In a recent "Dear Dr. Donahue" column in the Star-Ledger, the letter-writer was a 65-year-old man in good health. He described himself as 5-10, 145 pounds, with a trim build. The writer's complaint was a lack of muscle tone. He described his flesh as "wobbly like a bunch of marshmallows." He also said his skin was like"crepe paper on his legs." He wondered what he was going to look like if "he managed to live another 10 or 15 years."
Dr. Donohue's advice was realistic and sound. He explained that you can't expect to have the same muscle tone and size that you had as a younger man. The body enters a cataboloic state as we age, shrinking muscle, but not fat (depressing, I know!). From 30 to 40 years on (depending on your body's unique make-up) there is a diminished level of testosterone being produced.
Muscle training can slow the process, or if you've previously been sedentary, even reverse it. As great as cardiovascular training is (and I swear by it), you have to incorporate some resistance (push-ups, pull-ups, bands) or weight-lifting exercise into your program to delay the slowdown in testosterone production.
Dr. Donohue recommends getting a physical and Doctor's approval before starting a strength-training program, and to vary the exercises (the muscle confusion concept). I agree!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Avoiding Shinsplints
I've been very lucky to avoid injuries through my 35-plus years of running. Aside from unrelated eye surgery, there have been only a couple of things that have sidelined me from running for longer than a week.
One of those was a nasty case of shinsplints that occured in my first season of track & field in college. I was real enthusiastic about increasing my training miles after my first marathon (back in 1977) and, sure enough, developed sharp shooting pains down the front of my lower legs that sidelined me for over a month.
Medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome, shinsplints are a dull, aching pain along the inside of the shin. The most common cause is a sudden increase in training miles or intensity, frequent at the start of a cross-country or track season, or when someone is prepping for a half or full marathon. Basketball players, volleyballers and gymnasts also can easily pick up shinsplints, and even walkers who may be wearing very worn shoes, or who over-pronate (foot rolls inside) when they land. Poor running form, in general, certainly can be a factor, and muscle tightness (which leads to imbalanced strides).
Total rest probably would heal shinsplints the fastest, but if you developed them in the first place, you are obviously someone engaging in physical activity, and you don't want to stop.
Try lower impact activities like rowing, cycling, or swimming, and you won't lose cardiovascular fitness.
When you get back to running, build back up slowly, with no more than 10% increase in mileage per week. Keep the cross-training in the your repertoire, and buy new shoes. Try to stay on softer surfaces like a high-school track or boardwalk.
If you feel the symptoms coming back, listen to the signals your body is sending. If the shinsplints develop further, the condition can turn into a stress fracture, and totally ruin whatever you were training for in the first-place. Listen to someone who's been through it.
One of those was a nasty case of shinsplints that occured in my first season of track & field in college. I was real enthusiastic about increasing my training miles after my first marathon (back in 1977) and, sure enough, developed sharp shooting pains down the front of my lower legs that sidelined me for over a month.
Medically known as medial tibial stress syndrome, shinsplints are a dull, aching pain along the inside of the shin. The most common cause is a sudden increase in training miles or intensity, frequent at the start of a cross-country or track season, or when someone is prepping for a half or full marathon. Basketball players, volleyballers and gymnasts also can easily pick up shinsplints, and even walkers who may be wearing very worn shoes, or who over-pronate (foot rolls inside) when they land. Poor running form, in general, certainly can be a factor, and muscle tightness (which leads to imbalanced strides).
Total rest probably would heal shinsplints the fastest, but if you developed them in the first place, you are obviously someone engaging in physical activity, and you don't want to stop.
Try lower impact activities like rowing, cycling, or swimming, and you won't lose cardiovascular fitness.
When you get back to running, build back up slowly, with no more than 10% increase in mileage per week. Keep the cross-training in the your repertoire, and buy new shoes. Try to stay on softer surfaces like a high-school track or boardwalk.
If you feel the symptoms coming back, listen to the signals your body is sending. If the shinsplints develop further, the condition can turn into a stress fracture, and totally ruin whatever you were training for in the first-place. Listen to someone who's been through it.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Firecracker 4-Miler
Every Fourth of July, the Cranford Jaycees host the Four-Mile Firecracker run, through Nomahegan Park and the surrounding thoroughfares. It draws a large (1200 this year) and competitive field, with many top college runners making it ones of their summer tune-ups.
I'm happy to say, I won the 50-54 age division this year in 25:36 (6:24 mile average). Up until the last mile, I was happy with my pace: 6:25 at the crowded first-mile mark; 12:28 at two, and
19:02 at three, when the race enters the final stretch through the park. I lost it a little mentally in the last mile. I knew I couldn't go sub-6:00, to break 25:00, and I "settled" into a little slower pace (and noticed I was losing my form) as a few people passed me between the three and three-and-a-half mile marks.
Once the finish came into sight, I restored my pride and got it back together, with no one else
out-kicking me over the last half-mile. Lucky I did, too, because the second-place finisher in my age group was only about three seconds in back of me.
I was happy to win and have my name called for the medal and nice technical T-shirt they gave away. I mentioned to my wife later, though, that I'm rarely totally satisfied with my race
effort, this one included. If I didn't "lose it" in the last mile, I probably would have knocked another 10 to 15 seconds off and not been passed by the first woman (and others) in the park.
The million dollar question: Is that quest for perfection the thing that drives me to achieve these minor victories? If you're content with your effort, can you push yourself as hard?
I'm happy to say, I won the 50-54 age division this year in 25:36 (6:24 mile average). Up until the last mile, I was happy with my pace: 6:25 at the crowded first-mile mark; 12:28 at two, and
19:02 at three, when the race enters the final stretch through the park. I lost it a little mentally in the last mile. I knew I couldn't go sub-6:00, to break 25:00, and I "settled" into a little slower pace (and noticed I was losing my form) as a few people passed me between the three and three-and-a-half mile marks.
Once the finish came into sight, I restored my pride and got it back together, with no one else
out-kicking me over the last half-mile. Lucky I did, too, because the second-place finisher in my age group was only about three seconds in back of me.
I was happy to win and have my name called for the medal and nice technical T-shirt they gave away. I mentioned to my wife later, though, that I'm rarely totally satisfied with my race
effort, this one included. If I didn't "lose it" in the last mile, I probably would have knocked another 10 to 15 seconds off and not been passed by the first woman (and others) in the park.
The million dollar question: Is that quest for perfection the thing that drives me to achieve these minor victories? If you're content with your effort, can you push yourself as hard?
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