How one long distance runner found his way

Kevin writes:
Went for a 3hr easy run today, and I feel good.

I began running seven years ago, with a history of hunting, tramping, and working out doors, I thought I would be fit enough to adjust. I remember watching runners doing the Kepler Challenge, and I felt I was getting to old to start at the bottom, so I set my sites high, and decided to do the Kepler the following year. Six months out from race day, I put on my old sneakers, and at a steady pace went for my first run, I arrived back home with blisters on my feet, and for the next week I could hardly walk. After I recovered I bought myself a pair of running shoes, and set off again with my own training programme, throughout that six months, I had lots of injuries, groin, shin splints, twisted ankles, sore muscles, you name it. On race day I made it around, but only just, and I kept saying repeatedly, I would never do this again. But after I learned to walk again, and my body got back to normal, and being a slow learner, I thought I would have another go.

Looking on the net for some sort of training program, I decided on a seven-day on, and two days off, which I ended up with more injuries, frustration, and stress. I did four more Keplers, and then I took a year off, to let my body heal completely. While looking up the Rotorua marathon on the net, I came across Gary’s training programme, and this is where things started to change for me. I rang Gary, and he put me on to some supplements, and we talked about a training program, which involved three long runs and one short fast run per week, it has made a big difference, I used to think recovery was a good nights sleep, now I only run every other day, I feel so much fresher, and I haven't had any injuries. It is much more enjoyable.

I would say to anyone who is thinking of taking up any sport, or just wants to feel better, give Gary a call, don’t be like me, and do it the hard way, start off right. Thank you so much Lorraine, for taking the time to answer my questions, you have been a big help, I shall change my ways and heed your advise, It has been so neat to have two professionals to work with. Thank you.

Here are our video presentations to Kevin's most recent queries.

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How to train for three half marathons and one marathon per year

Dear Gary
I have just completed my 7th Rotorua Marathon and would like some training suggestions.

I am 65 years old and run 3 ½ marathons and 1 marathon each year – the ½ ‘s to keep me fit for the Rotorua Marathon.

I have heard people say that they only do 1 long run per week but my training schedule says 2 long runs per week (I have attached my marathon and ½ marathon training schedules). Do you think that I may be over-training? You will see from the schedules that I run in km’s not “time” as I usually run between 7 and 7 ½ min km and if I run by time I do not run enough km.

I would also like some advice on the time between my runs. I run the Cathay Pacific ½ in February each year, then the Rotorua full in April/May, the Taupo ½ in August (training starts now) and the Auckland ½ in October/November. Most of these training schedules overlap each other and I was wondering if after finishing 1 race, I should go right back to the beginning of the training for the next race? If not, what do I do until it is time to start full training again?I have heard that after one race you should start where you finished off the last – is that correct? I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards Carol
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Gary Moller comments:
Carol, I think you are right to be doing one long run per week and one shorter long run as well. Just one long run per week increases the possibility that this single run will be too long and exhausting and compromise your final potential fitness.

I do not like rigid schedules. Have a basic structure to your week, month and year and run according to how you feel. Every run should be different over varying terrain and courses. Run by time and how you feel rather than rigid distance. So, this Sunday you might run for about 2 hours over trails. Next week you might do 2.5hrs around the flat coastal road. If you find yourself in a running rut - get out of it. Run free!

You could even add a 3rd long run during the endurance buildup of each training phase. Other than one fast short run of about 5km, you could cut out all the other runs to ensure that you recover sufficiently between training sessions. With age your need for longer recovery between workouts and exhausting races increases, so ensure there is adequate recovery for your stage in life.

Following an exhausting marathon, it pays to have a complete rest with only gentle exercise and stretches and concentrate on a full recovery before resuming a futher buildup over the best part of 3 months to another peak, starting at a level well below where you finished the previous buildup. If the half marathon is not too physically wasting, you do not have to go right back to scratch, instead starting back a little below where you peaked with a further 8 week buildup to your next event.

As you get older, speed training is more important - not less. Rather than just doing 1/2 and full marathons which are a grind on joints and muscles and slow you down, why not go run cross country and 5km road races most weekends? Do them for fun - run some hard and others easy depending on how you feel on the day. Enter Masters Games that are held around the country in places like Hamilton, Wanganui and Dunedin and world-wide and do the 400m and 800m. these are great social occasions and the short events exhilarate without causing excessive wear and tear on the body. These short races will give you the pace and strength to run your longer marathons and half marathons faster and more efficiently and with less distress.

Take a look at my Super Smoothie Recipe and have these daily to aid recovery. You would also be advised to take daily glucosamine and chondroitin to ensure that your joints can handle the daily wear and tear of the running that you are doing. You can get this from www.myotec.co.nz

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Shin pain and only a week to go before the marathon!

Hi Gary
I have been training to do the Rotorua marathon and trying to stay with a
basic programme ie not an advanced runner.
Last Sunday I ran 26 Km and experienced pain in the shin area (both front
and rear) of my right leg. I have not run since but have had a leg massage
which eased the stiffness and reduced the pain.
I have done a fair amount of training and wish to do Rotorua, is there
anything you can suggest I do at this late stage to overcome this setback ?
Thanks for your help,
"A"
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Gary Moller comments:
No need to panic: Your body is telling you it is in need of a rest. You have done your training and it is time to freshen up for the marathon.

First of all, take as many days off running as is necessary to be able to run freely again. All runs from now must be close to home so that you can cut any short if there is an increase in calf pain. Be careful of long out and back courses because the law of nature dictates that you will seize up at the furthest and most remote point!

While the initial couple of jogs may be on grass, you should continue to run on pavement since the marathon is on pavement. All runs must be easy, not exhausting and cause no residual strain on the legs. The work has been done - ok!

Do an easy jog early in the am partly because you need to be used to being up and active in the morning in preparation for running the marathon. The early jog is also your opportunity to carefully test the leg before doing anything substantial later on in the day. If the leg is niggling, then rest up.

Always run tall. As one tires, the knees and hips bend and the body gets lower and lower to the ground. This is an enormous strain on the legs, including the calf and ankle areas.

Stretch the calves, thighs, hips and hammys. Do so once daily. Best in the evening after a log hot bath when you can take your time and be really thorough. Strong flexible hips allow better use of the big butt muscles when running, thus taking stress off the smaller calf muscles that are further from the heart and therefore less well supplied with blood.

Read these guides here:
Mobility Exercises
Running Stretches
Do not over stretch the calf muscles before the marathon start! Just do a few quick and gentle stretches and then use the first 10km to warm into the race.

Have another person thoroughly massage both legs once daily, concentrating on any tender spots. Use a quality massage cream, such as is available from the selection at www.myotec.co.nz. Any massage within 3 days of the marathon should be gentle.



Begin a course of magnesium and B vitamin supplementation and continue up to the day of the marathon. Magnesium and B vitamins help relax muscles and promote circulation through them and improves strength (If you are deficient). I would also add a glutamine supplement to your daily regime, including on race day. Glutamine is the muscle amino acid that is most damaged and depleted during extreme exercise like happened during your past big training run. Adequate glutamine intake may reduce muscle soreness, speed recovery and improve endurance. Fish oil with vitamin E may improve circulation. These are available from www.myotec.co.nz

When you are running Rotorua, bear in mind that it is a 42km circle and you could end up running the whole way on a shoulder camber which is a huge strain on the legs and even the lower back. Vary which side of the road you are on during the sections where the roadd is closed. The best place to run may be the middle of the road. When you are running on the side, pick the flattest spots, including the gravel edging, but be carefull of large stones and pot holes!

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Running a marathon: How to prevent chafing callouses and blisters

Chafing callouses and blisters are synonymous with the word “marathon”. Areas most affected are the soles of the feet, the sides and insides of the toes, back of the heel, inner thigh, groin, armpits and the nipples.

Any material that slides and rubs be it shoes, socks, shorts or a singlet will eventually rub the skin raw, as will any skin that rubs on skin. Wet skin or material; be that caused from sweating, plashing water on the body or from rain will accelerate the rate of damage.

Thickened hard skin, in the form of callouses is the body’s protective mechanism against repetitive rubbing and pressure and is typically seen on the side of the feet toes and back of the heels. Unfortunately, callouses are prone to further rubbing and consequent irritation because of their prominence relative to surrounding healthy skin.

Prevention of damage to skin consists of several measures, depending on the problem. These centre mainly about reducing rubbing and irritation by careful selection of clothing, socks and shoes, ensuring proper fitting of shoes and protecting vulnerable areas like the groin and the nipples.

• The first thing to do is to ensure that your running shoes are the correct size, both in length and width. Get your shoes properly fitted by the shoe store. Be aware that one foot may be larger than the other. Wear the type of sports socks that you intend to run in when you are selecting a new pair of shoes.
  
• Socks should be a good quality sports sock that wicks away excess moisture, provides some cushioning, is the right size and is resistant to bunching up and crinkling.
  
• Ensure that running shoes are flexible at the mid sole. If they are not, rubbing pressure will be placed on the heel regions of the feet.
  
• Do your main runs in your old shoes while you take a week or two to run in your new pair. Always have two or three different pairs of running shoes that you alternate now and then.
• Keep your old shoes that should still in good condition, in the car boot on race day just in case you misplace your new ones.
  
• Fit a pair of Formthotics Active inner soles (Available from www.myotec.co.nz). Formthotics Active soles are heat moulded to the shape of your foot. This can be one of the most effective measures you can take to prevent callouses and blisters because your foot is held snugly in the shoe, reducing slipping and sliding about.
  
• If you have weak feet, the feet will tend to collapse and spread inside the shoe as muscles tire. If you think this is happening, fit Formthotics Active inner soles and you must do the foot exercises described earlier in this book.
  
• If you have thick calloused skin, sand paper or very carefully cut off the excess thick dead skin. If you are going to do this, do so a month before the marathon and not the day before!
  
• Properly lace the shoes. The most important part of lacing is to ensure that the upper laces by the ankle are pulled firm, otherwise the foot may slide forwards when running downhill, slamming the toes into the front of the shoe. Furthermore, the shoe may lift at the heel when running uphill, rubbing the back of the heel. This can be a real problem if you purchased shoes that are of limited forefoot flexibility.
  
• If the forefoot is laced too tight, you may suffer numbness and burning of the sole of the foot, especially if you have thick sports socks, so take care with your lacing.
  
• When you run, consciously think of relaxing the toes as you push off. Some people have a bad habit of aggressively clawing the toes hard into the sole of the shoe.
  
• Use liberal petroleum jelly for underarms, groin and any other areas that may rub.
  
  
  
• I recommend Chafe-Ease which is more effective and much more pleasant than petroleum jelly. Chafe-Ease contains various beneficial ingredients including antiseptic tea tree oil (Chafe-Ease is available from www.myotec.co.nz).
  
• I would advise caution about applying any kind of lubricant to the feet that may inadvertently cause slippage within the shoes while running.
  
• If your inner thighs rub, experiment with thigh length lycra underwear that fits snugly against your groin and thigh with your usual running shorts on top. This causes fabric to rub on fabric, rather than fabric on skin or skin on skin.
  
• Wear a quality sports bra and make sure that you have put it to the test in training, especially to see if it chafes when damp.
  
• Tops and singlets should be of a soft fabric without pronounced seams. Tags and labels may be removed to prevent irritating rubbing.
  
• Avoid tops that are tight across the back of the neck. The armpit area should be low cut.
  
• For those wearing only singlets or shirts, band-aids placed over the nipples will save a lot of pain and even some blood!
  
• Trim your toenails regularly with the last trimming being no less than a week before the race.

Happy running folks!

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I get an upset stomach when running on sports energy gels

Hi gary
I am training for the rotorua marathon, my first one.
About a month ago I started using leppin squezzy sachets during training. I definitely benefit from this product with noticeable energy increase, the problem I have is that about half the runs that I use leppins on I end up with a nasty upset stomach during and after running, resulting in an extended period of time on the toilet at the end of a run.
I have followed your advice by not eating within 2 hours of training and also followed the leppin products directions accurately when taking them.
Have you heard of anybody else with a similar problem, or do you have any suggestions for me.
Thanks in advance
By the way I really have enjoyed using your e-book training for a marathon document. Thanks heaps.

"N"

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Gary Moller comments:

I have been aware of this problem for quite some time with the first instances that came to my attention being among 24 hour enduro athletes. Any form of the runs when doing these kinds of activities can be disastrous to say the least - and inconvenient and embarrassing.

I am not personally a fan of the squeezie gels because they are essentially concentrated corn syrup with no nutritional value other than a quick shot of carbohydrate and little else. If you had time to follow my training and dietary guidelines about how to become more efficient at using your fat stores while conserving your precious internal carhohydrate stores, then your need to rely on external sources, including squeezies would be less. You will find this advice in the Training for a Marathon and Training for a Mountain Bike Race e-pubs.

If you are going to use squeezies, I recommend that you either take lots of water with them (Never straight!), or simply disslove the contents in a bottle of water and drink the flavoured result. I have tried them this way and there has been no problem.

Whatever drinking and energy augmentation strategy you decide to employ, please ensure that you have practiced it thoroughly during training!

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Simple solutions to injury and training problems

"Hi Gary, just a quick note to let you know how I have got on with the formthotics I got from you. Myself and a friend had planned a 3.5hour run for last night. I was a bit sceptical before the run about how I would go with blisters etc. However with new shoes a full size smaller than previous pairs, the formthotics from you and new thin running socks my feet were great, no problems at all which is amazing and a first - I am so relieved. Having come through that run with nothing other than tired legs I am going to commit myself to the Rotorua marathon. Thanks for you advice, I might have spent a small fortune lately but to run for over 3 hours and not even a hint of sore feet is well worth the $$ for me."

Gary Moller comments:
This keen female runner and cyclist in training for a marathon was suffering badly from a number of foot problems for which there seemed to be no easy solutions. Her prospects of making the start line for the Rotorua Marathon in good condition were diminishing by the day. As you can gather she is now a very satisfied customer.

As is often the case with most injuries of non-violent causation, the solutions can be remarkably simple and almost always of the "self-help" kind. Seldom, if ever, does a drug, injection, scalpel or expensive orthotic resolve the problem. Most often the solutions lie in a person's training structure, their coach, doing corrective exercises, small adjustments to their equipment and even just changing one's shoes, socks and inner soles!

If you have injury or training issues that bother you, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to assist with finding a lasting solution.

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Please help - I want to run a marathon!

"Dear Gary,
I am a 27 year old male who is currently living in XXX. I am desperate to run a marathon and have never done any excessive long distance running before. I find it hard to motivate myself to run, even though I am a keen sportsman. Last year I trained for a half marathon in XXX, however I got shin splints and could not attend. I was running around 12km a day when this happened. I am in a state of unrest as my fitness is poor and I am putting on weight. I eat rather healthy but tend to drink with mates on the weekend.

I was wondering if you could give me some motivational goals and techniques to encourage me to achieve my ultimate goal of a marathon. Would the Rotorua Marathon be out of the question and would I need to set a target for a future date?"
__________________________________
Gary Moller responds:
First of all, it is far too late to prepare for this year's Rotorua Marathon but not too late to start focusing on 2008. Make that your long term goal.

I find that the best way to get really fit and hardened for running an event like a marathon is to commit to a whole variety of lesser events that are no more than about a month or two away. Right now New Zealand is awash with mountain runs, 5 and 10km fun and charity runs and even events like the Oxfam 24 hour 100km wlk/run. There are also duathlons that anybody can do and these are often held in exotic places. For example, I am doing the 10 km run section of the Mt Holdsworth mountain duathlon this weekend while a mate does the cycle sections.

Events that grab my imagination are now getting promoted on this website and in various e-pubs, so keep an eye out for these. You can also find events by going to the various sports websites that are listed to the left of this article.

Frequently entering these events keeps you focused and motivates like nothing nothing else. They are not so punishing as to leave you injured and otherwise overly wasted.

You do not need to train hard daily. I would never run 10km every day nowadays because the fatigue and injury risk are excessive. It is much better to do three longer, steady runs per week with relative rest in between and to do an extra session preferably in the form of a shortish race that does not completely waste you. Please read this training guide which has just been substantially updated.

Shin splints hint that you have been doing too much running too soon and probably without sufficient in the way of recovery days. You probably have pronating feet. Please read this e-pub and do the exercises diligently.

If you start doing this right now you will find that your fitness steadily improves and you will be excited and motivated by each event as it looms on the horizon

Perhaps you can interest your drinking buddies in entering a few adventure races!

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Here's a mountain duathlon worth doing

If you are training up for an event like a marathon or just wanting to get really fit, a good strategy is to do a variety of challenging events that:

• Makes training varied and interesting,
• Gives you a really good incentive to get out and do the training,
• Makes life an exciting challenge,
• Gets you into the great outdoors and:
• If you get injured or fall ill the day before the big event of the season, all is not lost - you had a damn good time getting there!

Wairarapa Multisports Club in conjunction with the Masterton Tramping Club presents the 20th Annual Wairarapa Mountain Duathlon Sunday 4th March, 2007 10.00am Start from Clareville Showgrounds.



The race consists of a bike to the base of the mountain and then a steady 10km out and back run and then cycle to the finish. There is a short course option. Although I am pretty good on a bike, I am teaming up with a mate who is doing the cycling and I will concentrate on the run. Great fun, great training and great country-side!

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E-Publications Updated

I have been flat out over the last week doing updates to the following E-Publications:

Accreditation of health professionals who prescribe exercise as therapy

Blood pressure and heart rate monitor guidelines

Cardiovascular disease

Core strength and posture

Mobility exercises for runners

Stretching exercises for runners

Teach your child to ride a bike

Mountain bike training

Training guidelines for running or walking a marathon

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How to prevent muscle cramp during an event like the Oxfam trailwalker 100km

"Dear Gary,
I have entered with a team into the Oxfam 100km trailwalker this April. I have suffered really bad muscle cramps in the past when doing long runs. Do you have any advice about diet and supplements during training to prevent this happening again?
Thanks"
Anon.
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Gary Moller comments:
I have had several enquiries like this one for advice from walkers and runners who have entered the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km April 14-15, 2007). The challenge of the Trailwalker is to complete 100kms in 36 hours as a team of four and raise funds to help some of the world's poorest people.

Whether you intend to walk or run the Oxfam Trailwalker 100km, it’s a gruelling challenge and the odds are that you and your team mates are going to suffer cramping of some kind. So, let’s concentrate this article on what you can do with diet and training to avoid being hampered by cramp during the event. Train your ability to use fat stores When doing an event like the Oxfam Trailwalker, you have near limitless supplies of body fat for energy; but very limited internal supplies of your other source of energy: glycogen. When your glycogen runs low, as it will no matter how you get from A to B with 100km between, you must rely increasingly upon your fat stores for the energy to keep going. However; this is not easy if you are a typical Kiwi who is never further than several metres from a food source. Not being used to digging deep into your fat stores during intense physical exercise will result in only one thing: dead in the water exhaustion and muscle cramps. You need to train your body to operate efficiently using its fat stores.

This means having your last meal about two hours before exercise and doing your longest training runs/walks of the week on water only. You should be steadily building up to being able to trot comfortably for about three hours once a week, or to walk at a steady clip for about four hours.

It is important to cut the junk carbohydrates out of your daily diet - sugar, white flour, corn syrup and so on and replace these with whole food sources like wholemeal bread, oats, Kumara, taro, yams and spuds. Whole foods sourced carbohydrates are digested more slowly, they contain more nutrients and cause less stress on metabolic regulators like the pancreas.
Consuming sweets, gels and sugary drinks while you are exercising will not allow your body to learn how to burn fat efficiently. My free e-book "Training for a Marathon" has more information about training endurance capacity (download from http://www.healthandlifestyle.co.nz/).

You may initially get intense carbohydrate cravings during your long training sessions. However, if you stick at it you will be delighted with the results: The cravings will diminish and you can maintain a steady clip for much longer. I have found that this takes at least three months to really kick in, so start now. Build your body's mineral stores while you still have time Barely a single modern person's diet is adequate in minerals. Our depleted agricultural soils and limited range of cultivated crops sees to that, as does our general aversion to eating organs like the liver and making mineral rich broths from beef bones. Magnesium and calcium are critical for health, including muscle function. It can take several months, if not a year or so of supplementation to build a depleted body's stores in muscles, bones and organs like the liver. Rich body stores of minerals are your defence against muscle cramps during events like the Oxfam Trailwalker. During the remaining weeks of your preparation I recommend that you take two tablets of Calcium Complete and two capsules of Magnesium Complete per day, spread over the day and with food.

Eat organ meats like liver and kidney and make beef bone soups that have the bones well and truly simmered to release the bone minerals. Eat your leafy vegetables. Take extra B vitamins, extra antioxidants and glutamine and boost vitamin D

Minerals and the B group of vitamins work together to keep muscles, nerves (and brain) working, so you need extra B vitamins on a daily basis when doing all of the training you must do in preparation for walking or trotting 100km. Take two Super B tablets per day with food.

Vitamin D is like a mineral magnet and without high levels in your body, your ability to uptake and use minerals like magnesium and calcium is seriously compromised (This is why sunlight deprivation causes disease like rickets, osteoporosis and muscles weakness). Its importance for health is frequently overlooked possibly because vitamin D is free and does not require a prescription.

You can also take additional antioxidants into your body to keep muscles resistant to damage by taking a daily antioxidant supplement. However, your main source of antioxidants is bright coloured fruit and veggies including berries. Dark berries like blueberries and black currant also provide some protection from sunburn which is important at this time of year. The amino acid Glutamine aids muscle repair and recovery. It is best taken before and after exercise.

Note: You can order the supplements referred to in this article from http://www.myotec.co.nz/ or you can find similar products from your local natural health store.

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Here's a couple of running events to challenge you!

If you have been following my advice about training for events like the Rotorua Marathon or the Karapoti Classic, you will know that I encourage you to enter various buildup events that keep you focussed on training and also to help develop that high-end performance that can only come through competition. Whether you are out to win, or just to finish, you will benefit enormously by entering other events that challenge mind and stamina during your preparations.

What better to enter than events that get you into really spectacular parts of New Zealand!

Well here are two events that are just ideal for the fitness fanatic and the timing could not be better: the Mt Lowry and Mt Lyford mountain runs. Go here right now to learn more, otherwise read on....

Mt Lowry overlooks Eastbourne and is 12.5km of scenic hills that will have you blowing. Mind you, you don't have to race these events: Plenty of people enter just to participate, walking the distance and soaking up the views and the atmosphere. The Mt Lowrie event is on 25th February, giving you just enough time to prepare. Here is the link to the Mt Lowry page

The Mt Lyford race, overlooking the Kaikouras, is a scenic and stamina blowout for sure. The main event is 17.5km with a 1282m climb; but there is the option of a 5km version and even one for th kids. That's on 11th March which means you have plenty of time to train up for it. Here is the link to the Mt Lyford race

I have just entered the Mt Lowry race and so has my partner, Alofa; although she does not know this yet. Hmmm - just a couple of weeks to get running fit - now that is a challenge!

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How much training should a marathon runner do in the gym?

I get many variations on this question and the answer is this: "Very little". About 15-20 minutes, including the warm up and no more than three times a week.

Running a marathon is an extreme activity and the only way to prepare is to get out on the road and the trails and grind out the miles day after day, month after month. The specificity principle of athletic conditioning dictates that the closer you replicate the activity or event that you are aiming for the better prepared you will be. So, if you are going to be running on pavement, then most of your running should be on pavement and certainly not on a stepper, cross-trainer or even a treadmill. If there are hills on the course, then you must train on hills. If there is soft or uneven ground then you should be running on similar surfaces a good deal of the time.

Photocourtesy of: Nobby Hashizume

It is often argued that the gym is used for "core conditioning". Well, you don't neeed a gym and again the specificity principle says that a runner would be better off doing exercises and drills that condition the body's core specifically for running. This can be done by doing running drills like bounding up slopes (refer photo), stride-outs, accelerations and various agility drills. Done right, these drills superbly condition the body without adding unnecessary muscle bulk.

All that you need to add to the training mix is the following in the order given:

• Chinups off a tree or bar - about 5 reps will do
• Press-ups - about 10-20 is fine
• Hanging from a bar and pulling both knees to your chest (for the hips and abdominals) - about 10 will do
• Lifting a modest weight from the gound to above your head - 10-20 is fine

Move quickly from one to the other and, if you feel enthusiastic, do up to three sets and do this 2-3 times a week. If you feel like doing a fourth set, my advice is to go for a run around the block. You are training to be a marathon runner - not a weight lifter. Believe me, Arnold was never a good runner - it was all special effects.

If you have a gym membership, this is your 10 minute workout. If you worry about all that money you are paying on gym fees and not making much use of the gym then do your runs from the gym and use the showers. Better still, run to the gym and back.

By far the most important thing is you must get outside and run if you want to finish a marathon in reasonable shape.

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Mobility and toning exercises for runners

A distance runner needs to have good total body tone and mobility while not building excessive muscle bulk which is energy sapping weight when running.

Hot off the press is my latest work-out fro runners. It is a simple weight-free routine that covers the essential bases of a distance runner’s toning and mobility requirements. These can be incorporated into your pre-run/race warm up and cooling down routine. Make this routine a training session for easy exercise in the evenings and during rest days.

You can easily incorporate some of the other runner’s stretching exercises into this routine to make it even more comprehensive. Further exercises can be found in my book on Back Pain which is available from my online store here.

Here is the direct link to download this E-Publication

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How do I run with my wife when marathon training?

"Hi Gary
Thanks for the training tips for the Rotorua marathon. My wife and I are going to run it. I have run 2 before... around 3:15-3:20 finishing time. My wife has run a couple of halves around 2:15. We obviousily run at different race sppeds but do a bit of training together on the long runs. I would like to get closer to the 3 hour mark if possible. She wants to complete the marathon.

My question is....

is it ok to continue to run together for the long runs up to 3 hours? The pace we run at is slower than my race pace but good for her.... Is this a good idea or will it hinder my training as I would be running faster on race day."
______________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Three hours on your feet is your training goal. I do not see any point in running longer than that. The risk of injury and excess fatigue cancels out any added benefit if there is any.

Work out your respective aerobic thresholds (AeT) this way:

• Wear a sports heart rate rate monitor each
• Run as fast as you can for 20-40 minutes preferably in a race and get your average pulse during the mid sections of the run (After the first five minutes and before the last 5)
• This average heart rate is your anaerobic threshold (AT)
• Your aerobic threshold is about 10-20 beats per minute below this.

So, if your AT is 160 beats, then your AeT is about 140. You can not run a marathon above your AT heart rate. Your AeT is probably the fastest you can run a marathon. If you exceed your estimated AeT you will surely hit the wall during a marathon.

When training with your wife, you must not have her trying to keep up with you by exceeding her AeT. Do not worry if the long Sunday run is easy since it is time on your feet drinking water only that is important. Run at her AeT or slower.

On the shorter Tuesday and Thursday runs is when you try to run for 1-2 hours nudging your AT here and there. On the Saturday is when you do much shorter, faster runs that exceed your AT for several minutes. You would do all these runs at your pace and your wife at her's. If you are doing these runs together, have your wife send you the long way round now and then or have you drive harder up a hill or run ahead and then run back.

Be sure to gradually build up the training volume and intensity to a peak prior to the marathon and make sure you have "rest weeks" as outlined in the training guide.

Follow these suggestions and the rest of the advice that is on this website and in the marathon training guide and both of you will be assured of personal bests.

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When can I run my next marathon?

This is a question that I am asked often. Here is my best effort to provide some guidance:

It is best not to run more than 4 marathons per year, preferably fewer. Two is about right as you will gather as you read on.

Look after your body; especially the joints, which can only take so much wear and tear – look after body and it will give a lifetime of faithful service. Abuse it and your running days will be over before you know it. And let’s face it – running a marathon is tough on the body no matter how you do it!

Each marathon should be followed by a period of three to four weeks of recovery after which you start a fresh graduated build-up to the next performance peak.

After this initial period of recovery – and only after you are able to one again run freely and with energy - it is time to commence another build up to your next big event. Review your previous training schedule: Begin at about half way through where you started and where you peaked during your most recent build up of distance and speed. Gradually add a little more each week just like before, faithfully adding in your recovery weeks and do not get too far ahead of yourself by piling in too much extra training even if you happen to feel great. No big jumps please – keep progress incremental. The idea is to finish this new build up with the peak just a little higher than the previous one.

Here is what you are aiming for:

• 12 weeks of steady increases in distance runs each week, breaking these up with some short, fast runs, including 3-10km races (no further please!)
• 4-8 weeks if you have time of maintaining a steady mileage and competing in short distance races.
• 6-8 weeks of gradually cutting back on total training volume while quickening the pace.
  • Keep one long relaxed run per week going of 2-3 hrs (No longer please).
  • Do one ½ marathon about the 1st week of this phase, recover for about 7-10 days with relaxed running and then get back into the training.
  • Put all of this stamina to the test by running approximately weekly 3-12km races. Do these even if you regard yourself as being a bit of a plodder. These will get you up on your toes and used to running at pace and they will toughen your body and mind. Join a club and participate actively in their training and racing programmes.
• With 2 weeks to go to the marathon, do not any more races.
  • It is time to enter your freshening phase to peak for the big day.

So, to train properly and consistently, you need about 24 weeks, or almost 6 months of undisrupted training between each marathon. Keep this consistent and progressive training and competition pattern going for as long as you feel the inclination to do so.

As a general rule of thumb, run no more than 2 marathons per year hard out. Any extras may be taking the edge off you and you may find that you will never beat whatever time you are going for; be that a sub-4hr, sub-3.30 or under the magical time of 3hrs.

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Stretching Exercises for Runners and Cyclists

I have created a simple little E-Publication that contains what I think are the most important stretches for a runners and cyclists to do. These are suitable for incorporation into a pre-competition warm up routine; but mainly for doing daily, such as in the evening when you are warm and relaxed.

Here is the direct link.

Read more!

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New Page added: Training advice for running, including walking or running a half marathon or marathon

If you are planning to run or walk a marathon or half marathon; or just wanting to get outside and get fit, this new page on my website is a good place to start. What I have done is create a feeder that searches out all of the artilces that I have written that have anything to do about running and aggregated them all onto a single page.

Why not go there now and have a read?

Read more!

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The ten most important rules for training for running or walking a marathon

Give yourself time and be consistent. You need at least three months of training to have the stamina to complete a marathon. So, whether you have three months or six months to go before the big day, get your shoes on and start your training now! Be consistent. Have a training plan that progressively increases the mileage covered and stick to it week after week, month after month.

Get time on your feet. It’s not so much the mileage or speed; but time spent running and walking that prepares you for completing the marathon. Very gradually build up to doing one weekly run that is up to three hours duration; or, if you are walking, your goal is four hours on your feet. This is your goal about 4-6 weeks out from the marathon, after which you ever so gradually reduce so that you are fresh and raring to go on race day!

Make your journey to the marathon interesting and fun. Try making every training session different from the last one. Explore new places. Organise mystery runs with your mates. Get lost and get very fit. Play “chase” now and then. Do the occasional day-long or multi-day hike (Even if you are a runner, a long hike in the bush is wonderful physical conditioning).

