 records broken in 2023.

“The one word I would use [to sum up the 2023 season] is stupendous,” he said. “I can’t remember a season that has delivered more high quality performances across a broader bandwidth of disciplines.”

“Everywhere you look, you have the potential for some extraordinary head-to-heads in the sport, in pretty much every discipline,” added Coe.

(12/19/2023) Views: 211 ⚡AMP
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

For this historic event, the City of Light is thinking big! Visitors will be able to watch events at top sporting venues in Paris and the Paris region, as well as at emblematic monuments in the capital visited by several millions of tourists each year. The promise of exceptional moments to experience in an exceptional setting! A great way to...

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The Mysterious Case of the Asthmatic Olympians

You won’t freeze your lungs exercising outdoors this winter, but there are reasons to be cautious about inhaling extremely cold air

When an athlete reaches the podium despite a prior medical event—a cancer diagnosis, say, or a car accident—we consider it a triumph of the human spirit. When a bunch of athletes do so, and all of them have suffered the same setback, we can be forgiven for wondering what’s going on. According to the International Olympic Committee, roughly one in five competitive athletes suffers from exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, or EIB, an asthma-like narrowing of the airways triggered by strenuous exercise. The numbers are even higher in endurance and winter sports. Puzzlingly, studies have found that athletes with EIB who somehow make it to the Olympics are more likely to medal. What’s so great about wheezing, chest tightness, and breathlessness?

The answer isn’t what you’re thinking. Sure, it’s possible that some athletes get a boost because an EIB diagnosis allows them to use otherwise-banned asthma medications. But there’s a simpler explanation: breathing high volumes of cold or polluted air dries out the airways, leading to an overzealous immune response and potential long-term damage. “It’s well established that high training loads and ventilatory work increase the degree of airway hyper-responsiveness and hence development of asthma and EIB,” explains Morten Hostrup, a sports scientist at the University of Copenhagen and lead author of a new review on EIB in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. In other words, the athletes who train hard enough to podium are more likely to develop EIB as a result.

That trade-off might be worthwhile if it means competing at the Olympics. For those of us who simply enjoy spending our winter days vigorously exploring the outdoors, the risk of EIB remains mostly unknown territory. Activities with the highest risk involve sustained efforts of at least five minutes, particularly if they take place in cold or polluted air. Cold air doesn’t hold much moisture, so it dries the airways. This affects skiers, runners, and triathletes, among others. Indoor environments like pools and ice rinks are also a problem, because of the chloramines produced by pool water and exhaust from Zambonis. As a result, swimmers, ice skaters, and hockey players are also at elevated risk of EIB. Over time, repeated attacks can damage the cells that line the airways.

Unfortunately, many athletes develop symptoms of EIB without realizing the underlying problem. After all, the feeling that you can’t catch your breath is pretty much written into the job description of most endurance activities. But starting in the 1990s, sports scientists began to suspect that top athletes had more breathing problems than would be expected. Before the 1998 Winter Games, U.S. Olympic Committee physiologists examined Nagano-bound athletes to see whose airways showed abnormal constriction in response to arduous exercise. Almost a quarter of the athletes tested positive, including half the cross-country ski team.

One reason EIB often flies under the radar is that the usual diagnostic workups aren’t challenging enough to provoke an attack in conditioned athletes. Among the accusations against disgraced coach Alberto Salazar was that he showed athletes how to fool EIB tests to get permission to use asthma meds. “He had a specific protocol,” star 5,000-meter runner Lauren Fleshman told ProPublica in 2015. “You would go to the local track and run around the track, work yourself up to having an asthma attack, and then run down the street, up 12 flights of stairs to the office and they would be waiting to test you.” Salazar certainly gave some shady advice, including encouraging Fleshman to push for the highest possible dosage of medication. But his tips for gaming the asthma test were similar to what USOC physiologists advocate, and an IOC consensus statement published last spring also concluded that more intense exercise challenges are better for diagnosing EIB in conditioned athletes. If you’re really fit, in other words, the rinky-dink treadmill in the doctor’s office isn’t going to push you hard enough.

If you do get an EIB diagnosis, your doctor can prescribe asthma medication, including inhaled corticosteroids like fluticasone and airway dilators like salbutamol. If you’re an elite athlete subject to drug testing, you’ll need to tread carefully, since some of those medications are either banned or restricted to a maximum dosage. Hostrup and his colleagues note that there’s also evidence that fish oils high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, and even caffeine might help reduce EIB symptoms. And on the non-pharmaceutical side, you can minimize the chance of an attack by doing a thorough warm-up of 20 to 30 minutes, including six to eight 30-second sprints. This can temporarily deplete the inflammatory cells that would otherwise trigger an airway-narrowing attack.

The best outcome of all, of course, is to avoid developing the problem in the first place. In 2008, I interviewed a Canadian military scientist named Michel Ducharme, who told me stories of cross-country skiers swallowing Vaseline in an attempt to protect their airways from the cold. This is a terrible idea on many levels—and, he assured me, totally unnecessary. Air warms up very quickly when you inhale it, so there’s no risk of freezing your throat tissue. But dryness is another question, and scientists have reconsidered whether some kind of protection—just not Vaseline—could be useful if you’re going hard on cold days.

One option is a heat-and-moisture-exchange mask, which warms and moistens the air you inhale. A company called AirTrim makes them with a range of levels of resistance for training or racing. Several studies have found that this type of mask seems to reduce EIB attacks. Research by Michael Kennedy at the University of Alberta found that EIB risk increases significantly when temperatures drop below about five degrees Fahrenheit. The precise threshold depends on conditions and individual susceptibility, so if you start coughing or wheezing, that’s a sign your airways are irritated. If you don’t have a breathing mask, a scarf or a Buff over your mouth can offer a temporary solution.

Don’t take all this as a warning against getting outdoors in the winter. I live in Canada, so staying inside when it’s below five degrees Fahrenheit would be a death sentence. But I’m no longer as macho about the cold as I used to be. I wear puffy mittens and merino base layers, and when my snot starts to freeze I cover my mouth and nose. Athletes with EIB may do better than their unimpaired peers at the Olympics, but that’s one edge I can do without.

(12/03/2023) Views: 324 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online
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AIU has announced the provisional suspension of long-distance runner Hosea Kimeli Kisorio

The Athletics Integrity Unit has provisionally suspended the 2022 Braconi Terni Half Marathon champion Hosea Kimeli Kisorio.

AIU explained that the Kenyan has been slapped with the suspension due to the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (EPO). Kisorio has now been issued with a notice of allegation.

Posting on their X (Twitter) handle, AIU said: “The AIU has provisionally suspended Hosea Kimeli Kisorio (Kenya) for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (EPO).”

Kisorio has enjoyed a 2023 season but all that might just come crashing down if he is found guilty. He reigned supreme at the Zagreb Marathon before also dominating the Maratona di Ravenna Citta' D'Arte, a month later.

Last season, he also basked in glory, he won two of the four half-marathons he competed in. He won the Braconi Terni Half Marathon and Split Half Marathon. He went ahead to finish second at the Placentia Half Marathon before placing 18th at the Maratonina Citta' di Arezzo.

The 33-year-old was also in action at the 2022 Neapolis Marathon in Italy where he defied all odds to clinch the top prize.

The AIU also announced the suspension of Beatrice Toroitich for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (19-Norandrosterone, 19-Noretiocholanolone, Clomifene, Canrenone).

Meanwhile, according to AIU, a Provisional Suspension is when an Athlete or other Person is suspended temporarily from participating in any competition or activity in Athletics prior to a final decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct.

(12/01/2023) Views: 293 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula
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Three exercises for unshakeable knee strength

While most runners know that running won’t damage their knees (and are probably sick of non-runners telling them that it does), many athletes still experience some knee soreness, often when returning to running after some time away. Knee pain usually isn’t long-lasting, and can be caused by a variety of things, including ramping up mileage too quickly or biomechanical issues. Try these simple leg strengtheners to eradicate achy knees and prevent overuse injuries.

1.- Straight leg raises

This strengthens the quads, helping to stabilize the knee joint and reduce the stress on the knee. Strong quads will better support and protect the knee during running.

Lie on your back with one leg straight and the other bent at a 90-degree angle.

Tighten your quads (front thigh muscles) on the straight leg and lift your leg to about 45 degrees, keeping your toes pointed up. Lower your leg back down and repeat. Aim for 10 leg raises on each side to start, but add or decrease repetitions.

2.- Lunges

Lunges target the quads, hamstrings and glutes and help with balance and stability. They help strengthen the knee joint and improve coordination, valuable for injury prevention and navigation in the challenging terrain of winter.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle, hovering the back knee just above the ground.

Push off the front foot to return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Aim for five to 10 repeats to start. You can build resistance by adding sets, or by holding weights once you become comfortable.

3.- Single-leg mini squat

This exercise mimics the motions of running, engaging all the major muscle groups involved in running to build strength and stability. It also challenges balance and build proprioception, helping to improve overall stability and reduce the risk of injuries.

Begin by standing on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and core engaged for balance.

Slowly lower your body by bending the knee of the leg you’re standing on, imagining that you’re sitting back in a chair. Keep your back straight, and go as low as you can (doesn’t need to be far!) while maintaining control.

Hold for a few seconds to challenge your balance and stability, and then push through the heel of the standing leg to return to the starting position. Try five-10 reps on each side to start.

(11/06/2023) Views: 322 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne
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Does Acupuncture Help With Sports Injuries? Experts Weigh In.

More athletes are turning to the ancient tradition for relief from pain. But does it actually work?

When your lower back or glutes flare up painfully after going too hard trail running over the weekend, your default instinct might be to add some extra stretching to your routine or schedule some time with your massage therapist or chiropractor.  If the pain is excruciating, you might even consult with a sports medicine doctor.

But there’s another accessible and effective treatment option for aches and pains. One that has only limited side effects and that’s been practiced for thousands of years.

It’s acupuncture. And although the mechanisms through which acupuncture works in the body aren’t fully understood, and there may be a placebo effect in play, research repeatedly indicates that acupuncture is effective at treating various forms of pain, including those related to myofascia, the back, and osteoarthritis.

Here’s what you need to know about acupuncture’s potential role in treating sports injuries. 

Acupuncture is a practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that involves inserting small, thin needles through the skin and often into the superficial layers of the muscle to relieve pain and address health conditions like menstrual cramps, migraines, and arthritis. The points where needles are inserted are pathways, each corresponding to a particular organ or system, along which energy, or qi, is believed to travel. According to TCM, the needle helps unblock meridians. 

From a Western medicine perspective, it’s believed that the needles stimulate the body’s muscles, connective tissue, and central nervous system, which can help with recovery from illnesses and pain. “Basically, what we’re doing with acupuncture is we’re using your body’s inherent means of healing itself,” says David Mann, DO, who is a primary care and sports medicine physician and licensed acupuncturist at Houston Methodist. 

Sports medicine acupuncturists specifically treat sports injuries using the same foundations of TCM, but also incorporate functional anatomy, muscle testing, and range of motion testing. “Using this approach, I can precisely identify complex injuries and their sources, especially when checking for posture issues during various movements,” explains sports medicine acupuncturist Kevin Menard. 

Hilary Patzer, a doctor of Chinese Medicine and licensed acupuncturist who works with the Minnesota Vikings, believes combining TCM and sports medicine really helps nudge the body along on the path to healing. “The body wants to be in harmony, it wants to be balanced, it wants to be functional,” she says. “But sometimes it has to be told what to do because it’s gotten out of alignment.”

Acupuncture is used to treat all sorts of sports injuries, including joint problems, muscle sprains and strains, tight muscles and trigger points, lower back pain, cervical and lumbar herniations, and many other conditions. “It’s just so incredibly helpful because we can treat the whole body effectively in that one treatment,” Patzer says. “Those needles are like little magic wands.”

This broad approach means that when treating something like a quadriceps strain, an acupuncturist will also assess and potentially address other muscles around that injury that may be compromised or compensating. “If you don’t treat anything around [the injury], they’re going to continue to have that quad injury and it’s not going to heal nearly as fast as if you treat upstream and downstream as well,” Patzer explains.

Here are a few ways that acupuncture can be useful when treating sports injuries, according to the experts: 

Acupuncture is frequently used to reduce various types of pain and is increasingly recognized as a non-drug alternative to painkillers. One reason for acupuncture’s pain relieving effect is that it’s known to release endorphins, which can help decrease pain and lift your mood. “By boosting the production of endorphins, acupuncture directly counters pain, a primary concern with sports-related injuries,” Menard says. 

Acupuncturists commonly use the practice to reduce inflammation following injuries. Menard explains that acupuncture improves blood circulation to targeted muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments, which helps reduce swelling and repair injured tissues.

A recent study published in the journal Nature found that acupuncture can trigger an anti-inflammatory response and suppress inflammation through the involvement of a nerve pathway between the vagus nerve and the adrenals called the vagal-adrenal axis. Other studies show similar findings, with acupuncture reducing or controlling inflammation by stimulating various pathways that connect the nervous and immune systems, both of which are known to play a role in the body’s inflammatory response. It’s important to note that these studies were conducted on mice, which isn’t always an exact predictor of human response.

Another study found that acupuncture may reduce inflammation by stimulating the vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and plays a large role in the body’s stress response.

Acupuncture can enhance proprioception—meaning the body’s sense of its position and movement—by addressing trigger points and knots in the muscle tissue, Menard says. For athletes, proprioception is really important because it plays a role in balance, coordinating movements, and adjusting muscle activity. When proprioception is low, sports injuries may be more likely to occur

“These knots, if untreated, can hinder muscles and their counterparts from functioning correctly, leading to imbalances and further complications,” Menard explains. “Acupuncture’s ability to identify and treat these points can provide immediate relief, helping athletes regain their proper form and function.”

Patzer compares muscle functioning to a slinky—when a muscle is functioning properly it opens and closes like a spring, and that’s a good thing. But if it’s pulled too long or locked up too tight, it may not perform at its best. Left untreated, this can sometimes lead to problems with nearby muscles, tendons, and joints. “With acupuncture, I’m able to help the muscle get that kind of proper movement and function back,” Patzer says. 

Many acupuncturists may be able to help someone with a sports injury, but if you’re an athlete and experiencing pain, Patzer says it’s best to see someone who specializes or is certified in sports medicine acupuncture. If you have an X-ray or MRI results, bring a copy to your appointment to help inform treatment. “It’s essential to accurately diagnose each condition to tailor the most effective acupuncture treatment to the patient’s specific needs,” Menard says.

Keep in mind that acupuncture likely isn’t going to be a one-stop cure for any sports injury that arises, and it’s often most effective when used in conjunction with other types of treatment. Acupuncturists will even refer patients to other care facilities or professionals, like hospitals, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists. “We work in tandem, ensuring every patient gets the holistic care they need,”Menard says.

(10/21/2023) Views: 313 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online
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Annie Rodenfels Wins Boston 10k For Women

The 47th running of the Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI, returned to the Boston Common and the streets of Boston and Cambridge on Saturday.

Over 4,000 women participated in the autumn classic, which began at 8:50 a.m. for handcycle and wheelchair participants and at 9 a.m. for all runners.

Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is New England's largest all-women's sporting event.

The 6.2-mile course brings runs through Boston’s Back Bay and into Cambridge and finishes on Charles Street between the Public Garden and Boston Common.

This year's race was won by Annie Rodenfels, who broke the tape in her 10K debut in a time of 32:08. She was followed by Emily Venters with a time of 32:31 and Jenny Simpson at 32:39.

A Boston resident, Rodenfels surged on the Massachusetts Avenue bridge and ran uncontested through the last mile until the Charles Street finish line.

“I thought I would sit back and wait and out-kick them at the end, like -- their mistake if they leave me until the end -- because besides maybe Jenny Simpson I think I’ve probably got the best kick in the field,” Rodenfels said afterward, with an American flag draped around her shoulders. “But I just felt too good, I figured I’d just go for it. What do I have to lose?”

For Rodenfels, who trains along the banks of the Charles River, the familiarity aided her approach in the new distance.

“I like the course a lot – I love running in Boston, I feel like I can have a mediocre year the rest of the year and then when I get a race in Boston, I knock it out of the park. I feel like I get more cheers because I am from around here,” said Rodenfels, who earned $9,000 with the victory.

Winning the Masters Division and finishing 11th overall was Sara Hall, who clocked a 33:19. Fourteen-year-old Madelyn Wilson won the wheelchair division in a time of 35:50, racing for the first time in a larger chair.

 

(10/09/2023) Views: 447 ⚡AMP
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Boston 10K for Women

Boston 10K for Women

The Boston 10K for Women, formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women and the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, is a major 10K held annually in Boston, on Columbus Day, popular as both an elite world-class competition and a women's running event promoting health and fitness. Feel the empowerment as you unite with over 7,000 fellow runners...

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Chebets sets focus on 2024 Olympic Games after stellar season

Commonwealth Games 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet has said she has honed her skills sufficiently to secure a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

Chebet, who blazed to the bronze medal in her specialty at the Budapest World Championships in July, said she is ready to secure the coveted gold at the quadrennial global extravaganza that will be held in July and August.  

"I have prepared well for the Olympics and I'm grateful for the fine form I've accomplished this year," Chebet said in an exclusive interview.

"Winning an Olympic medal is everyone's dream and I am no different," she added. 

Chebet spoke a couple of days after storming the gold medal in the 5km race at the inaugural World Road Running Championships held in Riga on Sunday. 

The victory confirmed her status as a dominant force on the international front.

She cruised through the course in an amazing 14:35 to register the fifth fastest time in the history of the 5km road race ahead of compatriot Lilian Rengeruk, and Ethiopia's Ejgayehu Taye, who settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The victory further embellished her rich trophy cabinet which also boasts a gold bagged at the World Cross Country championship held in Bathurst, Australia in February.

