5 Ways To Run Your Best (Like An Olympic Trials Marathoner)
The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials always produce dozens of exciting and inspirational races, and no one draws insight from these performances better than elite athlete-coach-book author Steve Magness. When he reviewed the Trials, he found key strategies that top runners used.
Here he lists 5 of them. They aren’t the boring stuff you’re accustomed to reading like: Start slow; stay patient; focus on hydration. They’re way better than that.
They’re also fun to read, and useful in your own running. I particularly appreciate “When you’re hurting, create some distance” … by getting out of your own head.
And what’s not to like about a largely-unknown, self-coached, unsponsored runner who achieves a four-minute personal best and a fourth place finish (in tough conditions)? Magness explains how Jessica McClain got the job done. More at The Growth Equation.
How To Train With Minimal Fatigue And Optimal “Overload”
Here are two new training articles with a similar approach: How to increase your training, intelligently, to get fitter and faster.
The first claims to present ways to run without getting tired, which sits somewhere between impossible and a good idea.The second discusses the “progressive overload” principle of training--an important concept.
The “without getting tired” article is heavily referenced, but mostly basic. I found the last of 11 items the most interesting. It suggested listening to music or other audio to increase the “mental engagement side of distance running.”
I’m not music-oriented, but have been listening to podcasts on the run the last several years. And, yes, the pods make my runs less mentally fatiguing. More at Marathon Handbook.
In his “progressive overload” article, Coach Jason Fitzgerald looks at various ways to achieve overload. This isn’t common practice, but should be. Too many coaches and runners just default to more miles per week. It’s much smarter to think of other ways to overload.
Fitzgerald comes up with 7 alternatives. Each can and should be matched with your upcoming goals. Pick your goal first, then select the most appropriate overload approach. More at Run Outside Online.
Why You Need These 3 Types Of Running Shoes In Your Closet
It’s always a good idea to have several pairs of running shoes in your weekly rotation because studies have indicated that switching up your shoes can lower your risk of injury. Here physical therapist, running biomechanics specialist, and book author Jay Dicharry shares his view on running shoes. Namely that “every runner needs to have at least one pair from radically different categories of shoes.”
Radically different? What does that mean?
The first is the cushioned trainer--“the solid, dependable, and unsung hero of the shoe quiver.” Dicharry does not count thick super shoes with an embedded plate in this category
The second is the barefoot/minimalist shoe. Dicharry admits these fell out of regular use years ago, but he finds they still have a place in your rotation, because the lack of padding compels your lower leg to work harder than in cushioned shoes. This “cues your body to build stronger bones, muscles, tendons, and durability in your feet.”
But don’t run fast in these minimalist shoes. In fact, wear them mainly for walking and slow running.
Two shoes may be all you need. But if you enjoy racing, you’ve got to add a third shoe--your racing shoe--to the rotation. And if you’re going to race in a particular shoe, you should also train in it on occasion--perhaps for intervals or a short tempo run.
Dicharry has a skeptical view of super-shoe racing shoes. He believes these are mainly beneficial to the greyhounds you see winning World Marathon Majors, but often don't work as well for heavier, slower runners. In his view, they may even provoke injuries.
They also feel “wobbly” to many runners. For this reason, Dicharry recommends that you “not train in super shoes” except for the small amount you need to break them in a bit, and get accustomed to the ride.
Like many top PTs, Dicharry counsels a gradual, adaptive process for new shoes--especially the lighter ones you use for faster running. If you’re running a set of intervals on the track, he suggests you do just one of them in your new shoes the first time you try out the shoes.
The following week, do 2 of your intervals in the new shoes. And so on. That’s the most specific and conservative approach I’ve heard. Which makes it a very good idea. More at Run Outside Online.
Is Your Running Bra So Tight That It’s Making You Slower?
I don’t remember anyone asking this very reasonable question before. But I’m not surprised that it was raised by Shalaya Kipp, a biomechanist and former Olympic steeplechase runner.
“Have you ever wondered if the underband of a sports bra can restrict breathing mechanics and increase oxygen consumption?” Kipp asked on Twitter/X. Since she had wondered, she decided to conduct a study.
Kipp investigated 9 highly trained female runners who performed in the lab under “three levels of underband restriction: loose, self-selected, and tight.”
Result: During maximal running, subjects had to do more work and breathe at a higher frequency with the tight underband vs the loose underband. During steady state running, oxygen consumption was 1.3% higher in the tight vs loose condition.
Conclusion: “Our findings suggest sports bra underbands can impair breathing mechanics during exercise.” More at Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Additional context from Kipp on Twitter/X: “For an individual running a 3 hour marathon, a 2% improvement in VO2 would equate to a 3 minute improvement. (i.e. some women could see some real performance benefits if they loosened their sports bras).”
However, there does seem to be a Catch-22 aspect to bra tightness. If your bra is too loose, not providing sufficient support, excess movement of your breasts could also increase pain during running, and decrease your efficiency. This has been shown in prior studies.
Sodium Bicarbonate In Hydrogel Doesn’t Upset The Stomach
For the last several years, some of the biggest buzz in the endurance performance world has swirled around a hydrogel beverage containing sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a known performance enhancer, but also a known stomach disruptor. Previously the risk-benefit ratio was too high for most athletes to consider.
Now Swedish researchers have tested a new hydrogel + sodium bicarb combo, from Maurten, and found that it seems to work well.
