“The road to hell is paved with good intentions” is a common saying. My basic understanding of the saying is that people have a way of screwing things up even though they do not have any malicious intent.

A Wikipedia article on the saying includes three different meanings:

1. Individuals may have good intentions but never actually take action;
2. When people act on good intentions they often have very bad consequences; and
3. Bad events can happen from actions that were originally thought of as beneficial.

I think each of these meanings can be applied to running.  Obviously it is a bit of an exaggeration to equate “hell” with a running injury, but for serious runners, a major injury can take a huge toll on a person’s psyche.

Individuals may have good intentions but never actually take action

The first meaning of the saying obviously applies to the many runners who talk a big game, but never actually put the work.  How many times have you heard fellow runners boast that, “if they had the time to train” they would be able to sub-3 hour marathon or break 18 minutes in the 5k?

Instead of making excuses for why you are not running fast (i.e. not enough time, no running partner, weather is bad), how about actually putting in the miles and giving it a shot?  As I’ve mentioned before, I coached high school cross country and track for a few years and was so upset with students who had massive talent and a big mouth but no work ethic.

Take action now so you don’t have to live with regrets later.

When people act on good intentions they often have very bad consequences

The second meaning applies every time a runner has run a workout on an injury.  In doing so, the runner has the best of intentions – he or she wants to improve fitness and knows that missing a workout will be a missed opportunity.

However, any short term gains from completing the workout will be wiped out if the workout leads to a more serious injury. One of the most important characteristics of every great runner that I have known is the ability to listen to the body and take a day off necessary.

Sometimes it can take more courage to skip a workout due to an injury than to actually complete the workout.  Skipping a workout takes a lot of self-confidence and the understanding that one workout will not make your running career, but it could break it.

Bad events can happen from actions that were originally thought of as beneficial

The third meaning of the saying applies to many of the fad diets and training philosophies that gone in and out of style over the years.

Some of these are still controversial, but a few examples in my experience include minimalist shoes for runners with biomechanical flaws, carb depletion diets for marathon runners, super low-mileage, high intensity training programs that neglect aerobic development.

Each of the above were initially (and still are) seen by many people as a good idea. One great example is the low carb diet for marathon runners.

In the excellent book Advanced Marathoning, Pete Pfitzinger states that experts initially advised runners to run a long run seven days before a marathon race.  Then, in the proceeding three days, the runners were supposed to eat a very low-carb diet.  In the final three day period, runners would ramp up their carb eating. The goal for this procedure was to store as much glycogen as possible.

However, research has shown that this “carb depletion” fad actually suppresses the immune system and increases the chances of illness prior to a race.

The lesson here is to think for yourself and try not to get sucked into the latest craze until research has confirmed it to be beneficial.

Runners almost always have the best intentions. However, the drive for perfection and achievement can also have negative consequences.  Hopefully heeding the advice of the famous saying “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” will help you avoid your own running hell.

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The Boston Globe has a good article on what a “fast running shoe” actually means. Surprisingly, a lighter shoe with less cushion can actually mean slower times for a runner in a long race (I.e. marathon).

We need the full shock absorbing benefit of a traditional shoe for a marathon. Studies show that for every 100 grams (just over 3 ounces) of reduced weight in a pair of shoes, a runner will only gain 1 to 2 percent improvement (measured in time and oxygen efficiency).
If you’re an advanced or elite athlete, that
improvement can make all the difference in the world. But if you’re a 4 hour marathoner, you will likely only gain a 2-5 minute improvement in time, while forcing your body to endure 20 percent more stress due to the reduced level of shock absorption.

The fact that a shoe is easier for your leg to lift during a stride does not always mean that it is giving the muscles a break. In order to ensure that a shoe helps you run faster, it is far more important to choose a shoe that that has the appropriate amount of support for your specific biomechanics.

Not necessarily. It is important to note that are talking about speed here, not injuries. For some runners, a heavily cushioned shoe can weaken foot muscles and potentially cause injury. That is one of the main selling points for minimalism.

However, all things being equal, you should not assume that a lighter weight marathon shoe is always faster.

[Boston Globe]

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It can be difficult to know how to correctly train for marathon. The 26.2 mile distance is intimidating. However, a high quality training program can be simplified into four phases.

[A] 12-week cycle would look like this: Four weeks of endurance work, four weeks of strength work, two weeks of sharpening and two weeks of tapering.

• Endurance:This phase includes include short, medium and long runs. The pace is easy, emphasizing bulk miles and the development of aerobic endurance.

• Strength: Continue the long endurance runs. Replace the short and medium runs with hill running and tempo runs.

• Sharpening: Move your runs to the track, emphasizing a large number of repeats of a selected distance (400s, 800s, miles or a mix) with short intervals of rest. Taper off the long-distance runs and begin to decrease total mileage.

• Tapering: This period emphasizes power intervals, few in number with increased rest in between. The overall mileage is greatly reduced (40 to 50 percent).

In the strength and endurance phases, make sure to include at least one “long run” every two weeks. The distance of your long run should gradually increase until you are running about 20 miles.

The long run is an important part of getting your body ready for the distance of the marathon.

By planing a sensible training program, you will be able to get the most possible out of your marathon.

[Daily Coloradoan]

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A recent study shows just how important altitude is to running times in marathons.

On average, each increase of 1000 meters above sea level augmented marathon race time by 10.8±0.6% in men and 12.3±0.7% in women.

Compared to race times in the Rotterdam marathon (held at 0 meters above sea level), the time taken to complete the marathon was significantly higher in competitions held at an altitude of over 700 meters.