Chebet said the presence of compatriot Faith Kipyegon in the race is a great source of inspiration, adding that she is not quaking in the boots at the mere thought of facing her over the distance. 

Despite crashing to Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands in the 5000m at the World Championships in Belgrade, Hungary, Chebet said she will do her best to reclaim her bragging rights in the 12-lap race.

 "It will make the race all the more interesting and I believe the country is bound to benefit immensely if we field a strong team in Paris," Chebet said. 

"Her presence in the race will also take the competition a notch higher," she added. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved Kenya's request to field Kipyegon in both the 1500m and the 5000m races at the upcoming Paris Games. 

(10/06/2023) Views: 397 ⚡AMP
by Tony Mballa
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What are isometric exercises, and why should runners do them?

If you haven’t tried isometric exercises (or are unclear on what the term means) you’re not alone. This oft-neglected type of strength training involves contracting a muscle without changing its length, with no visible movement at the joint. Instead of the muscle lengthening or shortening, as it does in isotonic exercises (like bicep curls or squats, for example), the muscle remains static, exerting force against an immovable object or resisting an opposing force.

Isometric exercises are characterized by holding a position (or maintaining a contraction) for a set period. Because they require little to no equipment, isometric exercises super easy and convenient, and perfect to add to your routine tonight.

Why isometric exercises?

For runners, isometric exercises are often used in injury rehab, because they allow you to strengthen certain muscles without putting excessive strain on injured tissues. They’re time-efficient, targeting specific muscle groups, and easily integrated into a warmup or cool-down. They can also help build strength and stability in specific muscle groups, which is essential for maintaining proper running form, building endurance and preventing injuries.

Planks

Planks build postural strength around your lower core, which is essential for maintaining good biomechanics, especially when you’re feeling fatigued near the end of a hard run or race.

Begin in a push-up position and straighten your arms, tighten your core and straighten your legs. Focus on keeping your butt in a straight line between your shoulders and heels.

Once you have your body positioned, hold the push-up position for two to three minutes. Stop when you can no longer hold the pose–having good technique is more important than how long you can hold the plank. Add 30-second increments until can hold for several minutes.

Try different plank variations, supporting yourself on your elbows, or by lifting one leg toward your chest. Advance to adding side planks.

Single-leg balance

Standing on one leg for an extended period (with eyes open, which is easiser, or closed, which is more challenging) can help improve balance and stability, which is essential for navigating uneven terrain while running. It can also help with proprioception (awareness of where the ground is in relation to your body), and strengthens the muscles around the ankle, knee, and hip joints.

Find a flat, stable surface to stand on. Begin standing upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms relaxed at your sides, and shift your weight onto one leg. Keep a slight bend in your knee to avoid locking it.

Engage your core muscles by gently pulling your navel toward your spine, and slowly lift the foot of your non-weight-bearing leg off the ground, bringing it to a position where it is just hovering above the floor. Your raised thigh should be parallel to the ground, and your knee should be bent at a 90-degree angle. You can point your toes or flex your ankle; choose a comfortable position.

Gaze at a fixed spot in front of you to help with balance. Beginners can start by holding 15-30 seconds per leg and gradually work up to 60 seconds or longer as they improve their balance.

Release and repeat on the other side.

Wall-sits

This exercise helps create a powerful and resilient stride, improving leg endurance.

Place your back flat against the wall, and slide down until your thighs are at a 90-degree angle to your back (and to the floor). Keeping your lower back flat against the wall, take a deep breath and hold the sitting or chair position for two to three minutes.

It’s OK if you find that challenging–most beginners struggle to hold until the two-minute mark. Add 30-second increments over time, until you reach seven to 10 minutes or complete fatigue.

(09/21/2023) Views: 364 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne
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Are Energy Chews Actually Better Endurance Fuel Than Gummy Bears?

Our tester sacrifices her teeth to find out 

I personally used gummy bears as endurance fuel for a solid ten years. These adorable chewy candies have long been a solution for athletes seeking an inexpensive and sugar-rich fuel for prolonged endeavors. But with more sport-formulated gummy options like Clif Bloks and Honey Stinger Chews on the market than ever, I wondered if there was much of a difference in how they make me feel during hearty efforts. So I decided to put them to a head-to-head test.

It was 10 a.m. at a pristine mountain lake in Colorado when I ate my first convenience store gummy bears, and—no surprise here—they were delicious. I’d packed a reusable plastic bag with a heartier serving (read: more than the recommended nine bears) of Albanese Gummi Bears, and another reusable bag of Haribo Goldbears and shoved them in my hydration pack. This type of candy is usually made of corn syrup and sugar, with “natural and artificial flavors.”

I was a couple rugged mountain miles to a lake with my dog. I sat on a rock and ingested the candy, noting how the Albanese Gummi Bears, which a friend had raved about to me, were insanely soft and chewy. Maybe too soft and chewy—I ate all of them within 30 seconds. They don’t require a lot of masticating, which is a bonus while running, but a negative if you don’t want to inhale a giant bag of gummy bears in one sitting.

I also ate a few (again more than nine) Haribo Goldbears. This is the brand I used to carry and eat during multi-day adventure races. They are, in a word, gummier. They take more effort to chew, which is fine while hiking or paddling, but can be a pain (and a choking hazard) while running or cycling. They too, are delicious (I’m personally partial to the pineapple flavor).

The consumption left my teeth feeling slimy, like they do whenever I eat something super-sugary. My stomach felt OK—not great—on the steep and rocky descent, but I felt a little jittery, like I’d had too much coffee.

I didn’t crash and burn afterward, but it was only a five-mile outing. I didn’t feel great the rest of the day, though.

Since energy chews hit the scene some years ago, I’ve relied on them to both satiate my love of gummy candy while exercising and to keep me going. I’ve used them on countless mountain running adventures, ski tours, hikes with kids, and more. But for this gummy-to-gummy comparison, I took them on a mountain run three days after the initial gummy bear test.

I ate a sleeve full of Salted Watermelon Clif Bloks about six miles into a rugged run towards another alpine lake. And I pounded a bag of Honey Stinger Pink Lemonade Energy Chews around mile 11.

Both served my needs: I was fatigued and hungry, sweating profusely, and borderline depleted. I ate more on that 15-mile run than just chews—some nuts, pretzels, zucchini bread with walnuts—but the chews were my on-the-go snacks while the others I ate sitting at a lake or walking to warm-up.

I didn’t get the sugary coating on my teeth; I don’t from chews. And I didn’t get the weird jitters. I also didn’t feel the guilt-cheating sensation I had on my Gummy Bear Run. The ingredients of both Clif Bloks and Honey Stinger Energy Chews include feel-good sugars like organic tapioca syrup, organic sugar, and organic honey, plus organic color from black carrot juice.

Aside from the better sugars and ingredients in general of energy chews, what both packs of chews have that gummy bears do not are a substantial amount of electrolytes. I feel like I need the extra sodium provided by chews when I exert myself; replacing it helps me feel balanced.

There is less sugar in the full bag (two servings) of both Clif Bloks and Honey Stinger Energy Chews than in two servings of gummy bears. (Those two servings would be a count of 18 bears.) I’m not sure why the sugar of chews doesn’t make me feel jittery and gross like the sugar of gummy bears. Maybe it’s partially psychosomatic, but maybe it has to do with the good things chews have that bears do not.

Honey Stinger chews also provide 70 percent the recommended dietary allowance of Vitamin C, and their new Caffeinated Chews (Strawberry Kiwi, Cherry Cola, and Stingerita Lime) contain 50 milligrams of caffeine (100 milligrams for whole pack) from tea for sustained energy. Black Cherry, Tropical Punch, and Orange Clif Bloks contain 50 milligrams caffeine per serving, 100 milligrams per pack. And Clif Bloks have 18 milligrams of potassium, also beneficial electrolytes. (Strangely, Haribo Goldbears have two grams of protein per serving.)

Where Haribo and Albanese have an edge is in cost and availability. You can buy bears from those brands in a variety of stores and cost less than half per ounce than any of the chews, which are more of a specialty item.

I feel better eating energy chews over gummy bears, both on an endurance/performance level and on a guilt level, not that I, or anyone, should feel guilty eating candy once in a while. The only thing I might feel guilty about is the extra cost that I might incur during a race or an intense training cycle.

I find energy chews just as delicious as gummy bears, and both feel like a treat while out on an adventure of any sort. The energy chews don’t coat my teeth in sugar or threaten a sour belly, something I get when I ingest too much sugar on a run. Eating energy chews on a run or any outing that requires endurance just makes more sense than eating gummy bears.

Our veteran gear maven, Lisa Jhung, has been testing gear for 25 years. She’s sprayed herself down with a hose to test the waterproofness of rain jackets, set up treadmills in her yard for weeks of testing, and stashed shoes in bushes to change mid-run.

In this column, Vetted, she inspects, tests, and muses on all things outdoor gear.

(09/16/2023) Views: 350 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online
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Injured? Try these sports instead

Let’s face it–being injured sucks. What does a runner do when they can’t run? While most of us turn to cycling, pool running or swimming, there are other sports you can try if traditional cross-training methods just aren’t for you. What you’re able to do while you’re healing from an injury, of course, is very dependent on the nature of your injury, but the following suggestions might be good options for those who are looking to have a little fun in their unplanned off-season.

Hiking

Take a walk, add some elevation change and nature, and you’ve got a hike! Many runners turn to walking while they’re injured, but if strolling around the neighbourhood doesn’t do it for you and you’re lucky enough to live in an area with trails (west coasters, we’re looking at you!) take advantage of it. The softer ground and constantly changing terrain will challenge your body in a different way, and if you’ve got mountains nearby, some steep climbs will help you return to running stronger.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a great option, because it doesn’t involve a lot of running. It may not help improve your running much, but since it’s played on teams, it’ll give you a chance to get out and socialize if it’s the camaraderie of your running group that you truly miss. 

Pickleball

Tennis’s low-impact cousin has been taking the country by storm, and pickleball courts have been popping up in local parks everywhere. Pickleball requires much less running and lateral movement than tennis (which is likely not a great idea when you’re injured). It can be a lot of fun to play with a few friends, and serves as a great distraction while you take some time off from running.

Golf

Take a walk, add some sand traps and swing a stick around, and you’ve got golf! Forgo the cart and carry your bag, and suddenly you’ve also got a decent workout. Plus, it’s a great way to get outside for long periods, if it’s that fresh-air feeling that you miss when you’re on the sidelines.

Rock climbing

Want to improve your core strength while you’re out of the running game? Rock climbing is your answer. As a bonus, it’s also a good way to work on proprioception, which will have a positive effect on your running form when you return to your training.

Skiing

If you’re injured during the winter, why not use the weather to your advantage? Cross-country skiing, of course, will help you maintain (or even improve) your cardiovascular fitness without the impact of running, but alpine skiing can also improve your core and lower-body strength.

Yoga

OK, yoga isn’t exactly a sport, but it’s an excellent activity to do when you’re injured. It can improve your core strength, balance and proprioception, as well as teaching you how to control your breath and loosen tight muscles. And what runner doesn’t have tight muscles?

(08/25/2023) Views: 417 ⚡AMP
by Brittany Hambleton
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Five exercises to improve proprioception and get faster

Proprioception, often referred to as the “sixth sense,” is the body’s ability to sense its own position, movement, and spatial orientation (i.e., sensing where the ground as you take a step). For runners, developing and honing proprioceptive skills is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of training. It plays a pivotal role in enhancing performance, preventing injuries and improving overall running efficiency.

Proprioception is the foundation of co-ordinated movement. As runners, our bodies constantly adjust to varying terrains, inclines and obstacles. A heightened proprioceptive sense enables us to maintain balance and stability, adapting quickly to uneven surfaces and unexpected changes in stride. This not only reduces the risk of tripping and falling but also optimizes energy expenditure, as efficient movements translate to better running economy.

Incorporating proprioceptive exercises into a training regimen can range from simple balance drills to more advanced techniques involving unstable surfaces or dynamic movements. 

Exercises to improve proprioception

The following exercises challenge the body to adapt, enhancing neuromuscular coordination and proprioceptive feedback loops.

One-leg 3-way kick

If you’re a beginner, start by doing this exercise on a hard, flat surface. As you progress, you can do it standing on a soft riser.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.

Stand on your left foot and lift your right foot in front of you a few inches off of the ground. Hold for 2 –3 seconds, then return to the starting position.

Follow the same steps as you lift your right leg to the side of your body and then behind you.

Do this five times, than switch sides and repeat. Do this 2-3 times on each side.

Flamingo stand

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. For more balance, stretch your arms out to your sides.

Shift your weight to your left foot and lift your right leg up with a 90-degree bend at the knee.

Hold this for 10–20 seconds, or however long you can. Repeat on the opposite leg, and do this 2–3 times per leg.

Banded triplanar toe taps

If you’re a beginner, try this move without the loop band.

Place a loop band around your ankles and stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Shift your weight to your left foot and lower into a quarter squat.

Using the loop band as resistance, tap your right toe in front of you, to the side, and behind. Do this 10 times on one leg, then 10 times on the other. Repeat 2-3 times.

Cone taps

As you perform this movement, engage your core and use your glutes and hamstrings to stay balanced.

Stand on one foot with your hands on your hips and a cone two feet in front of you.

Slowly bend at the hips and extend your left leg behind you as you reach forward to tap the cone. 

Lift yourself back up until you’re in the starting position. 

Repeat five times on one leg, then switch and repeat five times on the other leg. Do this 2–3 times.

Airplanes

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.

Stand on your left foot and slowly extend your right leg out behind you, lifting it into the air so you create a straight horizontal line from your head to your foot.

With your leg extended behind you, rotate your torso to the left as far as you can go without falling. Pause, then return to the centre position.

With your leg still extended behind you, rotate your torso as far to the right as you can without falling, turning your right hip toward the ceiling. Pause, then return to the centre position.

Return to standing. Repeat the sequence five times on each leg, for 2-3 sets.

(08/25/2023) Views: 563 ⚡AMP
by Brittany Hambleton
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Ukrainian team prepares for World Athletics Championships

The Ukrainian athletics team will gather in Slovakia this week for a final training camp before travelling to Hungary for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, starting in less than three weeks (August 19).

World Athletics’ Ukraine Fund and the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity Fund have combined to provide training camp accommodation for 40 athletes and officials in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, which will allow Ukraine’s top athletes to complete their final preparations for their most important competition of the year.

World Athletics has provided additional accommodation for three athletes and their families for an extended period in Bankska Bystrica, from 1 June to 30 September.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “We understand how important and inspirational Ukraine’s athletes are to their country at this terrible time and we want to give them every opportunity to compete and excel, despite the great hardship being visited on them and their communities by this horrific war. They have lost so much and the least we can do is help them to keep their athletics dreams alive. I am full of admiration for their fortitude and resilience and I am looking forward to welcoming the Ukrainian team to the National Athletics Centre in Budapest in the coming weeks.”

The general secretary of the Ukrainian Athletic Association Iolanta Khropach offered her “heartfelt thanks” for the “important financial assistance provided during this terrible war in our country”.

“Your unwavering belief in us has made a profound impact on the life of our team and the opportunities to prepare for world-class competitions,” she said. “Thanks to your support, we have been able to provide the best athletes of the Ukrainian team with the necessary conditions on the final stage of the preparation to the World Athletic Championships in Budapest to achieve their sports goals. We are happy to see your willingness to lend a helping hand in difficult times for us during the war.”

World Athletics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee funded a similar programme to help the Ukrainian team prepare for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 last year, where two athletes emerged as medallists. World indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the silver medal in the women’s high jump and Andriy Protsenko won bronze in the men’s high jump.

The IOC contributed an additional US$20,000 to support the Ukrainian team at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali last year.

Through its Ukraine Fund, World Athletics distributed more than US$220,000 last year to support Ukrainian athletes preparing for the World Championships and the World Athletics U20 Championships in response to the crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is distributing a further US$190,000 this year to support Ukrainian athletes preparing for Budapest.

This fund was launched by World Athletics, the Member Meetings of Diamond League Association and the International Athletics Foundation in April 2022 with the purpose of assisting professional athletes, immediate family members and their support personnel affected by Russia’s invasion of their home country.

This is in addition to the Solidarity Fund of US$7.5 million established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2022 to support Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community.

(08/02/2023) Views: 381 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics
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World Athletics Championships Budapest 23

World Athletics Championships Budapest 23

From August 19-27, 2023, Budapest will host the world's third largest sporting event, the World Athletics Championships. It is the largest sporting event in the history of Hungary, attended by athletes from more than 200 countries, whose news will reach more than one billion people. Athletics is the foundation of all sports. It represents strength, speed, dexterity and endurance, the...

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Foot strength exercises for speed and stability

Your feet may take a serious pounding when you run, but chances are you (like most runners) neglect foot mobility and care. Spending a few minutes on these stability-builders (do them while you’re watching TV!) will be a game-changer–you’ll have a stronger foundation and prevent future injuries.

If you’ve never done foot mobility or strength before, ease into these exercises and increase or decrease repeats as needed. Incorporate them into your warm up or cool down routine a few times a week, or try a few anytime you’re relaxing on the couch.

Toe curls

Toe curls strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the feet, essential for maintaining arch support and proper foot mechanics during running.

Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Curl your toes inward as if you’re grabbing the floor, then release. Do three sets of 15–20 repetitions for each foot.

Single-leg balance

Single-leg balance exercises enhance ankle stability and proprioception (your ability to sense where the ground is), essential for maintaining proper form and preventing ankle-related injuries.

Stand in bare feet with hands on the back of a chair or wall for stability, if needed. Rise up onto the ball of one foot, hovering the other foot above the ground if possible (leave your toes touching if you need to, and work up to lifting the leg). Hold for 30 seconds to one minute, and switch to the other leg. Repeat for three sets, build up to five.

Toe spreading

Toe spreading helps improve toe mobility and strengthens the muscles responsible for toe alignment, which can enhance stability during the push-off while running.

Sit or stand with your feet flat on the ground. Spread your toes as wide as possible, then bring them back to a neutral position. Repeat for three sets of 15–20 repetitions.

Towel scrunches

Towel scrunches strengthen the muscles in your toes and on the bottom of your feet, and contribute to better foot stability and proprioception.

Place a small towel on the floor. Stand barefoot, and use your toes to scrunch up the towel toward you. Release and repeat for three sets of 15–20 repetitions.

(07/28/2023) Views: 407 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne
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Carbs and runners: friends or foe?

Runners create many reasons for limiting their intake of seemingly “evil” carbohydrates: I don’t like sandwiches … Pasta is so “heavy” … I’m staying away from gluten … I avoid any foods with added sugar … I prefer to eat two veggies at dinner instead of a veggie and a carby food. And, most often I hear: Bread is fattening!

Anti-carb sentiment has pervaded my entire career as a sports nutritionist. While some fads have come and gone, the “carbs are bad” fad remains ingrained in the brains of even elite athletes. I am (again) encouraging you to reconsider your stance.

• Despite popular belief, carbohydrates are not inherently fattening. Excess calories of any kind are fattening. Excess calories of bread, bagels, and pasta are actually less fattening than excess calories of cheese, butter, and olive oil. That’s because converting excess calories of carbs into body fat requires more energy than does converting excess dietary fat into body fat. That means, if you want to be gluttonous yet suffer the least weight gain, indulge in fat-free frozen yogurt instead of gourmet ice cream!

• To allay any confusion, let’s clarify what carbs actually are. Carbohydrates include both sugars and starches. Carbs are in fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk (lactose). Sugars and starches all digest into the simple sugar glucose. Glucose travels in your blood and, with the help of insulin, gets taken into muscles and stored as glycogen for fuel. Runners who restrict carbs commonly complain about “dead legs.”

• Sugars and starches are biochemically related. For example, an unripe fruit, such as a banana, is starchy. As it ripens, it becomes sweeter; the starch converts into sugar. Similarly, vegetables, such as peas, are sweet when young. Their sugar converts into starch as they mature.

• All carbs—both sugars and starches—are excellent sources of fuel. Both “carby” bagels and sugary candy end up as glucose in your blood and feed your muscles as well as your brain. Whether you are running or lifting weights, a carb-rich sports diet (with adequate protein) can enhance your performance.

• Quality carbs, such as whole grains, fruits, and veggies, offer abundant vitamins, minerals (electrolytes), and other health-promoting nutrients. Refined sugar, however, offers little nutritional value. Yet, dietary guidelines say 10% of daily calories can come from added sugar. That’s at least 50 grams of sugar for most runners and allows for some “fun foods.”

• Sugar-avoiders please note: the 3 grams of added sugar in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter will not negate peanut butter’s health-promoting fiber, protein, and anti-inflammatory fats. Nor will the sugar in chocolate milk diminish its value as a helpful recovery fluid after a hard workout. Please look at the vitamins,  minerals and protein that come along with the added sugar, not just the sugar itself.

• Sports drinks, gels, and sports gummies are little more than refined sugar. That’s not bad; it’s exactly what the body wants during extended hard exercise. Even though refined sugar adds “empty calories” to a sports diet, runners need not eat a perfectly sugar-free diet to have an excellent diet. There’s a time and a place for sweets.

• The messages that carbs are inflammatory, fattening, and bad for you is targeted at sedentary people who consume excessive calories, often from highly processed foods. For those unfit (often unhealthy) people, excess carbohydrate can contribute to elevated blood glucose, which triggers the body to secrete extra insulin. Consistently high insulin can be inflammatory and lead to nasty health issues. Yet, most runners can handle carbs with far less insulin than the average American—and without carbs causing “sugar crashes” or weight gain.

• The most common reason for “sugar crashes” (hypoglycemia) among runners relates to running out of fuel. The shakiness and sweats are because the athlete did not eat enough carbs to maintain normal blood glucose levels and the brain has to demand a quick fix—sugar! One marathoner credited the sugary gel he took at Mile 16 to cause him to “crash.” More likely, he needed more just one gel to meet his energy needs.

• For runners who routinely train hard 3 to 5 days a week, carbs should be the foundation of each meal. The International Olympic Committee’s recommendations for a performance diet include far more carbs than many runners consume via fruit, salads, and cooked veggies.

Baseline targets for a 150-pound runner are:

375 g carb/day for ~1 hour of moderate exercise

450 g carb/day for ~1-3 hours of endurance exercise

525 g carb/day for >4-5 hours of  extreme exercise

This comes to about 100 to 150 grams carb per meal, which equates to about 400 to 600 calories of grains, fruits, and/or veggies per meal.

If your daily menu lacks starchy foods, experiment with adding grains to each meal and snack. You just might discover how much better you can feel and perform!

(07/03/2023) Views: 468 ⚡AMP
by Colorado Runner
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Genevieve Clemons Won’t Let Anxiety Run the Show

When she started her freshman year during the height of the pandemic, the college student felt trapped. Then she started running.

Genevieve Clemons told her story to producer Ann Marie Awad for an episode of The Daily Rally podcast. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was in a dormitory with one other roommate, but because classes were online, we spent most of our time in this tiny room, taking online classes. And so I just felt really cooped up, irritated, unmotivated. I wanted to find my community, and I just hadn’t.

I go by tons of nicknames, kind of dealer’s choice, but just generally Genevieve.

I am currently going to be a senior at the University of Texas at Austin. I would say two of my biggest passions would have to be nature and wildlife. And, recently, a big passion of mine has become running, just anywhere, as far as I can go. I love running.

When the pandemic hit, it was the end of my senior year of high school, and I was honestly quite miserable even before the pandemic started. I was dealing with some anxiety and perfectionism. I didn’t really feel like I fit in in my high school.

I didn’t have the best experience with high school sports. I was on the tennis team, but I had a coach that treated me not the best. And so I just kind of had a complicated relationship with sports, and I was also having a hard time balancing academics with everything else. I just took things really seriously. I graduated as Valedictorian, but I wasn’t happy.

I wanted to change a lot of things about my life, my outlook and the way I was living it. I saw college as an opportunity for that.

Coming out of high school, I didn’t really have a lot of connections and friendships, and I was really depending on having that normal freshman-year college experience to help me bounce back. So when the pandemic hit, I got pretty depressed.

Having to be cooped up inside all day started out kind of exciting, like, Whoa, what’s happening? Finishing out high school, we get to do school online, it’s easy, and then it just kind of dragged out. I started out my freshman year at UT in the middle of the raging pandemic, and it was fully online, so that was pretty difficult.

At that point where I was really seeking balance, I was like, Maybe I just take everybody else out of the equation, and I just fully look for something and do it because I love it and I want to do it. Maybe that’s the answer.

I knew my dad was a marathon runner, in his younger days. And I was like, Why don’t I try running? And honestly, I hated it in tennis, when we had to do running. Hated it. But I was like, you know what? I’m gonna try it, but I’m gonna do it my way. So I just literally put on some shoes and started running. I didn’t want anyone to know I was running. I didn’t want to know how fast I was going. I just wanted to get out there.

For several, several months, I would just go out on this trail by my house. Sometimes it was just a mile, and that mile was freaking hard, and I would feel accomplished because I was really just shutting everything else out. And it was, How did I feel today? Slowly I had little victories and little moments like, Oh, I actually kind of felt not out of breath today, or, I ran a little faster or went a little further. I was hooked.

I started to run further and further. And I just loved it. I loved the feeling of pushing myself in that way, in the endurance way. I was attracted to distance running. So, one day, I was like, I want to run a marathon. And I shocked myself when I said that, but I was like, my dad did it, I want to do it. I want to see what it’s like.

In my head, when I say something out loud that I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it. I was so intimidated. I was like, The last thing I want to do is run with all these people. They’re gonna see how slow I am, they’re gonna see I’m not a real runner. But I was like, You know what? This has all been good so far. Just try it. And that was my new goal after getting out of high school and letting anxiety run the show. I was like, I’m not doing that anymore. Let’s just go.

But I knew that’s the kind of stuff you can’t do alone. Sure, there’s the internet, but I wanted to talk to some people that had done it. So I went to these running groups, and I found a community that I was so embraced by. In sports as a kid, I was always on the sidelines breathing really hard, and the coach was like, “Come on.” I wasn’t used to these people just believing in me and seeing my potential, and wanting to share the gift of this sport.

I did my first trail race, and I was so scared. But my family came and I was like, You know what, I’m not gonna worry about it. I got out there, and I have never ran, or competed, or done something where I felt so joyful. We were all out there to have fun. I would pass people on the trail in the race, and they would say, “Hey, great job.” It was just so encouraging.

So, I just catapulted off from there. I’ve run probably about nine races, maybe ten so far.

Seeing other people believing in me, I realized I could also believe in myself. I think whatever that looks like, having some kind of faith in yourself, listening to whatever that is inside you that guides you to do things—that light, that spark in you—instead of walking in fear and doubt. Everybody has those thoughts, I sure do still. If I’m about to sign up for a race, I think, Are you sure you can do that? Or, Is this really for you? Or, as I’m sure everyone thinks, Can someone like me really do this? To recognize and say, Hey, I’m hearing these voices of doubt, but right now, I’m gonna choose to listen to something else.

Genevieve Clemons is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in biochemistry. Earlier this year, she competed in her first 100K race. She was nominated for the show by her very proud dad.

(06/24/2023) Views: 392 ⚡AMP
by Outside Online
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How to Pace Yourself Like a Pro

The art of pacing has, sadly, become a lost art.

Gone are the times of heading out the door, running a 30 minute out-and-back and calling it four miles.

No more coming home and trying to explain to your wife how you ran a distorted cloverleaf through the subdivision.

Now you can upload your data and show her! Figuring out how to pace yourself running is no longer needed

What made running so simple, so pure of a sport, perceived effort versus the clock is just as much an afterthought as what life was like before cell phones.

Working with runners on a daily basis for almost a decade now, I have noticed a growing population of runners solely depending on GPS watches to keep a constant pace while running.

Rarely do I see workout feedback explaining how they felt going into a workout, how they felt as the workout progressed or how they felt post workout.

Feedback is wrapped up in hitting target paces, heart rate averages, and elevation gain.

Completing a workout is no more about how you feel inside, what we refer to as internal cues. Rather we focus so much on external feedback from data and devices that are readily at our fingertips.

How does this type of reliance affect our ability to gauge and adjust our pace as we move through our marathon training schedule?

I like to compare the dependence on GPS data to our vision.

If you want to experiment, stand on one foot, hands out to keep balance. Next, put hands by your sides and don’t allow them to move. Not a huge difference in the ability to keep balance.

Now, with arms remaining at your side, close your eyes.

How long were you able to remain on one foot?

Notice how much more dependent we are on our visual feedback than our proprioceptive feedback?

Same is true for most runners when you take away their GPS watch. Their ability to pace goes out the door because they can’t feel or decode what their internal cues are giving them.

So how do we regain that sense and sharpen it in training and carry it over to race day?

Pace Yourself Better In Training

Learn to pace by listening to your body.

You can’t become better at pacing until you know what you’re looking for.

Coach Jeff says, “The ability to properly adjust your effort as an experienced runner is critical when you’re pushing for that last one percent improvement to break through the plateau.”

It’s great to have that data that a GPS gives you but it should be in support of what your body is telling you.

You might be wondering:

What internal cues do I need to look for to learn how to pace myself better?

Perceived effort

On a scale of 1-10 how are you feeling.

Make notes of your effort level during different workouts in your training log. Over time you’ll begin to look back and see similarities.

Thresholds are consistently around 7-8. Easy runs are 4-6.

Learning to see a workout and automatically knowing the effort it will need before going into the workout is a huge advantage.

Breathing rate

Think about your breathing rate while running at different effort levels.

Typically the faster you run the more your breathing rate picks up. Very similar to the effort scale.

Think and feel how many steps you’re taking while you’re breathing in, while you’re breathing out.

Are you doing a workout that asks to switch paces drastically? How does your breathing change when the paces change? How does your breathing rate gradually pickup over the course of a tempo run?

Foot strike rhythm

Counting strides per minute is good for a number of reasons but it’s especially helpful with gauging different paces.

As we increase in speed, most of us increase in steps per minute as well. Sometimes faster paces or harder efforts means we can tell a difference in the sound our foot is making with the ground.

Both are great tools to learn and use as workouts progress, we fatigue, and when to adjust or gauge pace within a run or race.Learn to pace from workouts

Why not let the RunnersConnect customized coaching schedules do the hard work for you. We will give you a variety of paces within the training cycle to practice this with. In any given week you could run workouts that culminate in your running extended periods of time at 5-6 different paces.

One of my favorite workouts to learn how to connect a pace with an effort level is the cutdown run.

In a cutdown, or progression run, the goal is to get quicker as the run progresses. Typically you’re “going through the gears” hitting several different pace ranges that you commonly train or race at.

This type of a run forces you to focus on your ability to dial in a pace based on effort multiple times throughout the workout.

Cutdown’s are just one example, but any type of workout that asks you to vary pace often throughout a run is makes for a great opportunity to learn how to gauge pace and adjust effort accordingly.

Pace Yourself Better While Racing

Matt Fitzgerald has written, “The goal in racing is to cover the distance between the start and finish lines as quickly as possible given one’s talent and conditioning levels. To achieve this goal, a runner must have a solid sense of the fastest pace he or she can sustain through the full race distance and the ability to make appropriate adjustments to pace along the way based on how he or she feels.”

How to find your goal pace from your training

All too often we set time goals based on expectations, comparisons, or qualifiers.

Many times I’ve seen 5:00 marathoners setting a goal to BQ at 3:45 in 6 months.

Although a BQ is achievable with a long-term, consistent, training it more than likely is not achievable within half a year. We need to learn to dial in a realistic goal race pace based on recent training results.

When an athletes comes to me we do sit down and talk about goal setting. We line up a timeline of racing goals which are mostly based around time.

We revisit original goal and compare it to how training has progressed over the course of the previous few months. Then formulate a goal pace to target in the final 6-8 weeks of training leading up to race day.

When we begin to taper, typically anywhere from 7 days to 3 weeks depending on athletes, we reevaluate our goal time based solely on the previous 6-8 weeks not the time we originally set 5 months prior.

This is the best formula I’ve found to setup a realistic goal time and allows us to plan for the race.

Creating A Race Plan

Now that you have a pretty good idea of how to assess a goal pace for a race, the second step would be putting together a race plan.

You wouldn’t go into a workout consisting of mile repeats without a goal time range to hit nor should you toe the line of a race without a detailed race plan.

Now that you are equipped with a goal race pace based on past training outcome you also need to take these things into consideration:

Race course elevation gain and loss

You very well could be in sub 4-hour shape with many weeks of training that prove that fitness level but if the course profile has a lot of elevation gain or loss than you need to adjust race pace based on those circumstances.

A 3:55 marathon on a course with 3,000 feet of elevation gain over 26.2 miles takes a lot more fitness than a 3:55 at Berlin, or a relatively flat course.

Study the course map, break the race down into smaller sections to enable better focus, and adjust plan accordingly to ensure the fastest 26.2 miles.

Race day weather conditions

Take the same 3:55 example. Optimal marathon temperatures for most runners are in the 50’s, although research has found that every runner has an optimal race temperature.. A 3:55 will feel a lot easier at 55 degrees compared to 75 degrees.

The rule of thumb is for every 5 degrees over 60 you can estimate 1-3 minutes added to your marathon time. With that being said, weather is a major factor is setting up a race plan that you can execute with success.

Allow some flexibility on race day

Staying with the 3:55 example that is 8:58 per mile. As mentioned before, each mile is different therefore each mile in the marathon shouldn’t be 8:58 on the dot.

Trying to do so means constantly putting in mini surges, which is not ideal for any runner in a marathon.

This is a great example of learning to pace based on effort.

Following this guide will leave you with a race plan based on your recent training results, course profile and weather conditions, and you have a very specific idea of how to attack race day.

Now for the toughest part:

Your final step is putting it all together and executing accordingly without being influenced by hundreds of other runners. The number one mistake I continue to see in marathon racing is going out too hard in the first 6 miles.

The first 10k sets up the last 10k, good or bad. You have planned your work now it’s time to work the plan.

A sound race plan is only half the equation. The other half starts in training and unlocking the keys to better gauge and adjust pace based on what your body is telling you.

Next time out on an easy run spend time gauging effort by clicking off miles without looking at your watch but rather feeling, thinking, and listening to what your body is saying.

Before you glance at your GPS to confirm a mile split take a guess at what pace you are running and use your watch as a secondary means of feedback and confirmation.

Over time this still of knowing pace based on sensory data within will becomes fine-tuned and ultimately a better race predictor than what your watch is telling you.

(05/11/2023) Views: 559 ⚡AMP
by Coach Danny
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Placentia Half Marathon: Kipkemboi wins, Michira triumphs among women. Tuzzi first among Piacenza and Italians

Kenya, Isaac Kipkemboi Too, wins the 26th edition of the Placentia Marathon Half Marathon with a time of 1.03'.02''. Left alone at the tenth kilometre, he made a gap and arrived alone. In second place Solomon Koech with 1.05'.09'' with two minutes behind. Third Kalale Ishmael Chelanga 1.06'.06''. The first of the women is Morine Gesare Michira (1.10'.10''), second Dorine Jerop Murkomen (1.12'.10''), Lenah Jerotich third with 1.12'41''.

There is already a first record, that of total participants: since 2017, in fact, the Placentia Half Marathon has not recorded similar numbers. But the organizers take a further leap forward and have put together a cast that will aim for the supremacy of the event. To find out if they've succeeded, meet around 10.30 in Piazza Cavalli, when the best are expected to arrive.o underline the performance of Piacenza, Tuzzi, Marchesi and Maiocchi who take the podium of the Italians. The first from Piacenza is Serena Zani, among the Italians Luciana Bertuccelli wins.

(05/07/2023) Views: 395 ⚡AMP
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Placentia Half Maraton

Placentia Half Maraton

We really suffered it. After the many uncertainties resulting from the 2 years of covid, we found ourselves with the nightmare of torrential rain, because these were the forecasts until at least Friday evening. And instead the many initiatives planned for both Saturday and Sunday were embraced by the more favorable weather situation. We kept a little fear until the...

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Five Lessons from the Marathon Goat and his team

THE MOST REMARKABLE aspect of the fastest marathoner in history is how unremarkable—and how accessible—his training is. Eliud Kipchoge has the best resources in the world at his disposal, but rather than relying on treadmills that cost more than a Lexus or recovery devices worthy of NASA missions, he follows simple training tenets that maximize how he recovers, what he eats, his mindset, and the conditioning he does after his runs. 

1. SLEEP LIKE YOUR RUN DEPENDS ON IT

ELIUD KIPCHOGE SLEEPS up to 9 hours at night, often also taking an hour-long midday nap. Most of us don’t have the time or the 120-mile weekly workload to clock that much shut-eye, but we can still benefit from Kipchoge’s sleep hygiene cues. 

At least 30 minutes before bed, he turns off or puts down all electronics. The habit reduces his exposure to blue light, known to delay the release of melatonin, leading to a decrease in sleepiness, says Kannan Ramar, MD, past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Then, instead of scrolling through social media (he prefers Facebook), Kipchoge winds down by reading at least two chapters of a book.

“If I have enough sleep, my body and my mind are free of stress and ready to go with the programs,” says Kipchoge. 

While you’re asleep, your body is doing more than resting. Crucially, your pituitary gland releases growth hormone, which helps your muscles repair and grow, says Ramar. 

Most runners don’t need a nap if they consistently get the recommended 7 to 9 hours, Ramar says. But when you don’t hit that target, naps can help counter short-term sleep loss and provide an energy boost for a late-day run, Ramar adds. He suggests a 20-minute doze between noon and 3 p.m. to relieve fatigue. Napping longer than 20 minutes can leave you feeling groggy due to entering a deep-sleep state, Ramar says. 

2. REVIVE SORE MUSCLES WITH AN ICE BATH

TWICE A WEEK, Kipchoge takes a 10-minute plunge in his camp’s ice baths to aid his postrun recovery. It may not be pleasant, but studies find that cold water immersion (CWI) therapy like Kipchoge’s ice bath is effective. “Most research shows that over 48 hours, athletes have reported an improvement in DOMS [delayed onset muscle soreness] and sometimes corresponding improvements in strength and/or flexibility,” says Rebecca Stearns, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. 

Cold water reduces the body’s temperature, which narrows the blood vessels. This flushes metabolic waste from inflammation out of muscles to speed recovery, says Stearns. Water temperature between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes is cold enough to produce results, she adds. 

You can set up an ice bath at home by filling a tub halfway with cold water. Then, depending on your tap temperature, add one to three 5-pound bags of ice. Stearns suggests trying CWI once or twice a week and checking with your physician to make sure you don’t have any contraindications for doing ice baths. 

“It’s very intense. It’s not for everybody,” Kipchoge says. “You need to learn to relax and learn to absorb pain.” 

3. UPGRADE YOUR DIET WITH PROTEIN

KIPCHOGE HAS ALWAYS maintained a highcarb diet, but after running 2:00:25 in Nike’s 2017 Breaking2 project, he began working with exercise biochemist Armand Bettonviel to improve his nutrition and further push his performance. Bettonviel, who develops nutrition plans for elite athletes, sought to up Kipchoge’s protein intake to aid his recovery as well as help to build and maintain his lean muscle. 

“I’ve noticed a difference since I started to be serious about nutrition,” Kipchoge says. “Recovery is very fast, I have a lot of energy.” 

While Kipchoge’s exact protein intake is confidential, Bettonviel suggests runners aim for 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For a 150-pound runner, that’s 102 to 136 grams. 

Kipchoge’s meals feature Kenyan staples like ugali (a cornmeal porridge), potatoes, rice, chapati (a wheat flatbread), managu (an iron-rich leafy green), beans, whole-fat milk, eggs, chicken, and beef. Meat is only served about half the week, so to hit his protein goal Kipchoge drinks mala, a local sour milk, says Bettonviel. Every 6 ounces has about 7 grams of protein, making it comparable to kefir found in most stateside dairy aisles. 

Bettonviel also introduced a high-protein porridge to the camp menu (Kipchoge eats it with fruit after training) made with whey protein and teff, an ancient grain that offers 10 grams of protein per cooked cup. You can DIY by mixing a half scoop of protein powder with whole-grain teff—stocked at many grocery stores and sold on Amazon—and cook it similarly to oatmeal. Alternatively, Kodiak Cakes makes oatmeal with whey protein and 12 grams of protein per serving. 

4. MEDITATE TO BUILD MENTAL STRENGTH

KIPCHOGE IS AN especially mindful runner, says his coach Patrick Sang. While training and racing, he focuses on his breath and his movements, and aims to minimize outside distractions. It’s a skill that helps him embrace the pain and challenges of a marathon. 

Mindfulness—a practice of focusing your awareness on the moment, with a kind and curious attention in a nonjudgmental attitude—can benefit any runner, says Corrie Falcon, director of mindfulness-based training for athletes at the University of San Diego Center for Mindfulness. Resting your attention on elements of a present moment, like your breath, heartbeat, or even a drip of sweat, can prevent you from getting caught in an inner dialogue mid-training or competition that may unravel your focus. 

“In moments of high stress before or during a race, mindfulness has been shown to reduce the production of stress hormones, reduce blood pressure and heart rate, improve emotional regulation, and promote relaxation in the body,” says Tara Zinnamon, PhD, a neuroscientist and meditation teacher. 

Kipchoge credits his focused, spartan lifestyle for developing mindfulness, but it can also be cultivated through a consistent mindfulness routine. Even just 12 minutes of guided meditation five days a week for one month can be effective, says Amishi Jha, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. 

If guided meditation seems outside your comfort zone, Falcon recommends a strategy you can try while running. She describes it as a “sense practice.” Run in silence. For two minutes, focus on what you see, then focus on sound, followed by what sensations you feel, and then smell. “And when you have a thought, label it ‘thought’ or ‘thinking’ and return to the present moment experience through the senses,” says Falcon.

5. BUILD BONUS ENDURANCE ON A BIKE

TO BOOST HIS training volume without increasing his risk of a running injury, Kipchoge rides a stationary bike for an hour twice a week after his runs. 

Cycling is a concentric (shortening) muscle-contraction activity, which is easier for muscles to recover from, says Colorado-based coach Bobby McGee, who has worked with runners and triathletes (including Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen) for more than three decades. In running, the primary loading is eccentric (lengthening), which is more demanding and damaging. 

“A one-hour endurance run is limited by leg fatigue, not heart and lung fatigue. A two-hour ride doubles the cardio conditioning but has minimal leg-muscle damage,” says McGee. 

Kipchoge spins at an easy pace, which he says also helps reduce muscle soreness. “Cycling is a far more effective recovery modality than an easy run, especially for bigger runners with a slower cadence,” says McGee. He recommends cycling no more than twice weekly and for less than 20 percent of your overall training time. 

(04/30/2023) Views: 702 ⚡AMP
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Paris Olympics introduces new mixed relay race-walking marathon

On April 8, World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new Olympic event in athletics that will debut at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The new event is the race walk marathon mixed relay, which will feature 25 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete, who will complete the marathon distance (42.195 km) in four alternating legs of 10.54 km.

The event, scheduled to take place at 7.30 a.m. on Aug. 7, 2024, will be held on the same course as the individual race walking events at the foot of the world’s iconic Eiffel Tower.  

The relay event will replace the men’s 50 km race walk, which was dropped following its last appearance at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The 50 km race walk had appeared on every Olympic program since the event made its debut at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles (apart from Montreal 1976). 

World Athletics had proposed the inclusion of the women’s 50 km event, but the IOC rejected the idea, which led to a consultation between the IOC and World Athletics on this new mixed-gender relay event. 

Canadian Olympian and the reigning Olympic 50 km bronze medallist, Evan Dunfee, was unhappy to hear the news regarding the new event, especially after the 50 km race was cut for a more gender-balanced competition.

“In 2017, we were told there was no way to have a women’s 50 km walk in Tokyo because it was ‘impossible’ to change the program three years out. Now, less than 500 days away from the start of the 2024 Olympics, we’ve had our event completely changed,” Dunfee said on Twitter. “There is no endurance event for the race walk, which is what the event needs to be to make any sense.”

The current Olympic race walk program for the Paris Games has two individual 20 km race walk events and the mixed marathon relay. 

When asked about the future of the sport, Dunfee shared, “Sadly, I suspect by Brisbane 2032, race walking will cease to exist.”

(04/12/2023) Views: 456 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

For this historic event, the City of Light is thinking big! Visitors will be able to watch events at top sporting venues in Paris and the Paris region, as well as at emblematic monuments in the capital visited by several millions of tourists each year. The promise of exceptional moments to experience in an exceptional setting! A great way to...

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Russian doping ban lifted, but Ukraine war keeps athletes out

Russia and its athletes will remain banned from competition due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

On Thursday afternoon, the World Athletics Council announced the reinstatement of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) following a seven-year doping suspension. Despite their reinstatement into the sport, however, Russia will remain banned from competition due to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“Athletes and officials for Russia and Belarus are still excluded for the foreseeable future due to the invasion of Ukraine,” said World Athletics president Seb Coe.

In the case that Russia decides to leave Ukraine, Coe says his instinct is that the ban would be reversed, allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in all World Athletics events.

According to Rune Andersen, who served as the head of the World Athletics Task Force around reinstating the RusAF, told the WA Council that all required conditions have ultimately been met. RusAF has also accepted the ruling stating that there must be no backsliding from the new position.

“I believe RusAF still has a lot of progress to be made,” said Coe. RusAF has to follow 35 “special conditions” intended to ensure that anti-doping reforms remain in place, and continue to operate effectively. These special conditions will continue to be reviewed over the next three years.

The RusAF has been suspended from competing in World Athletics events since 2015 due to multiple doping violations. They are currently not eligible to host World Athletics events or send teams to international championships due to the World Athletics sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.

“The integrity of our major international competitions has already been substantially damaged by the actions of the Russian and Belarusian governments through the hardship inflicted on Ukrainian athletes and the destruction of Ukraine’s sports systems,” said Coe in a press release. “Russian and Belarusian athletes, many of whom have military affiliations, should not be beneficiaries of these actions.”

The World Athletics stance on Russia continues to contrast with that of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is working to allow Russian and Belarusian competitors to participate in international competition and the Paris 2024 Games, as neutral athletes.

The reinstatement of RusAF was one of four noteworthy announcements to come from the 2023 World Athletics Council meetings. 

 

 

(03/24/2023) Views: 581 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine
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Emma Coburn’s baked “fried” chicken sandwich

American Olympic medalist Emma Coburn knows a thing or two about fueling as an athlete. She has been a professional runner since 2013, and in that time she has won two world championships medals (one gold and one silver) and Olympic bronze. Without knowing how to properly fuel during training, Coburn’s resume might not be so colorful.

On top of her illustrious career as a pro, she has also written a cookbook, The Runner’s Kitchen, that shares her favorite recipes with fellow athletes. Here is one of her favorites, a baked “fried” chicken sandwich. Not sure how something can be baked and fried? Don’t worry, we’ll explain. 

Ingredients 

Coburn shared more than just the recipe for the chicken itself, adding directions for making pickled onions and a sauce to top the sandwich. She also notes that these recipes will serve “two hungry people or three to four light eaters.” For the chicken, you will need the following ingredients. 

two chicken breasts

3/4 cup flour 

1/2 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon chilli powder

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon creole seasoning

two eggs

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

brioche buns 

For the pickled onion, grab these ingredients. 

1/2 red onion

one cup white vinegar  

1/4 cup warm water

two tablespoons salt

two tablespoons sugar 

For a spicy sauce, use these:

1/4 cup plain yogurt 

1/4 cup mayonnaise

two tablespoons sriracha sauce

Directions 

Starting with the pickled onions, thinly slice your half red onion. Put your vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a jar, then shake until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the onion slices and close or cover the jar. For your sauce, combine the three ingredients and mix. 

With the chicken, start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Slice the chicken so the pieces are around half an inch thick and divide into three separate sections. Next, pat your chicken dry with a paper towel. 

In one bowl, combine the flour and spices, and in another bowl, beat your eggs. Have a third bowl set aside for your breadcrumbs. Toss your chicken slices into the first bowl of flour and spices, coating each piece with the mixture. Then, dip the chicken in the beaten egg mix. Put it back into the flour and spices once more before dipping it in the breadcrumbs, coating each piece. Place your chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes (or longer if the chicken doesn’t fully cook in this time). 

Once your chicken is ready, serve on brioche buns topped with your pickled onions and sauce. Coburn recommends adding a side of sweet potato fries or salad. 

(03/03/2023) Views: 520 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine
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Turn Your Running Shoes into Spiked Winter Weapons

If you live in a region where winter conditions-snow, ice, slush-make it tough to run outdoors because of slippery footing, you can invest in enhanced traction so you can keep training consistently. While you can sometimes get by running through snow and slush just by wearing trail running shoes with knobby lugs, there are three ways to improve your running shoes for snowy and icy wintry surfaces, ranging from affordable to relatively expensive.

DIY Running Shoe Spikes for Winter Traction

For about five dollars, you can modify your existing shoes for better traction on ice. An old pair of trainers can get a second life as your winter running shoes simply by inserting metal screws around the perimeter of the outsole to create custom spiked shoes.

How to screw spikes into your running shoes

Go to your local hardware store or home improvement center and buy a small box of -inch #6 hex head sheet metal screws (get at least 8 for each shoe). 

Mark out where you'll insert the screws around the shoe. It's best to place them only in the perimeter of the shoe, even though some maximally cushioned shoes have a thick enough midsole that would keep them from poking the bottom of your feet. 

Use a 1/16" diameter drill bit to drill starter holes for the screws, or start the process by pushing a nail or thick pin or needle into the first layer of the outsole. 

Once the screw is started, use a (powered or manual) screwdriver to submerge the screw into the shoe so the flange is flush with the outsole.

For more aggressive traction, consider getting an Ice Spike kit for about $20-$25, or a La Sportiva Hobnails kit for $59.

It's important to note that none of these DIY options are perfect solutions for everyday winter running, because those screws can fall out or get torn out. But they can usually get you through the season, and that's all most runners really need. However, if you're looking for a hardier solution, try getting a pair of dedicated winter running shoes.

Over Spikes for Winter Running

Like snow chains for your car, after-market over spikes pull over your shoes for better grip. Winter running spikes offer improved traction, though they can feel slighty awkward under your feet, especially on harder surfaces. That's because there is a bit of a disruption of the foot-to-ground proprioceptive connection. 

The Yaktrax Pro ($35) is best for running on snowy roads. It provides traction from metal wire coiled around a stretchy elastomer frame that criss-crosses the bottom of the shoe.

Black Diamond's Distance Spike ($99) is great on snowy roads or trails. The spikes are essentially a running-specific crampon device that includes a series of five aggressive metal claws connected by a small metal chain under the shoe and an elastic rubberized frame that is secured over the top of the shoe.

If deeper snow is on the way, try Kahtoola MICROspikes ($75). Almost identical to the Black Diamond product, the Kahtoola MICROspikes are slightly beefier and heavier. Kahtoola also makes a multi-purpose EXOspikes ($63) and a favorite for hard-packed snow, Kahtoola NANOspikes ($50). The Kahtoolas are the best models we've tested, but each is slightly different in its design, so research carefully to identify the best winter running spikes for the conditions you're facing.

Winter Running Shoes for Snow and Ice

Dedicated spiked shoes are best for runners who often find themselves on icy and snowy roads, bike paths and trails. They may be overkill for standard trail usage, however. Though they'll run pretty well on mostly dirt trails, these winter spiked shoes can actually be slippery on trails with a lot of rocks.

There are a few brands that make these specialty winter running shoes, with some of the top models being the Norda 001 G+ Spike ($270), Salomon Spikecross 5 Gore-Tex ($185) and IceBug Pytho6 ($190).

Each of those are rugged trail running shoes that have been enhanced with traction from tiny, carbide tipped metal spikes embedded in the outsole. They're moderately expensive, but if you're only running in them 25 to 50 times every winter, they'll definitely last for many seasons.

(02/26/2023) Views: 648 ⚡AMP
by Trail Runner Magazine
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Two more Kenyans banned, Barsosio and Chebiwott land a two-year ban each over doping

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has given athletes Stellah Barsosio and Gloria Kite Chebiwott two-year doping suspensions.

The development was announced on Monday by ADAK, whose mission is to defend athletes' fundamental rights to take part in a doping-free sport in the nation.

Chebiwott, 25, received the suspension after being found guilty of violating the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules by utilizing an illegal drug called anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS).  Her sample was obtained for analysis in May 2022.

“The Tribunal notes that there’s no dispute between the athlete and the applicant that a prohibited substance S1.1. Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)/Androsterone, Adiols, Pregnanediol11-ketoetiocholanolone, Etiocholanolone (Etio), testosterone, 5a-androstanediol, and 15 epitestosterone were present in the athlete’s body and thus resulting in an AAF,” the ruling read.

The penalty for the silver medalist in the 10,000m race at the 2019 Valencia Ibercaja has been backdated to August 12, 2022, and it will remain until August 12, 2024.

