September 26, 2024

Here's this week's free-but-abridged version of Amby Burfoot's weekly newsletter. The complete, full-text edition contains about 70% more of the best, newest, and most authoritative running content from around the Internet and top scientific publications. Subscribe Here with Substack.

Rethink Your Week: Benefits Of A Non-7-Day Training Cycle

It’s hard not to live your life by the calendar. After all, we mostly work on certain days of the week, skip the job on certain days, follow our religious beliefs on specified days, and so forth.

On the other hand, it’s not written anywhere that the perfect training week is exactly 7 days long. In fact, a short training cycle might tempt you to cram in too much.

Let’s see: Gotta go long. Gotta do a tempo day. Gotta set aside a day for speedwork. 

That doesn’t leave much time, in a 7-day cycle, for recovery, adaptation, cross-training, strength-training . . . and, oh, yeah, having a life.

At the Reddit “Advanced Running” forum, several members discussed their personal explorations of non-7-day cycles. “It’s beneficial if you feel like you're not bouncing back fast enough between workouts and long runs,” noted one.

Another wrote: “Fourteen days has been a life changer for me at 41 years old. Every 2 weeks, I do a long run, a tempo run, a short interval run, and a longer interval run.” That’s a powerful training diet that works out to 2 hard days per week on a 14-day rotation.

A third commenter pointed out the harmonious rhythm of a 9-day cycle. “Easy, Easy, Workout, Easy, Easy, Workout, Easy, Easy, Long Run. Repeat.”

I’m not aware of any scientific research on this important “cycle” question. But I’m sure it’s worth trying different plans, especially if you often feel overly fatigued on your current training cycle. More at Reddit Advanced Running.

The Truth About Exercise & Weight Loss

It’s one of the oldest questions out there, and an important one as well: Is exercise an effective way to lose weight? Or do you have to diet-diet-diet to cut the pounds?

This remains a key question because overweight and obesity are still persistent health issues in the U.S. and around the globe. Sure, you read new stories every day about people losing significant weight with the help of those amazing new GLP-1 drugs (that often cost $1000/month or more.) Still, in the U.S. about 70 percent of the adult population is overweight or obese.

We all know too many people, including family and friends, in this category. They’d be better off carrying fewer pounds. Many are already trying.

But losing weight and keeping it off is incredibly difficult. We live in an “obesogenic environment” surrounded by food, and there are all sorts of “compensation” mechanisms that need to be overcome. 

Here Dr. Scott Lear reviews the evidence and argues for “a combination of both diet and exercise” to lose weight. A key point: Even if you don’t lose as much weight as you’d like, “Exercising and being active has so many other benefits to reduce your risk for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, stress and improve your mental well-being.”

We should view exercise as its own reward. The bathroom scale isn’t the only important gauge. Exercise will make you feel better, look better, and improve your health. If it also helps you lose a few pounds, that’s a nice bonus. More at Dr. Scott Lear. 

A recent “Brief Communication” in Nature makes many similar points. It argues that “recognizing the broad value of physical activity/exercise in improving health and quality of life of people with obesity is a crucial perspective shift.” More at Nature.

Masters Runners: Beware Of “Hidden Hypertension”

Regular aerobic exercise like running lowers your risk of heart disease, but provides no bullet-proof guarantees. The same is true about hypertension (high blood pressure)--a health concern many runners overlook.

This paper observes that “Arterial hypertension defined as a blood pressure values ≥ 140/90 mmHg is one of the most common chronic diseases in the general population and also in master athletes.” 

The article also argues that masters athletes need to become more aware of “hidden hypertension” and how to “prevent its consequences.” Early detection is critical. Hidden hypertension is high blood pressure that doesn’t turn up in the doctor’s office, but perhaps at home, at work, or during your workouts when stress levels increase.

The first step: “Lifestyle changes such as healthy diet and body mass reduction.” Increasing the antioxidant foods (fruits, veggies) in your diet can lower blood pressure. But avoid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as they may increase blood pressure. 

If your blood pressure registers higher than 160/100 on several occasions, it’s time for prescription medical treatment. Fortunately, several common meds reduce blood pressure without affecting athletic performance. 

Conclusion: “Raising awareness of the [hypertension] risk factors is essential in preventing an increasing number of hypertensive patients.” More at Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine with free full text.

SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss

>>> Creatine power: In a systematic review and meta analysis, creatine supplementation helped athletes increase muscle mass and decrease body fat. 

HERE’S WHAT ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE RECEIVED this week if you were a subscriber to the complete, full-text edition of “Run Long, Run Healthy.”  SUBSCRIBE HERE​.

# The Best New Racing Shoes This Fall

# Is Ashwagandha The Next Big Performance-Enhancing Supplement?

# Leaning Forward: It’s Good At Times, Bad At Others

# Keto Diet Has “No Disadvantages” For Runners; Could Help, Says David Roche

# New Squat Technique Boosts Quad Strength

# How Henry Rueden Has Managed To Finish 2000 Marathons

# Is Running Bad For Your Skin? (Could Be, So Take Protective Steps)

# A Motivational Quote From Eliud Kipchoge: The Power Of A Morning Run

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. RLRH will not be published next week. The next edition will appear the second week of October. Amby 

October 10, 2024

Here's the free but abreviated edition of this week's "Run Long, Run Healthy" newsletter. SUBSCRIBE HERE to receive the full-text edition every week.

How To Build Your Mental Toughness For Stronger Races

Our physical performance depends largely on our physical preparedness. That’s why we train. But sometimes we forget that the brain is part of the body--a fairly key part, no?--and also needs to be trained.

In recent years, sports scientists have been looking more closely at this connection. It has become one of the more active research areas. The goal: to identify various patterns or triggers that can affect brain-body performance. 

This article takes a look at several such triggers--for example, meditation. At first glance, it seems strange that practicing stillness could improve vigorous exercise like running. Yet, “Regular meditation can enhance one’s ability to remain present, focused, and non-reactive, especially in the volatile contexts of competitive sports.”

Increased resilience is another major goal. It can teach us “to view setbacks as opportunities for growth, and challenges as chances to improve. This mindset is essential for long-term success in sports, as it encourages a continual pursuit of excellence and a steady approach to training and competition.”

No one’s going to argue with that. More mental strategies at Training Peaks.

A few years back, top former triathlete Joanna Zieger, now a sports psychologist, began investigating how mental toughness (MT) can help you overcome the inevitable surprises and challenges of a long race. She found a wide range of MT in her subjects.

Females in particular showed “lower levels of confidence, self esteem, self belief, and control.” Thus, they have room for much improvement in MT. More at PLOS ONE with free full text.

Last year, a paper assessed the MT of more than 300 trail runners. Those who scored high in MT also exhibited high “resilience and performance.” More at Perceptual And Motor Skills with free full text. 

Movement Is Medicine, And Exercise Beats Cholesterol

When you visit your local health care provider for an annual physical, s(he) checks your age, weight, blood pressure, blood oxygen, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, and more.

But you aren’t asked about your Strava training data or the step count totals from your Apple watch. Doctors don’t seem to care much about your exercise. 

Perhaps they should. A big new study of U.S. adults aged 50 to 80 showed that recent activity patterns were a better predictor of mortality (and perhaps chronic, late-life illness) than any other measure--including your age, your BMI, and that battery of blood tests. 

In other words, your health isn’t defined by the calendar or a blood sample. Your exercise level is more important. 

Here are a couple of key sentences from the paper: “Movement and health are intrinsically linked. Mobility loss with aging occurs across species and is linked to deterioration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, musculoskeletal systems, and sensory systems.”

The researchers believe that “signals from wearable accelerometry” [like Fitbits] should be “collected in standard surveys” by physicians. Your health insurance pays for all those annual blood tests. It should do the same for activity monitors. 

And your doctor should note your recent activity in those electronic databases that everyone uses these days. More at Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise with free full text.

How The Boston Marathon Deals With Mental Health Challenges

The Boston Marathon has long been a leader in running/marathon medical care. Boston first added a professional psychologist to its medical team in 2002. After the trauma of the 2013 finish-line bombs, the psych team has expanded dramatically. It now numbers 60.

A new journal report “critically outlines, evaluates, and analyzes the approach and effectiveness of the psychological care model provided to runners on race day as part of the Boston Marathon.” It notes that Boston’s psychology team has even developed a “Marathon Mental Status Examination.” 

The exam includes questions such as “What is your name? Do you know what city you are in?” And, “How did you find the course today? Did you experience any difficult parts?” And, “When was the last time you urinated?”

The paper includes three case studies. First, there’s a disoriented runner who had developed hyponatremia. With questioning, the psychologist recognized his condition, and called in a treatment team. Second, there’s a runner who failed the mental status evaluation, and spoke with a strange rhythm. The psychologist identified autism spectrum disorder, and spoke reassuringly to the athlete, who was pleased to have his condition recognized and discussed openly. 

Third, there’s a female runner in her 60s who had fallen at the finish line. She was frightened by this, as it had never happened in her previous marathons. The psychologist helped her reframe her incident as a learning experience she could apply to future races. 

Conclusion: “The integration of a psychology team into the Boston Marathon’s medical support model has set a new standard for mental health care in marathon settings. This innovative approach addresses the complex physiological and psychological stresses that runners face, providing critical support during and after the race.” More at Sports Medicine. 

SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss

>>> Just lift it: “Strength training is beneficial for future knee health, counteracting long-held assumptions that strength training has adverse effects.”

HERE’S WHAT ELSE YOU WOULD HAVE RECEIVED this week if you were a subscriber to the complete, full-text edition of “Run Long, Run Healthy.”  SUBSCRIBE HERE​.

# How’s Gene Dykes Doing 5 Yrs After His Age 70 Marathon Record?

# To Boost Weight Loss & Performance, Hold Those Evening Carbs

# Amazing But True! How Exercise Erases Belly Fat

# Seeing Red? Yes, Color Choice Can Affect Your Performance

# A Simple New (High Tech) Way To Choose Your Best Running Shoe

# Western States 100 Mile Causes No Heart Damage

# What Search-And-Rescue Volunteers Want You To Know About Long Trail Hikes & Runs

# How Steve Jones Won Two Chicago Marathons

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby