Runners at one point or another get the dreaded side stitches. The sharp pain is normally below the rib cage on the right side of the belly. A side stitch is common in distance runners and usually they need to slow down or even stop to eliminate the pain.
In the past there was no real cause for this uncomfortable cramp. Recently though, researches believe the side stitch is caused by the stretching of ligaments from the diaphragm to the liver. Most runners usually breathe out every three to four steps depending on their running gait and speed. Runners who exhale when their right foot strikes the ground are more apt to receive side stitches.
If you receive a stitch while you are running, stop immediately and place your hand on the right side of the stomach and push up and move the liver slightly. Make sure you breathe in and out evenly while you are pushing up. Do this until the pain is gone and you feel comfortable to run.
Here are a few tips to help you prevent side stitches.
1. To prevent a side cramp, take deep breaths evenly while running and try to breathe out when your left foot hits the ground.
2. Eat a light meal three or four hours before you run. This will help with having nothing in your stomach and decreasing the chances of a stitch.
3. Stretching the core is also important. Raise your right arm up and lean toward the left side for 15 to 20 seconds. Then stretch the other side doing the same exercise.
4. Make sure you hydrate well before the race. Take in your last drink about an hour before you run. Making sure you hydrate before you run will help prevent cramps.
5. Warm up properly before you run. Make sure you jog lightly for a mile before you run a tempo run or a race.
A question that comes up often is what to eat before running a race. It’s important to eat the right foods at the correct time before you run. Most races are in the morning so you need to make sure you get the right nutrients in your body. After sleeping for eight hours your glycogen stores and blood sugar levels are low. If you go into a race without eating properly, your performance will be hampered. So, on the day of the race you need to top off the glycogen stores and bring your sugar levels up.
I normally eat about three hours before a race. This gives the body plenty of time to digest the food and to bring up those levels of glycogen and sugar. You want to choose slow-release foods that contain carbohydrates and a little bit of protein. Such as toast, cereal with low-fat milk, and fruit. Eat enough to take that hunger edge away, and don’t overdue it. Make sure you take in 300 to 500 calories for your prerace meal. If your body can’t handle solid foods try a sport drink or sports meal replacement meal. Stick with foods that you’re familiar with and never experiment with new foods the day of the race. Once you find what works best for you stick with it. Remember that you prepared for weeks for a race why not go the extra mile and eat right. To learn more you can go to diet and nutrition for runners.
Over the last few months I have had some great emails from runners asking me how they can improve on their running. I came to realization that it would be best if I take all this info and put it on the web. So I decided to create a running forum where we can share thoughts, ideas and our successes together. In the upcoming months my goal is to have a great resource of information to help us all improve.
In my attempt to start this forum I am going to need your help. If you have any questions go ahead and post them in the forum. Remember, there are no bad questions. Also, if you have any suggestions to make the forum a better community or categories you would like information to be put in, please email them to me. All you need to do is go to The Runners Guide Forum and sign up for an account. After you have an account, go ahead and post a question and I will respond as soon as possible. I hope to hear from you soon and Good Luck with your training.
Recovery runs are the most important part of your training regimen. The body needs a break from the intense training a distance runner puts it through. The hard workouts provide the stimulus to help you improve. The recovery runs are when you will see those training benefits. Running fast everyday will lead to overtraining, and may cause unwanted injuries. By balancing the volume and intensity of your training you will see your fitness improve.
Recovery run pace will vary from person to person and the event you are training for. The pace of the run is the most important variable that you must control. Many athletes believe they need to run fast everyday. My philosophy is, the slower the better. I have always run slowly on my easy days. You should feel as though you can carry on a conversation with another person and not be laboring at all. If you have a heart monitor try to keep your heart rate between 135 to 150 bpm. Most of my recovery runs I do alone. I recommend you do this so you are not competing with another athlete. If you follow these tips you will see improvement with your race times and feel ready for your next workout. To learn more you can go to why are recovery runs important.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
As the marathon season comes upon us, it’s important that a marathon taper is part of your training schedule. It’s one of the most overlooked components of marathon training. Most people think you need to continue to train hard leading up to the race. Marathoners think more is better, but in reality doing less will help you achieve your goal. Tapering allows your body to repair muscle fibers that have been damaged during those long runs and intervals. The body during the taper can store more glycogen that will help you finish the 26.2 mile race. It also gives you a mental break from the stress of the hard training you put in.
A marathon tapering program should start three weeks from your marathon. Week one you should drop your overall mileage and long run about 15%. So if your are running 50 miles a week before the taper, that week drop your mileage down to about 42 miles. Continue with your tempo run and or intervals at this point.
Week two you should drop your mileage and the long run another 15%. Your mileage for that week should be 35 miles if you are using the example of 50 miles. During this week and preferably 10 days away from the marathon you should do your last tempo run.
The week of the marathon you should drop another 20% of your original mileage. That means you will run half of the mileage you started out with. All of your runs should be at an easy pace and do not do anything intense the last week. The week before the marathon it’s important that you eat plenty of pasta and drink fluids as often as you can. Enjoy this week because you have trained hard to get to this point and you deserve it. Having a positive attitude and have a great support system makes the whole experience that much better. Good luck and you if you have comments about your race please post them. To learn more you can go to marathon training.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
My friends who don’t run ask me if I get hungry during my 20 mile run. I tell them sometimes I do. When I do get hungry on my long run, I suck down something called GU Energy Gel. It’s a small package that has a jelly substance that contains carbohydrates. It helps put off fatigue that usually slows you down during the marathon. It also delivers the complex carbohydrates to muscles as energy.
I try to take in a packet every 3 to 4 miles. I also try to have some water with them so they go down easier. I strongly recommend that if you plan to use the GU packets in the marathon you practice using them on your long runs. You want to make sure your body can handle it because each person is different. You can buy GU Energy Gel online or your favorite running store for about a dollar a packet.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about E-mail them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
I received an e-mail asking me what you can do about the muscle soreness after a tempo run. Here are some ideas to help with recovery after running. First, drink chocolate milk within 30 minutes of your run. Chocolate milk has the 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates and protein. This combination helps with the recovery process. I have been using it for years and it does help. Within 2 to 3 hours after your run, it’s good to eat a meal that is loaded with carbos. Some good sources of carbohydrates are like pasta and bread.
Another tip for recovery is to stretch after your run. I normally spend about 15 minutes stretching the major muscle groups. Finally, I take an ice bath. Fill a plastic garbage container with water and ice about waist high. Stand in the container for 5 to 7 minutes. It takes a little getting use to, but it does wonders for your recovery.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
Since I started running people have had me try different vitamins and legal supplements. There are many vitamins for runners on the market that advertise faster recovery. Most of the time they are expensive or you have to join a group to sell them to get them at a lower price. In the end I have always felt let down because they never provided the results I was looking for. Usually, my urine was neon green, which means that my body was spitting out what it had too much of. I stopped spending my money on those supplements and decided to eat better.
I know we Americans do not eat right. If you want to have a healthy body you have to listen to what your mom always preached. Eat your fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Besides eating right, I do take a Flintstones multivitamin daily. I take them because of nostalgic reasons and they are cheap. If you have a favorite vitamin go ahead and comment. To learn more you can go to diet and nutrition.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
One of the most common questions on training for a marathon is how many weeks out from the race do you start to train. Hopefully you have been doing some running before this point, but sixteen weeks is a great time to start you specific preparation. During this time training should be specific to the 26.2 mile distance. One key run to focus on is the long run. The long run should be in your marathon training schedule once a week. Gradually working your way up to 20 miles over an eight-week period or longer, will help you to stay less injury prone. If you do not have a course measured, running a slow pace for two and half to three hours will be enough.
Another key run is a five to ten mile run close to marathon pace. You should run that workout once a week. Make sure you gradually increase the distance over a period of time. The other days are ran at an easy pace and used for recovery. I will talk about tapering for the marathon distance in my blog down the road.To learn more you can go to marathon training.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide
I receive many e-mails about what is the best gear to wear in extreme weather conditions. The elements can be brutal sometimes and you need to make sure you are wearing the right clothes. Winter running gear has changed, making it more bearable to run in the subfreezing temperatures.
When dressing for the winter it’s important to wear layers of clothing. The base layer should be a moisture wicking shirt. The shirt wicks the moisture away from the skin making it more comfortable to run. In the past I would wear the cotton shirts and when I finished my run that horrible feeling of wetness was on my skin.
Another item you want to buy is a good outer shell jacket and pants. Make sure you find a jacket that is wind and waterproof. It makes a huge difference when it is cold, wet and windy outside. During the winter, I usually come back sweating from the jacket because it protects me from the elements so well. A good jacket and pair of pants will cost you $150 to $200. The best time to purchase these items at a great price is when the winter season is over and stores want to get rid of the current clothing to bring in the new. You can as much as 50% on many items.
To learn more you can go to running gear.
If you have any questions or topics you would like for me to talk about Email them and I will address them personally and include them in my videos. Until next time, have a Great Run. Sign up for my newsletter for more tips.
Thanks,
John TheRunnersGuide