“Consequently and the discussion on merits of this case, the Tribunal imposes the following consequences: a) The period of ineligibility (non-participation in both local and international events) for the Respondent Athlete shall be for two (2) years from the date of mandatory provisional suspension that is with effect from August 12, 2022,” they ruled.

Barsosio, a former winner of the NN Marathon Rotterdam, was disqualified due to the presence of the banned chemical trimetazidine in her sample.

“Hormone and Metabolic Modulators/Trimetazidine which is prohibited under S4 of the 2022 WADA prohibited list was found in the respondent’s urine samples. This is a non-specified substance and is prohibited at all times as per the WADA Prohibited List of 2022.

"The Respondent will be ineligible (unable to participate in both national and international tournaments) for a period of two years beginning on August 17, 2022, the date of the mandatory temporary suspension, according to her decision.

Barsosio, who has five marathon victories to her credit, will have her suspension retroactively applied; it will start on August 17, 2022, and end on August 16, 2024.

The development comes exactly a month after World Athletics showered flowery words on Kenya for waging a successful war against substance abuse.

As cases of anti-doping infractions involving its athletes went overboard, member federations increased pressure on WA to enforce the rules, and the East African sports powerhouse narrowly avoided being banned.

(02/10/2023) Views: 535 ⚡AMP
by Tony Mballa
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Belarusian coach charged after 2020 Olympics defection scandal

Belarusian coach Yury Maisevich was charged by the AIU for the defection of Belarus sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya during the Tokyo Olympics.

On Thursday morning, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) laid charges against Belarusian coach Yury Maisevich for his treatment of sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who defected to Poland during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

One day before Tsimanouskaya was due to compete in the women’s 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, she accused officials from the Belarus Olympic Committee of forcing her to compete in the 4x400m relay without her consent. She complained about the situation in a video on social media, which led to criticism by the Belarus media, which claimed she lacked team spirit.

She was forced to miss her 200m race because of the incident. The next day she was taken to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and sent home, but she refused to board the flight back to Belarus.

The national team coach, Maisevich, and Belarusian Olympic official Artur Shumak both had their accreditation revoked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after Tsimanouskaya claimed she was taken to the airport against her will. She sought help from the police in Japan; two weeks later, Tsimanouskaya, 26, received a humanitarian visa to Poland and safe passage to the country, which borders Belarus. She later became a Polish citizen, and is currently studying at the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw.

In Sept. 2021,  IOC and World Athletics referred the matter to the AIU, charging Maisevich with breaching standards outlined in the Integrity Code of Conduct.

The AIU is an independent body created by World Athletics to manage all integrity issues (both doping-related and non-doping-related) for the sport of athletics.

The head of the AIU, Brett Clothier, explained in a press release: “An important role of the AIU is to safeguard athletes and protect them from harassment.”

The AIU alleges that, with respect to the circumstances of Tsimanouskaya’s removal from the Olympics,  “Maisevich did not act with integrity and acted in bad faith; failed to safeguard the athlete’s dignity and his actions constituted verbal and mental harassment; and that he brought athletics generally into disrepute.”

The AIU has not revealed the specifics of the charge and the implications for Maisevich’s future in the sport are not clear.

(01/19/2023) Views: 637 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson
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You cannot perform well in a polluted environment Says Eliud Kipchoge

Protecting the environment is a priority for many in 2023, and athletes like Eliud Kipchoge are leading the way.

In 2020, the Kenyan double Olympic gold medalist and world record holder adopted 50 hectares of forest land in the Kaptagat Forest near where he spends most of the year training at high altitude.

“If you train in a polluted environment, then you cannot perform,” marathon great Kipchoge told the BBC from his homeland.

“Kaptagat Forest made a huge difference in my career. I’ve been here for the last 20 years and without this forest, and staying in the area, I think that I could not be where I am today.”

“I realized that the only way to perform and to actually enjoy running is by training in a good place, breathing clean air.”

A year later, the distance-running great decided to create a foundation that focused on education and the environment, including planting trees.

To date, Kipchoge has adopted 130 hectares of forest, and claims that it’s ‘just the start’.

His wider goals include adopting a forest in every country in which he would plant indigenous trees.

Kipchoge revealed the principles he employs in his daily routine in order to help protect the environment, in an interview with Olympics.com for Earth Day 2022:

 “Every day is Earth day for me,” Kipchoge told Olympics.com.

“I have improved my lifestyle to help fight climate change. I walk more, I minimize my water usage and I always try to encourage others to plant a tree on an important day or anniversary.

"My daily green effort is walking. I walk as much as I can instead of driving everywhere, so I can minimize my emissions."

Creating Africa’s Olympic Forest

Protecting the environment is also an area of focus for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In 2021, the IOC started an initiative to grow 590,000 native trees across approximately 90 villages in Mali and Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games host nation Senegal.

The Olympic Forest is an important element of the IOC’s strategy to address climate change, which includes cutting emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, and reducing the impact of the organisation’s footprint. With an end-goal to become climate positive, the IOC is set to cut its emissions 30 percent by 2024 and 50 percent by 2030, and compensate more than its remaining emissions.

While planting trees will help to protect the environment, the project also aims to create wider social and economic benefits for communities in Mali and Senegal that are heavily impacted by droughts and floods.

(01/04/2023) Views: 664 ⚡AMP
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Five reasons your running Performance is not improving

Can’t seem to improve your running speed?

Why are you stalling?

What should you do to take your running performance to the next level?

If you’re looking for answers to these questions, then today you’re in the right place.

Here’s the PAINFUL TRUTH.

Even the most driven runners can see their running performance hit rock bottom.

Many things can trigger such a decline—most of them are fixable, but some more serious.

Knowing which is which—that’s where the challenge lies.

But fret no more.

Lets look at some of the main reasons you’re losing running performance as well as what to do to amend your situation—or prevent it altogether.

Sounds great?

Let’s lace up and dig in.

Note—Get checked by a medical professional to rule out any serious conditions such as heart, blood, thyroid, or other health issues as the culprit behind the decline in your running performance.

I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet.

1. Overtraining

The law of diminishing returns is a universal decree that applies to most aspects of life—training is no exception.

Assuming that you’re in good health and don’t have any underlying issues, the most likely reason you’re losing the spring in your step could be overtraining.

The Fix

To help prevent overtraining, alternate between hard and easy training days and take one day off a week.

On day one, you run hard, feel sore the next day then go easy for as many days as it takes for the soreness to subside.

For example, on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, do high-quality sessions, such as intervals, hill reps, and tempo workouts.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, feel free to cross-train or run easy. Then, take a full rest day on Sunday.

You should also keep tabs on overtraining symptoms.

You’re likely in an overtrained state if you’re experiencing more than a couple of the following:

Elevated heart rate

Depressed mood and irritability

Loss of appetite

Chronic aches and pains

Fatigue

Poor sleep

Unwanted weight loss

Altered sleep patterns

Colds and the flu.

2. Not Eating Enough

Food plays a critical role in running performance.

Skimping on calories means mediocre performance and slower times.

That’s why when you’re logging serious miles, you’d need to make sure that your overall calorie intake fits your exercise level and body needs.

Just keep in mind that proper fueling before, during, and after running requires experimentation.

There’s no such thing as a universal rule that applies to everyone.

The Fix

It’s simple.

Eat more.

As a runner, your daily fuel needs exceed those of the average sedentary person.

It’s not uncommon for serious runners to have calorie needs exceeding 2,400-3000 calories per day.

What’s more?

Consume the right proportions of carbohydrates, protein, and fats (50%/30%/20% is a good guideline to follow).

As a rule, get your carbs from good sources such as veggies, fruits, and whole grains instead of processed foods.

You should also shoot for more protein after a hard run to help with recovery.

And don’t shy away from healthy sources of fat—they’re good for you.

Your pre-run choices also matter.

If you’re running hard or for more than 45 or so minutes, it helps to have something in the tank first before braving the outdoors.

I’d recommend any of these snacks.

What else?

Keeping your body well-hydrated is also key.

Proper hydration helps carry nutrients to your cells and flush out your organs.

Shoot for 60 to 90 ounces of water per day, depending on your training intensity, sweat rate, training duration, etc.

3. Respect The Weather

The weather has a great impact on your running performance.

Heat is, in particular, problematic as it impacts your athletic performance by raising your heart rate and making you prone to dehydration—which slows you down drastically.

Try running in 92 degrees heat with lots of humidity, and your chest will feel like it’s being compressed by an invisible vise a couple of miles in.

While it’s not as challenging as summer running, running in the cold is also tricky.

Snow, ice, wind, slippery surfaces, muddy trails, and freezing temperatures can wear on you and slow you down.

In other words, you simply can’t run as fast when the weather isn’t on your side.

The Fix

Running in weather extremes is the ideal opportunity to work on the skill of running by feel.

Instead of adhering to your typical pace targets, run by effort and time instead of pace and distance.

Focus on your breathing and how you feel.

Then re-adjust your pace accordingly—toss your GPS watch to the side.

4. You’re Doing The Same Runs

A common mistake many runners make is doing most of their training at the same pace.

But the truth is: if you want to push the pace, you need to run fast.

Different types of training trigger different types of physiological adaptation.

Low to moderate effort runs are key for building an endurance base, strengthening key muscles, and improving overall health.

The Fix

If you want to reach your running potential, you don’t want to repeat the same run every day.

During the course of a week, your running schedule should include a variety of running workouts from easy recovery runs to challenging race-pace intervals.

Easy, mild, and intense runs all have their benefits.

Each run has to have a purpose.

Don’t push too hard when your run is supposed to be easy, but when you have an interval session on schedule, give it your all.

Schedule at least one to two faster-paced workouts per week, like a simple fartlek session.

You can also perform strides to at the end of your easy runs a few times per week.

5. You’re Not Sleeping Enough

Your performance improves when your body recovers from and adapts to the training stimulus—a process that requires sleep, and lots of it.

Sleep can’t be overlooked, yet a lot of runners disregard it.

Your performance doesn’t improve when you’re cranking out hard reps during a track workout or going for a long run.

In fact, sleep time is your body’s prime time for repair.

Research has revealed that sleep-deprived athlete reports reaching a point of exhaustion about 10 percent faster than well-rested athletes.

What’s more?

Research has also shown that inadequate sleep can also result in increased fatigue, hormone irregularity, low energy, poor focus, mood swings, etc.

The Fix

Aim to sleep at seven to nine hours during the night’s time.

Do the following to improve your sleep.

Go to bed and wake up at consistent times.

Cultivate a cool-down and window routine before you go to sleep.

Avoid heavy dinners or stimulants in the two to three hours before going to bed.

Reduce blue light exposure in the evening.

Avoid consuming caffeine late in the evening

Conclusion

There you have it.

The above covers some of the most reasons why you’re losing your running performance as well as what to do about it.

The rest is just a matter of implementation.

(12/28/2022) Views: 1,095 ⚡AMP
by Runner´s Blueprint
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Want to Run Faster? Here’s How to Do It, increasing your speed and endurance with these tips

There’s no doubt about it: Running can be hard. But it doesn’t have to be!

“The goal of running faster,” says professional marathoner Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce, “is to run more economically and use the least amount of energy that you can.”

This becomes particularly important in long-distance running. After you’ve run 20 miles, the last thing you want to do is expend any extra energy — you don’t have much of it left! With a few smart tweaks to your routine, you can run much more efficiently with the energy you have — without having to pop an extra gel.

5 Tips to Run Faster, Starting Now

1. Roll Out.

You may foam roll after your workouts, but if you’re not foam rolling before, your body may not be ready for the workload you’re about to subject it to, says Daniel Viera, USA Triathlon Full Throttle Endurance coach. “Most of the time, the muscles can handle it,” he says, “but you want to make sure the tendons, ligaments and joints are ready.” Be sure to hit the glutes, hamstrings, quads, hips, calves and IT bands, spending 30 to 60  seconds on each muscle group before launching into your dynamic warm-up.

2. Drill, baby, drill!

Running fast isn’t about just running forward in a straight line. Drills such as butt kicks, high knees and Russian kicks (resting on one leg and kicking the other) increase proprioception (one’s perception of his or her body and the strength of effort being used in movement) and coordination, says Viera. He recommends beginning the drills slowly and increasing speed and velocity as you get comfortable with them. The payoff: Your body will learn to fire the correct muscles at the proper time.

3. Mix up the pace.

Running your fastest speed at every workout isn’t the key to getting faster, says Viera. As counterintuitive as it sounds, running slower can actually help you get faster! He suggests mixing things up with a slow endurance run, a tempo run and some speed work at a track at least once a week. “Working on your heart, lungs and muscles is the key to becoming a more efficient runner.”

4. Make your form work for you.

Guilty of swinging your arms across your body when you run? “The side to side motion is wasted energy for your arms as it forces your hips to counter the motion instead of powering you in a forward motion,” says Rothstein-Bruce (who runs a 2:29 marathon, so she knows a thing or two about running efficiently). She recommends practicing seated arm drills by sitting with the legs at 90 degrees and swinging your arms back like you’re beating a drum. And when it comes to “running tall,” imagine someone is pulling you up by your hair while maintaining a slight forward lean.

5. Get new sneakers!

Often, pounding the pavement in old sneakers can lead to injury, says Viera, and injured muscles are certainly not as efficient. Make sure to get fitted for new sneakers every 300 to 500 miles. And be sure to properly break them in by walking for a few miles before lacing up for a long run.

(12/24/2022) Views: 389 ⚡AMP
by Theodora Blanchfield
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Russian Natalya Antyukh officially loses London 2012 gold after not appealing doping sanctions

Russia's Natalya Antyukh has had her results from the 2012 Olympic Games in London officially disqualified, allowing a reallocation of medals from the women's 400 metres hurdles final, more than 10 years later.

Antyukh had her results from the Games officially disqualified in October, but was allowed time to appeal the decision.

Following the expiration of the 45-day deadline, she had all results from July 15 in 2012 to June 29 the following wiped from her record, including the gold medal-winning run at London 2012.

This means Lashinda Demus from the United States is set to be awarded the gold medal retrospectively.

Demus was pipped in a photo finish with Antyukh in the final, with the Russian crossing the line in 52.70sec to the American's 52.77.

Czech Republic's Zuzana Hejnová, who would go on to win back-to-back World Championships titles in 2013 and 2015, has been promoted to silver, while Jamaican Kaliese Spencer will receive the bronze medal.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) charged the hurdler based on historical data at the former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Moscow.

Antyukh, now 41, was given a four-year-ban last year and had already had results wiped from June 30 in 2013 to December 31 in 2015.

World Athletics has changed its results on its website, with the AIU confirming in a statement that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could now award the medals as planned.

"The IOC may now proceed with the reallocation of medals and the update of the IOC database," read the AIU statement.

"The AIU remains committed to investigating all cases of potential violations and securing the appropriate outcomes. 

"The integrity of the sport of athletics is our utmost priority and we are pleased, in this instance, that athletes who competed fairly at the highest level will ultimately be acknowledged as the rightful medal winners."

AIU head Brett Clothier added that it was important to ensure "clean and fair competition and results, even if a decade later".

Antyukh is one of a record 46 Russian competitors at London 2012 disqualified for doping, leading to the country being stripped of 17 medals, including nine in athletics.

She also won silver in the women's 4x400m relay at London 2012, but this medal was already stripped six years ago when her team-mate Antonina Krivoshapka was given a doping ban and her results were disqualified.

Her results are not disqualified from before July 2012, meaning her 2011 world bronze and 2010 European gold medals - as well as her Athens 2004 400m bronze - still remain in her possession.

(12/22/2022) Views: 585 ⚡AMP
by Michael Houston
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The Importance of Injury Prevention in Winter

Winter is a risky time of year.

"I simply must go run," you might say in the doldrums of January.

"But, baby it's cold outside," your foot, shin or hip whispers back.

There are many reasons why your body might instinctively want to avoid running in winter. The frigid temperatures make muscles and joints tighter, and thus more injury prone. The darkness and the slippery, snowy, hard, frozen ground make it easier to misstep or fall. The cooler temperatures allow you to run faster than you would in summer, increasing impact forces.

While peer-reviewed studies on the subject are limited, a 2014 master's thesis reviewed the literature and found that "the injury rate for musculoskeletal injuries was higher in the winter months." That thesis project is by no means definitive. However, anecdotally, I have noticed a similar pattern for athletes I coach. Take these easy steps to prevent your body from rebelling.

1. Focus on a warm-up, and do it in a warm location

Starting a winter run cold reduces proprioception (ground feel), and subjects tight muscles and tendons to excess injury risk. Don't wait for the first few miles to pass before you can feel your feet-start the workout inside instead.

Before each run, do a complete warm-up indoors, like this one combining lunges, leg swings, and light jogging in place, adapted from Coach Jay Johnson. Evidence indicates that warm ups may reduce injury risk. At the very least, it will make you feel less like an icicle and more like a well-oiled machine when you get out the door. To step it up a notch, run your legs under hot water in the shower pre-run.

2. Keep your feet, knees and muscles warm while running

Running with cold joints and muscles is like typing on a typewriter-it can work, but there is less margin for error and you'll probably go slower, too. One study on rats found that muscles below core temperature were more prone to tearing. Across the U.S., stress fractures increase in winter (that statistic includes non-runners). Being cold is just plain miserable, too, unless you were born and raised in North Dakota or are an actual penguin.

During your run, err on the side of more clothes to insulate your feet, shins and knees. There is no honor in wearing shorts in freezing temperatures, and it could raise injury risk for some people. A base layer of flexible tights is a great option. 

3. When in doubt, use more traction

If I had a dime for every time I fell after thinking I didn't need trail shoes or extra traction, I would really benefit from the new tax bill. All it takes is one slippery patch to ruin a season. Anecdotally, excess slipping with each stride (even if not accompanied by a fall) seems to increase risk of hip and low-back injuries in winter.