In conclusion, the time taken to complete a marathon strongly depends on the altitude of the city in which the marathon is held. Selecting marathon competitions close to 0 m above sea level is a good strategy to maximize marathon performance.

Most runners realize that it is more difficult to run at altitude, but it is interesting to see specific time data to back this up. By choosing marathons that have an altitude close to sea level, a runner could be shaving ten seconds or more off his or her finish time with no extra effort.

Most marathons have a detailed course map on their websites with altitude figures. Make sure to check these out before making the decision to run a race.

[Libertpub.com]

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Bill also has some of the best quotes about running, including:

I always say if the marathon is a part-time interest, you will only get part-time results.

To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month or even one year – but for a lifetime.

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble.

And perhaps most important:

You cannot always run at your best.

Yes, even the legendary runner Bill Rodgers had his bad running days. Unlike many less successful runners, he did not let these bad days define him.

Runners can gain even more running inspiration from Bill’s brand new book, Marathon Man: My 26.2-Mile Journey from Unknown Grad Student to the Top of the Running World. This book is an excellent choice for those planning to lower their running times this year.

Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated

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The term “Yasso 800′s” was coined by Runners World editor Amby Burfoot. Named after an employee at Runners World, Yasso 800′s involves running 800 meter repeats in order to predict your marathon time.

Specifically, a runner runs 10 repeats of 800 meters on the track. The time for each of the 800 repeats is derived by taking your goal marathon time (i.e. 4 hours) and converting it to minutes and seconds. For example, a four hour marathon converts to 4 minute 800 repeats. Between the intervals, runners have a jogging rest equal to the 800 meter time (i.e. 4 minute rest period). Therefore, if your goal marathon time is 4 hours, your goal Yasso 800′s workout would be 8 X 10 800 meter intervals at 4:00 with 4:00 rest.

Many runners have confirmed that, if completed, the workout does a great job predicting marathon times. It’s not really clear why this workout works so well, but it must have something to do with holding a fast pace for a long period of time. Give it a try!

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Predicting World Record Progression for Women

As explained in a 2005 article that appeared in the Sports Medicine journal, Nature’s mistaken prediction is the result of a misunderstanding of the history of women’s marathoning. In 1985, women participation in marathons was still a relatively new idea. The women marathon record, therefore, had been dropping at a very fast rate by the mid-1980′s. It was unclear how fast a woman could really run.

Now that the performance data is much more complete, we see that the female marathon world record has had the same kind of plateau as the men’s record. The once-rapid progression of the marathon world record for both men and women has reached almost a stand-still. The men’s record has gone down only 3 minutes since 1985, and the women’s record has gone down by only 6 minutes compared with the 1985 time. Obviously, both men and women have come pretty close to understanding the limits of their performance, but why are men still eleven minutes faster than women?

Biological Factors of Performance

Female runners work just as hard, if not harder, than male runners. However, they still have not caught up with the best men in the world. The gender difference in running performance is not related to work ethic – it is rooted in biology. The three main factors of running performance in humans are:

• Running Economy: A measure of how efficiently a person uses oxygen while running at a given pace. Runners who have the ability to consume less oxygen while running have better economy.
• Lactate threshold: The exercise intensity at which lactate starts to accumulate in the blood stream.
• Aerobic capacity: The maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilize

There appears to be very little gender difference in the running economy and lactate threshold level of men and women. However, research has found that women have a lower aerobic capacity than men. This appears to be primary gender difference that prevents a woman from running a 2:03:59 marathon like a man.

The lower aerobic capacity for women is due to a number of factors, including: (1) a woman has lower blood hemoglobin levels, (2) a woman’s arm and leg muscles have a lower oxygen extraction, and (3) the left ventricle in a woman’s heart has a smaller stroke volume than men.

These biological factors appear to be the reason why the female marathon world record prediction in the 1985 Nature article has not come true.

Photo courtesy of Ken Morrill

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“There are some body types that excel at running marathon and long-distance events. And other body types aren’t necessarily quote-unquote made to go the distance,” physical therapist Jennifer Green of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital said. “Most can, some can’t.”

The physical limitations of some aspiring marathon runners raises concerns about whether these individuals are putting themselves in danger by trying to run 26.2 miles without proper training.

As I discussed in my previous post about marathons and heart attacks, there has been an increase the number of runners who suffer heart attacks during races. Additionally, there have been instances where runners die from “water intoxication,” by consuming way more fluids than their bodies can handle. Because the majority of these cases involved individuals with very little running experience, it is not a stretch to argue that marathons should consider screening potential marathoners before allowing them to run. In other words, marathoners would have to meet minimal levels of fitness before being allowed to toe the line.

This is not a radical idea – the Boston Marathon already has strict entry requirements that are very difficult to achieve (3:10 for men and 3:40 for women aged 18-34). I think that marathon organizers should take a cue from Boston and ensure all runners have a minimal level of fitness.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand the difficulty of screening all entrants in one of the large 10,000+ participant marathons. However, marathons could at least have entrants certify that they have met certain criteria (i.e. have run at least 30 miles a week for a two month stretch, have run at least two 15 mile long runs within the two months before a marathon, etc.)

I believe that, by emphasizing the difficulty of marathons and the need for quality training, marathon organizers can cut down on the number of tragedies that have frequently marred past marathons. I certainly do not want to discourage participation in marathons, but I also want all participants to enjoy their experience without suffering serious health consequences.

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