'ology and 'osophy of the Taper

“Sleep! I feel the need of it. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!”
J.R.R. Tolkien

It seems to be that time of year when everything starts happening all at once and if you blink you might miss something. This is my excuse for my abandonment of this blog. But I figured it would be a good time to share some things I was working on last year when I was to busy to blog. Good luck to everyone in the midst of taper season. Enjoy the restlessness. Bottle it up and then let loose!

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Taper Protocols for Distance Runners

Laura Roach

10/17/10

Introduction
Timing is everything in competitive distance running in which goals are made for a single race or a few championship races. Many effective training strategies in distance runners are based on Hans Selye’s theory on stress adaption in which physiological changes occur as a result of acute stress and recovery. According to this theory, in order to perform optimally the runner must be fully recovered from a succession of training stresses. Many runners and coaches use reduced training, also known as tapering, to increase the probability that they will feel good and perform well on race day. The trick is to design the taper in such a way that you do not lose any fitness gains from training, but are also fully rested with “fresh legs.” Although a large majority of researchers, coaches, and runners hypothesize that decreased training, particularly in the form of reduced volume, improves performance, the popular opinion is not conclusive on the most advantageous strategy for a pre-competition taper. The following review summarizes current theory and empirical evidence on physiological changes due to a variety of taper strategies and applies them to what should be recommended to coaches and athletes in order to boost race performance.

 

Review of Literature

Types of Taper

The most common elements of a taper include changes in volume (total daily and weekly distance), intensity (percentage of VO_2max), duration (day or weeks), frequency (number of runs per week), and type of reduction (linear, exponential, or step). A meta-analysis on taper research in endurance sports showed the highest increase in performance for tapers that involved a progressive (either linear or exponential) 41-60% decrease in volume while maintaining training frequency and intensity (Bosquet, Montpetit, Arvisais & Mujika, 2007). The highest effect sizes occur for tapers 1-2 weeks in duration.  The mean improvement for all taper studies was 1.98% with one study averaging an 8.91% performance gain. At a high-level of competition even very small performance gains can convert to outcome differentiation in important races. For example, Payne, Mujika, and Reilly (2009), point out that the difference between 4^th place and a gold medal (1.6%), and between 8^th place and a bronze medal (2.0%) were both under the mean 2.2% improvement after tapering found in the Sydney Olympic swimmers.  

Additionally, reduced training should maintain sport specific intensity. While a 7-day high intensity run taper with a 85% systematic reduction in volume improved a 5-kilometer treadmill performance by 2.8± .4%, the same taper volume and intensity on an ergonomically bicycle had no effect on run performance (Haumard, Scott, Justice & Chenier, 1994).

Pre-Taper Training

An important part of an efficient taper is the training that precedes it. In a mathematical model of taper characteristics, an overload period consisting of 40% increase in training for 4 weeks before the beginning of a taper increases the benefits of a progressive and step deduction in training. The model predicted the best performance increase to be 4.2%± 2.3% occurring after a 31 day progressive 39% reduction in training. This model suggests that the more training stress prior to the taper the greater the reduction and duration of the taper for optimum performance (Thomas & Busso, 2004).  

Mechanism of Physiological Adaption to Decreased Volume Taper

VO₂ efficiency is highly predictive of distance running performance suggesting oxygen efficiency may be a potential mechanism in which reduced training may improve performance. A study consisting of 6 weeks of intensive training and a two-week taper in track and field athletes showed significant increases in hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, hematocrit, white blood cell count, and VO_2max (Ashtyani, Mohammadi, Rahimi & Saravani 2006). The greatest hematological and VO_2max improvements were seen in a taper involving a gradual reduction in training load compared to a step-wise reduction taper, a 50% step reduction taper, and a 100% reduction taper. Although performance measures were not considered, these results agree with previous studies that indicate performance benefits from progressively decreased training (Bosquet et al., 2007). Alternatively, a study on highly trained middle-distance runners by Shepley, MacDougall, Sutton, Tarnopolsky & Coates (1992) showed that the high-intensity low-volume taper which showed the greatest performance gains had no significant effect on maximal O₂ consumption.  Still, significant increases were found in blood volume, muscle glycogen concentration, and strength in this study.

Another physiological mechanism for increased performance could involve recovery from harmful effects of the stress of rigorous training pre-taper.  Reactive oxidative species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been blamed for negative performance during over-training suggesting their role in taper dynamics.  Plasma levels of TNFα, IL-6, and IL-1β significantly declined after 3-weeks of reduced training in elite-level cyclists (Farhanimaleki, zehsaz & Tiidus 2009).  Interestingly, significant performance improvement on a 40 minute time trial was seen as early as 1 week into the taper and improved further after 3 weeks suggesting that anti-inflammatory effects of a taper may be more influential in longer tapers, while other mechanisms may contribute early on.

To date, ROS, unlike pro-inflammatory cytokines, have not been shown to be significantly altered during a taper. Although a 60% load reduction taper has been shown by Vollaard, Cooper, and Shearman (2006) to improve time-trial performance, training stress did not affect resting or exercise-induced ROS markers; oxidatively modified heme, total glutathionine, oxidated or reduced glutathionine. Hence, Vollaard et al. proposed that ROS itself does not directly negatively affect performance.

Muscle adaptations could also explain peak performance after a taper.  A 3-week taper induced a 7% increase in Myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIa fiber diameter, 11% increase in peak force a 9% increase absolute power concurrently with a 3% improvement in 8k cross country performance (Luden, Hayes, Galpin , Minchev, Jemiolo, Raue , Trappe, Harber, Bowers & Trappe, 2010). Transcription markers for genes involved in Type IIs fiber remodeling responded uniquely to the tapered training suggesting a myocellular basis for performance enhancement during reduced training.