I advise athletes to find an everyday trail shoe that can work for dry and wet conditions. On extra-icy days, add a slip-on traction device. By taking out the daily decision-making, you can prevent yourself from making a poor choice that results in a faceplant or, even worse, a knee-plant or hip-plant.

4. Use a post-run routine to prevent injuries

After you finish a winter run, it's tempting to go straight to the hot cocoa or hot toddy or hot coddy (hot cocoa with bourbon). But spending a few extra minutes on a strength and mobility routine can make you more resistant to injuries and improve your running economy by improving power transfer.

Coach Jay Johnson's myrtl routine is a great place to start when developing your own plan. Add some relaxed leg strength work and 5 to 10 minutes of foam rolling, and you'll be doing everything you can to injury-proof your running life.

5. Stay hydrated and fueled

Cold weather can throw everything for a loop. Hydration can feel optional ("I'm not sweating because it's cold, right?") and nutrition rules can get stretched ("Eggnog is basically a recovery shake, right?"). But hydration and fueling are two of the most important elements of staying healthy, and two that are completely under your control.

For hydration, let your pee be your guide. You don't want to be peeing coca cola or vodka-a light yellow is perfect. Dehydration is bad for performance and injury prevention, but so is over-hydration, so just make sure you drink (water) responsibly.

Negative energy availability (not consuming enough calories for your activity level) is the biggest risk of all when it comes to staying injury free. Whenever you are training, keep the fuel coming and avoid stigmatizing any food. Work on getting plenty of fat, protein and carbohydrates. When in doubt, all food is good food for a runner in training, be it a stir-fry or a gingerbread house.

(12/18/2022) Views: 709 ⚡AMP
by Trail Runner Magazine
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10 years later: Pamela Jelimo to receive London Olympics bronze

Though out of the public limelight, the history-making Pamela Jelimo is still winning.

Jelimo, the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal with her exploits in 800m at the 2008 Beijing Summers Games, is set to receive yet another medal.

Jelimo, the 2008 Africa 800m and 2012 World Indoor 800m champion, who finished fourth in one minute and 57.59 second set to benefit after race winner Mariya Savinova from Russia, was stripped of the gold medal for doping.

Jelimo, who celebrated her 32nd birthday on December 5, is set to receive her bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympic Games on Wednesday at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) office, Gallant House, Nairobi.

Legendary Kipchoge Keino, who is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member alongside NOC-K president, Paul Tergat, will preside over the presentation ceremony.   

South Africa’s Caster Semenya and another Russian Ekaterina Poistogova, who had settled for silver and bronze, were scaled to gold and silver with their times of 1:57.23 and 1:57.53 respectively.

Kenya’s 2007 World 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei, who had settled eighth in the race in 2:00.19 and Hellen Obiri, who came eighth in women’s 1,500m at the same Olympics, will receive their certificates.

Another Russian Elena Arzhakova, who finished sixth in 1:59.21 in the same race was also banned for having doped too.

With Savinova and Arzhakova banned, Jepkosgei, who had settled eighth in the race in 2:00.19 was upgraded to sixth.

On November 9, 2015, the Independent Commission Investigation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) asked for a lifetime ban for doping for Savinova, who had won gold and Poistogova, who had won bronze.

In February 2017, it was announced that Savinova was stripped of her gold medal but Poistogova was suspended in 2017 for two years, backdated to October 2014. Her London result, though, was not affected.

Alysia Johnson Montaño (1:57.93) from the United States of America and Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba (1:59.63) finished fourth and fifth in the women’s 800m final.

A record four athletes that finished ahead of Obiri, who had settled 12th, were suspended for doping- Aslı Çakır Alptekin and Gamze Bulut from Turkey, who had won gold and silver respectively, Natallia Kareiva of Belarus, who had finished fifth and Russian Yekaterina Kostetskaya, who came sixth.

Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain), Tatyana Tomashova (Russia) and Abeba Aregawi (Ethiopia) were all scaled to gold, silver and bronze.

Aregwai, who changed allegiance to Sweden was suspended for doping in 2016.

This is the second time Olympics medals or certificates are being awarded in Kenya years later.

Asbel Kiprop received his gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Nairobi in 2011 after the winner,  Rashid Ramzi , was flagged down for doping.

(12/07/2022) Views: 729 ⚡AMP
by Ayumba Ayodi
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Trans female athletes: banning them from elite competition not supported by science, report says

Areview of the available literature on transgender female athletes who have taken steps to reduce their testosterone concludes there is no legitimate basis for their being banned from elite competition. “Transgender Women Athletes and Elite Sport: A Scientific Review”, commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), considered English-language scientific studies with a biomedical or sociocultural slant, as well as some “grey” (non-academic) literature published between 2011 and 2021, and focused on the science of testosterone and its effect on sports performance.

The review’s authors report there’s no evidence that trans women retain a performance benefit after 12 months of testosterone suppression. However, CCES president and CEO Paul Melia underlined the need for further research while urging that trans female athletes be included and welcomed in women’s elite and high-performance sports until the evidence shows significant harm or lack of fairness to other participants.

The review points out that there is almost no research on the performance advantage held by trans female athletes over cisgender women (those whose gender identity conforms to their birth sex) before and after HRT (hormone replacement therapy); they are presumed to have an unfair performance advantage based on studies using cis men or sedentary trans women rather than trans women athletes, and therefore the findings cannot be used to justify banning them from elite sport.

The report’s first Key Biomedical Finding states that “Biological data are severely limited, and often methodologically flawed.” The second says that “Some significant studies [on the impact of testosterone suppression] used misleading data sources and actively ignored contradictory evidence.” The third states that the available evidence shows that “trans women who have undergone testosterone suppression have no clear biological advantages over cis women in elite sport.”

The International Olympic Committee’s current guidelines on transgender women athletes, which date from 2015, require them to have suppressed their testosterone to not more than 10 nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months before competing at the Olympic Games; previous to 2015, they were required to have had sex-reassignment surgery. There was some effort to tighten the rules going into the 2020 Games by scientists who claimed the current rules were too lenient, but discussions did not result in a new policy.

The review, which was carried out by E-Alliance, a research hub for gender equity in sport led by Dr. Gretchen Kerr of the University of Toronto and Dr. Ann Pegoraro of the University of Guelph, dealt only with male-to-female transgender athletes in any sport and cautions that the results may not be applicable to non-binary or intersex athletes.  

(11/05/2022) Views: 754 ⚡AMP
by Anne Francis
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Why stretching is important for runners

Do you often get sore after exercising? Do your muscles feel taut and painful? If so, you’re not alone. Many runners find their muscles going tight after their daily workout. This is because some don’t incorporate stretching into their routine.

It’s a common belief that stretching only improves flexibility, but that’s not all. It also decreases your risk of injury and promotes blood flow to your muscles so that you don’t get cramps and stiff muscles. This is why athletes must include stretching in their daily activities, and this is equally true for runners; the benefits of stretching are too significant to ignore. To know more about why stretching is essential for runners, keep reading. 

1. Prevents Injury 

Stretching before running reduces the risk of injury. This is because when you stretch, your muscles expand and enhance your flexibility. As a result, you won’t suffer from injuries that correspond to taut muscles because now you have more room to twist and turn yourself. Your blood flow also increases, so your muscles will get enough oxygen and won’t become sore after your routine exercise. Stretching also decompresses your spine and joints, which helps relieve pain related to these areas.

2. Increases Range of Motion 

Repetitive athletic movements can cause tension to develop in your body. Through stretching, you decompress your joints. This ultimately increases your range of motion. You will feel that your performance also improves drastically. Runners require larger strides for better productivity, and stretching before the run will enable you to move with longer strides. 

3. Improve Posture 

A bad posture affects a running stride. One of the reasons why you experience back pain is because you don’t stretch. This affects your posture, and you might experience difficulty running. Stretching manipulates your joints and muscles, decompressing them and improving posture affecting your running pose as well. You will also experience relief in back and joint pain.

4. Impacts Mental Flexibility

Stress affects your flexibility as well. It tightens muscles and causes them to become taut. When you stretch, your body releases endorphins. These hormones reduce pain, and you feel positively good. This can help you decrease stress levels before a run so that they don’t hinder you and you perform your best.

5. Decreases Post-Run Aches

Stretching after a run will loosen your muscles so that you don’t suffer from cramps. It also decreases the risk of any ligament tear many people suffer from. So, runners need to stretch before and after a run. There are different types of stretches, such as active stretching, dynamic stretching, and proprioceptive stretching, to name a few, so be sure to follow a guideline and go for the ones that suit you the most. 

Endnote 

Incorporating stretches into your daily routine will help improve circulation and flexibility and increase your range of motion. It is especially beneficial for athletes. Stretching is a prerequisite for workouts or sports. It is a meditative and beneficial exercise that increases flexibility and range of motion and decreases the risk of injury. If you do suffer from a fall or any damage, stretching will help you recover faster by enhancing blood flow and alleviating soreness and tautness. 

However, stretching without any research and guidance can negatively impact you and cause an injury. You need to know the types of stretches and what proportions you should do them. Be careful and do not overexert yourself.

(09/19/2022) Views: 755 ⚡AMP
by Colorado Runner
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Want to Run Faster? Here’s How to Do It

There’s no doubt about it: Running can be hard. But it doesn’t have to be!

“The goal of running faster,” says professional marathoner Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce, “is to run more economically and use the least amount of energy that you can.”

This becomes particularly important in long-distance running. After you’ve run 20 miles, the last thing you want to do is expend any extra energy — you don’t have much of it left! With a few smart tweaks to your routine, you can run much more efficiently with the energy you have — without having to pop an extra gel.

5 Tips to Run Faster, Starting Now

1. Roll Out.

You may foam roll after your workouts, but if you’re not foam rolling before, your body may not be ready for the workload you’re about to subject it to, says Daniel Viera, USA Triathlon Full Throttle Endurance coach. “Most of the time, the muscles can handle it,” he says, “but you want to make sure the tendons, ligaments and joints are ready.” Be sure to hit the glutes, hamstrings, quads, hips, calves and IT bands, spending 30 to 60  seconds on each muscle group before launching into your dynamic warm-up.

2. Drill, baby, drill!

Running fast isn’t about just running forward in a straight line. Drills such as butt kicks, high knees and Russian kicks (resting on one leg and kicking the other) increase proprioception (one’s perception of his or her body and the strength of effort being used in movement) and coordination, says Viera. He recommends beginning the drills slowly and increasing speed and velocity as you get comfortable with them. The payoff: Your body will learn to fire the correct muscles at the proper time.

3. Mix up the pace.

Running your fastest speed at every workout isn’t the key to getting faster, says Viera. As counterintuitive as it sounds, running slower can actually help you get faster! He suggests mixing things up with a slow endurance run, a tempo run and some speed work at a track at least once a week. “Working on your heart, lungs and muscles is the key to becoming a more efficient runner.”

4. Make your form work for you.

Guilty of swinging your arms across your body when you run? “The side to side motion is wasted energy for your arms as it forces your hips to counter the motion instead of powering you in a forward motion,” says Rothstein-Bruce (who runs a 2:29 marathon, so she knows a thing or two about running efficiently). She recommends practicing seated arm drills by sitting with the legs at 90 degrees and swinging your arms back like you’re beating a drum. And when it comes to “running tall,” imagine someone is pulling you up by your hair while maintaining a slight forward lean.

5. Get new sneakers!

Often, pounding the pavement in old sneakers can lead to injury, says Viera, and injured muscles are certainly not as efficient. Make sure to get fitted for new sneakers every 300 to 500 miles. And be sure to properly break them in by walking for a few miles before lacing up for a long run.

(09/09/2022) Views: 843 ⚡AMP
by Theodora Blanchfield
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ADHD and runners: can diet help with management?

As a sports nutritionist, I commonly counsel runners and other athletes who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—generally referred to as ADHD (or ADD). ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention. It affects 4-10% of all American children and an estimated 4.4% of adults (ages 18-44 years). ADHD usually peaks when kids are 7 or 8 years old. Some of the ADHD symptoms diminish with maturation but 65-85% of the kids with AHDH go on to become adults with ADHD.

      Ideally, runners with ADHD get the help they need to learn how to manage their time and impulsiveness. Unfortunately, many youth athletes with ADHD just receive a lot of negative feedback because they have difficulty learning rules and strategies. This frustrates teammates and coaches. Older athletes with ADHD often run to reduce their excess energy, calm their anxiety, and help them focus on the task at hand. This article offers nutrition suggestions that might help coaches, friends, and parents, as well as runners with ADHD, learn how to calm the annoying ADHD behaviors.  

• To date, no clear scientific evidence indicates ADHD is caused by diet, and no specific dietary regime has been identified that resolves ADHD. High quality ADHD research is hard to do because the added attention given to research subjects with ADHD (as opposed to the special diet) can encourage positive behavior changes. But we do know that when & what a person eats plays a significant role in ADHD management and is an important complimentary treatment in combination with medication.

• ADHD treatment commonly includes medications such as Concerta, Ritalin & Adderall. These medications may enhance sports performance by improving concentration, creating a sense of euphoria, and decreasing pain. These meds are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Hence, runners who hope to compete at a high level are discouraged from taking ADHD medications

• To the detriment of ADHD runners, their meds quickly blunt the appetite. Hence, they (like all athletes) should eat a good breakfast before taking the medication.

• The medication-induced lack of appetite can thwart the scrawny teen runner who wants to gain weight and add muscle. Teens should be followed by their pediatricians, to be sure they stay on their expected growth path. If they fall behind, they could meet with a registered dietitian (RD) with knowledge of sports nutritionist (CSSD) to help them reach their weight goals.

• An easy way for “too thin” runners to boost calories is to swap water for milk (apart from during exercise). The ADHD athlete who does not feel hungry might find it easier to drink a beverage with calories than eat solid food. Milk (or milk-based protein shake or fruit smoothie) provides the fluid the athlete needs for hydration and simultaneously offers protein to help build muscles and stabilize blood glucose.

• A well-balanced diet is important for all runners, including those with ADHD. Everyone’s brain and body need nutrients to function well. No amount of vitamin pills can compensate for a lousy diet. Minimizing excess sugar, food additives, and artificial food dyes is good for everyone.

• Eating on a regular schedule is very important. All too often, high school runners with ADHD fall into the trap of eating too little at breakfast and lunch (due to meds), and then try to perform well during afterschool sports. An underfed brain gets restless, inattentive, and is less able to make good decisions. This can really undermine an athlete’s sports career

• Adults with ADHD can also fall into the same pattern of under-fueling by day, “forgetting” to eat lunch, then by late afternoon are hangry and in starvation mode. We all know what happens when any runner gets too hungry – impulsiveness, sugar cravings, too many treats, and fewer quality calories. This is a bad cycle for anyone and everyone.

• All runners should eat at least every four hours. The body needs fuel, even if the ADHD meds curb the desire to eat. ADHD runners can set a timer: breakfast at 7:00, first lunch at 11:00, second lunch at 3:00 (renaming snack as second lunch leads to higher-quality food), dinner at 7:00.

•For high school runners with ADHD, the second lunch can be split into fueling up pre-practice and refueling afterwards. This reduces the risk of arriving home starving and looking for (ultra-processed) foods that are crunchy, salty, and/or sweet.

• (Adult) runners with ADHD are often picky eaters and tend to prefer unhealthy snacks. For guidance on how to manage picky eating, click here for adults and here for kids.

• Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can be lacking on an ADHD runner’s food list. Their low fiber diet can lead to constipation. Fiber also feeds the zillions of microbes in their digestive tract that produce chemicals that can positively impact brain function and behavior. Everyone with ADHD should eat more fiber-rich foods like beans (hummus, refried beans in a burrito), seeds (chia, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame), and whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn). They offer not only fiber but also magnesium, known to calm nerves.

• With more research, we’ll learn if omega-3 fish oil supplements help manage the symptoms of ADHD. At least, eat salmon, tuna, and oily fish as often as possible, preferably twice a week, if not more.

•  Picky eaters who do not eat red meats, beans, or dark leafy greens can easily become iron deficient. Iron deficiency symptoms include interrupted sleep, fatigue, inattention, and poor learning and can aggravate ADHD. Iron deficiency is common among runners, especially females, and needs to be corrected with iron supplements.

• While sugar has the reputation of “ramping kids up”, the research is not conclusive about whether sugar itself triggers hyperactivity. The current thinking is the excitement of a party ramps kids up, more so than the sugary frosted cake. Yes, some runners are sugar-sensitive and know that sugar causes highs and crashes in their bodies. They should choose to limit their sugar intake and at least enjoy protein along with sweets, such as a glass of milk with the cookie, or eggs with a glazed donut. Moderation of sugar intake is likely more sustainable than elimination of all sugar-containing foods.

(08/27/2022) Views: 808 ⚡AMP
by Colorado Runner
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5 Run-Improving Exercises You Can Do During Daily Life

Improve your running by integrating these strength, mobility and balance exercises into your daily routine—so you’ll be sure to do them regularly. Improve your running by integrating these strength, mobility and balance exercises into your daily routine—so you'll be sure to do them regularly.

We all know we could benefit by doing exercises that compensate for the weakness and mobility issues caused by our mostly-sedentary lifestyles. But finding time to do them and doing them regularly enough to make a difference is difficult. I’ve found the key is to integrate them into my daily routines so that they become habitual by being linked to something I’m doing already, and they get done without taking up more time out of my busy schedule. Here are five creative strategies to fit essential balance, strength, and mobility exercises into your daily life.

Standing on one leg develops balance, proprioception and muscle activation required for effective running—which is, itself, a series of one leg stances. One easy way to integrate this into a daily habit is to stand on one leg while brushing your teeth every morning and night. Alternate legs, and as it gets easier, integrate some side leg lifts, swings and hip circles with the raised leg.

Another option I’ve found easy to make a habit is to stand whenever putting on pants, shoes socks and shoes. This provides a built-in dynamic challenge as you pull on each pant leg, reach for each sock, tug it on, reach for a shoe, get it on and tie it. Alternate which foot you start with, so each day you’re balancing barefoot on a different side. Once it becomes a habit, you don’t have to remind yourself to stand: It is just what you do to get dressed. You know you’re getting good when you can balance on one foot while putting on Injinji toe socks.

Glutes, which are the largest and most fatigue-resistant muscles in running, get ignored and lazy during our days of sitting. But adding exercises to our days sometimes seems like too much, and hard to remember to fit into a busy schedule.

For several years I’ve been doing air squats while grinding coffee beans with a hand-crank grinder. At first I had to focus to do 10 effective squats that used my glutes, not my quads. Now I can finish 15 bilateral squats and 10 single-leg squats on each side while cranking enough for an espresso.

Lately, I’ve alternated single-leg deadlifts and Tippy Twist exercises for the squats on some days. Most importantly, I can’t grind without doing exercises; it’s part of the same action in my mind.

Another option is to do exercises while your coffee (or tea) is brewing. Making coffee is something you do every day, and you have to wait for it anyway. Link the wait time to a habitual exercise and you’ll be more consistent and effective than ever at activating and strengthening target muscles.

Sitting puts our hips in a perpetually flexed position, so that our hip flexors become shortened and we lose essential hip mobility. Most of us can benefit from regularly stretching our hip flexors, but who has the time to take 3-5 minutes several times a day to focus on this?

The solution? Do the stretch at your work desk. Just push the chair back or to the side and kneel in a lunge position in front of your desk. Lift your torso tall, straighten the curve of your spine and rotate your pelvis backward—imagine an axle sticking straight out of your hip bone and you are rotating your hip around it, so that the front comes up and the back goes down. You should feel the stretch in the muscles at the front of your hip over your kneeling leg, and feel your glute contracting on that side.

Hold this position while you work on your computer. Five minutes per side goes quickly during the work day. I try to do this two or three times per day: mid-morning, after lunch, and when I need a change to loosen up and wake up during the late afternoon.

Feet also get ignored and coddled, with hours idle and stuffed under desks. It doesn’t take much focus to do regular foot exercises to activate and strengthen intrinsic muscles used for stability and propulsion while running—and no one needs to be the wiser.

Three easy exercises are the short foot, foot splay and toe yoga. For short foot, pull the ball of your foot toward the heel while keeping your toes flat and relaxed, doming and contracting the arch. Hold for 8 seconds and relax. Repeat whenever you think about it (or use a reminder, like every time you check email) and feel your arch getting stronger throughout the day. Toe splay, which is simply pulling the toes apart as wide as you can and holding, also activates and strengthens the arch effectively. Toe yoga involves pushing your big toe into the ground while lifting the others, then reversing and lifting only the big toe. Toe yoga enhances foot control for improved balance and stability.

All of these are easier and more effective if you can surreptitiously take off your shoes, or, at minimum, have shoes that allow your toes to move. Minimalist models with ample toe boxes not only enable more natural foot movement all the time, but their low heel lift also helps strengthen your achilles in a safe—and effortless—manner as you walk around during your day.

When you’re at the wheel, you can’t work on your hip position—since you are sitting—but you can work on posture from the waist up by sitting as tall as you can. Bring your chest up and shoulders back, tighten your lower abs and reduce the curve of your spine. Lift your head straight and high. You’ll notice that you’re several inches taller.

I set my rear-view mirror for this height—so every time I slouch it gets out of line and reminds me to get tall again. You’ll find your upper back and lower abs get tired; keep working at it to improve your postural endurance which will help you run tall and balanced for longer.

(08/20/2022) Views: 568 ⚡AMP
by Outside
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The Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes and Why Runners Should Eat Them All Year

You don’t need to save this veggie for the fall.

You might relate sweet potatoes to the fall or holiday season. But there’s good reason to add them to your plate all year. In fact, considering the plethora of health benefits you get from sweet potatoes, they’re certainly worthy of adding to your list of foods to fuel your runs.

What are the nutrition facts for sweet potatoes?

Just like regular potatoes, sweet potatoes come in a variety of colors and tastes, from orange to purple to cream and ranging in level of sweetness. This means, also just like regular potatoes, the nutritional value of any given sweet potato will vary slightly depending on the type. But ultimately, no matter which kind you buy, sweet potatoes pack the nutrients runners need. 

For example, a study published in the journal Food Measure in 2017 examined 14 varieties of Virginia-grown sweet potatoes. Researchers determined the sweet potatoes with lighter colored flesh had the highest starch content, while those with purple flesh had the highest amount of flavonoid and phenolic compounds, which are known for helping to reduce inflammation. Orange flesh sweet potatoes contain the most sugar, according to the research. 

All these different types of sweet potatoes are similarly rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, and also fiber, says Robin Foroutan, R.D.N., integrative and functional dietitian in private practice in Garden City, New York. “For example, orange sweet potatoes are richest in beta carotene. But the purple ones are the highest in an antioxidant called anthocyanins. The pigment is a reflection on the amount of the antioxidants. But they’re all healthy for us,” she explains.

Just how healthy? According to the USDA, a medium sweet potato contains:

115 calories

2 g protein

<1 g fat

27 g carbs

4 g fiber

9 g sugar

347 mg potassium

41 g sodium

41 g calcium 

27 mg of magnesium

19 mg of vitamin C

That’s a whole lot of nutrition for one sweet potato.

What are the health benefits of sweet potatoes?

There are multiple ways you can benefit from adding sweet potatoes to your plate. 

As we mentioned, sweet potatoes pack nearly 4 grams of fiber, which supports good gut health. You can encourage the formation of resistant starch (a gut-friendly fiber) in a sweet potato by cooking it and then letting it cool for an hour, says Foroutan. This starch is a very important prebiotic, which feed probiotics—both are super important for the gut, she explains. 

Also, sweet potatoes contain a variety of antioxidants, which are known for helping the body fight free radicals and keep you healthy. For example, orange flesh sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, the antioxidant that causes its orange hue and helps runners fight inflammation, says Kelly Pritchett, Ph.D., R.D., C.S.S.D., professor of nutrition and exercise science at Central Washington University. This makes sweet potatoes a great recovery food because cooking them enhances the availability of beta carotene which can help runners combat the oxidative stress they build up on the run, Pritchett says. 

A review published in the journal Nutrition Research supports the idea that beta carotene can reduce oxidative stress. Meanwhile, a review published in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics in 2018 also highlighted beta carotene as an antioxidant that can help improve cognitive function, skin health, and immunity. 

Sweet potatoes also contain 27 grams of carbohydrates, and those carbs are considered complex, says Pritchett, so they can provide runners with steady energy. This is because, Foroutan explains, complex carbs can be broken down in the body more slowly than refined carbs. Meaning complex carbs take longer time to digest and have slower impact on blood sugar. 

However, the most powerful way to maintain steady blood sugar is to combine any carbohydrates with protein and fiber, so Foroutan suggests avoid eating this veggie alone unless you’re having it soon before a run and want those carbs more quickly available for fuel.

How can you incorporate more sweet potatoes into your diet?

The best way to eat a sweet potato, Foroutan says, is baked with either chicken, turkey, lean grass-fed beef, lentils, eggs, and/or other veggies. To mix things up and get creative, consider cubing up a few different colored sweet potatoes and roasting them together for a side dish, or making a sweet potato hash and adding them to your breakfast plate with eggs and spinach, she says. 

The combo of carbs and potassium make sweet potatoes a great prerun snack. To have one before you hit the road, bake them, then sprinkle with a bit of salt. Just be mindful of their fiber content. “Runners will want to experiment in training to see how their gut responds to eating them prerun,” says Pritchett.

If you’d rather save sweet potatoes for after your workout, Pritchett suggests mixing them into a recovery smoothie, or topping them with beans, cheese, and salsa for dinner. 

One thing to avoid: frying sweet potatoes, as the mixture of high temperatures, oils, and starch creates the formation of a compound called acrylamide, which is known to be a potential carcinogen, Foroutan says. Also avoid adding too much marshmallow topping, which is the fastest way to turn this sweet veggie into a sugar bomb, she says. 

(08/06/2022) Views: 1,005 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World
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The Connections Between Overtraining and Underfueling

I think the most important workout I prescribe as a coach happens the day after many races. The workout is given in all-caps, shouted with urgency. 

PIZZA.

Or perhaps BURGERS. If we're feeling spicy, BURRITOS. An athlete can make substitutions within the spirit of the plan, but if they eat a salad, it better be topped with enough bacon and croutons to qualify as a structurally-challenged BLT. 

There are exceptions for athletes that have been told by a doctor or nutritionist to follow different guidelines. The main idea is that the post-race recovery window is a good reminder that eating enough food is the key to long-term adaptation in the context of a healthy life. So I might not always be writing PIZZA, but PIZZA is always implied. Pizza isn't just a meal, it's a lifestyle.

The rationale: eating enough is key for the healthy function of the nervous, endocrine, metabolic, and musculoskeletal systems, all of which are needed at full strength to encourage adaptation. Low energy availability-even within a single day during heavy training-is like pulling out an assortment of Jenga blocks from our physiology at random and then facing an earthquake. At first, things might not collapse with a few blocks on the ground. But eventually, when the quake comes (if not sooner), everything will come crashing down.

New Study Overview

A November 2021 review article in Sports Medicine by a wonderful group of researchers led by Trent Stellingwerff found some fascinating links between overtraining and underfueling, underscoring the importance of always eating enough food. Let's start with some definitions.

Overtraining syndrome is a series of maladaptations to chronic stress loads, with the article using the specific definition of "an accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in long-term decrement in performance capacity." Short-term performance decreases from days to weeks are called functional overreaching (usually planned, possibly leading to an athlete progressing above baseline) or non-functional overreaching (unplanned and unproductive). The 2021 article uses the term "training-overload/OTS," reviewing studies that find a sustained and significant decline in performance outcomes.

In 2014, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published the IOC Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), defined as "impaired physiological function including, but not limited to, metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, cardiovascular health caused by relative energy deficiency." Low energy availability is when total energy intake doesn't leave enough energy availability after considering energy expenditure during exercise (undereating or overexercising or both).

The 2021 article is so important because it answers a question that gets to the heart of athletic performance. May some cases of overtraining be partially attributable to underfueling? 

And it raised some questions in my mind as a coach. 

How many athletes have undershot their ultimate potential because they (and/or their healthcare providers/coaches) didn't see the link between fueling and adaptation? How many athletic careers have come crashing down, seemingly without explanation, all due to misinformed understandings of physiology? 

These questions are especially relevant with recent revelations that the University of Oregon adjusted training based on body composition readings in repeated DEXA scans (we talk about the background on the Some Work, All Play podcast here). If overtraining and underfueling are interconnected, then increasing training while failing to appropriately increase fueling could send athletes into unnecessary, almost universal physiological black holes.

Study Principles

A primary difficulty in study design is that both overtraining and RED-S involve diagnosis by exclusion, where other potential causes are ruled out first. On top of that, there is no one presentation of either condition. For both, "performance decline is coupled with a broad and individually variable palette of psychological/emotional, physiological, immunological,and neuroendocrine decrements." You could imagine someone who rarely exercises and eats plenty going to the doctor with a similar set of symptoms as an athlete with overtraining or RED-S. If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it may be a duck (subject to disclaimers). But it could also be a rabbit, depending on how you are looking at it and what you are looking for.

For overtraining, there are some helpful protocols to add certainty to diagnoses. A 2010 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine used a two-bout exercise protocol, involving two max performance tests four hours apart, finding attenuated changes in cortisol and certain hormones for overtrained athletes. Generally, performance decreases over time can provide diagnostic clues for overtraining. For RED-S, risk-assessment tools and energy availability calculators can evaluate energy availability, and bone health scans and menstrual cycle status are diagnostic factors, but it's still difficult to directly prove that clinical outcomes result from underfueling in all cases. 

That uncertainty of individual diagnosis is why the review article is so helpful. It examined 57 studies for overtraining and 88 studies for low energy availability to draw conclusions that apply across a broad population of athletes. Interestingly, 78% of the nearly 10,000 participants in the RED-S studies were female, while only 19% of the 1000+ participants in the overtraining studies were female, which could influence how observations/diagnoses have been made over time (i.e. perhaps male athletes have been underdiagnosed with RED-S). There are four conclusions I want to highlight.

One: Overtraining and low energy availability share almost all symptoms

There are 13 performance and health outcome groupings for the two conditions, and overtraining and RED-S share all but one (bone health, which only applies to RED-S). They share impacts to: endurance; strength; injury/illness; adaptation; glycogen/protein synthesis; coordination; sex hormones; other hormones; biochemistry; immune function; metabolic/cardiovascular function; and mental health/related variables. Both ailments have at least some hypothalamic-pituitary origin, affecting almost every variable that goes into health and performance.

Two: Overtraining and RED-S are related to "under-recovery" 

Every training session introduces stress, leading to some sort of rest and recovery requirement. Overtraining and RED-S are both causes and responses to chronic stresses that are not being adequately processed by the body. Notably, overtraining and RED-S both lead to performance decreases. For athletes dealing with these ailments, increasing training volume and/or intensity will likely make them perform worse, which can be especially difficult in an athletic landscape that sometimes focuses on weekly miles and hard workouts. But even short of long-term performance reduction, stagnation and general fatigue may be related to the same under-recovery processes.

Three: Some overtraining-related diagnoses may be due to misdiagnosed under-recovery from underfueling

The next step the article took made me gasp with excitement. I know that sounds dramatic, but that's how cool it is, and that's also a clue to how few dates I got in high school.

The authors looked at a subset of 21 studies that implemented training overloads, many of which resulted in overtraining-related outcomes. Next, they calculated energy availability in those studies. In other words, the 2021 article studied the past studies to make new findings.

14 of the 21 studies found an energy availability decrease between the training overload and control groups. For example, a 1988 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise examined 12 male collegiate swimmers during a 10-day intensive training block. Retrospectively, that study classified swimmers as overtrained or non-overtrained based on subjective feelings of fatigue. Despite similar training and energy expenditure increases in the two groups, the overtrained group ate about 1000 kcal less per day (4682 vs. 3631). Across the studies, differences as low as 15% in daily energy intake could explain some of the overtraining symptoms.

As the study authors concluded, "Even small within-day energy deficits (only 300-400 kcal) have been associated with clinically meaningful RED-S symptom outcomes in cross-sectional study designs. Although a one-off small 300 kcal deficit (either within day, or over an entire day) is most certainly not clinically impactful, when multiplied over months, these small mismatches in energy can become significant (e.g. energy deficit of 300 kcal/day over 1 year = 100,000+  kcal deficit)."

4 of the 21 studies demonstrated an independent effect of low carbohydrate intake. Even without low energy availability, there is some evidence that carbohydrate restriction could lead to RED-S symptoms. At a Halloween party, an athlete with amenorrhea was talking to my co-coach Dr. Megan Roche, and the part of Megan's advice that jumped out to me (after she heard about the athlete's background and nutrition) was very simple: "CARBS!"

However, not every study supports the overarching hypothesis that underfueling is an element in overtraining. 3 of 21 studies showed overtraining-related symptoms without evidence of lower energy availability. Interestingly, one was the 2020 study in the Journal Of Applied Physiology on muscle fiber typology and overtraining that was 

The authors summarize the findings: "Taken together, 86% of the training-overload/OTS studies reporting dietary outcomes (18 out of 21) showed reduced EA (n  = 14 studies) and/or CHO availability (n  = 4) between treatment groups or between pre and post concurrent with symptoms consistent with both OTS and RED-S." 

Eating enough won't prevent every case of training-overload/OTS, but it may prevent many of them.

Four: Awareness and monitoring is key

To conclude, the authors highlight that increased training load "tends to initially result in improvements in performance, potentially through a combination of increased training adaptations and/or initial changes in body composition outcomes." That's adaptation to training, and it's not a bad thing. But what happens next can be very, very bad.

In some athletes and coaches, the authors say, it can create a "feed forward" misconception that "even more training and/or more decreases in extreme body composition metrics might further drive positive performance outcomes." That misconception creates "the perfect storm" for overtraining and RED-S.

A few weeks ago, we saw this problem magnified with disturbing clarity at the University of Oregon. Their body-composition monitoring program was a scientific failure because it interpolated from outliers winning Olympic medals while extrapolating from the beginning phases of an athletic life of the college runners in the program. It was more than a problem of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It was also a problem of trying to push every athlete into a hole to begin with, whether it was backed by individual physiology or not.

The 2021 article emphasizes the importance of fueling the work you are doing. Under-recovery via overtraining or RED-S is unequivocally bad for health. The next step is elevating a culture that supports long-term recovery and adaptation, which requires plenty of fuel. 

As a coach, I know that if an athlete is eating enough, I can prescribe more training and harder training. Those athletes can pursue big dreams without fear, and they can imagine adventures for decades and not just a few months. 

Eating enough isn't just about avoiding a big wall in the middle of the road in athletic development. It's about removing that wall entirely so that we can put the pedal to the freaking metal in training, chasing some scary dreams.

(07/31/2022) Views: 702 ⚡AMP
by Trail Runner Magazine
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Track and field officials confirmed Friday that Russians will not be allowed to compete at this month’s World Athletics Championships Oregon22 due to the war in Ukraine

The federation banned Russians from major international events shortly after the country invaded Ukraine in February. At the time, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the unprecedented move appeared “to be the only peaceful way to disrupt and disable Russia’s current intentions and restore peace.”

The world championships begin next Friday and run through July 24.

World Athletics confirmed the ban in a news release announcing it had cleared an additional 18 Russian athletes to compete as neutrals in international competition, but that the approvals would not apply to worlds.

Those athletes were cleared as part of a protocol in the wake of a doping scandal that has left Russia’s athletics federation under suspension since 2015. At last year’s Olympics, 10 Russians were allowed in the track meet; at the world championships in 2019, 29 Russians competed.

There are now 73 Russian athletes who can compete as neutrals, though their status at major international events is in limbo due to the war.

Among those athletes is reigning Olympic and world champion high jumper Maria Lasitskene, who has never lost in an international competition. Last month, she blasted the decision in an open letter to Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, which has recommended the Russian ban.

Lasitskene’s top rivals are from Ukraine and she said “I still don’t know what to say to them or how to look into their eyes.”

“They and their friends and relatives are experiencing what no one human being should ever have to feel,” she said.

(07/09/2022) Views: 780 ⚡AMP
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Ukrainian athletes benefit from fund to attend World Athletics Championships

The first group of Ukrainian athletes and coaches depart today (Thursday) for the USA ahead of next month’s World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

World Athletics is distributing more than US$220,000 to support Ukrainian athletes preparing for the World Championships and the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 in response to the crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

World Athletics, the Member Meetings of Diamond League Association and the International Athletics Foundation launched a Ukraine Fund in April with the purpose of assisting professional athletes, immediate family members and their support personnel affected by Russia’s invasion of their home country.

This was in addition to a Solidarity Fund established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February, which has already allocated about US$2.5 million to the Ukrainian Olympic Community and sports movement.

Both funds have enabled the Ukrainian Federation to pay a significant portion of the cost of training camps and competition across Europe for athletes preparing for these major events while a number of European National Olympic Committees, in coordination with the IOC, have provided support too.

The Athletics Ukraine Fund is now being used to fund the entire Ukrainian delegation’s attendance in Oregon.

So far 53 athletes, 25 coaches and officials, and 18 family members including children have received assistance from the Fund.

With the support of the IOC, the Fund will also ensure the Ukrainian team’s attendance at the World U20 Championships in Cali in August.

The IOC and European Athletics also assisted with training camps in Europe while the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee is providing additional support for athletes attending a training camp in California leading into the World Championships.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: ”I am grateful and proud of the way the athletics community and the Olympic community have come together to support the Ukrainian Federation as they try to keep as many athletes as they can in training and competition. My thanks go to everyone involved for their support as these athletes prepare to represent their country while the war continues.”

Iolanta Khropach, General Secretary of the Ukrainian Athletic Association, said the federation was extremely grateful for the support of the combined athletics organisations and the IOC who came immediately to their aid after the invasion.

“They help our athletes to train and compete,” she said. “Without this support, it just would not be possible. This is more than just having good facilities and possibility to perform at World Championships and other events. World Athletics and European Athletics have helped to save the lives of our athletes.

“Many Ukrainian athletes now defend our country with weapons in their hands. Our sports infrastructure is destroyed. World Athletics was one of the first sports organisations in the world that banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials. We appreciate it so much and believe in World Athletics' strong position in the future.

“We are grateful to World Athletics and the IOC, as well as to every federation, LOC, other organisations, and individuals supporting us during these challenging times. Now we feel like never before that we are a true athletics family.”

World Athletics would like to thank all those organisations who have made generous contributions to the Ukraine Fund, including Members of the Diamond League Association, the International Athletics Foundation, the IOC, USOPC and PWC France Sport Challenge.

The fund can receive additional contributions at any time until fund closure which is set for 31 December 2023. Funding per beneficiary will be allocated on a needs-basis.

Potential donors to the fund should contact UKRFund@worldathetics.org. 

World Athletics is coordinating with the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity Fund for the Ukrainian Olympic Community to prevent any duplication of efforts.

(06/30/2022) Views: 769 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics
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World Athletics Championships Budapest23

World Athletics Championships Budapest23

Budapest is a true capital of sports, which is one of the reasons why the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 is in the right place here. Here are some of the most important world athletics events and venues where we have witnessed moments of sporting history. Throughout the 125-year history of Hungarian athletics, the country and Budapest have hosted numerous...

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The integrity of women’s sport is really important here, and we can not have a generation of young girls thinking there is not a future for them in the sport says Sebastian Coe

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has stated that the global athletics governing body will look at their rules concerning the inclusion of transgender athletes in female events at a Council meeting toward the end of this year.

This statement comes days after the International Swimming Federation (FINA), swimming’s governing body, voted to stop trans female athletes from competing in women’s elite races if they have gone through any part of the gender transformation process after puberty or age 12. FINA also stated that they will establish an open category in some events for swimmers whose gender identity is different than their birth sex.

(Photo - Caster Semenya is a woman and a man. The South African champ has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female, according to reports.)

Transgender rights have become a major talking point in sports in an effort to balance inclusivity with ensuring they do not have an unfair advantage arising from the residual effects of puberty.

The debate intensified this year after University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became the first transgender NCAA champion in history, winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Coe, a two-time Olympic 800m champion, outlined his support for the recent measures taken by FINA.

“The integrity of women’s sport is really, really important here, and we can’t have a generation of young girls thinking there is not a future for them in the sport. So we have a responsibility…maintaining the primacy and the integrity of female competition is absolutely vital, and that’s why we were at the forefront of tabling those regulations that allow as close as you can get to a level playing field,” says Coe.

Coe on FINA’s ruling:

“This is as it should be. We have always believed that biology trumps gender and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this. We will follow the science.”

FINA’s new guideline means that Thomas, who has expressed a desire to compete for Team U.S.A. at the Paris Olympics, is now blocked from participating in the women’s category at the Games. There have been talks to establish an “open” category at world championships for athletes whose gender identity is different than their assigned gender at birth.

The current World Athletics guideline from 2018 states that transgender women can compete in the women’s category if they reduce their testosterone levels to below five nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months before competing.

“We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant in performance, and have scheduled a discussion on our regulations with our council at the end of the year,” says Coe.

International sports federations may set their own policies but will be subject to World Athletics and IOC rules when it comes to sending athletes to the World Championships and Olympic Games.

(06/22/2022) Views: 907 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine
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You Know The RICE Method For Recovery. Now Try PEACE & LOVE.

You've probably heard of the RICE method when you twist an ankle or tweak a knee: Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. It's ubiquitous for a reason, and yet emerging research is showing us that soft tissue injuries are a lot more complex than originally thought. By using methods like RICE for soft-tissue injuries, you may actually be doing your body more harm than good and delaying recovery. 

It might be time to try a different approach.

But first, what constitutes a soft tissue injury? They're extremely common in runners, with some of the most ubiquitous being:

Almost all runners will have experienced these at some point. But if RICE isn't the best protocol, what do we do? Here's the good news: 

A new acronym has been developed alongside this new research, and while it might be a mouthful, it could also boost your recovery more effectively than RICE-ing. Introducing: PEACE & LOVE. 

Remember, this advice is for soft tissue injuries only. If you feel you may have sustained a more serious injury, like a fracture, seek immediate medical attention.

Here's the breakdown:

P- Protect 

Immediately following a soft tissue injury, the single best thing you can do is take a load off. Restrict movement as much as you can for 1-3 days, depending on how bad the injury is. This reduces the risk of reaggravation and increased tissue bleeding. However, the timeframe is critical here. Research shows that prolonged rest following an acute soft tissue injury actually compromises tissue quality and strength, so don't veg out on the couch for two weeks straight or you'll inhibit blood flow and mobility necessary for proper healing.

How do you know when you should stop resting? Follow your pain. As the injury becomes less painful, gradually return to weight-bearing exercise. 

Take Action: Protect your injury by avoiding movements - particularly those that cause increased pain - in the first couple days after injury. 

E - Elevate

While there is limited evidence to support elevating an injured area as an effective recovery tool, it's low-risk and easy, plus it helps with "P" above. Bringing the injured area above the level of your heart can assist interstitial fluid (fluid found in the spaces around cells) flow out of the injured tissue. 

Action Plan: Elevate the limb higher than the heart using something comfortable to rest it on, like a pillow, cushion, or the arm of your couch. 

A - Avoid Anti-Inflammatories (Ice & NSAIDs)

Using ice and anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) after an injury is a common practice to reduce swelling and pain. But there is actually very little high-quality evidence that supports the use of ice in treatment of soft tissue injuries, and increasingly more research that says don't. 

Our bodies are smart, and the natural inflammatory process will support our tissues healing. By stopping or reducing this inflammation using external means like ice or medication, we are impairing our body's own healing. This, in turn, can impact our long-term tissue healing and possibly cause your injury to last longer. Natural inflammation will go down on its own as the body's protective instincts calm down.

Action Plan: Allow your body's natural inflammatory response for the first 48 hours. After this time period you can take anti-inflammatories. 

C - Compress

A better way to reduce swelling is by intermittently using mechanical compression with a wrap, bandage, sock, or tape. Again, this serves the double purpose of also helping reduce movement. Just make sure you don't restrict movement to the point where you can't move the joint through its full range of motion. 

Take Action: Use a compression bandage to reduce swelling, but do not wrap it so tight you get pins and needles or numbness. Compression can be used within comfort range throughout the day, however should NOT be used overnight. 

E - Educate 

Take time to learn about your specific injury. A physical therapy assessment will help you get reliable information and advice, and prevent similar injuries in the future. Ask your physical therapist about realistic recovery times and exercises to progressively load your injury while you recover. This will help you grade expectations and get you back to running as quickly as you can.

Action Plan: Active recoveries in soft tissue injuries often have the best outcomes. Seek advice from a medical professional and try to identify the causes of the injury and best exercises to strengthen the area.

L - Load

It is widely known that when you go to the physical therapist you usually get prescribed exercises - that's because most of those exercises are specifically designed to repair damaged tissues by gradually increasing the demands placed on them. This is known as mechanotransduction: the physiological process where cells sense and respond to mechanical loads. The goal should be to increase the amount you are doing progressively, without increasing pain. This will help the tolerance of your tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) return to normal. 

Action Plan: Listen to your body and let your pain levels help you progress back into normal activities. 

O - Optimism

In the clinic, I always preface this with "I know this sounds silly but . . ." because patients tend to ignore this portion of the PEACE & LOVE talk. But compelling research shows that how you think and feel about your injury plays a big role in how you recover! Expecting a poor outcome, catastrophizing, or being overly fearful has been associated with longer recoveries from soft tissue injuries. Feeling optimistic and motivated - while staying realistic - will not only help you keep up with your physical therapy exercises, but it may also make your healing process even more efficient.  

Action Plan: Be positive and confident in your recovery. This will optimize your results! Remember that these types of injuries are almost never the cause for long-term breaks from running.

V - Vascularization

Increasing blood flow to the affected area with pain-free aerobic activity has been shown to accelerate recovery and improve function. However: listening to your body's reaction and progressing gradually is critical. More pain in this case does not equal more gain. 

Action Plan: Choose aerobic activities that are pain-free (walking, stationary cycling, swimming, jogging, rowing, etc.) and integrate them gradually into your routine, only in amounts that cause no pain.

E - Exercise 

As shown above, many of the widely accepted interventions for soft tissue injuries have a poor evidence base. Not this one! Strong evidence shows that exercise aids in treatment of soft tissue injury. It can also reduce the risk of a recurring injury by improving strength, mobility, balance, and proprioception (the body's own spatial awareness).

Again, it is important to seek a physical therapist's help when choosing exercises to achieve optimal strength and mobility as you recover. 

Action Plan: Build your mobility, strength, and proprioception back up progressively during your recovery by slowly returning to exercise.

The Takeaway:

Being a freshly injured runner can be scary, upsetting, annoying, and confusing. Instead of reaching for the ice immediately, lead your recovery with PEACE & LOVE: unload the area, listen to your pain, keep a proactively positive mindset, and seek a physical therapist to begin reloading your tissues and expedite healing. Following these new protocols will help you heal faster and get you back to the trails sooner. 

Kristen Kennedy holds a BSc in kinesiology from Dalhousie University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Montana. She currently practices in the UK, specializing in sport physical therapy with a focus on running. Kristen has been a yoga teacher to athletes for six years and is co-founder of "Made By Movement," an online yoga, Pilates, and mobility studio.

(06/04/2022) Views: 696 ⚡AMP
by Trail Runner Magazine
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Four effective running workouts to increase speed and endurance

Most people don’t approach running as they do strength training. They just set out on unplanned jogs around the block, throw in some sprints, and call it a day.

But targeted running workouts geared toward your fitness goals—training for a marathon, growing faster, getting fitter—make a world of a difference.

To help you become more methodical with your runs, we asked Gena Bradshaw, P.T., an assistant track and field coach and Life Time Fitness trainer, to suggest five training mainstays every runner should have in his workout regimen. Each workout is designed to train a different energy system to help you improve endurance, speed, and power. Plus, there’s a prescription for runners who are just starting out, and those who are more experienced.

Before each workout, though, remember to start with a dynamic warmup. “Warmups minimize your risk of injury, increase heart rate, raise blood flow to your muscles, and help you burn more calories mid-workout,” Bradshaw says.

Go for a comfortable 5- to 8-minute jog, then complete these drills to neurologically prime your body for your workout. Mark 20 yards. Focus on nailing the proper form for each drill, and increasing your speed as you progress.

Walking lunges

Carioca

Knee hugs

Ankle pulls

High knees

Butt kicks

Straight-leg kicks

Lateral shuffle

Also, make sure you cool down post-workout. Jog to flush the lactic acid out of your legs, and stretch while your muscles are still warm. Foam rolling will also help reduce soreness, and keep your muscles from getting knotted.

Ready to hit the ground running? Give these running workouts a try.

1. Explosive hill sprints

Why it works: Hill workouts help develop power by working your “alactic” energy system—your source of quick sprinting energy, Bradshaw says. They’re meant to be an all-out effort. “Form is crucial; you should be thinking about hands pumping cheek to cheek, and your knees driving up,” Bradshaw says. “Your arms set the pace. If you can’t move your arms, you’ll slow down significantly.”

How to do a hill workout: Sprint for 10-20 seconds up an incline outdoors or on a treadmill grade that’s comfortable but challenging, Bradshaw says. You don’t need to find the steepest hill around—it can be a gradual incline. Then, as you get stronger and more able to truck through these, you can increase the incline. Considering how intense this (and other hill sprint workouts like it) is, only do one or two of these sessions per week. Beginners start with just one.

Beginner: Complete 3-5 reps. “Remember, this is pure explosiveness, so it should be difficult,” Bradshaw says. You can always increase the time for fewer reps, too. Completely recover between reps. Take about 3-5 minutes in between.

Advanced: Complete 5-6 reps, taking 3-5 minutes rest in between each rep.

2. Interval workout

Why it works: “Intervals are meant to help increase stamina (and should not be conducted at max effort), so you’ll take less recovery time and increase the number of reps,” Bradshaw says. The big challenge is holding your pace for the entire workout, she adds. As you become more conditioned, jog rather than walk to get an active recovery between intervals. “Remember to maintain good form: shoulders down and back, chest up, and breathe,” Bradshaw says. “This will help you run more efficiently, and help you progress each week.”

How to do an interval workout: This routine is known as “ladders”. Try to incorporate one or two sessions per week.

Beginner:– run 50 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 100 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 150 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 200 meters– walk/jog 50 meters– run 250 meters– walk/jog 50 meters

Advanced: Complete the same workout above, only go “up and down” the ladder. Once you run 250 meters, work your way back down (200m, 150m, 100m, 50m).

3. Short and long sprints

Why it works: “Short sprints (generally 55-200 meters) help develop speed and power, while long sprints (200-400 meters) help develop speed endurance,” Bradshaw says. Both are important, but you’ll benefit more from one over the other depending on your end goal. “Are you training for a specific event or race?” Bradshaw says, “or are you training to get into the best shape of your life?” Longer sprints are advantageous for those training for 10Ks, half marathons, even triathlons, whereas short sprints are best for torching calories, and adding muscle, strength, and power to your lower body. Note: Don’t do a hill workout the day before you complete a short-sprint workout.

How to do a short-sprint workout: Do 2-3 sessions per week (depending on your end goal).

Beginner: Complete 6-8 sprints of 100 meters at 75%-80% effort. (“This means you can utter a few words, but can’t maintain a conversation,” Bradshaw says.) Recover for 50-60 seconds between reps.

Advanced: Complete 8-10 sprints of 100 meters at 80-85% effort. At this intensity, you’re pushing very hard, but not going as fast/hard as you can. Recover for 45 seconds in between reps.

How to do a long-sprint workout: For long sprints that’ll tap into your speed endurance, do 2-3 sessions per week.

Beginner: Complete 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort. Recover for 3 minutes between sprints.

Advanced: Do two sets, each 3 sprints of 300 meters at 75% effort. Recover for 2-3 minutes between sprints, and 5 minutes between sets.

4.- Long-distance run

Why it’s effective: “Long-distance runs are intended to increase your aerobic capacity, which is the maximum amount of oxygen consumed by your body during exercise,” Bradshaw says. They also encourage your body to burn more fat for fuel (which is why distance runners tend to be skinny).

How to do a long run: Long runs should comprise 20% of your overall mileage for the week. This can be 1 session per week. Your mileage should increase by approximately 10% per week, and the pace should be around 70% of your max. “This is purely aerobic, meaning if you can’t hold a conversation, you’re going too hard,” Bradshaw says. “You should be able to hold this pace for an extended period of time, completely steady.”

Beginner: Complete 1 mile at a slower pace, maybe even starting off with a continuous 10- to 15-minute walk/jog. Your goal should be to work up from that mile. Go for time instead of miles to start.

Advanced: Complete 5 miles. Just keep your runs continuous and progressive each week.

(05/21/2022) Views: 874 ⚡AMP
by Brittany smith
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