Everything you need to know about running

Missed the Q&A chat with Dr Ross Tucker? Here’s a transcript of the popular questions and answers.

Sports Scientist Ross Tucker hosted Shape’s Facebook page for two hours answering reader questions on training and running and sharing information about weight gain, running shoes, breathing technique and more. Here are some of the popular questions and answers.

Weight gain and running

“I have just completed my first 10 km run and absolutely loved it and I am looking forward to more running and trying to go further, but I am concerned because I seem to have put on weight even though I have been doing all this running… am I doing something wrong?” Tammy Turner

When people start training, weight gain is pretty common. There are 2 reasons for this:
1. Increase plasma volume. Quite literally, the body makes more blood. This makes us fitter, but it obviously also increases our mass, and that can account for easily 1 kg within a few weeks.

2. The next thing that can happen is increased muscle mass. Takes longer, maybe 6 to 10 weeks, but that can be 1 to 3 kg, depending on the person, in that space of time. So it is possible that 4 kg of mass can be explained by this.

The other problem though, where I’d be looking first, is diet. And your diet may be excellent, but when you started training, you started burning say 600kcal per day more than you did before. If you’re not careful, you can easily put that back, plus some. So there is this pretty well established tendency of over-compensation. Slightly larger portions, different foods (because you maybe have cravings) and next thing you know, those hard-earned kCal are coming back with interest!

This tends to happen quite often. So what you might need to do is look at your diet, consider seeing a dietitian and have a plan in place for what you’ll eat after training, before traininig, and in the evenings.

Finally, focus on fitness. I know it’s lousy to gain weight when you expect to lose, but if you just keep focused on getting fitter, running better or further or faster, then weight will eventually look after itself.

Knees

“Does running in the long run weaken knees? Should I take it easy as I already have knee problems? I’m 22.” Nadine Franzsen

No, just the opposite – the latest evidence suggests that it strengthens them, that people who run regularly have stronger knees later in life. It might be that people who run a lot (and by this, I’m talking 150km or more per week) do load the knees excessively. But it’s a controversial topic, and it’s partly because if someone does have weak knees, or is maybe predisposed to cartilage problems, then running brings them out. But for most, it’s possible to run with no pain, and only benefit.

What you might consider is running on softer surfaces for a while, as much as you can.

Foot strike

“I’ve been running since January this year and fully enjoy the activity. However, I can’t seem to run ‘on the ball of my foot’. It’s just something I can’t do for some reason. Am I doing any damage by running ‘heel toe’?” Haniesa Cassiem Abrahams

No, you’re in the majority when you do that. I recently wrote a piece on this on my website, mostly dealing with barefoot running vs. running in shoes, and one of the key differences is how the foot hits the ground. Some are saying that you should land on the front of your foot – in my opinion, this is a recipe for disaster, because then people “force” the landing and end up tearing calf muscles. You can read more here:http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/06/barefoot-running-shoes-and-born-to-run.html

But I think there are some technical things you might change – focus on “pulling” backwards using your hamstrings and glutes, rather than “reaching out” with your quads. The big mistake is to over-stride, and then you hit the heel pretty hard.

So focus on what is “behind” – the paradox of running is that you go forward by focusing on pulling backwards. There’s some information on that in the article I linked to above.

Stitches

“Why do I get stitches when I run?” Brenda Van Heerden Lochner

Simple question, complex answer! It’s related to the breathing pattern, and is likely caused by spasms or cramps in either the diaphragm, or the internal intercostals muscles that help the lungs expand. Either way, its breathing related, so the best solution is to focus on slower, deeper breaths. Try to visualize your lungs as being filled from the bottom up – breath right down your belly button. If you “gasp” or take shallow breaths, then you get much worse.

Running makes it doubly difficult, because the impact of your feet on the ground affects breathing rhythm. I’ve found that it’s really effective to focus on breathing to a stride pattern – 3 strikes in (left-right-left), three strikes out (right-left-right). Or 2-2, sometimes 3-2, depending how fast you’re running.

Focus on forcefully breathing air out when your foot hits the ground on the affected side. I have no idea why that helps, but it does!

Deep in, deep out, not shallow and sharp. Like I say, your lungs must be filled in from the bottom up. An exercise to do is to lie down with a book or something on your chest and you have to lift the book up and down with every breath, not short and sharp.

Pronation and tendonitis and running shoes

“I pronate badly and get tendonitis if I’m not careful. Which brand of shoes are the best with structure shoes? I have tried Nike but I’m not 100% sure they are the best option?” Brigit Harris

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of any motion control shoes – I believe the foot is meant to pronate, and that everyone can reduce the reliance of footwear. But that’s another story – it would take a lot of time to build up the strength in your calf and ankle and foot to do this. Something to think about though.

In the meantime, the best shoes, at least by reputation, for the pronating runner are Asics Kayano.

What to do with sore muscles

“If you have muscle soreness, is it better to put ice on it, or is it better to keep it warm? Does it differ when you have a muscle injury?” Marike Du Plessis

Neither. Muscle soreness is the body’s natural response to unfamiliar exercise – the muscles get sore because they’re being repaired, and if you ice or take anti-inflammatories, then you can interfere with that repair process, which means you never fully adapt to training. So for muscle soreness, you kind of have to ride it out (and laugh at yourself).

For muscle injury, it can be different, because there, the body repairs the tissue, but sometimes it is excessive and you need to control it. So normally, it’s cold in the very beginning (for pain), then heat after that to promote the blood flow and repair. If the pain still continues, then sometimes people do use anti-inflammatories to bring it under control.

Cramps

“Is it possible to get abdomen cramps when drinking small amounts of water/Energade/Coke during or before running? I’ve noticed I get cramps when drinking but I’m not completely sure if this is the cause.” Nadine Franzsen

Yes, it can do. Couple of things change during exercise and that can affect how you handle liquids. Could be entirely unrelated, but it sounds like your detective work has identified the problem being the drinks. How small are the amounts? Can you decrease them at all? Do you drink before training? It may also be related to how you breathe and obviously drinking affects breathing, so the two may be linked.

You have to be careful though, because the volume in the stomach is linked to stomach discomfort, and so skipping points, might lead to drinking more each time and that may make it even worse. It’s a strange problem, because you’re definitely not overdoing the volume. Maybe a sip every 5 minutes instead of 150ml every 10 minutes is the way to go.

There’s now quite a bit of evidence that says you don’t even need to swallow drinks to see a benefit, and the same goes for thirst. If you’re thirsty, it is more important to wet the mouth than to actually get the fluid in. Unless you’re doing a marathon. So you might want to go with the small sip option.