Archive for February, 2010
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Evening running
The last couple of days I have ran in the evening. It’s a tough thing to do and I always am confused by the evening rush at gyms. After work, I’m tired, hungry, and ready to kick back on the couch. In order to make sure I get my run in, I cannot eat too many afternoon snacks (one of my vices), and I have to make sure my food is balanced during the day or I end up with the low blood sugar shakes around 5.
Despite the obstacles that working out at 6:30 presents, I made it through 2 evening runs, and surprised myself. Why the evening workouts? I’m happy to report it’s because I’ve been busting my butt at work so that I can take off a couple of days next week to ski.
Colorado, here I come!
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How to cure cramping while running
I know I haven’t talked much about running in general terms — typically I write here about what I did last week and what I’m going to do next week. I would like to change that because after running 4 half marathons, smaller distance races, and training for two marathons (which were aborted but I trained nevertheless!), I have some good advice for novice runners.
The first of that advice will be on cramping (or side stitches, if you call them that). I actually had some cramping during my run tonight. It lasted through the whole 4.5 miles. And I was pretty sure why I had them — I was dehydrated. Looking back at my day’s worth of beverages (I ran in the evening), I had one coffee, one tea, one soda, and a little bit of water. It was not enough! I would recommend drinking a minimum of 12 ounces of water if you feel cramps coming on. Even after that water, you should continue to drink as you run — you sweat, and if you’re already dehydrated… 12 ounces isn’t going to cut it.
Sometimes, however, you may be hydrated and still experience side cramping. Maybe you shouldn’t have had that huge plate of Olive Garden fettucine alfredo an hour before your run, you get my drift? Eating the wrong things before a run will do a number on your stomach when you’re running.
Another possible cause is plain old over-exertion. I had a lot more cramps when I was just starting running than I do now. In fact, it’s really rare that I get one. After physical conditioning, the cramps will go away.
So, how do you get immediate relief? (Obviously, drink water!) One way is to pinch the side where it hurts. I do this, but admittedly, it doesn’t help for very long. Another thing I do is try to concentrate breathing through my stomach. As I inhale, my stomach, not my chest, will expand, and I slowly breathe out.
Another great technique for relieving cramps is to crouch down as though you are tying your shoes, and bring your knees to your chest. I read (a long time ago) that a study was conducted on the frequency of cramps appearing in cyclists versus runners. Cyclists almost never got cramps. The researchers hypothesized that (all other controls remaining even) the reason was due, in part, to the body position in which cyclists remain while exercising. The position of a cyclist’s diaphragm (which contributes to the cramping) is different than a runner’s — and positioning yourself like a cyclist will bring your diaphragm relief. So if you crouch down, you will get 100% relief. I’ve tried it and know. The problem is that after a little while the pain may come back, so it’s not a cure.
I have also heard that you should synchronize your breathing with your footfall. Specifically, if you exhale as your left foot hits the ground, you’ll be in the clear. I’ve never tried this. Honestly I don’t care to synchronize my breathing with my stepping. I’ve got enough to think about when I’m running, frankly. But I hear it works great so maybe I am missing out. Give it a shot if you’re up to it!
I thought I would like to write about how I got into running in my next post. If anyone has any questions / topics they would like to see addressed, let me know!
For why I run, see this post!
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It happened.
What happened?
16 miles on the treadmill.
I learned an important lesson. I need to schedule my long runs for Saturday. That way I have two days to run my long run. Of course, yesterday was a beautiful day. But, since I had run 7 miles on Friday evening, running 16 miles Saturday morning would have been stupid. Therefore, I really need to get my training runs done earlier in the week so I have more wiggle room to get all of the training runs completed.
So, how did I run 16 miles on the treadmill? It wasn’t that bad, actually. There are pros and cons. The pros are that I have easy access to water, fuel, and the bathroom. Also, the weather conditions are controlled, I don’t have to carry anything, and that immediately after my run I can take a shower.
The cons are that I have to exclusively rely on stubbornness to finish the run. During a run outdoors, I cannot abandon my run when I am 7 miles from my car. I have to get to my car somehow, and the easiest way is just to keep running. So I have to play more mental games when I’m running on the treadmill than usual. I broke the run up mentally into two six-mile runs and one four-miler. I just focus on running the first six miles, then the next six, and then the next four. Once I got to the last four, I broke it up into one mile and one three-miler. I also ate a Clif shot block each for mile 12, 13, and 14. It also helps that I have a tv set up in front of my treadmill. We don’t get cable so I just watch whatever is on — today was most of High Fidelity and a little bit of the movie Radio.
I feel ok. Pretty much like I usually do after a long run — like my legs are swollen.
I’ve got a little macaroni & cheese eating and tv watching to do tonight. See you later!
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No, thanks
It’s about 36° F and pouring rain. I have a 16 mile run on the docket today and I am NOT feeling it. Last weekend I didn’t do a cut-back 12 miler that was planned since I was sick as a dog. So I am not happy at all with the mess outdoors. I suppose it’s because the majority of my long runs have been done in subpar conditions – well below freezing temps, snow on the ground to battle, that I just did not care to go out there and suffer again. So my question is whether it is stupid to attempt this mileage on a treadmill. I am afraid I will injure myself. But I am feeling the stubborn-running monologue in the back of my head …. So I am thinking I will give it a shot.
In non-running news, I feel like redecorating the entire house thanks to looking at this blog: www.younghouselove.com. Our backyard is a swamp right now from the rain (we took down an above-ground pool and didn’t grade the yard afterwards) and our neighbor put their house up for sale about a month ago. Yesterday I actually saw prospective buyers gazing into our yard from the neighbor’s house. We feel pretty bad about it but for the time being there is not much we can do. Just waiting on that tax refund and slightly warmer weather to help us out.
Perhaps I’ll be back later with a long run report!
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Sidelined
I have taken the week off since Sunday from running. I got sidelined with what I think are allergies or a cold of some kind? I was really out of it on Thursday and Friday. I started to feel better on Saturday, and I am feeling 80% better today but I don’t plan on running. I just got a lot of rest and took a lot of medicine.
Generally, I don’t run when I am sick. It usually makes me feel worse. But this illness was affecting my sinuses/ears, and it made my head feel like it wasn’t on my body. But I am eager to get back to running now.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Who else is watching the Olympics?
About Me
My name is Michelle and I like to write about running, food, and fitness in general. Check out my About Michelle section for more!