Although not reviewed here, other possible contributions to adaptive affects of tapering on performance improvement include but are not limited to alterations in endocrine balance, neuromuscular adaptations involving running efficiency, and psychological recuperation (Lin and Chang, 2008).

Discussion

In the past few years quite a bit of research has attempted to discern the optimal training practice to time peak performances during the championship portion of a competitive season for distance athletes.  Most of the research agrees that reducing volume around 50% progressively over a week or two allows for the most improvement in running performance.  This is a practical finding that can be implemented at the end of a season when athletes shift their focus to competitive performance outcomes.  This strategy, however, should only occur after a solid base of training volume and intensity has been built since greater gains should be expected for an overall greater reduction in volume while continuing sufficient intensity.  It is likely that in untrained athletes progressively increasing training load would continue to provide performance improvements without the previously prescribed taper.

Further research on taper could begin to sort out the specificity in taper protocols based on the nature and duration of previous training, the athlete’s gender and age, and the length of the championship season. For instance, coaches and trainers may be interested in how to tailor a taper strategy that to fit their top-7 varsity athletes for a championship season that goes later into the season than the rest of their team, or how to use different strategies for athletes whose volume may already be low due to injury or sickness. Another thing to take into account while trying to alter training to peak for championship races, is how to implement these strategies while traveling to a national or international course. What effects might jetlag, long bus rides, or climate changes have on physiological adaptations just prior to desired peak performance?

As much as it would be ideal to have a completely objective protocol for implementing effective tapered training, like most areas of training, individual psychological response to specific strategies may have a considerable affect on performance outcomes. Experience tells us that many runners are likely to get impatient during tapers and fear that they must be losing fitness.  On the other hand, reduced training might induce a mental recovery from a rigorous training schedule and allow time and energy to be spent on preparing for the big competition. Realistically, coaches and athletes must learn through trial and error what works for them in certain situations.  They may then decide to error on the side of beginning to detrain but being 100% rested, or on the side of not being fully recovered but being sure to maintain their previous fitness. It may be important to weigh which option has more risk, and which has more payoffs and make a decision based on the athlete and the situation and their performance goals.

            Finally, this review shows there is still disagreement on what physiological adaptations contribute most to performance during a taper.  It is very likely that a combination of aerobic efficiency, anti-inflammation, muscle recovery, and a host of other changes account for this improvement. A better understanding of the physiological mechanisms behind training stress and recovery adaptations could help sort out the main contributors to a taper-induced performance enhancement. This knowledge would better inform practical applications in a variety of individuals and training circumstances.

Conclusion

            The research suggests that a standard protocol for a distance running taper involves a 40-60% progressive reduction in training volume, while maintaining training intensity and duration after a training period of 6-8 weeks. The physiological adaption to this reduction likely involves both attenuation of physical stress and inflammatory markers, and adaptive benefits after recovery such as muscle strength and hematological efficiency. Utilization of this protocol will likely increase an athlete’s odds of improving their performance in championship meets. The challenge remains, however, how to most efficiently taper so that improvement is more pronounced than an opponent’s. More research in taper training for optimal performance is warranted.  Specificity of tapers for individual athletes still remains an art.

The Life of the "Elite"

In class we have been discussing what elements go into the making of an "elite" athlete.  This of course means we had the typical nature versus nurture debate that ended in the usual "yes, it's both."  In this case, it's usually a hundred percent of both.  Leaving us with 200% of requirements...but I think much more goes into becoming the very best at what you do.  You need the best genes, the best "gifts," the best environment, and the best opportunities, but in the end what separates the great from the best is a touch of serendipity.

Although incredibly corny, one of my favorite songs is Michael Buble's Just haven't met you yet.  The mentality, "I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck" emerges routinely in my life.  Despite my daily efforts to pursue what I believe my fate should contain based on my talents and environment, God continually reminds me if half is timing and half is luck, and I can do math correctly, that leaves very little room for my plans.  Of course this doesn't mean effort and talent and circumstance don't play a role. Of course they do. They put you in a position to benefit when timing and luck turn your way.

This idea is one of the great lessons athletics has taught me about life.  You work towards your dreams and goals, (whether they be related to sport, or academics, or career, or true love) but not because the end result is make it or break it in defining who you are.  Ultimately, the way in which you pursue these goals and wisdom and genuine experiences is what defines you as a person.  I recently discovered the musical artist M. Ward.  His song Epistemology quickly has become the soundtrack of my life. He references Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  A successful life is pretty simple, just keep putting the "right foot in front of the left."

Simply chasing,
Laura 

Got the fuel, fire, hot desire, and an unapologetic pile of debt

Over the past couple weeks as I have begun to get back into the routine of the school year; worrying about my grad school assignments, getting to work on time (which is close to impossible with the construction projects on every possible route to anywhere important), paying tuition, and keeping my living-spaces from turning into disaster zones.  However, this year (so far) I've been doing a pretty good job with the balance between keeping up with responsibilities and taking the time and energy to really be observant of little (or big, depending on your perspective) things.  This is a success I owe to a few very good friends, some of whom periodically read this blog, so thank you all genuinely for your perspectives.

In class the other day I had a brief discussion with another Carleton alumn about the "'value" of our Carleton degrees compared to an undergrad degrees at the University of Minnesota.  We agreed that even though most of us were more in debt now than the day we graduated, Carleton had other valuable intangibles.  The conversation was cut short but when I returned to my car they were discussing the new US News rankings on MPR.  Carleton was 6th overall.  They talked about whether the rankings meant anything besides the "richest" colleges or the most expensive.  A Gustavus student called in and asserted that the rankings don't mean anything...figures #81...kidding I have nothing against the Gusties.  I don't disagree that when your talking about the top 10-20, even top 50, schools it's hard to say generally who is the best and who is only 5th best.  It's the same way with preseason rankings in sport, you're really just making a guess based on the pieces they are holding, not necessarily how those pieces fit together and function as whole.

