Run Well Juliet McGrattan (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖

first run, get an early night and fill up on healthy foods too. Then just build up gradually to bring you back to your pre-illness goals and you’ll soon be right back on track. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your fitness returns.

Q

Why do I always catch a cold when I’m training for a race?

A In general, exercise boosts your immune system and helps to keep you healthy. Active people have fewer days off work than their more sedentary colleagues. However, when you’ve had a particularly intense session, whether that’s going significantly further in your long run (usually over 90 minutes) or really pushing your body in a strenuous interval session, then there’s evidence that your immune system reduces. This suppression doesn’t last for long, only around 24 hours, but it may be sufficient to weaken your defences enough for a germ to take advantage of you. It’s usually upper respiratory tract infections that runners catch in this situation. It’s hard to avoid these, but if you’re someone who is repeatedly having this problem, then it might be worth looking at your training plan. If you do your long run on a Sunday and then get up close and personal on a packed tube train every Monday morning, then it might help to move your long run to the Saturday to give your immune system an extra 24 hours to recover. If you have children, then it’s harder to resolve. Teach them to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throw it in the bin and wash their hands. Hand washing can help reduce the likelihood of catching a cold by 20 per cent, so keep washing yours too.

It’s worth chatting to your pharmacist about nasal sprays that you can use at the first sign of a cold. These can help to prevent it developing. Other factors can suppress your immune system too, such as not getting enough sleep and being under stress. It’s always wise to factor in an extra half an hour’s sleep a night when you’re training hard for an event. This will give your immune system the best chance of restoring itself, alongside helping muscle and joint repair. It’s hard to relieve stress, but taking time out to relax and delegating what you can in the lead up to a race might help keep your immune system on top form. Not eating properly can have a negative effect too (see here).

Real-life runners

As I get older I have to take greater care of my immune system, with more rest and good food. Where once I could have kept going, fitting in mileage and intensity of training with the rest of my daily life, I now make a concerted effort to ensure I manage all the work, home and training pressures I place on my body.

Ann Butler, mum of a family of runners, and proud member of Ramsbottom Running Club

Q How do I know if I’m overtraining?

A It’s normal to feel tired when you’re training hard, especially if you’re combining it with a busy work and home life. But if you find that you plateau in your running, become unable to match or improve your times, or lack the endurance for distance, then it might be time to take a step back. Is there a mismatch between what you are demanding of your body and the recovery time you are giving it? It can be a fine balance. It’s usually enough to reassess your plan and perhaps take a short period of rest, or cut back on your intensity and frequency of running if you think you’re overdoing things.

Sometimes, excess training can be more serious and begin to affect your body in a more harmful way. You may have heard of Over Training Syndrome (OTS). This is the term used for a condition involving prolonged overtraining. It’s rare and usually seen in professional athletes. It can be career-ending for some of them, as excessive training demands, coupled with the inability of the body to recover adequately from exercise during rest, can lead to problems in multiple body systems. Physiological, immunological, hormonal and psychological systems can all be affected, and also all play a role in recovery. While true OTS is rare, it’s important to know what the symptoms of excessive training on the body can be, in case you begin to identify them in yourself. Having one or more of these symptoms doesn’t mean you have OTS, but you would be well advised to assess your running and recovery balance, and consider seeing your GP to discuss whether you need any blood tests to rule out underlying medical conditions:

• Constantly feeling tired.

• Underperforming despite resting.

• Frequently getting ill.

• Frequently getting injured.

• Not being able to sleep despite being tired.

• Finding it hard to concentrate.

• Feeling low or irritable in mood.

• Lacking motivation.

• Not feeling refreshed by recovery.

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AT HOME

Running safely with a medical condition

If you have a long-term medical condition and are a runner, then it’s a good idea to be as prepared as you can be, to minimise any risks that running might pose. Here are some simple tips you can follow to help you exercise more safely:

• Fill in your details on the back of your race bib. Marshals, other runners and paramedics will look here for information about medical conditions and emergency contacts.

• Register with a medical alert provider, carry a card and wear a medical alert tag or piece of jewellery. This will quickly give important information about your condition to care-givers. Some services provide 24-hour telephone back up giving more detailed health information to health care professionals and include a translation service, which is useful if you’re racing abroad.

• If you have a condition that may affect you on your run, such as diabetes or epilepsy, then inform your run buddy or running club leader as to what might happen and what they need to do if you are in difficulty.

• Always carry your mobile phone with you