A few weeks ago, I received a call from Lance Armstrong. Apparently, he was being interviewed on
Extra, and his interviewer, AJ Calloway, mentioned that he’s always wanted to run a marathon. Lance told him he should run the 2008 New York City Marathon with him, and then called me to set AJ up on a training program. After bringing AJ out to Colorado Springs for some physiological testing, I can say that his current fitness is below average for a first-time marathoner, but that he has enough time to make the improvements necessary to complete the NYC Marathon in four hours. However, fitness isn’t his only challenge. He’s also pretty new to endurance running, so we’re spending plenty of time bringing him up to speed on the skills and techniques he’ll need to help him through the next several months of training.
Like all athletes, runners face challenges that can prevent them from making progress. Some of the most common ones — and their solutions — are listed below.
Challenge: Getting a cold
Remedy: Be sure to stay hydrated, since your body needs fluids to help fight the illness. Take a few days off to let the cold run its course, but it’s okay to return to running with a stuffy or runny nose, even a scratchy throat. However, don’t exercise when you have systemic symptoms, like a fever, achy joints, or diarrhea. Generally speaking, a short cold (around 5–7 days) will not hurt your overall training progress, but if you’re repeatedly coming down with small illnesses, it may be a sign that the total volume or intensity of your training program could be too aggressive.
Challenge: Sore feet
Remedy: First off, go see a physical therapist or physician to make sure there’s no significant injury. Then, to keep your fitness moving forward while reducing the strain on your feet, try deep-water running, or aqua-jogging. Using a floatation belt, you can run in the pool and get a great workout without the pounding that’s been hurting your feet.
Challenge: Blisters
Remedy: Leave blisters smaller than a dime alone; don’t break them. Instead, protect them with moleskin. Cut a “doughnut hole” into moleskin bandage and put it around the blister to reduce friction and pain until the blister goes away. You may need to break large blisters (or they may break on their own). In this case, keep the area clean, apply antibiotic ointment, and change the bandage daily. To prevent blisters, use an anti-chafing ointment. Apply it to your feet before you run, and you can also use it to help heal dry and cracked areas in between runs. If you’re getting frequent blisters, the problem may be related to poorly-fitting or worn out shoes.
Challenge: Stomach flu
Remedy: The good news about minor intestinal bugs is that most are short-lived. Don’t try to run through one; take a few days off until your system has returned to normal. You’re going to feel pretty weak for your first one or two runs, so take it easy, consume sports drinks to replenish the fluids and electrolytes you lost when you were sick, and you’ll be back to normal training within a few days.
Challenge: Darkness
Remedy: Busy schedules mean that runners often run out of daylight. Don’t let this stop you. Wear reflective clothing, get an LED headlamp, and stick to terrain you’re familiar with when running outdoors at night. And don’t be afraid of training on a treadmill. Your event may be out on open roads or trails, but supplementing your outdoor training with indoor runs is better than not running at all when it’s raining or pitch black outside.
Chris Carmichael is Lance Armstrong’s personal coach and founder of Carmichael Training Systems.
Disclaimer:
The scientific information found on the powerbar.com website is derived from the following sources unless otherwise stated:
American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, Maughan RJ, Montain SJ, Stachenfeld NS. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39:377–390.
American College of Sports Medicine; American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada. Joint Position Statement: nutrition and athletic performance. American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000;32:2130–2145.
Burke L, Dean V, eds. Clinical sports nutrition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Australia, 2006; 415–453.
Currell K, Jeukendrup A. Superior endurance performance with ingestion of multiple transportable carbohydrates. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2008;40:275-281.
Jeukendrup AE, Moseley L, Mainwaring GI, Samuels S, Perry S, Mann. CH. Exogenous carbohydrate oxidation during ultraendurance exercise. J Appl Physiol 2006;100:1134-1141.
Asker Jeukendrup, Michael Gleeson: Sport Nutrition, An Introduction to Energy Production and Performance, Human Kinetics 2004
Expert Panel:
Trent Stellingwerff PhD, BSc, Senior Research Scientist – Performance Nutrition, Nestlé Research Center
Christopher D. Jensen PhD, MPH, RD Nutrition & Epidemiology Researcher
Tricia L. Griffin RD, CSSD, POWERBAR Sports Nutritionist