BUT there is a reason people spend the time and money to do rankings, and I'm proud of Carleton (and my favorite xc teams!) for being ranked.  And more importantly, I'm proud of the people Carleton has molded us to be.  The argument has always been that no matter what the rankings say you still have to show up and compete.   Carleton grads may not have "real" jobs but we are both fierce competitors and effective collaborators.  We follow our passions no matter how outwardly impractical.  I recently revisited a graduation speech made by an inspiring friend, Irene Koplinka-Loehr.  It's crazy how much more meaningful commencement advice is a year or two following graduation.  I would link the speech but I can't get it to work, and I would post an excerpt but it sort of needs context so I'm going to post the whole thing.  I hope you don't have this copyrighted, Irene : )

An Average Carl

Speech given by Irene Koplinka-Loehr
Carleton College Commencement, June 12, 2010

On our first day at Carleton, President Oden, in his engaging and syncopated voice, told us of a college admissions manual describing, “the average Carleton student” as one who “owns 1.5 Frisbees.” He went on to say: “There are two things wrong with that statement: most Carleton Students have at least three Frisbees, and there is no such thing as an average Carleton student.”

While I had already experienced that Carleton students were FAR from average, I was somewhat mystified by the Frisbee statistic. Over the years, while wondering what segment of the Carleton population that particular college book had polled, I turned Oden’s statement around in my head. As a dedicated runner—and distinctly Frisbee-less—I often wondered at the purpose of having one, let alone more than one Frisbee. It was only this past winter, when frantically searching the recesses of my friend’s car for an ice-scraper, that I realized the utility of a Frisbee. Suddenly the 175g disc of plastic was transformed into an ideal tool for the removal of an otherwise impenetrable layer of ice and snow. Immediately, the benefit of more than one Frisbee became clear…two Frisbees meant my friend and I were able to clear the windshield twice as fast.

This moment was enlightening in showing the range of Carleton students, but it additionally led me to reflect on the value of a liberal arts education. While somewhat trivial, it is in many ways indicative of what Carleton Students do very well: take the tools we are given and re-invent them within a totally different context. In an article titled, “The disadvantages of an Elite Education”, William Deresiewicz, cites a sense of entitlement, a trend toward socio-economic homogeneity, and a student’s “fear of failure,” as problems that limit the intellectual flexibility of today’s graduates. While some may argue that Carleton fits this mould, I would argue that Carleton is doing something altogether different: teaching students to question. I arrived at Carleton, like many others, intimidated but confident in the person that I was, with the expectation that I would graduate with a hefty résumé and the authoritative clout of a “top-ten liberal arts” college education. Instead I am leaving Carleton in a distinctly better position, not with a résumé and the stable footing of a well-paying job, but with a studio art major, the ability to laugh at myself, and a lot of questions. This, according to William Deresiewicz is the hallmark of a good liberal arts college: to engage a student in introspection and skepticism.

A Carletonian series spanning the past year asked self-identified men to answer the question “What does it mean to be a good man?” In one particularly eloquent response, the author stated: A good man does not only the good he can, but he looks at his own circumstance and does the good that he is uniquely positioned to do. Uniquely positioned to do. These words so clearly identified what we have actually been learning to do at Carleton. We have learned to navigate the world of being both student and conscientious community member. At Carleton we combine our academic interests across disciplines with our extracurricular activities. Daily, as students, we are doing the good we are uniquely positioned for: volunteering as a track athlete at the Special Olympics, helping new freshman transition to Carleton as an Intercultural Peer Leader, supporting survivors of sexual assault through CAASHA, teaching organic chemistry test prep sessions as a TA, or giving Friday flowers to a roommate who had a tough week. We use our voices, toned through a Carleton education, to shape a positive world around ourselves.

While some may chuckle at our Dance and English degrees, what is more important to recognize is that as we have challenged and questioned Carleton, it has in turn pushed us to examine our inner selves. We gained passion and dedication. Having seen injustices, each of us, based upon our educational and societal circumstance, has the ability to stand up to make positive change in this world. Now, balanced on the edge of our futures, I engage you to make a decision as you cross this stage: let us go out from the safety of this small Minnesotan town, grasping the knowledge gained from our four years here, and choose to do the good work for which we are uniquely positioned. As we leave the invigorating, dynamic, beautiful bubble that has been the Carleton experience hold close the words of President Oden: there is no such thing as an average Carleton student.  

Rankings might not mean anything, but Carls certainly do.  Initially, we may come in as just high-potential pieces, but eventually we become positioned uniquely among the best.

Chasing non-monetary value,
Laura

Highlights and Lowlights

For those of you who are curious about my studies:
So I lied...This blog was not effective at holding me accountable putting my ideas regarding my summer studies down on paper/the computer screen.  However, that does not mean that I have not been thinking about it a lot.  In fact, I think I might have a workable project for this fall.  If you have any idea what I'm talking about tell me what you think… My idea is to bring cross country runners in to be tested, preferably ones that will compete in the same races, and measure body mass and surface area, maybe do full body comp, and then test their VO2max.  Then for each race calculate their pace in terms of percentage of their vVO2max.  Then calculate their distance from the average percentage of vVO2max of all the participants.  Then for each race do a regression of the surface area to mass ratio and their relative pace.  I want to look whether the race temperature/weather and course conditions influence that regression line.  The problem would be that individual variability in training adaptations throughout the season will surely confound the results.  That's as far as I've gotten.  Hopefully I can come up a with a way account for that without over complicating the study.  Maybe looking at performance pace compared to the velocity of anaerobic threshold would be more pertinent than max oxygen consumption.  I apologize for thinking out-loud, guys, I just kind of want to get a little feedback.