In a randomized, cross-over trial, they gave the new beverage or a similar amount of sodium bicarbonate in vegetarian capsules to 12 well trained male cyclists. The cyclists then performed a 5-hour ride in the lab.
Result: In blood testing, the cyclists reached peak sodium bicarb level, and maintained it longer, with the hydrogel beverage. They also reported less GI discomfort with the hydrogel, and “reduced stomach cramps, bowel urgency, diarrhea, belching, and stomach-ache” compared to the veggie-capsule sodium bicarb.
Conclusion: “This is the first study to report that Maurten with sodium bicarbonate can increase buffering capacity and reduce GI discomfort.” The finding represents “a major potential benefit for athletes considering sodium bicarbonate as an ergogenic supplement as GI discomfort is almost eliminated.”
Important point: This was not a performance study. It only investigated sodium bicarbonate levels, and degree of stomach upset. “Further research is now needed to directly quantify the potentially ergogenic effects of this new supplement.”
More at Sports Medicine Open with free full text. Note: The researchers have received indirect (not private) funding from Maurten through their university. “Contractual negotiations stipulated that all data could be published irrespective of the outcome of the study and subsequent analysis.”
Runners Gain More Longevity Benefit Than Cyclists Or Walkers
The science of exercise epidemiology was launched in the early 1950s when Jeremy Morris published his landmark study investigating associations between physical activity, social class, and health outcomes in over 18,000 male London transport workers. He showed that bus drivers had more heart disease than the ticket takers who roamed the bus aisles, and sometimes climbed steps to the top of double-decker buses.
We’ve learned much more since then, mainly that exercise increases your risk of a heart attack during the time when you’re doing it, but, paradoxically, lowers your heart attack risk overall (through the day, month, years, etc).
Now a great new exercise epidemiology paper has produced results more finely-sliced than we’ve seen before.
Here’s how it worked. The researchers looked at more than 500,000 subjects who participated in an endurance event--mostly by walking, running, or bicycling. Next, they noted how many died during the event or the next 7 days. That’s point A.
They also noted deaths during a followup period of 3.3 years. That’s point B. Lastly, they compared A and B with similar data from 200,000 matched subjects who didn’t compete in an endurance event.
Result: The endurance participants were 1.92 times more likely to die in the 7-day post-event period than the nonparticipants. However, this figure was not statistically significant, perhaps because there were so few deaths overall.
Another result: The endurance participants were 30% less likely to die in the 3.3-year follow up period. This was statistically significant. Also, the risk reduction was 35% for runners, 30% for cyclists, and 12% for walkers. This represented the fine-slicing I mentioned above.
The outcome caused the researchers to write: “The association between type of sport and all-cause mortality risk reductions may be exercise intensity or fitness dependent, with greater benefits at higher exercise intensities.” (Emphasis is mine.)
Conclusion: “These results suggest that the health benefits of mass sporting event participation outweigh potential risks.” Also, that the harder your frequent exercise activity, the greater its mortality benefit. In other words: Walking is great, but running is better. More at British J of Sports Medicine.
Yes, You Can Maintain Fitness Even When You Have Little Time
Runners miss training time, most commonly, from injuries and/or illness. There are also infinite varieties of stress that can drag you down.
And then came the Covid pandemic, which affected everyone worldwide in one way or another. It launched a renewed interest in “detraining,” as well as on maintaining fitness with minimal training.
This review paper looks at cardiorespiratory and metabolic consequences of detraining on endurance athletes. It notes that detraining produces more substantial effects after 4 to 8 weeks than in the shorter term.
Also, veteran athletes might lose less because they have built a strong fitness foundation over many years. One more reason to pay now, and reap the benefits later.
“Insufficient training” causes a drop in vo2 max and plasma volume, while heart rate and blood pressure increase. The brain receives less oxygen-rich blood, and cardiac output drops. Also, lactate threshold, fat burning, and muscle glycogen all decrease.
No wonder you can’t run as far or fast. More at Frontiers in Physiology with free full text.
If your training is mainly limited by time constraints, and not injury, there’s an evidence-backed system to help you hold as much fitness as you can with limited training. Simply do whatever easy runs you can manage during the week, but be sure to include at least one session/week at moderate to high intensity. More at Frontiers in Physiology with free full text.
All Praise Dot McMahan’s Strong Result In Her 5th Straight Olympic Marathon Trials
The big stars at the Olympic Marathon Trials are the podium placers: First, second, and third in the women’s and men’s events. And well-deserved, they are.
But even more inspirational and aspirational stories are often found not far behind them. For example, how about a 47-year-old woman who finished her fifth straight Marathon Trials, and has only slowed down 3 minutes over the 16 year period?
Meet Dot McMahan from Rochester Hills, Michigan. You’ve got to applaud her consistent, high achievement over an extended period of time. For the record, here are her times in the last 5 Trials: 2:35:02 (2008), 2:32:16 (2012), 2:44:26 (2016), 2:43:39 (2020), and 2:38:24 (2024).
How has McMahan done it? By recognizing that everyone encounters obstacles along the road, and the only way forward is to maintain consistency. “Anyone who does this sport for a long time is going to have ups and downs,” she said. “But being a woman and giving birth to a child and being a parent and having to roll with all the punches all the time, I hope that I’m inspiring other people that you can do it.”
Yes, you are, Dot. Thanks for the example you have set. More at Fan Hub TF.
SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss
GREAT QUOTES Make Great Training Partners
“It is easier to prevent disease than to cure it.”
– Benjamin Franklin
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby