Ottawa Race Weekend - Marathon

I remember waking up at 4:00am May 27th, 2012 with constant feelings of anxiety.  I couldn't sleep because in less than 3 hours, I would embark on my very first marathon... and that thought of completing the distance frightened me.

I knew very little about what it took to finish a marathon, as frankly I had only attempted running 30km distances.  I was not prepared for what an extra 12km would do to my body, but I did know one thing - I would finish the distance if I had to walk.  Months ago I had registered for this race in hopes of finishing under 3 hours so I got positioned in the 'Blue Corral' - a title I didn't believe was appropriate as I had no idea when I would actually finish.  I merely relied on calculations based on previous distances and training and factoring in fatigue.

I would recap the entire race if I could, but words could not describe the emotions I felt during the marathon.  I felt great during the first 21 km where I had actually ran 10km and 21.1 km PRs!  I began to feel the greatest amount of fatigue after completing 30 km where I slowed down significantly.  I attributed this to my lack of training since I had yet to complete a further distance.  Furthermore, I felt that I had no problem breathing and I well nourished therefore the only explanation to my fatigue was lack of muscular endurance and strength to carry on.  My time splits were as follows:

10 km - 39:09 

21.1 km - 1:25:27

30 km - 2:04:34

As I saw my times, I would quickly do the math to calculate if I could slow down or maintain pace to ensure a successful finish.  The greatest slow down occurred after the 30 km as I had realized that all I had left was 12 km, and I could easily do that within the hour provided I slowed down to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.  

Throughout the race, I did not battle GI distress as my nutrition plan prior to and during was well organized. That is one of the most valuable pieces of information I knew before attempting this distance.  When the event is of a longer duration ( > 1.5 hours), one must ingest exogenous glucose to spare glycogen reserves or to fuel the working tissue.  Please refer to my previous post regarding carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged exercise for a complete explanation - click here.  Essentially, I was able to maintain sufficient fuel in my body to continue running the full distance without 'hitting the wall'.

 The greatest moment was crossing the finishing line and realizing that although I hadn't completed my time goal, I had qualified for Boston. I was overwhelmed with joy and couldn't believe that I had done it, on my first try.  As I passed the finish line, the pain in my legs began to sore but it did not fizz me in the least.  I had completed my first ever marathon in 3:01:45 - just under the qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.

3:01:45  

So what does someone do to treat themselves for such an accomplishment?  How does a runner at heart truly fulfill their success? New shoes of course!

Beat The Heat

Professor Ollie Jay (my boss at the Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory) was interviewed this Friday May 25th, 2012 regarding thermoregulation.  Dr. Ollie Jay briefly explains the science behind  heat stress, how to avoid dehydration, and how to reduce ones risk of heat stroke.

Listen here:

4 Recovery Modalities

Just finished a high intensity training session and do not want to feel the debilitating Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) for the next several days?  Do you want to be able to complete the next training session without dragging your feet and feeling lethargic? Here are four simple tips to improve recovery so you do not loose valuable training time.

Refuel

After a training session, one should ensure to replenish lost energy stores and rehydrate.  One of the biggest downfalls to a training program is inadequate post workout nutrition which can be deleterious to future exercise sessions.  Be sure to eat some carbohydrates and liquids post workout to refill your muscles energy stores.  Additionally, one should also ingest electrolytes (sodium, calcium, and potassium) which may have been lost to muscle function and sweating. 

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy has been used to treat traumatic injury and improve recovery primarily due to its analgesic effects.  Cold water immersion can attenuate the feelings of pain associated with DOMS and therefore be used as a recovery modality.  However, little evidence demonstrates its effectiveness in reducing overall DOMS and it may actually inhibit recovery.

Contrast Therapy

Contrast therapy is the alternation between hot and cold water immersion.  The mechanism behind its functionality is not well understood and it has been proposed to induce a ‘pumping’ action by means of repetitive vasoconstriction-vasodilation.  Contrast therapy has been shown to increase creatine kinase clearance and therefore increase recovery.

Self-Myofascial Tension Release (SMTR)

Also referred to as the ever popular term “Foam Rolling”, it is used as a recovery modality to reduce pain (although painful during) and relieve tense muscles.  Although inconsistent evidence supports SMTR, it truly does wonders as an alternative to stretching since it applies minor tension to flatten out muscle cells in the fascia.  SMTR works by creating inhibitory and relaxing responses to the muscle resulting in loosening and lengthening.  By decreasing the tension in the muscles, you alleviate pain and increase the potential for an improved inflammatory response.

Day Before Mothers Day Run

At 10:10 am on May 12th, 2012, I started my second ever half marathon race.  Knowing how I did in my previous attempt, I wished to beat my PR of 1:26:29 with a small goal of sub 1:25:00.  Unfortunately I came short of said goal by 4 minutes... finishing off with 1:29:14.  Not near my PR which was disappointing, however  I must admit, I had succumbed to two of the greatest troubles of a long distance runner - Gastrointestinal Distress and dehydration.

As I let loose out of the starting gates, I was first with quite a bit of distance from the pack (I would actually look back and see who in the mass start had a half marathon bib colour).  I was in the clear, running with the 10km race pack to ensure good timing I managed to keep with them for 7.5 km... until it hit me.  I started to feel minor cramping in my stomach and so I decided to slow down a bit in hopes it would subside.

The pain grew and grew but  I was not going to let it bother me - I was in first place looking stronger than ever.   I had completed the first loop in record timing (40:12) - I would have came 3rd in the 10km if I had done that race!  Although I wore a smile as I neared the roundabout, my insides were starting to get the better of me.

I was back out with a decent distance from the trailing second place runner.  With each stride I took, the pain grew.  I thought to myself, I can quit the race and loose my pride, or continue and finish.  I have yet to DNF in my short career therefore I thought I need to finish no matter what it takes.

Second place caught up to me around the 17km marker which I accepted... not much I could have done.  It was either I slow down or my pain gets the better of me.  I continued to fall back but I maintained second place  which was good enough for me.  Although I finished strong on such a hot day, I found myself not stopping at the finish line, but continuing to the nearest rest room!  I know I am not the only runner who has ever suffered, nor will this be my last time.

Not only did I suffer from GI distress, I also had fallen victim to severe dehydration on account of insufficient fluid intake during the race and the heat (it was 22 degrees when I started and when I finished it had risen to 24).  I hold myself accountable for this mishap as I should have properly prepared myself with plenty of water and maybe some sodium tablets prior to racing.

I will never declare a race a waste of time as with every race I will learn from what had happened.  I will correct the mistakes and hopefully come back stronger and better prepared for whatever comes my way.

Improved Capacity

My last post involved me introducing the benefits of interval training and how to properly incorporate interval training to suit your needs.  Today, I want to share some of the recent improvements I have made in my running speed.  I conducted the exact same interval session as I had done in a previous workout (Work:Recovery - 5min:5min; 8.0mph:9.5mph), and this is the end result:

What should be noted is the total duration, duration of intervals, and heart rate during intervals.  For starters, I was able to maintain during intervals for 75 minutes, which is considerably longer than my previous bout of 53 minutes.  Secondly, my duration during intervals were the FULL 5 minutes which contrasted with the previous attempt.  In the before graph, you can see that interval 2 and 3 seem shorter than 5 minutes as they are. I was unable to maintain speed.  Finally, my heart rate during intervals and during recovery was less during my recent bout illustrating cardiovascular adaptation and improved performance. 

What does this mean? Theoretically I have the potential for a greater work output at similar heart rates in comparison to previous attempts.  Intervals do improve performance, but I cannot give my training all the credit...

These past 4 days I have been "acclimating" which means physiological changes that occur through artificially produced environments.   My acclimation has been taking place in an insulated chamber set to 33 degrees Celcius and 60-70% humidity.  I am to workout in this sweat box for 1 hour and 40 minutes at a demanding work rate to increase core temperature.  What is a demanding work rate in the sweat box? For me it was on average 120-130 watts on an upright cycle ergometer which is considerably less than when I am in a normal climate. So why does acclimation warrant the improvements in my intervals? Here is a table outlining the benefits and consequences of  acclimation (Armstrong & Maresh, 1991):

As you can see, the improvements in my physical ability can be attributed to acclimation.  Furthermore, this demonstrates why individuals should undergo acclimatization (the physiological changes induced by the natural environment) prior to events in an abnormal environment.  

EDIT: One should note that for true acclimation and/or acclimatization occurs after 10-14 days of being exposed to the different environment.  As I have only been undergoing acclimation for 4 days, I have yet to be fully acclimated - however - cardiovascular changes can occur within 24-48hrs (such as increased blood plasma volume).

References:

Armstrong, L.E. & Maresh,C.M. (1991). The induction and decay of heat acclimatization in trained athletes. Sports Med. 12: 302-312.