For those of you who have no interest or no clue what I'm talking about:
These past few weeks my life has been especially blog-worthy, but of course that usually means that I have little time or access to post.  So in the interest of my time and yours I will attempt to summarize the highlights, and low lights :)

Northern Wisconsin trip:

Highlight: Running (what else?!) The combination of the northwoods, lake views, cool temps, a cleansing rain, greatly-missed company, a sprinkle of running gossip, and a delicious post-run reward were just what my training desperately needed.
Lowlight:  Not triple crowning our highly contested games of Barbie, Polly Pocket (yes, both of these are in fact board games) and Apples to Apples.  After Poindexter and I destroyed everyone by beating them to the prom by at least 20 minutes, I was only able to exchange gifts for party balloons fast enough to come in second, despite that fact that Kaitlin was riding a cat and I was in a fancy convertible, and as always, no one understood my humor in apples to apples.

Grinnell Iowa trip:

Highlight: Meeting Joe Vigil and learning some super helpful information about biomechanics was cool and all, but I think the highlight goes to winning a free pair of Asics.  The guy next to me won so the misconceptions of probability were against me but I WON! right as I was commenting on how I never win anything.
Lowlights- discovering how cool Grinnell College is…don’t tell anyone I said that.  Haha, no really Will Freeman definitely impressed me, their campus is unreal, and the running there beats just about anywhere except of course the Arb.  Good thing Grinnell is Iowa and most people wouldn’t be caught dead living there ;)

Boundary Water trip:

Highlight: Swimming, a lot.  Normally I have to aquajog for hours on end when I’m up there which is preferable to aqujogging anywhere else, and to not working out at all, but now I can swim! not well but I’m getting better.  We stay on a lake with lots of island so I could swim between then and feel like I was making progress!  And the weather and the water were wonderful!
Lowlight:  Escaping to my tent the first night.  While I was unsuccessfully trying to catch up on sleep, the bugs apparently transformed into brilliant galaxies of stars.  My wonderful little brother thought it acceptable to notify my sister in the other tent but not his lovely tentmate.

Appleton, WI trip:

Highlight: Cuddling with my bestie and our favorite blanket the night before the beautiful bride married her perfect match. Another highlight was learning that some guys actually do talk to other guys about girls and love, and not just butts and love-making.
Lowlight: Leave it to a storybook wedding to expose those little emptinesses you work hard to forget.  In a moment of weakness, slightly regretting focusing my life on sports and running instead of working on making myself attractive to boys (or more preferably men), I was jealous of my best friend, and the man who now has her full heart.

And to hopefully cover me for a couple weeks:

Expected Highlight:  Goal setting- by the time I start school and coaching I will have a finalized training plan and plan for moving forward toward completing my masters degree, I’m pumped for working hard at both but need to give my excitement a little direction.
Expected Lowlight:  Realizing how I have taken advantage the free time I’ve had this summer, and finally making attempts to appreciate not having overwhelming responsibility before my life explodes with activity.

Chasing a little more summer,
Laura

The Science of Dehydration

This summer I have begun working on my master's thesis for my degree in exercise physiology.  It has brought back fond and less than fond memories of the comps project I completed no more than a year and a half ago.  Grad school sure flies by!  Here is a hilariously accurate portrayal of my experience with science. http://getrealscience.com/katelyns/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sciencerage.png

Not surprisingly to those who know me the project is progressing at a modest pace.  In order to motivate my reading of the literature and to restrain myself from becoming that little face on the left side of the cartoon, I plan on blogging my findings, thoughts, questions.  That said, warning to those of you who are looking for traditional scientific style writing, free of gramatical errors.  This is not meant to be a review of literature or to agrue a standpoint, or to be used for any other purpose besides brainstorming questions and ideas.  Please, let me know if you know of any good articles or if you have a concern or different perspective on the topics.  Don't be shy.  Even if it may sound like it, at this point, I have no hard stance on the issues I just want as many perspectives as possible.

My research this fall is looking at temperature regulation and running performance across a cross country season.  So I want to start with a post on hydration.

A lot of the popular assumptions about temperature regulation relate to hydration.  The reason for this is that in many laboratory studies conducted in warm and humid conditions, athletes who consumed fluids during the exercise had lower core temperatures and lower heart rates compared to dehydrated subjects.  As a result, a general consensus confirmed by the ACSM's position stand is that proper hydration (often thought to be maintaining weight loss under at least 2% of pre-exercise weight) can prevent heat-related illness, and improve performance.

Still, there has been no solid evidence to suggest the hydration status is linked to heat-related illness.  More likely, these conditions are related to a failure in the bodies ability to sense injurious temperatures and react accordingly.  This failure of homeostasis is often a result of previous infections, genetic predisposition, or consciously overruling the bodies defenses against excessive heat production (pacing) and storage (ie. wearing a helmet and pads in football, or a sweat suit in the sauna to make weight in wrestling).

Like I stated earlier, many of the early studies that looked at distance races and fluid consumption revealed that the more water weight an athlete lost, the higher their core temperature and heart rate.  But an aspect of these studies that has been over looked is that the top athletes were the ones with the highest core temperature following the race.  There is little evidence to suggest maintaining weight throughout a competition will improve performance.  In fact, in competition durations of over an hour glycogen levels noticeably deplete.  Glycogen in a sense stores water in the muscles, so if you were to maintain weight throughout a marathon you would be considerably over-hydrated due to the lowered water storage capacity of depleted muscle glycogen.  Realistically, maintaining weight throughout a marathon would be considerably uncomfortable and near impossible for anyone running under four hours in a moderate to warm climate.  On the other hand, now that marathon running has begun to appeal to a much larger range of abilities, runners who stop at each aid station and are not "working up a sweat" could easily get themselves into trouble with hyponatremia, a condition in which excessive water intake dilutes the fluids in the body and can have disastrous health consequences.

Until relatively recently marathoners held very different attitudes about hydration.  In fact, fluid consumption in the first half of a marathon would have been considered weak and a sign of poor fitness.  Fluids were not recommended until the final miles because it would pull blood from the muscles to the intestines to absorb the water, hence slowing the runner's pace.

Finally, when we talk about dehydration we often confuse the real issue which is water balance.  The reason heart rate is affected by fluid loss is because when we sweat the volume of our blood (more accurately plasma) decreases.  This means our heart has to pump faster to maintain pressure in our blood vessels.  Our core temperature rises because the loss of plasma volume and blood pressure does not allow for additional blood to flow to the skin to dissipate into the environment.  (Side note: a criticism to a lot of the literature on core temperatures during different intensities of exercise in different climates are that studies are conducted in a laboratory setting in which participants perform without the usual air/wind resistance and convective heat loss.)  A common counter-attack to this reduction in plasma volume includes sodium loading.  A sodium gradient resulting from increased intake allows for two things, increased absorption of fluids in the intestines and increased ability to retain more water within the plasma. Carbohydrates in fluid (ie. sports drinks) can also increase fluid absorption in the intestines and at the right concentrations have definite performance enhancing ability for long duration activity, but that’s a topic for another time.

Most of these thoughts reflect my reading of Tim Noakes and his former student and Johnathan Dugas, whose ideas I have considerable respect for.  I believe they make strong cases against some unquestioned conventional wisdom of our understanding of exercise physiology.  Alternatively, I believe their arguments can lead to misunderstanding in translation and unqualified rash changes in athletic applications.  As a coach I would never encourage athletes to enter races dehydrated, however, I may question them if they consistently carry around gallon jugs of water because someone on tv said that we need at least 64 ounces of water a day (show me the research on the 64 ounces rule and then I might believe you).  Excessive water intake during exercise is not going to keep you from slowing down in the heat and excessive water intake throughout the day is only going to over work your kidneys.  That said yes we need water.  Yes, stopping at the water fountain on a hot day is only going to make your run feel easier, but if you really want to cool your core temperature in the heat dumping water on your head will be more effective than dumping it in your stomach.

For those of you who are still with me, here are the simple practical applications I would recommend from my current understanding of hydration, thermoregulation, and fluid balance.

1.      On really hot sweaty days, either consume sports drinks in place of water since they are specially formulated to be optimally absorbed and mimic the composition of sweat, or add sodium to your diet if you don’t already.

2.      Don’t force yourself to drink water because it’s supposed to be healthy, remember to consider your thirst and drink when thirsty.  Alternatively, don’t ignore your thirst, or get to busy to drink.  Carrying a water bottle is good because it reminds you when you are thirsty, but it is not necessary to get in a habit of drinking just because it is there.

3.      From the weight control stand point pay attention to the caloric value of the fluids you drink throughout the day, you can drink a lot of calories without ever feeling full.  This is good if you're training really hard and cannot keep up with your calories, on the other hand of course if it becomes a habit in the offseason it’s probably going to get harder to balance your caloric intake with energy expenditure.

4.      If you are not working up a sweat, you shouldn’t be overly concerned about hydration.

5.      Hydration during competition should be a balance of maintaining plasma volume, limiting intestinal discomfort, not carrying excessive weight, and improving your perception of exertion.

6.      Following competition it may take awhile to return to pre-competition weight due to the lag in glycogen resynthesis, however, if you, like me, are a urine color detective you can attest to the importance of rehydrating in the hours following a hard effort.

7.      Not a hard and fast rule but I still love it: urine should look like lemonaid not apple juice

If you are still loking for more here are some great recent blogs on the topic:

http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2011/07/enjoying-the-heat-neither-is-any-other-runner-but-a-little-pinch-of-salt-might-help.html

http://sweatscience.com/pre-drinking-to-hyperhydrate-and-other-heat-related-research/

Chasing a degree : )
Laura

Soccer talk

Disclaimer: If you did not watch the Women's World Cup you thoroughly missed out and this post may not make much sense to you... then again it may not make sense if you did watch the games so I guess read on if you so desire.

In the wake of yesterdays heartbreaker, I want to talk about something at the very core of sporting experience; winning and losing.

Anyone seen the movie Miracle? (if not, again you're thoroughly missing out)


Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, WE are the greatest hockey team in the world. You were born to be hockey players. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Their time is done. It's over. I'm sick and tired of hearing about what a great hockey team the Soviets have. Screw 'em. This is your time. Now go out there and take it.



I totally love this aspect of sport, this idea that as an underdog you can rise up and meet a challenge. However, yesterday Japan did not "go out there an take it." In fact, subjectively, they really didn't earn the win. In a way the US women, and karma or whatever outside powers you believe influence sport outcomes gave it to them. That's not to say the US didn't want it. I got the sense that the USA team wanted it more (I'm probably bias) eventually leading to their psychological demise. Bad luck messes with confidence, as apposed to injustice (like in the Brazil game) which makes you fight. Having nothing to lose is one of the best ways to bring out a “winning spirit,” but having everything thing to lose is terrifying. What is so crazy about soccer is you don't have to be the more talented team, or the more cohesive team, or the more supported team, or the team with the bigger heart. The ball simply has to somehow get in the opponents net more times than it gets in your own. Obviously, it doesn't hurt to have the advantage of skill and possession, urgency and desire, but in the end there are thousands of confounding circumstances that lead to an outcome. That's the game, that's life.

At first thought, individual sports like running give you a sense that you are in control of outcomes. Your fitness can be directly reflected in race outcomes. But, the longer we are around the sport we realize races and training going as planned is the exception not the rule. We have breakthroughs when we least expect them and heartbreaks when we can least afford them. Our sport is arguably just as frustratingly unpredictable as any other. But that's why we get up in the morning, that's why we compete.  If the favorites always won, the polls were always right on, and races went solely to those with the talent and superior training why would we ever step up to line? Predictability is something coaches and athletes strive to understand but at the end of the day, what we like to refer to as "luck" is what keeps us coming back. Even though the chances that things come together at the right time and the right place are much more rare then the chances something falls apart, we can't help but believe that it can and will happen for us, if not today than next time.

Chasing my one in ten, my "tonight"
Laura

Gone Country

"Yeah, that came out a little country
But every word was right on the money"

Blake Sheldon, Honey Bee

 

Country music.  It's like an olive, you either love and embrace it or are repulsed by it.  While I understand the repulsion (trust me, the song Courtesy of the Red White and Blue makes me sick to my stomach),  there is an honesy and truth to many of the songs that intrigues me.  A friend once told me her favorite music was country music because it was so much like real life.  I admit my life isn't all beer, mud, and tractors.  Still, I tend to agree with her setiment, country music for me at least seems so genuine.  You don't have to call alabama home to be "singing sweet home alabama all summer long."  So tis the season.  The sun is shining, the water is glistening, and I'm kicking up dust on the trails with my ipod blaring the country.

Some of my favorite country song lines:

She has future plans and dreams at night
When they tell her life is hard she says that's alright

-Faith Hill, She's a Wild One

We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always come with getting burned
-Garth Brooks, Standing Outside the Fire

I wanna walk and not run, I wanna skip and not fall

I wanna look at the horizon and not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one for miles and miles
Except for maybe you and your simple smile

-Dixie Chicks, Cowboy Take Me Away

We're getting stronger now, found things they never found
They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared

You can walk away and say we don't need this
But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this
-Taylor Swift, Change

So how do you wait for heaven
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know that you were born
You were born to fly

-Sara Evans- Born to Fly

There's a time to listen, a time to talk
And you might have to crawl even after you walk
Had sure things blow up in my face
Seen the longshot, win the race
Been knocked down by the slamming door
Picked myself up and came back for more
-John Michael Montgomery, Life's a Dance

And my latest fav:

 

Never gonna grow up, Never gonna slow down
We were shinin' like lighters in the dark
In the middle of a rock show
We were doin' it right, we were comin' alive
Yeah, caught up in a Southern summer, barefoot, blue jean night
-Jake Owen, Barefoot Blue Jean Night

Till next time, y'all keep on chasing summer 

'Tri'ing it, not buying it

This may be news to some of you but I made my debut in the triathlon late last summer.  Since my mileage was extremely limited due to injury I spent some time in the lake teaching myself (not all that successfully) to swim, and on the sidewalks with a commuter bike.  Naturally, my dad was appalled by this type of triathlon training (when in my mind it really wasn't meant to be triathlon training but a mental health prescription until I was literally back on my feet) and so he arranged for me to borrow a wetsuit and bike and signed me up for a low key triathlon in August.  I finished the half mile swim and the bike and run of course without looking too much like a newbie (minus a little blood trying to unclip my pedals and the cup of Gatorade I dumped on my head) again mostly because my dad was on top of things.  So, since then, I've been using the excuse of not have a good bike to train on or access to a pool in the winter (which isn't exactly true) to justify my running focus.  That is, up until yesterday.

Yesterday I ran out of excuses.  The lake is warm and I (more accurately my spoiling parents) invested in a more than sufficient bike.  I surely have the quads for the bike, and the heart for the run, and I can always pick races where the swim doesn't matter (because let's face it I was not born a fish).  So what's the hold up?

I like to think of myself as an open-minded, versatile athlete, but deep down I'm a runner.  I love other sports, soccer and nordic are definitely a part of me and there are days when I wish I had played basketball and volleyball, and ultimate ( I don't know why but softball never appealed to me), but I've learned that time and energy are limiting and priorities must be made to get the things you want the most.  The triathlon scares me because it reminds me of those sacrifices and it makes me question what is most important.  The thing about running that makes it unique from an other sport is that anyone can do it anywhere at anytime.  If you're creative enough you can find a way to get a run in, free of cost, all you need is your willing self.  There are no special outfits, no special equipment, or special facilities, even the special shoes are optional.  As soon as you start introducing all these special additions, for me at least, it begins to lose that element of pure competition; one man's talent and effort directly against another's.  In nordic skiing, races are won and lost based on the affordability of wax and wax technicians.  In soccer you pay to play with and against the best players and to have the best coaching.  Balls are not all that expensive, but tell that to kids in Africa spending hours sewing together banana leaves to kick around.  Triathlons take this to the next level.  Have you seen the helmets they wear?  Anyone know what just the pedals of a racing bike cost?  I realize that some economic performance enhancement is possible in running but compared to any other sport it's a matter of God-given gifts, hard work, and motivation.

All that aside, I'm at the point in my athletic career when I need a new challenge.  I miss the technical aspect of learning to nordic ski and hurdle barriers.  Never say never, but it's fair to say without a sizable head start, I won't ever be the first one out of the water but that means there is a workable margin for improvement.  And, for the time being, those arrow-bars and pedal clips will surely continue to expose me as an amateur.  At the moment I'm kind of in a "let's see what happens" experimental stage of running anyway, so I figure now is as good of a time as ever...yeah, so I guess it's official.  I, Laura Roach, am a triathlete with a fancy new bike to seal the deal.

One last concern; for some reason it seems as if the connections between the triathlon world and running world are few and far between.  Anyone know the reason behind this?  Being in the running world all my life, I feel a bit out of place at a triathlon, as if there is a some major competition between single sport athletes and multi-sport athletes.  Maybe it's just me.  Hopefully, everyone (including myself) can look beyond my running bias, because I'm sick of being a traitor and having to commit my loyalties.

Bringing my chase to the water and the road,
Laura

Acclimating

As biology major we were always reminded that adaptations are based in heredity and occur over generations due to natural selection.  If we are going to be technical, humans haven't noticeably adapted in a very long time.  In kinesiology we use the word adapt all the time to describe the bodies ability to change itself to become more suitable for the environment in which it is performing.  What we really are referring to is acclimation.  This is something humans especially athletes are doing all the time; we are exposing ourselves to environmental stress in order to 'practice' surviving and ultimately thriving despite this novel stimulus.  The goal is for harsh conditions to become the new normal and the old normal to become the new easy.  If you have grown up in Minnesota you get this.  30 degrees on Halloween is worthy of snowsuits, but 30 degrees in middle of January is without a doubt t-shirt skiing weather.  Maybe it's just me but sometimes I forget the principle still applies early on in the summer.  I have been on a few runs the last couple weeks in which I have for no clear reason felt like I was 60 years old, 50 pounds overweight, and running for the first time in my life...okay maybe I exaggerate but the point is acclimation takes some time and it's not easy.  Running in heat and humidity places a different demand on water balance, circulation, respiration, perspiration, and all metabolic processes.  In addition, our central nervous system fatigues in response to increases in core body temperature to prevent us from working our bodies into a heat injury.  The temperature threshold at which we fatigue is much lower after training in cool weather compared to after acclimating to a warm climate.  We acclimate weather just as we acclimate to hill running, or high mileage, or taking icebaths, or doing pushups.  Acclimation is definition of all things training.  It's what makes us tough peripherally and centrally, physically and mentally.

I'm working on a class assignment on the Making of East African Distance runners.  What is it about their environment that molds these people into incredible talents?  Straight from Paul Tergat, "it's really hard work simple as that, there is nothing magic."   Here is a great video  on Kenyan training, also try searching chasingkimbia, and Iten running.  I may write more on the subject later, but my point is that athletes need to be stress innoculated, a term used in the book On Combat by Dave Grossman.  Our best races or training sessions often seem easy.  This is not because what we do it is easy, it's just because comfort and effort are relative, just as 30 degrees F means nothing out of context.

Here is the kicker, though, environments are not static and climates (usually) can't be controlled.  I haven't looked it up but something tells me that Iten trained runners haven't taken home too many titles in the Antarctic marathon.  Rapid change is the greatest stress of all.  As stated in the wise philosophy of Grey's Anatomy ; ) "Change. We don't like it. We fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. It hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn't is lying, but here's the truth sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is everything."

So with that, I'll be chasing flexibility,
Laura

Growth

Last week, we planted some vegetable plants in a seed starter for our small garden in our backyard.  Like a little kid learning about plants, photosynthesis, and growth I've been curiously observing their daily growth.  The tomatoes came almost instantly, then the basil, and now the peppers are just breaking the surface.  I'm not sure exactly what about it I find extraordinarily fascinating, but plants generally amaze me.  They take energy from the sun and convert it into growth for themselves and for all living things. What I find even more marveling is that growth is more than about how fast and how much a plant can produce. Depending on the environment different growth patterns are optimal.  The first seed to sprout is not always the one which grows to produce the healthiest fruit.  Similarly, the tallest stalk may not have the structural integrity to hold heavy leaves.  The plants that grow the biggest may or may not be more successful, again, depending on the context of what it means to be successful and the predictability of the environment in which it grows.  Natural selection is about trade-offs.  Late springs or short growing seasons will favor smaller more fruitful plants, however, given the time to develop a large surface area for converting energy from the sun, plants will have more resources, catch up with and even surpass the smaller plants, and produce more or more fit offspring for longer.  Depending on the context patience may or may not pay off.

 

Of course, for me, the connection between these plants and athletic arena is impossible to ignore.   In reality "citius, altius, fortius" doesn't always classify the best growth for plants or for athletes.  Early specialization has been described as nothing short of a death sentence for young talent, and personally I don’t disagree.  However, just like with the plants it depends on the environment and the context of the sport and the individual in question.  For example, for young women in certain sports their prime is before they hit puberty.  In my opinion these sports are detrimental to the emotional and physical health of these athletes in the long run, but if success is defined as Olympic teams and medals there is no denying that some athletes need, like the tomato plants, to break the surface first.  

In the context of young male athletes there is no better example of genetic variation than looking at high-school boys between sophomore and junior year.  We don’t add lean muscle mass until we are stopped growing, so boys still growing at this time are often written off as the losers of the genetic lottery and spend their days either desperately trying to put on weight in the weight room (unsuccessfully until their bones are done growing) or are turned off to sports prematurely.  Look at the same guys in college and they have now traded places with the studs from middle school and high-school.  As much as it would suck to be that second-string varsity in high school, I would definitely rather be him than try to be the basketball center whom at 6 ft as sophomore never grows another inch and by senior year is outgrown in height and muscle by any college recruit.

It is much the same in the context of running.  Guys and girls are really on the same physiological playing field until puberty hits.  I consider myself lucky to have hit puberty much earlier than most good high school runners.  During my lightest “boyish” years in 7^th and 8^th grade, I was too shy and innocent to really know my potential.  The hindrances of my maturation were disguised by my developing work-ethic and experience. Most other girls were not so lucky, the dreadful effects of womb making came slightly later after they experienced the effortless success that comes along with running against women with chests, hips, and, god-forbid, estrogen.  Estrogen is the enemy of acute prosperity, but the friend of chronic posterity.  Estrogen alone explains the abundance of dominant middle-schoolers in high-school cross country that dwindle into barely more than a dozen at the state championships as seniors.  Of course the opposite occurs on the boy’s side, as testosterone is nothing but advantageous to performance.

I want, however, to make clear my appreciation for estrogen.  True it is counter-productive to all of my performance outcome goals in running, but it is essential to helping me develop and grow as a runner and as a woman.  Besides preventing stress fractures and allowing me the option to one day make babies, it has grounded me and taught me humility, consistency, and longevity.  Maybe I have self-selected these values because my individual nature requires them to survive in my particular environment and had I been born with different gifts and in a different environment these values would not do me nearly as much good.   Maybe, like the plants we use what we have to get to where we need to be.  Maybe that is the definition of healthy growth, and maybe it is what fascinates me as I intently watch my seedlings grow.

Growing for the long chase,

Laura

Endurance

What is the personality trait that all consistently successful endurance runners have?  (I highlight the word consistently because as you may know anyone, even a lazy, undedicated, 7th grade girl can have a jaw dropping race or season or two before realizing the importance of hard work)  It may sound obvious, but I'm going to go with endurance. 
  
en·dur·ance, noun ;

The ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina

Sure there are plenty of desirable traits for success in running, like courage, self-confidence, discipline, optimism, ambition, and unwavering faith, but weaknesses in any of these areas can be made up with the ability to endure.  All respectable runners no matter their flaws have a stick-to-itness that make them great. 

It is something you're born with, but also its something you develop and grow, and it's something that never ceases to be tested...Can you go that extra mile? Can you find one more gear? Can you get out of bed and out the door each and every day?  Endurance is the 3rd lap of a mile, miles 20-through 25 of a marathon, a 70 mile week during the dog days of summer, a snowy long run in April,  The tenth 200 heat during a cold and rainy Thursday night track meet ;)  Endurance doesn't always come easy but for some (the craziest among us) it often does.  Lap three is where they thrive.  Its were they finally have a shot to break those more physically talented.  I believe endurance is directly correlated to passion.  By passion I mean the intense relationship with the sport, sharing all the same qualities of true love like "when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” Chris ~ age 7  and "what makes you smile when you’re tired.” Terri ~ age 4.

Part of endurance and love is the ability to forgive and forget.  There was an interesting article in Runner's World highlighting ultra-endurance runner Diane Van Deren whose brain surgery to remove part of her temporal lobe and hippocampus allowed her an extraordinary ability to forget previous pain and live/run in the moment.  Like running lap three without the doubts and insecurities of laps one and two.  Click here to read her story.

By no means do runners and endurance athletes have a monopoly on this invaluable trait.  In fact, it is the very characteristic we celebrate this holy week. While I confess the whole saving us from sin thing still confuses me, I completely understand the act of enduring sacrifice in The Passion of Christ.  For me Jesus's death and resurrection symbolize a love so deep that he could endure physical and mental abuse and betrayal and still carry his own cross and remain resolute.  Though Jesus was killed, he could not die. To this day he still remains in the hearts of Christians and non-Christians alike, still enduring, still inspiring passion and love.

Happy Easter!

Chasing always,

Laura

Down in the DOMS

This weeks physiology lesson: You are doing something wrong in your training if your glutes are more sore leading up to your first steeplechase of the season than the day after it.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a result of a muscular mechanical hyperalgesia (increased sensitivity to pain) that occurs a day or two following unaccustomed eccentric (contraction while lengthening) muscle contraction.  The cause of this hyperalgesia is not yet known but there is pretty good evidence that the vasodilator bradykinin that is produced during eccentric heavy exercise such as running signals an increase in receptors involved in the production of nerve growth factor (NGF).  NGF is elevated 12-48 hours following the exercise a comparable time course to DOMS.

This all would be super interesting if you could apply it toward training in a way in which you could exercise the muscles to be accustomed to the activity so as to not produce the strong physiological reaction on race day.  You would do this by setting up a schedule periodizing your training to introduce concentric activity in increasing increments with recovery time (12-48hrs) to allow NGF and other inflammatory markers to recede before introducing another intense workout or competition.

That's Training and Conditioning 101.  Of course I need it dumbed...DOMed (so sorry, I promise no more awful puns) down even more.   I know that I am most sore about 18 hours following a hard work or race.  This means, preferably, I should not do anything DOMS-worthy two days before risking my reputation as a decent steeplechaser.  No matter how horribly unprepared I am for going over barriers and waterjumps, I should not spend 2 hours perfecting my form on Thursday evening if I'm racing Saturday morning...excellent, now I know.

More than a physiology lesson though, I think I need to include a little more psychology in my running.  Sure it didn't help my chances that I went into this Saturday's race a bit sore, but that doesn't explain the frustration that surrounds my running these days.  I've always thought of myself as a consistent runner. Sure, I've had disappointing races but for the most part I always knew what I was capable of and how to get it done.  But that was when I had a coach and a team to run for.  These people more than gave me encouragement and friendship, they kept me honest and patient.  Before running on my own, I never realized the value of having someone tell me that "this is the last one" actually means that this is the last one unless I want to be super sore during my race.  Discovering these little roles my coaches have played in my running has given me insight on what it means to be invested in my athletes' training and how I have to be that much more careful when trying to coach myself.

Transitions are hard and as an athlete I'm not necessarily as patient as they come.  I have a lot of things to learn before I can compete on my own at the same level as I did with a team.  I am learning quickly though.  DOMS may get in the way of what I want to do today, but its a pretty good sign that I am making myself stronger for tomorrow.

So for now I'm chasing patience.