Do not over-train and ensure you recover. You only need to do three long runs or walks per week (Plus one short, faster one, if you are really serious). While you should be active on the day in-between, you must ensure that you are as close to fully recovered before the next long training session. Make every fourth week a relatively easy “recovery” week. Have your regular training partners; but do the majority of your training on your own so that you go at your pace and distance and do not risk being constantly dragged along too far and hard too often by others. The risk of injury and illness is too high.

Run or walk mostly on trails. Training on roads and pavements is especially hard on the legs; especially if there is an unrelenting off-camber. Train on trails that vastly reduce the impact shock and which vary the stresses on the legs with every stride. You will find you can go longer and faster and still recover in time for the next session.

Eat a nutrient rich diet. Your body cannot recover properly or build strong, healthy tissue if your diet is lacking in essential nutrients. Have a home made Super Smoothie that contains proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, essential oils and antioxidants within an hour of finishing each training session.

Keep hydrated. Weigh yourself before and after a training session: If you lose 1kg then you must replace this by drinking 1kg of fresh water (1 liter), plus an extra ½ liter for good measure over the hour of finishing. You will later be able to dispense with the weighing because you will have learned to listen to your body signals. Got the idea?

Get plenty of rest and quality sleep. Ideally, you want to have a sit-down job, rather than one that has you on your feet all day. It is during deep sleep that your body produces its daily peak of growth hormone that stimulates repair and growth. Be in bed and asleep by 11pm every night and get 7-8 hours of sleep.

Treat injuries before they incapacitate. Unless you fall over, or are run over by a bus, running and walking injuries happen slowly. Cut your training short and take a compulsory four day rest the moment there is a hint of an injury and then gradually work your way back into training. The same rule applies to illnesses like colds. Follow this rule, and others, and you will never have to visit a health professional about a training related ailment.

Listen to your Inner Voice. The most important rule has been saved for last. You are a living being – not a mindless automaton. Learn to listen to your Inner Voice. If it is telling you to stop, then stop; if it is telling you that you can go further or faster, then do it; if it is telling you that you need more water or food, then give yourself some; if it is telling you that you need a few days break, then do it. Ignore your Inner Voice at your peril – illness, injury and mental staleness are the inevitable consequences. Listen carefully to your Inner Voice and you will thoroughly enjoy your training and you will complete the marathon with a personal best.

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Commute your way to fitness

If you want to get really fit and time is against you, commuting to work under your own steam is the solution.

My partner, Alofa, is very fit. By commuting to and from work, she has reduced her resting pulse from 80 beats per minute to 40 beats per minute. That’s an extra 40 beats to play with when running, meaning she can run with ease a lot faster and longer. She either rides her mountain bike to and from work or she runs with a small back pack. At the beginning of each week, she takes her clothing and her breakfast (muesli) to work where her employer has supplied a wardrobe and shower. This is good time management.

She gets to work early, faster than driving or taking the bus, has a quick shower and breakfast and then she is down to work. No need to waste time with makeup due to the healthy start to the day!

If you live too far to commute and you think you can get out of it, think again; use public transport to travel only part of the distance, then run the remainder of the journey. Extend the distance run as fitness improves. There should be no whimping out when the weather is foul. There is no such thing as bad weather – just bad choices of clothing.

Commuting disciplines you into a twice daily workout that quickly builds enduring fitness. It makes very good use of time that is otherwise wasted on mindless and stressful commuting. It can save you thousands of dollars per year and is good for the environment. When building fitness by commuting, all you need do further in training is a long run on Sundays with the occasional race thrown in here and there.

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Even more feedback from happy campers - running and iron man

"Hi Gary,
You probably won't remember me but last year I emailed you for advice about training for my first marathon at Rotoura. You got me started in plenty of time and gave me some valuable advice about supplements being a 'mature' starter. Anyway I made the journey in a good time of 5hrs with no injury and a big smile on my face loving every minute of it. It's only as I started to look for the date of next year's marathon that I realised I'd never said thank you.

After Rotorua I decided to follow my real passion triathlon and 10 days ago completed my first Iron Man in WA in 13hrs 49mins 45sec. Despite having a coach in tow now I still follow much of that initial advice you gave me which was invaluable on the big day, temperatures reached the mid-30s and heat and me just don't go, but with all the good advice I survived, in fact more than survived, I was buzzing.

I still don't consider myself a natural runner and I'm not fast, but good advice such as yours has made me a very happy runner who can sustain reasonable speed and fitness over long distances and remain relatively injury free. I just wanted you to know how greatful I am for your advice."
"A"

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Training advice for running Rotorua Marathon

Gary,
I've done quite a few Rotoruas & intend doing the 2007 also.
BUT from 12 Feb to 9 Mar I'll be away on extended overseas trip (skiing).Great fun but lttle opportunity for safe running - from previous experience won't manage more than 1 to 2 hours per week - weather and underfoot snow limited.
I should be up to the 3 hour ++ runs by beginning of Feb.What should I try immediately on my return?
Some background :age 65 in March,Last year did 4.35 with not much training.Expect a bit under 4:30 this time if I don't bend myself skiing!Skiing in Colorado so some beneficial altitude effects anticipated - staying & skiing @ 9000ft & above.
Regards "Peter"
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Gary Moller comments:

Peter, with your years of running behind you, and with a few months to go upon your return, you should have no problems with being ready to run Rotorua.

The altitude will help with keeping the heart and circulation going. Why not try x-country skiing every 2nd and 3rd day? There is good x-country skiing where you are going. This will really work the legs and the lungs.

If possible, you should still try to do a regular jog, even if it is very short at the end of the day. While skiing is very good conditioning, it still is not running.

Upon your return, restrain the tempatation to launch right into the running. Give yourself time to adapt to the new time zone and for the leg muscles to get used to running again. Run trails to start with and bear in mind that your cardiovascular fitness from all that time at altitude may be a tad ahead of the legs. So take care not to injure the legs during the first few weeks.

Finally, you do not need to run longer than 3 hours in training. If you can run 3 hrs nice and steady - don't go longer or faster - concentrate on the shorter runs during the week and do one or two of them faster and enter a few 5-10km races.

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Starting running for the first time

Before you run out the door, let’s get real about running:

• Running is a high impact activity:
  
• it has high injury rates as compared to low impact activities like swimming and bicyclingNot everyone is suited for running
• Just as there are “horses for courses” the same can be said of people.
  
• The person best suited for running is a lightly muscled, light boned person with little body weight.
  
• Most durable runners are less than 75kg body weight
• Get fit before you take up running
• That means ensuring that you have a strong heart and circulation
• That you have strong, flexible foot and leg musclesThat you are not carrying too much excess body fat
• Start injury free
• If you have any injuries affecting your lower back or lower, then deal with them before you take up running

How to get fit to run

• Do at least three months of a mix of the following:
• Walk before you run
• Brisk power walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week (this is your most important exercise)
• As fitness improves, jog a few minutes, gradually increasing the jog in relation to the walking.
• Swimming 2-3 times a week
• Aqua jogging using the combination of Kermitts and Aquafins
• Bicycling
• Gym workouts, including weights and cardio equipment – go for a hydraulics circuit workout if you can find a gym with it
• Stretch yoga style each evening

Seek professional advice about any injury or health issues (You may contact Gary Moller to discuss any injury or health issues)

Footwear and clothing

• As a general rule of thumb, if you have good feet and weigh less than 75kg, you can go for a lighter shoe that has less shock absorption
• A heavier person needs a shoe that has more shock absorption
• Ensure that the shoe has a flexible forefoot and not an inflexible board (the most common fault in running shoes), otherwise the Achilles tendon and calf will be under enormous strain
• Seek a firm heel counter that cups the heel bone securely and does not slowly collapse as the weeks and months pass
• Wear a soft fabric against the skin on very long runs to reduce chafing of sensitive part like the nipples and armpitsIf chafing of the inner thigh and crutch are a problem, try wearing a pair of bike pant style lycra underwear against the skin

Nutrition on the run
Start early with good nutrition to build up your body's reserves before the big distances and high intensity training kinck in.

• Read the pages on this website about nutrition and the various training guides and E-publications
• Consider taking a quality sports multi such as Nutra-Life Sports Multi
• Contact Gary Moller for more specific advice, if need be.
  

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Are you looking for a great marathon to run?

The Rotorua Marathon has to be the iconic New Zealand marathon. Lake Rotorua is almost exactly 42 km in circumference with some nicely undulating hills midway to add some extra challenge.

I have run it a few times myself and my father, Gordon, ran it almost every year without fail for what seemed about 20 years. Each time he ran, it was an obsessional gallop to break the magical 3 hour barrier, which he managed several times.

If you are thinking about running it, now is the perfect time to make that decision and the commitment that goes with that decision. If you go to the training pages on the marathon's website, you will find some basic advice that I have written and you should refresh your training plans by reading our Guide to Running a Marathon.

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Aquafins for effective cross training

“Aquafins are addictive! Besides providing an excellent strengthening workout they feel so naturally good in the water that pool running takes on a whole new dimension.
I have always been an advocate of pool running for athletes as a low impact, full-body resistance cross-training exercise. Aquafins enhance every aspect of deepwater workouts and shallow water exercising. They are a valuable aid not only as cross-training for serious athletes but also to those looking to increase their fitness, strengthen, tone, lose weight or who are recovering from injury or surgery. I recommend Aquafin water workouts as an essential inclusion into any fitness programme.”

Lorraine Moller, Running Coach, Boulder, Colorado (Four-time Olympic Marathoner representing New Zealand; Bronze Medallist, Women’s Marathon, Olympic Games, Barcelona 1992; Three Time Avon Women’s World Marathon Champion; Boston Marathon Winner)

For more information:
Gill Gray and Don Christe, Aquafins New Zealand, 50 Glen Road
Wellington aquafinsnz@xtra.co.nz
04 479 7474 or 04 970 1188
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Gary Moller comments:
Lorraine and I don't have any financial ties with the people who sell these training aids, nor are we being paid to say this: We simply think these are great for cross-training for sports like running and for general fitness, including weight loss and muscle toning without the usual wear and tear.

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The zen of running

GRASSHOPPER, BE YOUR SELF. AND NEVER FEAR THUS TO BE NAKED TO THE EYES OF OTHERS. YET, KNOW THAT MAN SO OFTEN MASKS HIMSELF. THAT WHAT IS SIMPLE IS RARELY UNDERSTOOD. THE DUST OF TRUTH SWIRLS, AND SEEKS ITS OWN CRACKS OF ENTRY. AND A TREE FALLING IN THE FOREST, WITHOUT EARS TO HEAR, MAKES NO SOUND. YET IT FALLS - Master Po from the original Kung Fu TV series.

I get a nasty headache whenever I hear some expert advising athletes that they must eat so many grams of this and that per hour and drink xyz Mls of water with various ingredients added to make it completely indigestible.

Sure there are some basic rules of thumb for how much to eat and drink on a run or ride and in certain conditions; but this this is almost as bad as trying to paint a masterpiece by numbers. Training and competing are as much an art as it is a science. Gosh! Why don't we just turn off our senses and hook oursleves up to intravenous drips, open the tap, turn up the iPod and run mindloessly until we drop!

Even though I have worked my way through the academics of sports nutrition (An excruciating experience) I have never gotten off on measuring how many grams of this and so many mls of that - I have always gone by the philosophy of learning to listen to my body and this is what I teach athletes to do. This is something I learned early on from my sister, Lorraine, who applied the concept with artful precision to have lasting success when running marathons very fast in extremes of weather.

Would you know it! - Humans have two little known sensory feedback systems that outperform the best of modern rechnology hands down - one is called thirst and the other is called hunger. "Now, little Grasshopper, listen to your body". This is something the modern urbanised human has long forgotten and since replaced with fancy machines, mathematical formula and white-coated experts. Thirst and hunger are extremely sensitive mechanisms that tell us what to do well before there is a decline in performance - if only we would sensitise our minds and listen and respond early enough to the subtle signals.

Listening to our very own in-built feedback systems has served us well since time began, enabling man to survive and even fluorish on next to nothing in the harshest environments. Our problem today is that we are forgetting how to use them.

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Training for a marathon has been updated!

This free e-book is now up to 88 pages with more to come shortly. The latest version has a new-look table of contents that is easier on the eye. There is more information about designing training schedules and we have added a whole lot of content about the "walk-run" option for completing a marathon or 1/2 marathon. There is more advice about injury and health issues and a few more pictures and illustrations.

Would you like to advertise your products and services in this publication which gets distributed world-wide? If so, please contact me.

These updates are guided in part by reader feedback, including inquiries about training and injury issues, so keep it coming!

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Link

Pushing the limits - Too far

"The most important of the neurotransmitters from a sports performance perspective are Dopamine, Epinephrine and norepinephrine and acetylcholine. As Dr John Berardi explains “Some evidence exists showing that when neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine get depleted, physical and cognitive performance suffers. Since these neurotransmitters can be depleted from intense repeated bouts of strenuous exercise, this is bad news. " Read the whole article by clicking on the title link above.
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Gary Moller Comments:
This is an interesting article that is put out by the people of IRule. While I can see where they are coming from and while I do not have a problem with the science, I do worry that many multisports atheltes rely too much on various performance supplements, ranging from energy drinks, to caffeine to ephidrine-type chemicals. This especially so for ultra endurance events that sometimes go for days on end.

Why, oh why does the good doctor believe the depeletion of neurotransmitters is "bad news"? I think it is good news.

The need for sleep and the tiring of nerves so that muscles begin to fail is natural and there for a purpose: without periodic breaks for repair and replenishment, the body breaks down. The consequences of ignoring Nature, or trying to circumvent her can be catastrophic. Muscles and tendons like ropes eventually fray and break; joints like bearings will seize if not resurfaced and lubricated; and the brain becomes hopelessly muddled if not rebooted now and then. This is not rocket science. The body's parts all interact perfectly. To fiddle with one part of the body or its physiology in order to get an artificial performance gain risks acute and lasting damage.

What I am beginning to see nowadays is "mature" multisports athletes who are suffering early onset of arthritis and permanent muscle and tendon damage. Without question, this is the result of overdoing events that go on and on and on, well past the point where one would normally call it a day. I would like to see a shift back to events that last just 3-5 hours. Like old elephants whose time has come, the multisporters who have worn themselves to a standstill, quietly slip away unnoticed into the shadows. I would like to see some research of the musculoskeletal health of multisports veterans.

I competed in the very first multisports races back in 1977. They lasted 3-5 hours and the courses were determined by the rugged terrain in which they were typically held. Many of those who embraced this new sport did so partly because they were sick and tired of over-regulated sports like athletics and cycling and the cheating that was going on with performance enhancing drugs. It was a sport that was one with nature and almost without rules. Has it lost the plot?

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Runner's Knee

"Hi Gary
I was hoping you could help me. I did the XYZ Half Marathon last year and I finished it feeling great however I thought I would then go on and help a friend of mine finish the marathon (just the last km) however I suddenly got a bad pain in my left knee – since then I have had physio, acupuncture, pediatrician, I even had my leg measured and found my left leg was 4mm longer than my right leg so I had orthodics put in. I did rest for awhile (about a month) however it seems that when Im running I can get to the 10k mark then the pain starts and gets worse as I go along – going up hill seems to help it but its going down hill or on the straight that it is really bad. The physio said that it was runners knee however not sure what that problem is. The pain seems to start on the outside of my knee then goes further under my kneecap and sometimes above my knee. Im usually sore for the rest of the day and depending how far Ive run it may even be a bit sore the next day. I am trying to strengthen it up at the gym by using weights and sometimes even swimming or cycling to help.

I am at my wits end and I love my running and Im sick of this problem, do you have any other idea as to what my problem could be or what I should try next.
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Gary Moller comments:
You can now see why marathons and 1/2 marathons are a huge windfall for therapists of all persuasions - even pediatricians! The aftermath can be both financially and emotionally expensive.

If the injury is what you have described and what your physiotherapist says, then you have damaged the very delicate under surface of the knee cap. This is not good; but the good news is you will recover – eventually.

First of all, I think you can throw away the orthotics and replace them with a good quality innersole like Formthotics. I have never in 28 years seen an athlete benefit, other than briefly, from these and you are unlikely to be the exception. Your feet are shock absorbers; if they are not allowed to do their job properly, the energy gets transferred further up the legs to structures like the knees. They can actually cause worse problems down the track by accentuating weaknesses and imbalances. You need strong feet - not weak ones. Read the relevant sections about shoes and foot care in here. And do the exercises that you see in the last few pages of the Guide – the ones that stretch and open up the runner’s hips. Do these every time before and after a run. Tight hips throw huge strain on the knees, especially when running downhill. If you have a short leg (most of us do), (or is it a long leg??) the cause is most often in the pelvis and not the leg itself. The attention of a chiropractor might be beneficial along with regular practicing of the hip stretches recommended here. Consider purchasing a new pair of running shoes if the ones you have are worn, or are in any way uncomfortable.

When you go for a run
When you go running, keep the knees warm before, during and after. A long hot bath and a self massage about the knee caps is wonderful and will help healing.

• Stay off hard pavement, especially during winter. Run on trails, that twist and undulate, thus eliminating the relentless pounding monotony of running on pavement.
• Keep close to home by running in circles rather than out and back. Murphy's Law dictates that you will seize at the most remote point far away from Home!
• STOP running before your knee hurts and gradually build minute by minute, run by run no matter how long it takes to fully recover.
• Do not run every day. Have a rest day between runs (rest days can be active - go and swim or lift weights).
• Do fartlek and intervals that stretch, strengthen and get the run over and done with quickly; rather than your runs being a sucession of bland drawn out plods.
• Before you do your next marathon, or anything over 15 km, do a proper buildup of at least 12 weeks, as outlined in our marathon training guide along with plenty of races over short distances no longer than 10km. Join a running club, so you can do their race programme, even if you consider yourself a completly social runner (You will not be alone).

Doing strength work in the gym might help; but you must be very careful with the weights exercises not to stir the injury up. Make sure that you get instruction from an experienced instructor who has the appropriate qualifications. The key is to eliminate ongoing harm and to assist your body’s healing processes - not to stir it up.

You need to do the exercises in here whether you have weak feet or not and take a good, long look at your posture – how you place your feet, how you stand and how you walk and run and sit. If necessary, go do a few sessions with a posture expert like a person qualified in the Alexander Technique.

Go and see a sprint running coach who you can find via your local running club and get some lessons at the running track on doing running drills including bounding. Learn how to run tall, lightly and strong. Even if you consider yourself a social runner, this is one of the best actions any runner can take to have a long, enjoyable and injury-free time running life.

Nutrition to assist the body with healing itself

• Purchase some joint food here and take 6 teaspoons per day until finished.
• Also take 3 teaspoons of this daily until finished.
• And take 2 per day of these until finished.

These will help your body get its healing processes ahead of the ongoing damage that is happening. Take all of these with food and spread throughout the day, rather than all at once.

• Take a course of magnesium – one daily until finished.

Low magnesium may cause the muscles to be slow in relaxing, causing the thighs to pull on the knee cap when they should be relaxed. This is one reason for the painful seizing up towards the end of long, hard runs. Read this latest article on the subject.

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Trouble with cramp - some solutions

Dear Gary,
"I thought you might be interested in a de-brief from the Rotorua marathon and I would value some advice.

My biggest worry with Rotorua (apart from fitness!!) was getting cramp. I tried to overcome this by good training including 7 of my long runs over 30 k's, some hard short runs, and some hill work. Serious training started in Jan and included the Franklin 1/2. I had probably never been fitter leading in to Rotorua and injury free. I was also taking magnesium, calcium, and joint repair.

I had a good breakfast on race day and plenty of water. Also plenty of water throughout the race, some power aid and leppins squeezy later in race. But still I was stricken by leg cramp at exactly the Whakatane turnoff (30 kms). I could feel it coming on a k or 2 earlier and knew it was a matter of time. It struck hard in my right calf and left knee and I immediately dropped to the ground in a press up position and stretched out my legs. I carried on and forced myself to run through the cramp (I could feel it moving around my muscles) until it was bearable and then it would strike m further on. I went through that agonising process time and time again (knowing that my wife was only minutes behind me!) until it left me at about 2 kms from the finish and I was able to finish quite freely and quite fast. "

Anon
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World champion marathon runners generally spend at least 10yrs preparing and are world class 5 and 10km runners. Even if you are not world class, you can still copy the general principles of their training.

My Advice:
If it were possible to invent a cure-all for cramp, I would be a very wealthy man! The sad fact is there is no single solution. The most effective approach to prevention is to try to cover as many of the possible causes and hope that one, or a combination of them works. Prevention requires attention to training, diet, what you do in the days before the race and what you do duing the race and how you run it. When reading this, please refer to the updated Guide to Training for a Marathon.

• Train, race, train, race and even more training. I ran my first marathon in 2hrs 42 minutes with no special training, other than running competitively for about 15 years and doing big 2-3 hour Sunday runs on an empty stomach with the boys (and one girl - sister Lorraine) over the mountains overlooking Dunedin. That marathon was in Southland during October immediately following a winter of cross-country and road racing. Your buildup to any marathon should be at least 6 months and include the combination of long runs and short races.
• Top up your body's mineral stores, principally calcium and magnesium. While some benefit may be noticed, after supplementing with these for a few weeks, it may take several months of taking more than the recommended daily allowances to fully replenish body mineral stores. These minerals are essential for muscle and nervous system functioning, including preventing and treating cramping. It is very common for these minerals to become depleted; especially in women, teenage boys and men and women from about 40 years on. Heavy exercise; especially if sweating heavily increases need. You can purchase these supplements from the http://www.myotec.co.nz/ store.
• Train your body to use fat. It takes at least 3 months following the diet and training guidelines in the Training for a Marathon Guide for the body to show improvements in fat useage. You will notice this by fewer intense carbo cravings when on really long runs and your ability to go longer and faster on an empty stomach will be markedly improved. Your body learns to spare its muscle glycogen and this means less chance of muscle cramping glycogen depletion at about 30km (hitting the wall!).
• Learn to run steady effort pace. I ran the Crazy Man a few weeks ago. This was 18km of muddy mountain trails, followed by 38km of even muddier mountain biking. I finished in about 4.5hrs in second place for my age group. Although I was running at a very steady effort, I was being passed by the same competitors again and again during the run. They were running at an uneven pace. Every time a runner accelerates - even slightly - this costs precious muscle glycogen stores. I passed every single one of these runners towards the end of the run or during the bike, as exhaustion and cramp disabled them. When running a marathon, start slow and gradually build the pace so that your 2nd half is slighly faster than the first.
• Replenish glycogen stores as you go. During a marathon, this is next to impossible if you are running at about 3.30 hrs pace or faster. This is where the gels and electrolyte drinks come into play; but take special care with these if running hard. Refer to the guide to Training for a Marathon for more details.
• Get caffeine free. If you are a caffeine addict, your natural fat metabolism processes are compromised. Caffeine is only of any benefit to an athlete if they are not habitually taking in caffeine. Then, if you are caffeine free and if you are following the Training Guide, you will have no need for dosing up on caffeine on race day.
• Do not travel long distances within 24hrs of racing. If you spend more than about 4-6 hours sitting in a car or plane, the blood stagnates in your legs. While it may not clot like happens in deep vein thrombosis (DVT), it still goes off a little. This is why you feel tired, heavy and mentally lethargic following travel. The runner might notice that their resting pulse is slightly elevated for a day or so. It has always been traditional among the running professionals to go for a brisk 20 minute run immediately upon arrival to blow out the cobwebs. They also know that it is impossible to produce a personal best performance immediately following travel other than a few hours duration. So, travel to your race destination 2 days before the race. Failing that, stop and go for a quick jog every hour of travel. Take extra fish oil with vitamin E around the time of travel to improve circulation and to reduce any possibility of clotting. I also recommend a quality antioxidant to reduce any degradation of the blood cells through oxidation.
• If you suffer disabling cramps during a marathon. Slow down, gently stretch the offending muscle group. But do not stop altogether for more than a minute or two, lest you completely seize up. Keep the muscles warm. If dehydrated, get fluids in. Definitely try to ingest crabohydrates, best in liquid form. You might like to take two Magnesium Complete capsules: Break them open and disslove in water and ingest (magnesium is a mild laxative, so be prepared!). Power walk, if necessary for as long as 20 minutes while doing these measures and giving time for them to take effect. Resume running cautiously and see what happens.

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Was it the barley sugar?

"How much sugar wud switch your body from running on body fat to runnning on sugar. for example would a single barley suger during a marathon switch ones body to suger as fuel???? the reason that I asked is because I was given a barley sugar just before the 20km hill I was going fine until then just over that hill I crashed and burned, the barley sugar was great to suck going up the hill but was it my undoing??"
- Anon
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World class runners go at a pace so fast that it is
next toimpossible to take in carbohydrates and
only a few cups of water, so they train for this.

Dear Anon,
Sorry, Mate; but you can't blame the barley sugar for the crash and burn act. It was probably the 8 week build-up to the marathon that was your undoing.

Your inquiry raises a few interesting points that I will try to cover:

1. Do at least 12 weeks training before a marathon, preferably the best part of a year. Each week, at least one run should be long and slow and completed without sustenance other than water. Follow the guidelines in the "Training for a Marathon" e-pub. Have a diet that is low in refined carbohydrates (whole grains and unprocessed carbos are essential). It will take at least 12 weeks of this kind of training to adapt; and you will notice with delight that you can go longer and faster during these long runs without getting irresistible carbo-cravings.
2. Doing what is recommended in (1) will help your body conserve its internal carbohydrate stores during a race like a marathon, enabling you to run longer and faster before hitting the wall. While there is no "switch" between fat and carbohydrate metabolism (Useage is in terms of ratio, rather than just one or the other), there does come a critical point in body carbohydrate store depletion where the body and brain appear to do a sudden drop in performance - the wall. this can feel a bit like throwing a switch.
3. When you are running really hard, it is almost impossible to take in anything other than the smallest quanity carbohydrate without suffering disabling stomach upsets. This is why the training as outlined above (1) is so important. The only other way to avoid hitting the wall is to run much slower and to eat and drink as you go. But, the more you take in, the slower you must go and that means a long time out on the road, which can be just as hard as trying to go fast.
4. Trying to eat and drink, including sucking a barley sugar, when going at anything other than a slow pace also causes interference with breathing and running rhythm. This can force the runner ever so slightly into oxygen debt. This hastens the hitting the wall.

So Anon, when you felt yourself seizing up, the best thing you could have done was to slow right down and take on a dozen or so barley sugars, wait for the sugar to infuse the body and hope. However; with the lack of training, other metabolic problems compound the seizing up, such as the nervous system itself running out of gas (the muscles go into a kind of rigor mortis).

With regards to the barley sugars, there is an additional issue:
If you are breathing heavily, jostling and being distracted there is a serious risk of inhaling the barley sugar and chocking to death. This is why responsible coaches ban chewing gum and sweets during training and competition. Barley sugars are fine if only walking slowly; but not if the pace is brisk and definitely not if running. The better choice is a sugary drink and soft caramel bars.

However, Anon, if you start training now (you are allowed 10 days rest) you will find that everything is so much less complicated when you run your next marathon.

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Running the perfect marathon

Here is a letter from Andy who ran the Rotorua Marathon over the weekend (Reprinted with his permission):

"Hi Gary,
Thanks for your advice and help over the past 12 weeks, the guide is excellent and I constantly referred to it during my training and post marathon. I’m trying to think of suggestions but to be honest I can’t really think of anything substantial!
For the record I ran the second half slightly faster than the first and managed to make up a couple of minutes over the last 10kms.
10 km 53mins
21 km – can’t remember exactly but was over 1.45min
42km 3.29mins
Thanks
Andy"
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Gary Moller Comments:
Andy had what can be considered close to the perfect marathon, something that an estimated 90% of participants in a marathon fail to achieve on the day (For the record; out of over a dozen or so marathons, I can say only two went perfectly). So many things can go wrong during a marathon and even the slightest upset or oversight can cost much time and cause unbearable suffering. 3hrs 29min over the tough Rotorua Marathon course is a good time. While I have not yet seen the overall results, this would easily place Andy well up in the top half of the field.

The publication referred to: "Training for a Marathon" can be downloaded for free. It is best used with a broadband internet connection. Updates are guided by feedback and questions from readers. It started off as a 50 page e-book at the beginning of the year and has now blown out to about 100 pages and growing. A further update will be posted soon. If you have a product or service that you would like to advertise in the Guide, please contact me.

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A few final tips for running a marathon

With the Rotorua Marathon just a few days away, here are some last minute tips for all of you who have been following my training guidelines, either on the Rotorua Marathon website, or via the FreeRangers website:

• Run tall - Even the best of marathon runners tend to lose form as fatigue sets in. The most common faults are collapsing of the arches of the feet and buckling of the knees. This progressive buckling is demonstrated by the world class runner in this picture that I took at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. As the tiring runner gets lower and lower, the muscles and joints are placed under enormous pressure. Post-race injuries to the knees and feet have the physio clinics working overtime. The best thing you can do at this late stage of preparation is to concentrate on running tall. When you are running the marathon and fatigue is setting in, remind yourself to keep tall. This includes sticking your chest out, pulling you tummy in and looking ahead, rather than down at your feet and be conscious of not allowing the knees to buckle. Do this and you will spare your legs that little bit of extra pressure. This might make the difference between success and failure - and injury.

• Run light- Be light. That means discarding everything before the race, including clothing and accessories, that are not absolutely necessary. One liter of water weighs 1 kilogram! If you raise and lower that 1kg weight 5-10cm with each stride, not including hills, that is a lot of kilograms you are lifting over 20,000+ steps! Runnning a marathon is hard enough work without doing extra weight lifting along the way! My advice is to make liberal use of the drinks stations that are dotted along the way and not carry water. Light shoes are essential; however it is too late to do anything about these, if you haven't already - this time.
• Dose up on vitamins and anti-oxidants - Like it or not, you are going to be doing a lot of damage to your body. Your first defence is having full body stores of vitamins and anti-oxidants that soak up and neutralise free radicals before they can do damage to healthy tissues. So, for the last few days, including the morning of the race, take additional nutrients. Nutra-Life Sports Multi is my favourite because it covers most bases in a single tablet. I also like the effervescent Red Seal products as a cheap and refreshing source of Vitamin C and other nutrients. Athletes who have tried this strategy, report less muscle soreness and quicker recovery following punishing exercise.
• Hold back at the beginning - 90% of marathon runners make the mistake of going out too fast over the first 1/3 of the race and they pay the penalty by hitting the wall prematurly, losing huge amounts of time and hurting terribly. Hold back, save your energy for later and drink early. Even if you feel great and even if Granny has just whizzed past you, followed by the big guy in the long rugby socks! You will pass them later. If you manage to run the 2nd half slightly faster than the first, then you have run the perfect marathon
• Enjoy the view and the occasion - No comment necessary.

I will be there on the day, on my MT bike, watching and encouraging you all as you make your way around the lake. I will be catching up with as many of you as I can after the race.

I wish you all the best on the day.

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